questions, maybe some answers?

Laz7777

Sr. Member
Dec 19, 2015
255
494
South Fork Yuba River, Motherlode
Detector(s) used
GoldBug II
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
my buyer is getting greedy.
for 7 years I've brought him gold that is slightly tainted with mercury...as in trace. my gold is clean, no black sand or extraneous matter, you couldn't get a grain out of the 4.5 .ozt in my pocket now.
but I do get discoloration.
this has always been no problem, up until now.
as of the new year, if I don't have my gold nice and shiny, I get a 10% hit!.

here's the kicker: he's saying I need to use nitric. the only shop in town carrrying it just happens to be his buddy down the road, and he admitted to me that he helped his buddy buy it.
I says the ****er is getting a kickback or two. I'd say this is what we'd call a "conflict of interest".

is there any other way of removing a trace of merc?
thought about a propane torch, any other suggestions?
 

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Goldwasher

Gold Member
May 26, 2009
6,077
13,222
Sailor Flat, Ca.
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
SDC2300, Gold Bug 2 Burlap, fish oil, .35 gallons of water per minute.
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selling to a gold buyer is silly. they will give you as little as possible.

save it and send it to a refiner.

put it in paydirt and sell online

or find a direct buyer/collector that isn't going to try and resale it quickly.

ask at a prospecting shop if they know anyone who is buying. If you have enough its amazing how soon a guy in a big stetson with an awesome belt buckle and bill fold will show up ready to buy.


I would caution selling small amounts right now as it looks like its getting ready to be the time to dig as much as you can.

Gold seems to have bottomed and should be rising.
 

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bug

Full Member
Jun 5, 2008
236
392
Nor Cal
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And dont try to sell it last minute when you desperately need $. Give yourself some time to find a good buyer. All of goldwashers suggestions are really good. You work way to hard for that gold and why let a buyer make an easy buck off your back.
 

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Laz7777

Sr. Member
Dec 19, 2015
255
494
South Fork Yuba River, Motherlode
Detector(s) used
GoldBug II
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
well, problem solved...
a very simple soolution: vinegar.
you see, the merc had already been roasted off my gold, the buyer I have is playing games now, trying to force me and others to buy nitric from someone he's in partners with.
it took a quart of vinegar to make 4.5 .ozt pretty, but it did the job and my buyer won't know the difference.
thanks for all the suggestions.
 

placertogo

Sr. Member
Aug 25, 2010
371
350
Maine USA
thanks for all the answers.
I currently get 80% of spot, my buyer will give only 70% if the gold isn't pretty.
I roast my gold over a small twig fire on the river and get rid of nearly all the merc, but a trace (his xrf doesn't see it) is left.
he has a friend who has opened up a mining supply store, who is in partners with him to sell nitric. this guy is a ripoff...think like $6 for a vial, 250 for a no name sluice and you'll get what I'm saying.
anyhow, I'm just going to buy a propane torch and make it pretty foor him, he won't know the difference.

Your buyer is sticking it to you. Most of the big refiners will pay 92 to 95% of spot even if the gold is dirty. Remember, they are refiners so they treat the gold with nitric and cupel it to get the lead out which is what their 5 to 8% margin is paying for. And I am talking 92 to 98% of actual gold values remaining after the gold is refined to 99.999%. Even if the gold looks perfectly clean, you/they never know the actual gold content until after the batch is refined. In addition, they will generally pay for around 80 to 85% of silver values coming out of the same batch. And similar take for palladium, platinum, rhodium etc. values in the same batch.
 

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Laz7777

Sr. Member
Dec 19, 2015
255
494
South Fork Yuba River, Motherlode
Detector(s) used
GoldBug II
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
yeah, he's just a middleman and he is playing games....
I've found a few private buyers willing to pay 90%, but they don't usually want much, llike a few .dwt..
I know there has to be a refiner in this area, just don't know who.
 

arizau

Bronze Member
May 2, 2014
2,479
3,854
AZ
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Beach High Banker, Sweep Jig, Whippet Dry Washer, Lobo ST, 1/2 width 2 tray Gold Cube, numerous pans, rocker box, and home made fluid bed and stream sluices.
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yeah, he's just a middleman and he is playing games....
I've found a few private buyers willing to pay 90%, but they don't usually want much, llike a few .dwt..
I know there has to be a refiner in this area, just don't know who.

I did a quick search and found "Bay Area Metals" in SF. Google for their website. From pictures shown on their website under the title "Our Mission" it looks like they may buy raw gold so it may warrant a call or email to them about your gold. I like the fact that you can watch the process they go through to smelt the gold, etc. You might look for others here. https://www.google.com/search?q=sme...ome..69i57.25263j1j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.

Good luck
 

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Laz7777

Sr. Member
Dec 19, 2015
255
494
South Fork Yuba River, Motherlode
Detector(s) used
GoldBug II
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
thnks arizau..SF is a trip for me, my buyer hs too use someonee closer, he's made trips and got cash for me in a few hours, from Grass Valley.
 

IMAUDIGGER

Silver Member
Mar 16, 2016
3,400
5,194
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Kind of depends on what the gold looks like, where it was found, how much your selling.
 

GoldpannerDave

Bronze Member
Apr 17, 2014
1,076
1,279
Colorado Springs, CO
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Bazooka 48" Miner and 30" Sniper, Le Trap, Wolf Trap, A52, 2" dredge, Miller tables, Blue Bowl, wheel, Falcon MD20, old White's detector
Primary Interest:
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Hope your not grilling a steak tonight:laughing7:

And I would be careful about using the pan for food any time soon. :)

Use a metal gold pan instead if you have one.
 

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Laz7777

Sr. Member
Dec 19, 2015
255
494
South Fork Yuba River, Motherlode
Detector(s) used
GoldBug II
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
just sold an .ozt a few minutes ago, caause the price is up...the gold passed muster...I had in mind some choice words if it didn't, the gold sparkled.
BTW, 80% of spot really isn't unfair, it's about .920-.930 fine, leaving the 12-13% difference for the buyer and the refiner to split...I guess my buyer would get 5-7% and I don't begrudge anyone a profit...I ain't no commie or socialist.

and oh, I forgot to thank Bug...I didn't see that post until after I'd done the deed.
 

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IMAUDIGGER

Silver Member
Mar 16, 2016
3,400
5,194
Primary Interest:
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Not all buyers sell to refiners.
Some sell to the collector market.
Some use it for commercial “pay gravel” and trinkets.
Some just buy as much as they can get their hands on.

My feeling is that it isn’t uncommon for placer gold to ultimately be sold above spot price, sometimes well above spot price after it has changed hands a couple times.

Maybe you get 80% spot, that guy immediately sells it to a jeweler at 85% spot, the jeweler melts it down and sells it for 200% spot. But the gold content/refiner bit is a good line for gold buyers to use in order to negotiate the price down.

Sure a lot of commercial gold goes to refiners and that is probably the only way to get rid of pounds of gold quickly in order to pay bills.
 

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Raider19962

Sr. Member
Mar 4, 2018
298
566
Delaware, The First State
Detector(s) used
White's, Technetics, Fisher M, AT Pro
Primary Interest:
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It is not politically correct to say this but I will offer it anyway. Bake it in a pan on the bbq grill. 675 F is the magic temperature. Now I will crawl back in my Neanderthal cave.

Do not breath the fumes. Brain damage, genital shrinkage! Ok, I made up the shrinkage part, but you get the idea. Not good.
 

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