GSP
I was just the opposite of your experience, of the thousands of assays I've performed 90 % were jewelery related (cupellations and fusions) and the balance e-scrap. Your tips and suggestions, all excellent, are the things I have personally experienced as well but are the things learned by actually doing assays. Like feathers and the way a bead looks if it has Platinum in it.
For this reason I feel strongly that any serious assayer should have a bookshelf with books on classical fire assay at his or her disposal. I've been fortunate to have on my shelves the following books, all well worn, and all providing a well needed direction from time to time.
Fire Assaying by Shepard & Dietrich
Analysis of Noble Metals by Beamish & Van Loon
The Metallurgy of Gold by Sir T.K. Rose
A Textbook of Fire Assaying by Bugbee
The Sampling & Assay of the Precious Metals by Smith
and finally Practical Assaying by Mitchell I have a 5th edition printed in 1881, it has a terrific section on blowpipe assay techniques.
I was just the opposite of your experience, of the thousands of assays I've performed 90 % were jewelery related (cupellations and fusions) and the balance e-scrap. Your tips and suggestions, all excellent, are the things I have personally experienced as well but are the things learned by actually doing assays. Like feathers and the way a bead looks if it has Platinum in it.
For this reason I feel strongly that any serious assayer should have a bookshelf with books on classical fire assay at his or her disposal. I've been fortunate to have on my shelves the following books, all well worn, and all providing a well needed direction from time to time.
Fire Assaying by Shepard & Dietrich
Analysis of Noble Metals by Beamish & Van Loon
The Metallurgy of Gold by Sir T.K. Rose
A Textbook of Fire Assaying by Bugbee
The Sampling & Assay of the Precious Metals by Smith
and finally Practical Assaying by Mitchell I have a 5th edition printed in 1881, it has a terrific section on blowpipe assay techniques.