Selling Precipitants

[saltminer]

I want to know who buys gold and PGM's in the form of microscopic precipitants.
The end product from the process I use is like a "mud" in a coffee filter. This is
rinsed and then heated to dry it and is then ready to melt.
I don't have a furnace and refiners I have e-mailed did not respond. I will eventually
buy a furnace or make one but for now I would like to sell the precipitants as is at a
fair price.

 

[nickvc]

Where are you based?what quantities are we talking? Which PGMs?
We need a bit more information before anyone can help.
You don't need a furnace just a torch and a melting dish for your Au, available from lasersteves site.
Your PGMs are a slightly different matter unless you have the right torch, but with more information I'm sure someone can help.

 

[saltminer]

I am in North Carolina. The mud in one 12" coffee filter should yield around 3 to 3.5 grams
of metals of which 80% is gold and remainder is platinum group plus a little silver. I
honestly do not know which platinums. I am new at this. I know that the platinum can
be separated from the gold and silver with another chemical process, but the instructions
I have say that what I wind up with is ready to melt and that further separation is an option.

As for the torch, I've never used one nor have I ever melted metals period. Is there a danger of
blowing the precipitants away or is the torch used to heat under the dish? You see I am very
much a rookie here. All I know at this point is how to chemically extract precious metals
from a common substance found all over the globe. The process is simple and cheap and
involves a certain leaching agent plus hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. Depending on
where the common substance comes from determines whether you get mostly gold or
mostly platinum.
The yields I am getting is suppose to be mostly gold and I can see it with a 100x pocket microscope
but I really cannot determine just how much, only what I have been told to expect after melting
in a furnace. I am not wanting to be vague. It's just that I have not seen any mention of anyone
doing what I am trying to do.

 

[joem]

I am also a rookie here
and yes I have blown the gold powder away,
and yes I have never used a blow torch before this.
But I have learned (and still learning) to heat my dish till red hot, then add borox and continue heating until clear and runny then add the gold powder without the torch directly on the dish then used the torch until gold melts red hot and clumps together into little glowing balls.
It's a thrill no matter how small your gold powder is.
Here's the continued learning part - don't drop your dish it will break and you will have to order more from Steve like I did.
ps keep your powder and build up your amounts - it is really fun and rewarding.

 

[rusty]

I am also a rookie here
and yes I have blown the gold powder away,
and yes I have never used a blow torch before this.
But I have learned (and still learning) to heat my dish till red hot, then add borox and continue heating until clear and runny then add the gold powder without the torch directly on the dish then used the torch until gold melts red hot and clumps together into little glowing balls.
It's a thrill no matter how small your gold powder is.
Here's the continued learning part - don't drop your dish it will break and you will have to order more from Steve like I did.
ps keep your powder and build up your amounts - it is really fun and rewarding.

Joe you should mix your gold powder into the borax before melting to avoid losses. As the flux melts it creates a cover for the gold.

The melting dish is a consumable, you should always have a good supply on hand.

 

[joem]

mix powder and borax together.....yes that's a good idea
see? still learning...

 

[goldenchild]

Sounds like iShore to me. If this is the case you would definatly have to further part these metals with chemical seperation(if pure metals is your aim). Stick around and you will find that you can start with chemical separation right away.

 

[Harold_V]

Joe you should mix your gold powder into the borax before melting to avoid losses. As the flux melts it creates a cover for the gold.

That can have consequences. If your gold is finely divided, it's possible the prills won't fully agglomerate, so your flux ends up filled with minuscule beads of gold. I advise against that procedure.

You are far better served to flux the dish, just enough to coat the surface, then introduce the gold powder, even after the dish has cooled. Play a soft torch on the gold powder until the surface starts to melt. At that point you can increase the heat. When the powder is all molten, you can then rock the melting dish for all of the beads to collect in one mass, assuming they haven't done so already. If your gold is pure, the surface will remain clear. If it is contaminated, you'll see a covering that constantly moves from the center of the molten mass to the edges, where the oxides you see are absorbed by the flux in the dish.

Harold

 

[joem]

Thanks Harold
looks like I was already on the golden brick road
It works for me.
See? I am learning more....