How would one purify low karat gold to higher karat.

[roadrunner]

If I went to Ebay,or the Goodwill,ect,and had a bunch of low karat gold,say 10 -12.
How could I get it back up to say 22-24 karat if possible.
If not,what is the highest i could get from 10 karat say.

Lets say I had 1/2 oz of 10 karat,and half ounce of 24 karat.
If I melted these together,and poured an ingot,what would I come up with? 10+24==34 divided by 1/2 equals 17 karat?
I have a furnace and ingots already.

 

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[munkirinch]

what am I, a doctor?

 

[Jason in Enid]

Best option is to just mail it t a refinery and use the $$$ to buy .999 bullion.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

nasty chemicals, high temp ovens...

refining gold - Bing Videos

 

[Mackaydon]

Things that you will need:

• Gold jewelry or nuggets
• Graphite crucible
• Acetylene torch
• At least 3 heavy gauge plastic buckets or Pyrex containers
• Rubber gloves
• Rubber apron
• Goggles
• Face mask
• Nitric acid
• Hydrochloric or muriatic acid
• Urea
• Selective gold precipitant
• Stir stick
• Paper towel
• Precious metal detection liquid
• Aqua ammonia
• Distilled water
• Glass beaker
• Hot plate
• Ingot mold
• Or, as Jason mentioned above "Best option is to just mail it t a refinery and use the $$$ to buy .999 bullion."
• ​Don.....

 

[Rick (Nova Scotia)]

Things that you will need:

• Gold jewelry or nuggets
• Graphite crucible
• Acetylene torch
• At least 3 heavy gauge plastic buckets or Pyrex containers
• Rubber gloves
• Rubber apron
• Goggles
• Face mask
• Nitric acid
• Hydrochloric or muriatic acid
• Urea
• Selective gold precipitant
• Stir stick
• Paper towel
• Precious metal detection liquid
• Aqua ammonia
• Distilled water
• Glass beaker
• Hot plate
• Ingot mold
• Or, as Jason mentioned above "Best option is to just mail it t a refinery and use the $$$ to buy .999 bullion."
• ​Don.....

For one thing, after 9-11 nitric acid is not easy to aquire. I got a quart reagent grade, but like I said not easy.
Perhaps a direct trade at the local coin shop, let him do the shipping (and the costs involved with that)

 

[mercury1]

In my area, some gold and silver horse racing trophies were recently stolen from a museum. The police suspect the thieves will melt them down. I imagine there is a substantial amount of paper work involved with selling scrap pm to refineries. Probably more so if its in the form of home made ingots with no assay.

 

[roadrunner]

Thanks for all the replies.
I guess i will just buy it and send it to a refinery.
What is it with ingots anyway.
Because of all the thefts or some thing. I went to my local mining supply store who takes gold,but said no ingots or melt downs.

 

[skeeterd]

Thanks for all the replies.
I guess i will just buy it and send it to a refinery.
What is it with ingots anyway.
Because of all the thefts or some thing. I went to my local mining supply store who takes gold,but said no ingots or melt downs.

Homemade ingots are easily counterfitted. Thats why buyers don't want them.

 

[roadrunner]

Homemade ingots are easily counterfitted. Thats why buyers don't want them.

Yes,but the ingot could be tested with the acid,or would it just test the surface material,and not all the way though the ingot,chunk,button,ect.

 

[Herb Boyd]

Payout here would be based on a full-fire assay

 

[roadrunner]

Thank you. HB.

 

[Mad Machinist]

nasty chemicals, high temp ovens...

refining gold - Bing Videos

This.

It's kinda fun to play with on a small scale. But to get set up to do it properly (no nasty stuff being dumped illegally) would eat up any potential profits rather quickly.

 

[roadrunner]

I already have a little furnace. I have a few molds.
I own my home remodeling company,I have torches, and I also sweat plumbing together.
What would happen If I put gold nuggets in with gold scrap?
Say 3 grams gold scrap (12-14kt),to 5 grams 22kt nugget.
I will just try it and see what I get.

 

[lastleg]

The 10K or 14K would pollute the 22K making it unlikely to be salable with the uncertain amount of
copper/tin in the mix. MHO.

 

[cyberdan]

I imagine there is a substantial amount of paper work involved with selling scrap pm to refineries. Probably more so if its in the form of home made ingots with no assay.

No not at all. They just want to make sure you have a business (which I do)

they melt
they assay
they write a check (less 2%)
I deposit check
I pay taxes and more taxes.

 

[chlsbrns]

I already have a little furnace. I have a few molds.
I own my home remodeling company,I have torches, and I also sweat plumbing together.
What would happen If I put gold nuggets in with gold scrap?
Say 3 grams gold scrap (12-14kt),to 5 grams 22kt nugget.
I will just try it and see what I get.

Right now gold is $1343/oz for 24k

Right now 3 grams of 14k is worth $76. and 5 grams of 22k is worth $198 Total: $274

3 grams of 14k has 1.75 grams of 24k. 5 grams of 22k has 4.58 grams of 24k = 6.33 grams of 24k = $273

If you mix 3 grams of 14k with 5 grams of 22k you will have 19k. (ever so slightly less than 20k)

If you want to mix thinking that you will get more money selling it on ebay don't waste your time! People buying gold at ebay know how much 24k is in 10k, 14k, 18k, ect. You will not make more money by mixing to make a higher k.

When you mix you still have the same amount of 24k in the mix.

If you are melting nuggets you are losing money as nuggets sell for more than their weight of 24k even though nuggets are not 24k. You would be better off selling them as nuggets.

 

[chlsbrns]

The 10K or 14K would pollute the 22K making it unlikely to be salable with the uncertain amount of
copper/tin in the mix. MHO.

Naw

 

[roadrunner]

Thanks for the reply chlsbrns.
Especially the calculations.
I guess I will just try and buy scrap from an ad in my town,then sell it.
Or melt it down into small i9ngots and save for when the shtf.

 

[jair]

Thanks for the reply chlsbrns. Especially the calculations. I guess I will just try and buy scrap from an ad in my town,then sell it. Or melt it down into small i9ngots and save for when the shtf.

Roadrunner , have you ever come across people that are tossing old or broken computers out ? I collect as many as I can . I have been able to extract a bought 25 grams of pure gold from them each . I'm sure there's more to get out as I get better at it . Cell phones also . You tube has a lot of videos on line on how to get it out and brake it down . I do this along with prospecting also . It covers times I can't get out , but still moving in the same direction finding gold . I also have an oven to fire asset rocks in the down time to . But I still work so work has to come first .