Gold Refining....Anyone ever experiment with this?

[Nitric]

I know this is the prospecting forum, and I'm not really looking for anyone to lay it all out in a forum of their secrets or what took them years to understand. about refining gold. But I figured some of you had of to play with the subject. A lot of people in here seem to have a lot of areas of expertise!

I was reading and trying to understand aqua regia at one time. The problem for me is that as much as I read I'm still afraid to mess with it without seeing it done or really talking to someone experienced.

Then I got into the topic of Mercury and how it is used sometimes...Not really something I want laying around and cooking, without proper equipment and experience.

Now, Are there any safer, play around at home, type alternatives? Even if it takes a lot longer? I see all this stuff advertised, salt,and other chemicals, that "are safer". Do they work? Can these be made and put together on a cheaper scale with what's laying around the house or local stores? To keep it vague, I even bought pool and hotub chems at one time.

Eventually one day, I want to build a "safe" room and have all the right equipment and precautions, air filter system etc.... But for now? Aqua regia is just to scary to me to have just on a bench in the garage, not having any experience or any real safe way.

Any ideas? Not possible? Anyone ever mess with this subject? Just looking for ideas or articles maybe even that are known to work. If any...

Turn it to a refinery is not an option! I can't learn that way! I'm playing with GF and RGP, at the moment. So, my concoction is melting the brass or copper,I'm assuming? the liquid turned green! But....I don't think it's really doing much! For that? I was just using chems from the kitchen just on a try, to see what would happen. I also started out using it to clean corrosion off of nickloid or nickel. Then it kind of went from there. Then my mind wandered back into the gold refining topic that I wanted to learn years ago.

 

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[Nitric]

And no! This is not what I'm going to build next! Too much to go wrong! If you read my other thread this will make sense!
Refine at Home Portable System with Fumes Purification for Scrap Gold Recovery | eBay

Actually, watching some youtube videos.....Some of these "home brewed" type things, seem to me, that the fumes would be way more toxic, than just learning the right way?

 

[Jimmydolittle]

I used to do computer scrap refining. The process is not all that difficult to do. Go here, and become a member: GOLD REFINING FORUM - GOLD REFINERS HELPING ONE ANOTHER

 

[KevinInColorado]

I've done "some stuff" in this area. Refining can mean a lot of things. What material are you starting with?

 

[Nitric]

I've done "some stuff" in this area. Refining can mean a lot of things. What material are you starting with?

I'm starting with GF or RGP. Old stuff! Where the "plate" is thicker.

I was looking at this subject years ago and just kind of thought about it again lately. After I posted the thread I started reading a few things last night.

I think My fear of Aqua Regia might be just a lack of confidence. The alternatives seem to be just as toxic if not more toxic? I've used plenty of fuming nitric in the past for testing, That was all we used, not the different strengths like what is sold in the test kits now. The other acids I've used in concrete and other places of work. We never had any safety equipment. Safety is a good thing and I'm not meaning to down play it, All I'm wondering is if aqua regia is any more dangerous than anything else we use at home or in the work place. Just use logical caution?

So, I'm back to thinking about doing it the proven way with the two acids, Basically. Another problem is buying the nitric. I'm not sure yet how to buy any quantities without filling out a pile of paper work. Which is no problem! But, I didn't want to do all that just on a "try it one time" type thing. I'm still looking into and reading about that part of it.

Anyhow, I have a lot to learn yet, A lot of things to slowly gather, and not really sure what direction I'm headed yet.

The metal I'm going to start with is GF and RGP. I already have it laying around. So, I was reading a little on it and see that there is a longer process in doing that. Over doing just scrap jewelry gold.

 

[Nitric]

I used to do computer scrap refining. The process is not all that difficult to do. Go here, and become a member: GOLD REFINING FORUM - GOLD REFINERS HELPING ONE ANOTHER

Thank you! I will check that out!

Added.....Just checked part of it out! That looks like what I need.

Eventually, I'd like to learn the whole subject and be able to pull and separate the other metal out of the solution too. It's been a while since I've read any of that, but I think they have to come out in a certain order. That looks like a very helpful site for trying to learn all of that.

It's hard in here because I want to stay vague and not really give kids or someone that's not thinking a how to hurt yourself thread. But on the other end it's hard to learn this subject on your own, it gets complicated.