Originally Posted by
rckww7
Hi, I'm back, this is mostly directed to Scott. No, I have never processed gold before, but I am going to learn how. I have spent the last 10 years recycling, not scrapping. this is my next step. In reviewing my past posts, I didn't really ask the correct question and I now know that this is not the correct forum either. I listen. I downloaded Hoke and am at page 52. I reviewed all the warnings. I painted my workbench( that otta take a couple days to dry) I have been entertaining this idea for 3 months. I'm in no hurry, the gold is just going to be worth more. I am doing some tests, very simple ones, alittle bit of material, cover with muratic acid, and watch to see. It's outside - it is real slow, but it is working. Gold recovery is not my expertise, but at some point in the past, it wasn't yours either. See ya on the gold refining forum.- Rck -
If you are reading hoke, you might be better served reading up to the point where she talks about acquaintance tests. There is a lot of value to reading Hoke, but one of the most important parts in my humble opinion is when she talks about acquaintance tests or familiarity tests. She has laid out the book for non-chemists and teaches what is required before getting into the small little tests you are talking about. I am not saying this is the way you have to do it, but rather that in my opinion it's better to completely read the book before even playing with acids, or at the very least read up to the point where she talks about conducting the tests. You are getting just a little ahead of yourself, I can understand the excitement, but you might want to do things in the way so many before you and I have done.
Muratic Acid is the industry name for Hydrochloric acid (HCl). The HCl is not going to dissolve copper unless there is excess heat or there is excess oxygen, neither of which you make note of above. If you are dissolving anything it may be solder made of tin/lead which means you are now creating solution with heavy metals that cannot be poured into the sewage system and must be disposed of as hazardous material unless you are recovering the metals, or at least precipitating them out of solution as mixed solids. But as I tried to explain before, HCl alone will not dissolve gold unless there is excess oxygen, further more HCl will not dissolve the metal under the gold plating, which is copper, unless there is excess oxygen and/or there is excess heat applied. Under normal conditions HCl will not dissolve or remove or otherwise affect copper or gold, so your test outside will not loosen up or foil the gold plating. This is something you would realize if you had already read Hoke.
Not to harp on this, but I feel like you are not listening at all, and are just doing your own thing regardless of any advice or direction given. I can tell you with certainty, if you conduct yourself in this way on GRF, you will end up being ignored, or worse, banned.
Scott
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