Gold stuck in Clay - hard clay

[George W. Hayduke]

I am relatively new to this but using my Garret I cam across several large pieces of gray clay that you would mistake for any other rock until you smash it with a hammer. It does not easily dissolve in water ( I found them in a river) .I broke open several pieces and found , what I think, is a fair amount of gold. Problem is getting it out. I used a classifier to try and free it but then I have about 1lb of now powdered clay and gold dust that I am trying to pan out but I still can not get it , the gold, free of the clay. Any suggestions of technique or tools I can use? I still have several chunks of clay to go through but I held of on grinding them down. Is there some chemical I can use to dissolve the clay and keep the gold? Thanks
Hayduke.

 

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[kuger]

dish soap

 

[nickmarch]

Clay doesn't actually disolve it disintigrates.

Mix some water with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. DO NOT USE BOTH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE & VINEGAR!

It will make it easier to get the gold

 

[George W. Hayduke]

Thanks. Just pour some dish soap and water into the mix and it will wash the clay away?

 

[George W. Hayduke]

Clay doesn't actually disolve it disintigrates.

Mix some water with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. DO NOT USE BOTH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE & VINEGAR!

It will make it easier to get the gold

I have tried Peroxide ( it was only 3%) and it did bubble and fizz for a while and it did allow me to shake up the container and get some more of the garbage off of it but that took every bit of 5 days to accomplish to varying degrees of success. Do think a higher % H2O2 would do it better? What kind of vinegar? Thanks for your suggestion.

 

[nickmarch]

A higher % would work better.

White or red vinegar would work the same.

How much clay do you have?

Do you have anything such as a drill with a mixer to mix the crap out of it?

Plain water & something to mix would break it up.

"Clay Gone" works too! Search google & you will find it. Youtube has some videos showing how it works

 

[kuger]

...yes just add some to a pan of clay and work it with your hands,or put it in the bucket with water and let sit.Clay be gone is basically soap

 

[George W. Hayduke]

So the clay gone does work for the solids? Thank you again.

 

[George W. Hayduke]

Going to try the soap right now. Thanks again.

 

[phishisgroovin]

go to a hair salon and buy what they use to bleach hair, its peroxide.

 

[George W. Hayduke]

go to a hair salon and buy what they use to bleach hair, its peroxide.

I actually did do that because its 40% H2O2 but its also a bunch of other stuff to make it into a cream so now my gold nuggets and flakes have blonde highlights.

 

[419GottaMinute]

Ha!