Gold & Platinum Problems

[HappyTrails55]

Okay well I got problems, the Good Kind...I'm in a creekbed getting small flour gold with some pickers..and I definitely got what seems to be Platinum..They way I get it is by using a 1/8 inch screen on top of a bucket then I run it through my Gold Exorcist Drywasher, then I pan it down past the black sands to the gold. Mixed in with the gold are these flour to chunky size grains of a dull grey metal. I've in the past been throwing or getting rid of the grey metal stuff as much as I can cause it's a hindrence (wish I could spell, hee,hee). For some reason I kept on thinking that it was lead shot or some other kind of lead, but separating the gold away from it is truly a problem cause it won't pan out and actually seems heavier than the gold. Using my Blue Bowl is no help at all either and I built a Miller Table out of an old School Chalkboard and it works phenomonly well for the separation of the black sands, remaining blonds away from the gold, but the heavy grey metal remains. This grey metal, well I 1st used a pen knife to see what kind of shattering clevage it had or to just shatter it, the knife just sticks to it and it can cut it clean (like gold), I did a scratch test on a blank piece of paper and it streaks greyish white and is all different from the lead scratch test which is pencil grey. These are just the general tests a prospector like myself can use without getting an assay of it or going to any other extreme like using nitric acid on it (which I may still do), but, my main problem is the separation of these 2 metals without expelling more money out there for other separators..(the grey metal is NOT magnetic)...I know that there's alot more Professional Feller's here that could give me word's of advice and I'm seeking it right now, cause quite frankly I'm stuck, I can't get my gold in my vials with all of this other metal amongst it. Any Suggestions?...Thankyou...Darrell....I'll put pic's up when I can..

[jog]

Try putting a few flakes in a small glass bottle with Hydrogen peroxide, they should start to bubble like an antacid if it's plat.. Works for me.

[2cmorau]

hummmmm peroxide have to give that a try
when i end up with a bunch of gray metal with my gold i will use muriatic and if it bubbles, i let it bubble for a while cuz i know its lead then use bakinsoda and wash but ya knew that

[Hoser John]

Nitric acid is the answer to your question as lead and iron adios--John

[placertogo]

If it is actually platinum, no problem. Send it to me and I will safely dispose of it for you!

[manorman]

Post a picture, it might help with identifing the metal.
Mike

[HappyTrails55]

Thankyou for the Advice! I'm working with it today and I'll post some pic's a little later. The only way that I can separate this stuff from the gold is to lay it out on a table on paper and use a magnifer and a pen knife for the smaller stuff to single them out, I don't mind doing it but it's a little time consuming. Since I'm not a chemist or fool around with the chemicals this is about the only way I know of separating it away from the gold, but now I appreciate what you all have told me for the confirmation of it. Other people I know that work these gravels come up with the same thing and I have found serpentine/peridotite rock in the gravels. Luckily for me, I've found some larger pieces or larger than flour or picker size that I can experiment with. 1st I'll try the Peroxide Solution and I might take Hoser John's Nitric Acid one, but I won't go any farther than that...Thanks Again...Darrell

[HappyTrails55]

Okay, bare with me, haven't posted pic's for quite awhile. Had some problems getting it on the computer and some of these are a little out of focus, but I'm trying...Darrell

[HappyTrails55]

Okay, 4 more...I purposely only put a little bit in each pan so you could see it, if I filled the pans up with gold, then the gold would be all you could see...Darrell

[jog]

Those are nice size pieces, if they are Plat, and you have a lot of it that could pay real well. Have you got any results yet?

[russau]

it sure looks like platinum to me!

[HappyTrails55]

QUESTION: I had to order out for Nitric Acid, decided to take Hoser John's advice, I got the rubber gloves, respirator and eye glasses or eye shield, but now I'm wondering do I just use a Glass Jar, a Beaker or one of my old steel gold pans? Don't worry, I won't be doing this anyplace in the neighborhood. I'll run out to a forestry campground and wait for a breeze, hee,hee... I'll let you all know in a week or so. THANKYOU.....Darrell

[Gramps43]

Darrell,

I would say a small glass bowl similar to a pyrex custard bowl would do the trick. I definetly wouldn't use anything metal as the acid would probably react unkindly to it.

Gramps

[HappyTrails55]

THANKYOU Gramps!!!!! Darrell

[riverrunner814]

Platinum is 1,857oz. spot so i guess its worth saving. Gold 1,873 oz today

[2cmorau]

just use your plastic pan

[mrs.oroblanco]

Are you in an area where they used mercury?


Beth

[Hoser John]

ALWAYS ACID INTO WATER AND NOT WATER INTO ACID OR YOU'LL BE ONE SORRY MINER AND S-L-O-W-L-Y- I truly hate to post info sometimes as folks --not saying you--will go off half arse cocked and hurt themselves. FANTASTIC that you bought the safety gear,makes a ol'dog feel much better--tons a au 2 u 2 -John

[mrs.oroblanco]

Hoser John,

Right you are. Where I used to work, we did nitric acid washes every few months. First we would do a water wash, then we would run hot air through the system to dry it. Then - clean water, and then the acid.

One year, after draining the system, getting ready, someone hooked up the acid tank, and the valve had a leak. And we had an explosion. The explosion rammed part of the system lines straight through a concrete wall. I don't mind saying - its a good thing I had a change of clothes there.

Beth

[Hoser John]

MSOB-Wish you could have seen when Sigma Circuits in Costa Mesa screwed up on acid mixing---blew up a $1.7 million dollar wastewater treatment plant and closed the entire John Wayne Airport down for over 4 hours to a massive nitric/hydrochloric fumation cloud 1987 was the year and my contract was completed so my rep was NOT tainted by gross stupidity. I was in my mining store in Westminster and got a call to come looksee but was on every channel on the tv so just sat there and laughed till I darn near cried... ya'all be careful out there and thanx M for the am laugh buy'm books and they eat the covers ---John