What's the deal with iron ?

[kernels]

Hi guys,

In almost every video I watch or process I read, magnetic pins/parts is always removed with a magnet before progressing with the process. The writer / subject then says that they will be dealt with by a different process, but then never goes back and shows what to do with those magnetic parts. Does iron cause problems somewhere along the usual recovery / refining steps ?

How do the more experienced members deal with magnetic parts / pins ? Just warm HCl ?

 

[Geo]

It depends on the parts. Whether they are gold plated or just have residual gold. Gold plated pins are normally dissolved in AR. If it's iron from incinerated chips, it can be processed in several different ways. I use them for different things. I add some to my stock pot ever so often. I use some to make ferrous sulfate to drop gold from dirty solutions. The majority just sits in a plastic tub covered with a tarp to hold moisture in. That way the pins oxidize faster. It's easier to get fine gold out of iron from incinerated chips after it has rusted to dust.