Wannabe gold miner

[Mick Tee]

Hi,
I am an electrician with a goal of getting into metal casting jewellery and trinkets when my life quietens down a little. As a stepping stone towards this end, I am playing with electroplating which has reintroduced me to my arch-nemesis from school: chemistry.


My current plan is to learn processes in a way that I can build upon that learnin'

First step - electroplate 3D prints.
Sidetrack #1 - devising a carbon based conductive paint that would actually work better than the DIY stuff out there which I haven't tested properly because of:
Sidetrack #2 - stumbling upon an exciting new means of preparing botanicals for electroplating which I haven't tested properly because I had to pack my shed up due to a house move. I have not unpacked yet because of:
Sidetrack #3 - a novel additional step at the end of the sidetrack #2 process that may allow the electroless plating of silver directly to botanicals.

Second step - Turn this stupid gold mine into a profitable venture. Went in all naïve and keen and the red tape and a comical run of bad luck said "Not today". Hopefully the thing comes good, as the gold we have pulled out is over 95% pure, with the bulk of the rest being silver. So now I am back in the 9-5 waiting for the right time to present itself so I can throw all my papers in the air and storm out saying "So long, Suckers!"

Third step - Use my metal casting skills to cast stupid things out solid gold for the LOLz. I mean. it's all going to go to the mint anyway so who cares if it is cast as a bar, a lego minifig, chopsticks, or a golf ball?

So here I am, researching Sidertack #3 and trying to understand just enough chemistry to work out the easiest and cheapest way to test if the process works. (And no, don't ask as I am keeping this close to my chest for now)

Oh, I also have 30kg of what I believe is silver plated copper bits I have pulled out of electrical switchgear that I am wanting to remove the silver from before offloading the copper to fund my quest, but I'll try to not let that sidetrack me too much.

 

[Martijn]

Welcome to he forum, there are plating forums, perhaps better for your plan. I think it was finishing.com, not sure.

Regarding step 2: there are members who mine, but we deal mostly with refining mining concentrates or scrap gold.

With step 3 you may even get more than spot selling poured golden items, or even do so on demand.

Good luck, i don't really see a question in your post, but i think you have a good mindset to be successful.

 

[Mick Tee]

Welcome to he forum, there are plating forums, perhaps better for your plan. I think it was finishing.com, not sure.

Regarding step 2: there are members who mine, but we deal mostly with refining mining concentrates or scrap gold.

With step 3 you may even get more than spot selling poured golden items, or even do so on demand.

Good luck, i don't really see a question in your post, but i think you have a good mindset to be successful.

Thanks for the response.

I have been following the bouncing ball of new member instructions and one of the stops was to introduce myself in here, so consider me introduced. Hi

And I may not have made it clear in my post but I am here to passively learn about how precious metals behave and interact in solution, and looking for an easy process to achieve the results I need. Other than that, my goals in this area are nothing out of the ordinary and so would already have been explained somewhere as there seems to be an incredible number of very smart and experienced people in here.

The rest of my introduction was colour to fill out the story of what brings me here.

 

[Shark]

Oh, I also have 30kg of what I believe is silver plated copper bits I have pulled out of electrical switchgear that I am wanting to remove the silver from before offloading the copper to fund my quest, but I'll try to not let that sidetrack me too much.

Let’s sidetrack it a bit. Search for H2O cell.

Welcome to GRF.