Forbes1114,
You will not find another site on the planet where you can learn as much about refining or recovery that you can learn here. this site is the place to learn if that is your goal.
What you and many new members to this forum or these skills do not understand is just how complicated this field of work can be, and how much you must learn to be able to do it successfully.
Members here will gladly help you with that, Notice the word Help. We can help you in your quest for knowledge in this field, but no one can give it to you.
I cannot transplant what I have spent years learning, from my simple brain to yours, even if I could you would not understand what much of the information meant unless you experienced the same study or work that I have, my notes or formulas would look like gibberish to you, unless you had a background to understand it.
Like other skills learning takes time and work of their own, of the individual wishing to learn the skill, this work involves time, and much study for the person trying to gain these skills, most of the work has been provided for you in this forum, much needed literature, and many discussions, we can help you learn where to begin those studies, we can help with information, and assist you if you get stumped, and provide suggestions.
I suspect you really understand very little of what you tried to do, seeing some video and tried it, you most likely lost the gold that you could of easily retrieved and refined with some knowledge.
To help you gain a bit of that knowledge, as a friendly gesture, I suggested the best way to help you I know of and that is for you to begin with Hokes book, and study of the forum.
Your right you will not learn everything you may need from one book. You will not learn from asking questions on the forum. You will not learn from watching a video. you will not learn from doing a google search or a search of something in the forum... each of these may give you a little piece of a big puzzle, but without the understanding of how to put the puzzle together each of these alone are not much help. but as a combination and with your hard work they will help you learn this skill.
We are willing to help you learn these skills and gain an understanding of its art and science, if you are willing to do your part of that work to be able to understand it.
Start with Hoke's book to gain a basic understanding, Start with learning the safety aspects, and dealing with waste, start with a simple materials to learn some basic principles, search for information and study it until you understand it, ask questions when needed, read what others have to share of what they have learned. share with us what you have learned...
As far as helping you recover gold from your (quote "smelt"), at this point I will not be much help. As you have not provided much information for us to go by, at this point of your described processes I can see too many places you may have lost your gold,and did not realize it, I cannot even be sure gold was in the melting process and if it was what else may have been involved in the melt besides your "flux" like chlorides making some fine gold powder volatile...
The study of the book suggested may not tell you how to fix your mistake, but it can sure help you learn not to make them and lose all your values and hard work.
Read the book it holds a treasure of information,.
Now if I had a treasure map to where you can get gold, I am sure you would be chomping at the bit to get a hold of that map.
But the funny thing is, when I told you where that treasure map was (in Hoke's book) and suggested you read it, you snubbed your nose at it, and the suggestion. I was trying to be nice and help you to learn to find your treasures.
We can help lead you to these precious maps, but you have to put the work in to get the gold, if gold was easy to get find recover and refine it would not be worth much, its value is because it is not easy and does take a lot of work...
