Barren Realms 007
In Remembrance
Palladium said:
That was a nice find.
need help removing mercury from gold
- Thread starter Nite Hawk
- Start date
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That was a nice find.
Topher_osAUrus
Well-known member
That isn't underwater in the picture.
If it were underwater, it could/would easily suck back water into the retort, which Im sure would then make for a very interesting show..
If it were underwater, it could/would easily suck back water into the retort, which Im sure would then make for a very interesting show..
The discharge end of the pipe should not actually be under water. As others have mentioned, if the heat to the retort ended and the discharge was under water, it could draw water back up into the very hot retort and cause a steam explosion.
The end of the discharge pipe should be a little above the water level in the catch vessel. It should then have a small piece of thin leather, or cloth, or something similar attached to the end that hangs down just below the water level. The reason you want this is to keep any stray mercury vapors from escaping into the air. If the heat is removed from the retort, as the pressure drops in the retort, and it tries to draw water up into the condenser, the leather or cloth will break the vacuum and allow a bit of air in instead of drawing water up into the retort. At least, that's the principal.
In your diagram, you show air going into the jacket of the condenser. Air won't cool it much. Water has a much higher capacity to cool the vapors from the retort. Cold water should come in at the bottom of the condenser and exit at the top.
Dave
The end of the discharge pipe should be a little above the water level in the catch vessel. It should then have a small piece of thin leather, or cloth, or something similar attached to the end that hangs down just below the water level. The reason you want this is to keep any stray mercury vapors from escaping into the air. If the heat is removed from the retort, as the pressure drops in the retort, and it tries to draw water up into the condenser, the leather or cloth will break the vacuum and allow a bit of air in instead of drawing water up into the retort. At least, that's the principal.
In your diagram, you show air going into the jacket of the condenser. Air won't cool it much. Water has a much higher capacity to cool the vapors from the retort. Cold water should come in at the bottom of the condenser and exit at the top.
Dave
DennisW
New member
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2019
- Messages
- 1
A simple trick taught to me by an old prospector was to take a fairly large potato cut it in half and hollow it out enough to hold the amalgam then securely tie the potato pieces together. Boil the potato until cooked and do not remove the lid of the pot until it had cooled completely. The gold will have formed a neat button in the middle of the potato and the mercury vapour is trapped by the skin of the potato and can be recovered by mashing and washing away the pulp in cold water
kjavanb123
Well-known member
DennisW said:
Good advice thanks
kurtak
Well-known member
kjavanb123 said:
This is - NOT" - a safe method for removing the mercury from amalgam :!: :!: :!:
Kurt
That is horrible advice! While some of the mercury will be caught in the potato, some will escape. Then you have a toxic mess of mercury in the water and the mashed pulp. I know it used to be done in the past, but we know better now.kjavanb123 said:
Dave
