Need a little help

[goldengirl2016]

I am just starting out and have done a bit of reading and have watched several videos on the process.
I have run the fingers from miscellaneous cards through an AP solution and end up with what you see in the images. The issue I'm having is I'm not sure what the black dirt is that does not dissolve in the AP. Also no matter slow I pure off the AP solution some of the gold floats into the filter with the black dirt. What is the best way to separate it? In all of the videos I have watched there doesn't seem to be this dirt like material so I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong? A soak and rinse in an AP solution seem pretty straight forward. I want to make sure what I'm seeing if correct before I move to dissolving the gold in bleach.

 

[Topher_osAUrus]

The black dirt, mud, sludge (whatever you want to call it) is most likely gold.

When the gold is plated very thin, it doesnt get removed as foils, but as microscopic black bits of gold.

Gold also appears black, if you have too much H2O2 and end up dissolving some in the AP (which gets cemented back onto the copper base metal)

Looks fine to me!

Edit to add:

If it were me, id catch all the black mud and foils in the filters til the AP is clear (no turbidity). Then rinse the material in the filter with a little HCl. Then throw the filters in acid-bleach, dissolving the gold.
Just be sure to rinse the filters after dissolvinf the gold, until they are free of color. Get some good gloves, so you can squeeze them dry.

Best of luck!

 

[goldengirl2016]

Thank you for your response!! Will let you know how it goes!

 

[kernels]

As above, when I move on to dissolving the foils, I just throw the filter with the fingers and all the black stuff into the AR. Whatever doesn't dissolve gets filtered out after.