Refining from black sand cons

[Marcus Horton]

Hey guys new member here. I am refining what I want to call creek bed black sand. After clarifying down to 100 grade screen, using a low gravity separator and using a magnet to remove most of the iron. Mixing 1 part charge, 1 part Borax, 0.5 part potassium nitrate. Dropping silver as a collector metal either in the cold charge or dropping it in the melt 2/3 of the way through the burn... Typically 1 hour at 2,200°then drop the silver and another half an hour.
My question would be how to separate the silver from the gold after the pour.

 

[4metals]

At that point you will have a high percentage of Silver as compared to the quantity of gold so you will have essentially inquarted meaning you have 3 parts silver to 1 part Gold (and then some).

To recover the gold mix up 1 part nitric acid (68%) to 2 parts of distilled water. Heat this to dissolve the Silver. The gold will not dissolve and the silver will become silver nitrate. Pour off the Silver nitrate and filter what remains. It can now be as high as 98-99% Gold depending on what else may have been in the black sands that you did not get out.

To recover the Silver add copper metal and it will go into solution and force the Silver out as Silver metal in a process called cementation. Rinse the Silver and it is good to re-use again to inquart another load.

Welcome to the forum.