Non-Chemical Pins in A/P

[Geo]

I have a quick question. I have some classifiers that fit the top of a 5 gal bucket. I can't remember what size they are, but they are plastic with stainless (I think) mesh. Would AP be a problem with these. I figured that I could stack them together (smallest size on bottom and larger on top) and take my pins that I've been working with and put them on the top screen and this should allow the sediment and foils wash through. Rather than washing them with HCl/Cl to dissolve the foils mixed with the pins.

Rusty

Stainless steel is dissolved by AP with no problem. You would have to break the foils up small enough to fit through a strainer that the pins wont fit through. Maybe with enough agitation, the foils will break up fine enough to classify.

 

[rewalston]

I have a quick question. I have some classifiers that fit the top of a 5 gal bucket. I can't remember what size they are, but they are plastic with stainless (I think) mesh. Would AP be a problem with these. I figured that I could stack them together (smallest size on bottom and larger on top) and take my pins that I've been working with and put them on the top screen and this should allow the sediment and foils wash through. Rather than washing them with HCl/Cl to dissolve the foils mixed with the pins.

Rusty

Stainless steel is dissolved by AP with no problem. You would have to break the foils up small enough to fit through a strainer that the pins wont fit through. Maybe with enough agitation, the foils will break up fine enough to classify.

I don't want the stainless to dissolve :lol: I think that the size of the foils I have should wash through fine. I'm just a little nervous about adding HCl/Cl to the pins. I have some filters that I'm going to do as well (separately). Just trying to figure out an easier way to filter the pins and separate them from the foils and powder.

 

[glondor]

Just a curious question, If GEO's method works, why bother with AP at all? Have you tried stripping pins with just hcl/ bleach? Might be worth a try.

 

[rewalston]

Just a curious question, If GEO's method works, why bother with AP at all? Have you tried stripping pins with just hcl/ bleach? Might be worth a try.

Hey Glondor, no I haven't tried it yet. I have been running just over a pound of pins for about a week in AP. I believe that all gold has been reduced either to foils or black precipitation. No gold is in solution. I was trying to figure out how to separate the gold from the pins as they have not fully dissolved. As I said, no gold in solution so all that is left is the copper pins. I don't have a way unless the screens I have will work, to separate the two factions. I'm going to try them this weekend. They are still bubbling away nicely in AP.

Rusty

 

[Geo]

Mike, if the foils are still attached to the pins, it will not dissolve fast enough to stop the gold from cementing out.

I wouldn't try to use hcl/Cl just to strip the gold off of pins but since the gold is loose from the base metal and there is excess oxidizer, the gold should stay in solution long enough to just decant to another vessel. Loose foils will dissolve fast enough to accomplish this task. I don't do something like this all the time but just to fix a problem or straighten up a mistake.

Ideally, you would replace the pins and chemicals and finish the dissolution of the pins. The process I described is just something to roughly and quickly recover the gold that's loose from the pins. After doing this for awhile, you will learn that some of the things we are told not to do is because we don't know enough about it to make it work, not because it wont work.

 

[glondor]

That Is what I thought. Thanks GEO.

 

[johnny309]

Plated gold on stainless steel with HCl/NaOCl...is the way to try....especially for the time...I mean...not so much gold ,but fast time of recovery.......

And it is only gold(if you are fast...)....nu "base" metals involved.

 

[rewalston]

Just a follow up, I've got everything filtered. I used a mesh classifier that I have to separate out the gold/dust from the pins. All of the gold and precipitation (black dust) are in filters. I'm going to do a rough HCl/Cl to put it all into solution. Then I'll drop, do the washes and do the whole thing all over again. I don't have a lot but it's a start. Never doing pins again. I'll stick to chips and fingers from now on. The pins kept the wife happy but what a pain. I have about 2 pounds of chips and N/S to incinerate. Might incinerate them and the filters first. I haven't decided yet.

Rusty