Well, now I done it! Impatience strikes.

[Darkthirty]

yeah, you expect readers to be on their best behavior. just not the moderators. what a load of garbage. why don't you go ahead and change my moniker to The Toxic Avenger. i'm the one getting called "toxic" (obviously one of your voodoo personal attack from your buddies) while i'm the one standing up for newbies that are being told they are too ignorant to be doing what they are trying and should just stop, even though there is no sign of danger to him/her and even though they came to a "forum" to try to learn better.

you expect everyone to "be sympathetic to other members." when are those rules going to be FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING THE MODERATORS? let me tell you something about rules. they apply to everyone, or they are good for nothing.

"if i don't like how this forum operates?" NOBDODY likes how this forum operates. i've had plenty of conversations with plenty of individuals who see good and well how a few of you treat people. they agree that they need to keep kissing your backside, so you and your buddies will continue to answer questions. quite frankly, if there were as much information on here as you and your buddies seem to think, they wouldn't need to ask questions, would they? that's what you keep spouting. "search the forum." i can tell you firsthand, your search engine is poop. i even offered to help with it. didn't i? but as soon as everyone had a working search engine, it wouldn't be a forum. it would be a search database. wouldn't it? which, brings up the obvious question, what are your buddies going to do when you make the obvious transition to a search engine, instead of a forum? who are you going to come on here and bully, then?

you, FrugalRefiner have rarely-if-ever been disrespectful to a newcomer. i continue to give you credit for that. in fact, you are one of the few people who still give me hope that perhaps this forum still has some kind of hope for helping anyone other than the moderators who seem to want some kind of hidden agenda. i'll refrain from speculating on that. but for some reason, you choose to side with your less-than-honorable friends instead of holding everyone to the same standard. why not tell them that they need to stop being so disrespectful to newcomers trying to learn a new skill? what's the point of having a forum, when you run off more than half of the first timers who comment?

as for your veiled threat and pre-emptive, "we warned you, before i booted you..." what are you gonna do? ban me? not allow me to speak? GUESS WHAT!? 9 out of 10 people already can't speak on this forum anyhow, because as soon as they ask a question, your buddies jump right in and badger them into never speaking! most of the "members" on this site already don't speak, because of how they already know they will be treated. THAT is the environment that you and your buddies supposedly spend all of this time, "trying to help people." furthermore, how do you call that a FORUM? everyone just sits and reads how you bully newbies, and tries to pick up on the inadvertant info that you accidentally drop. Lord knows, they don't actually want anyone to learn anything. then they wouldn't have their favorite hangout to make fun of the "little people." we might as well go back to sitting in the shadows and never speaking. but i'm going to speak my peace, at least once. and if you delete it, well, that's your decision. my conscience is clear, knowing that i spoke the truth, and you saw it, and chose to delete it.

in summary, this forum is just as bad, if not worse, than high school. just a bunch of bullies picking on younger kids who are just trying to learn something new. i never thought i'd get to watch the nerds turn into the bullies. but here we are.

i for one, will ALWAYS stand up for those getting picked on. you go ahead and take the easy road, if you choose. but don't you forget, that was your choice. shame on you.

Drop the drama already ...

 

[galenrog]

I’ve kept my powder dry on this one, but thought I should chime in with what is probably the best method of doing new things, regardless of the subject matter.

One of the jobs I had in the military, back in the stone ages, when I was half the man I am now, was rewriting repair manuals provided by manufacturers so they would meet standards for military repairmen who did not, in most cases, have engineering degrees, or any degrees in most cases.

That little stint taught me one invaluable skill, writing a flow chart.

Not long after developing an interest in recovery and refining precious metals, and making a few rookie mistakes, I was reminded that I had the capability to write detailed procedures.

Once I made the decision to follow that advice, I made several flow charts on recovery using various methods. Step by step, what to expect, how to recognize problems and how to react to those problems.

Charting steps to both success and failure taught me to do my homework first.

Many years, one stroke, several TIAs, and one major move later, I no longer do anything with recovery and refining of precious metals. I do, however, chime in when I feel it is important.

My advice, read Hoke. Read it again. On the third time through, write down questions you have, and bring those questions to the Forum. Perform, several times if necessary, ALL the acquaintance experiments she lays out for her readers. Do this, and you will better understand the other items Yggdrasil suggested you read and study.

Recovery and refining precious metals is potentially deadly. Some errors can be recovered from. Other errors can kill. Or worse.

Do your best to do it right.

Time for more coffee.

 

[Shark]

I’ve kept my powder dry on this one, but thought I should chime in with what is probably the best method of doing new things, regardless of the subject matter.

One of the jobs I had in the military, back in the stone ages, when I was half the man I am now, was rewriting repair manuals provided by manufacturers so they would meet standards for military repairmen who did not, in most cases, have engineering degrees, or any degrees in most cases.

That little stint taught me one invaluable skill, writing a flow chart.

Not long after developing an interest in recovery and refining precious metals, and making a few rookie mistakes, I was reminded that I had the capability to write detailed procedures.

Once I made the decision to follow that advice, I made several flow charts on recovery using various methods. Step by step, what to expect, how to recognize problems and how to react to those problems.

Charting steps to both success and failure taught me to do my homework first.

Many years, one stroke, several TIAs, and one major move later, I no longer do anything with recovery and refining of precious metals. I do, however, chime in when I feel it is important.

My advice, read Hoke. Read it again. On the third time through, write down questions you have, and bring those questions to the Forum. Perform, several times if necessary, ALL the acquaintance experiments she lays out for her readers. Do this, and you will better understand the other items Yggdrasil suggested you read and study.

Recovery and refining precious metals is potentially deadly. Some errors can be recovered from. Other errors can kill. Or worse.

Do your best to do it right.

Time for more coffee.

Do your best to do it right.

I like that line, I might have to borrow that at times.

 

[galenrog]

I like that line, I might have to borrow that at times.

Go ahead. No copyright, as far as I know.

 

[4metals]

One of the things about learning to refine here on the forum is that you rarely. have the step by step procedures laid out in a thread, or what you could call the flow chart. When learning a new process it always pays to write out the steps to follow until you have done it enough to work from memory.

 

[Yggdrasil]

One of the things about learning to refine here on the forum is that you rarely. have the step by step procedures laid out in a thread, or what you could call the flow chart. When learning a new process it always pays to write out the steps to follow until you have done it enough to work from memory.

Yes, but each step by step procefure is valid only for that specific material.
So a step by step procedure for close cut fingers from Ram in Copper Chloride may differ from the same for larger plated PCBs and so on.

 

[4metals]

Yes, but each step by step procefure is valid only for that specific material.
So a step by step procedure for close cut fingers from Ram in Copper Chloride may differ from the same for larger plated PCBs and so on.

When I teach a refiner a new process every scrap-type has its own procedure. And after 45 years I've got a pile of them!

 

[galenrog]

When I teach a refiner a new process every scrap-type has its own procedure. And after 45 years I've got a pile of them!

I had a pile of them. Gave away most before moving to Texas. Gave away the rest when my wife found her dream home. They served me well. Now I write new procedures for new hobbies, including a few far my wife.

Always follow directions, but ensure first that the directions are correct.

 

[anachronism]

Learn the basics until you have them nailed and THEN start to experiment and put your own slant on things. Without a complete understanding of the basics there is no foundation upon which to build.