Nitric acid...

[Watcher]

I need some nitric acid please... I'm only refining at most 20 grams of recovered gold.
I've searched the internet high and low for a solution without finding one, everything seems to be mix this with that add this then mix and then heat.... etc it's all too much for me I don't want to be a chemist or learn chemistry I just want some ***** nitric acid so I can refine 20 grams of recovered gold once or twice a year.
I buy, repair and sell vintage wrist watches, which is were I get my scrap jewelry from.
Sorry to rant, getting a little frustrated... Thanks

Steve.

Edited by moderator.
Keep a civil language in here, another one like this may earn you a vacation

 

[Golddigger76]

You should really consider removing the profanity from your post.
You can refine gold with substitutes since Canada doesn't allow buying without a license.

It's not really that difficult to make poor man's aqua regia at all.
There's a lot of information on this forum and if you are too lazy to read I'm sure you can find a YouTube video lol.
If you can't take time to learn the chemistry you probably should not be trying to refine, you will end up losing your gold or making a huge mess that you don't have a clue how to fix

 

[Watcher]

You are probably right... but please don't refer to me as lazy, you are being very presumptuous.

 

[Yggdrasil]

You are probably right... but please don't refer to me as lazy, you are being very presumptuous.

You are right about that, but often the preceding posts can be a giveaway, I do not say that is the cause with you.
We literally have hundreds of people crying out they can't find this or that, while it is staring in their eyes.

But search the forum, there has been similar discussions not too long ago.
There were also company names mentioned, there are even people from the US buying Nitric in Canada.
So it is there.

 

[Shark]

The practical difference between AR ( Nitric acid and Hydrochloric acid) and Poormans AR ( Hydrochloric acid and a nitrate salt) is heat. This is one of the reasons for using decent glassware as well. The hardest part of both is not over using the nitrate. If you plan to do this more than once it is worth setting up a simple fume hood, getting at least one Corningware dish capable of holding a one liter beaker, and a budget hot plate. I have seen a simple plastic tote box turned upside down with some PVC pipe and computer fans used for a fume hood. You will need to treat the waste you produce as well. A one gallon bucket works pretty good for this. Having all of this ahead of time will save you much time when actually processing your materials.

While I can get nitric here in the US, I more often use sodium nitrate (at times potassium nitrate) in place of it just because it is easier for me to get. Farm and garden type shops are a good place to start looking for the chemicals. Swimming pool chemical suppliers are another, as well as home brewing supplies for SMB, some filtering supplies, decanting aids and others odds and ends. It just takes a bit of knowledge and effort to find the work around chemicals and other supplies. And maybe a bit of imagination.

If I knew of a source in your area I, and many others, would point it out for you, in my case, I just don’t know of any.

 

[Golddigger76]

You are probably right... but please don't refer to me as lazy, you are being very presumptuous.

I suppose you can not hear what I am thinking by reading my words but I was not calling you lazy lol, it was a joke.
9.9 new members here decide to go watch YouTube instead of reading through the forums to get a answer...

 

[Watcher]

And today's question is... Please and thank you
I believe I have finished my first gold recovery from scrap watches and bracelets, I'm not going to pursue aqua regia till I have more recovered gold, so my question is how should I be storing my gold dust/foils etc.
At present I have about 8 grams in a small prescription pill container which hopefully over the next few months will add more,
What do y'all suggest? thanks

Steve.

 

[Shark]

One of my older favorites was a baby food jar. I also used an empty pill bottle as well. I preferred the clear glass as less powders seemed to stick to it by way of static cling.

 

[Golddigger76]

And today's question is... Please and thank you
I believe I have finished my first gold recovery from scrap watches and bracelets, I'm not going to pursue aqua regia till I have more recovered gold, so my question is how should I be storing my gold dust/foils etc.
At present I have about 8 grams in a small prescription pill container which hopefully over the next few months will add more,
What do y'all suggest? thanks

Steve.

Storing your gold is fine in plastic pill bottles and it will keep you from losing your gold if you accidentally drop it on the floor or knock it off of a shelf.

Fine gold dust will stick to the plastic but can easily be removed for refining with a spray bottle.

While you are saving up your gold you can start getting all of the equipment you need for refining like beakers, watch glasses, hot plate, funnel and filters, safety gear to protect yourself from the acids and other chemicals.

Maybe you can also set up a small area outside to do your refining and this will also give you some time to get a real plan on paper with the steps you need to follow and most importantly will give you more time to read through the forum so you can learn how to get it right the first time you try.

I will see if I can find and post a link to a post that lasersteve made for beginner gold refiners that has excellent instructions for people who are just starting.

 

[Watcher]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement, that's the road I'm taking
Be great if you can find that link.
Cheers
Steve.

 

[Watcher]

One of my older favorites was a baby food jar. I also used an empty pill bottle as well. I preferred the clear glass as less powders seemed to stick to it by way of static cling.

Yeah, I like that idea... Then I can view my treasure

 

[Shark]

Yeah, I like that idea... Then I can view my treasure

A few years ago a niece was staying with us. I had a jar of powders that needed melting and she ran across it. She ask why I kept dirt in a baby food jar. After explaining to her I took them out and melted them. Later in the day she called her grandmother and was trying to explain what she had seen. Finally she says “he melts dirt and it turns into gold”.

I had always assumed if someone broke in to steal something a jar of dirt would be the last thing they took.

 

[Watcher]

Storing your gold is fine in plastic pill bottles and it will keep you from losing your gold if you accidentally drop it on the floor or knock it off of a shelf.

Fine gold dust will stick to the plastic but can easily be removed for refining with a spray bottle.

While you are saving up your gold you can start getting all of the equipment you need for refining like beakers, watch glasses, hot plate, funnel and filters, safety gear to protect yourself from the acids and other chemicals.

Maybe you can also set up a small area outside to do your refining and this will also give you some time to get a real plan on paper with the steps you need to follow and most importantly will give you more time to read through the forum so you can learn how to get it right the first time you try.

I will see if I can find and post a link to a post that lasersteve made for beginner gold refiners that has excellent instructions for people who are just starting.

 

[Watcher]

Maybe I've found a solution to my nitric acid conundrum...
I have an acid testing kit from JSP, I've just realised that each bottle has nitric acid and distilled water in them, hmmmm I think to my self, with the small batches of recoved gold I'll be doing I could use these for making AR?
Any thoughts?

Steve.

 

[Christian333]

Maybe I've found a solution to my nitric acid conundrum...
I have an acid testing kit from JSP, I've just realised that each bottle has nitric acid and distilled water in them, hmmmm I think to my self, with the small batches of recoved gold I'll be doing I could use these for making AR?
Any thought

Only the 10K will be nitric and distilled.

Janie

 

[Watcher]

Hi, but all have nitric acid, the gold is already in HCL, I don't see a problem with distilled water and HCL
Sounds viable to me, I only have about 10 grams of recovered gold?

 

[Christian333]

Hi, but all have nitric acid, the gold is already in HCL, I don't see a problem with distilled water and HCL
Sounds viable to me, I only have about 10 grams of recovered gold?

Right about the nitric and HCl, I was showing the ratio of nitric to distilled, to help calculate amount of solution needed to dissolve your gold.
Try it and let us know.

Janie

 

[Watcher]

Thanks I will, gotta build me a fume hood first