Quick question I need to know: After I have dissolved base metals in HCL how do I seperate the two? (from the gold) What is the best way of decantering that without losing my gold? Am I supposed to wait until the base metals are COMPLETELY dissolved? In other words, are the base metals supposed to dissapear or be completely gone or just reduced to an amount that it doesn't contaminate your gold in the AR solution too much?
I wonder why you are using HCL and not nitric? is it tin you are after?
gold will not dissolve in HCl without a strong oxidizer, even copper will be hard to dissolve without some oxidizer, the trick is to dissolve all the base metals (you can not expect a complete seperation as there will always be some left or else some gold in solution), and yes you want all base metals in solution that you can,
if you do not dissolve all of the base metals any gold which is in solution will plate back to the remaining copper (undissolved metal) you will not be able to tell the gold powder from the gold powder by looking, so the notion that a person can just dissolve the gold off the copper and leave the remaining base metals undissolved is a false one (at least with these chemical methods) dissolving all of the base metals is nessary or you will still have gold with the undissolved copper.
if you do not throw out filters and keep a stock pot you will not loose gold, although you can missplace it for awhile, and you also need to have stannous chloride , or else how are you going to tell if gold is dissolved in solution? just the color of a solution can be an old trick to fool you, but a properly applied stannous test can be a tool to see for sure, why eliminate the base metal, it isn't only the contamination of gold from base metals as much as it is the problems they cause with the process, and your ability to get and keep the get gold where you want it through out the process, decanting is a process of removeing the liquids (dissolved base metals and leaving the gold powders or flakes at bottom undisturbed) this can be done by pouring off liquid slowly, or a small hose to sypher off liquid, or a suction bulb type syringe or eye dropper to remove liquid, (filtering the decanted liquid is always a good Idea as you may have some powder or floating foils),
and metalfish, aqua regia is hard for a beginner to master HCL/ Bleach method is somewhat easier, as eliminating the oxidizers can be where most will have trouble from testing and precipitating.
hope this gives you a few clues, as I have not followed where you are in this process and what materials or your process up to this point.
