Dissolving Quarts / Calcite

[Ohiogoldfever]

So I have had this specimen for a while. The gold contained is in a large reefy chunk. Corse and jagged. Not flakes.

I put it into vinegar and I was able to etch away a small bit of the host rock exposing more of the gold. It’s very slow going. Anyone know of a slightly faster way to etch away the host rock?

 

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[traveller777]

So I have had this specimen for a while. The gold contained is in a large reefy chunk. Corse and jagged. Not flakes.

I put it into vinegar and I was able to etch away a small bit of the host rock exposing more of the gold. It’s very slow going. Anyone know of a slightly faster way to etch away the host rock?

There is a person on here called Red-Coat that can likely help you.

 

[RTR]

So I have had this specimen for a while. The gold contained is in a large reefy chunk. Corse and jagged. Not flakes.

I put it into vinegar and I was able to etch away a small bit of the host rock exposing more of the gold. It’s very slow going. Anyone know of a slightly faster way to etch away the host rock?

Very nice specimen....IF your doing it for the money Specimens bring more money than the gold weight thats within ,sell it as-is .

 

[traveller777]

Very nice specimen....IF your doing it for the money Specimens bring more money than the gold weight thats within ,sell it as-is .

great advise

 

[RTR]

Or a couple well placed hits with a hammer will break it up,then pan it all.

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

Very nice specimen....IF your doing it for the money Specimens bring more money than the gold weight thats within ,sell it as-is .

No sir, not for the money. It’s got rough reefy gold in there it’s somewhat transparent (hard to see in the picture). I’d just like to expose some of it as I think it would enhance its appearance. It will stay in my mineral collection.

I have gold, this is my only decent specimen. Just hoping to make the gold hang out the side of the stone a bit more for display purposes.

 

[RTR]

No sir, not for the money. It’s got rough reefy gold in there it’s somewhat transparent (hard to see in the picture). I’d just like to expose some of it as I think it would enhance its appearance. It will stay in my mineral collection.

I have gold, this is my only decent specimen. Just hoping to make the gold hang out the side of the stone a bit more for display purposes.

Maybe -very gently- with a fine/small chisel you could separate the gold from the quarts ?

 

[arizau]

Hydroflouric acid only chemical that dissolves quartz and is probably unavailable to the general public. Maybe use a dremel tool with a carbide grinding bit if you can find one.

Good luck.

 

[JohnWhite]

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You could always give this a try…

Ed T

 

[traveller777]

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You could always give this a try…

Ed T

that is interesting.

 

[russau]

Nitric acid will eat away any quartz BUT BE VGERY CAREFULL with it's use BECAUSE IT WILL CAUSE SEVER BURNS IF NOT HANGLED CAREFULLY! BUT as has been said , specimen gold as stated is more $$ in your pocket ! I would leave it alone!

 

[traveller777]

Nitric acid will eat away any quartz BUT BE VGERY CAREFULL with it's use BECAUSE IT WILL CAUSE SEVER BURNS IF NOT HANGLED CAREFULLY! BUT as has been said , specimen gold as stated is more $$ in your pocket ! I would leave it alone!

amen

 

[Tpmetal]

Hydroflouric acid only chemical that dissolves quartz and is probably unavailable to the general public. Maybe use a dremel tool with a carbide grinding bit if you can find one.

Good luck.

yeah it is available to the public. Usually through the form of things like a glass etching solution or something like that.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I was trained in the use of Hydroflouric acid as a scientific glassblower. It is really quite nasty stuff that shouldn’t be used in a casual manner outside of a laboratory setting.

Hydrofluoric Acid Safety

Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is a clear, colorless liquid consisting of hydrogen fluoride gas dissolved in water.

drexel.edu

 

[Tpmetal]

I was trained in the use of Hydroflouric acid as a scientific glassblower. It is really quite nasty stuff that shouldn’t be used in a casual manner outside of a laboratory setting.

Hydrofluoric Acid Safety

Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is a clear, colorless liquid consisting of hydrogen fluoride gas dissolved in water.

drexel.edu

Sure is...will f up your bones real quick

 

[N-Lionberger]

Sure is...will f up your bones real quick

That’s for sure, decalcification of your bones sounds like a rough way to go.

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

That’s for sure, decalcification of your bones sounds like a rough way to go.

To put that to rest I don’t care to deal with Hydrofluoric acid. It’s not a big deal and surly not worth dealing with that stuff.

 

[oneguy]

the active ingrediant in Whink is hydroflouric ( I called them up on this years ago) but it's diluted down to 2% so it's safer to use. At 2% it will take plenty (months) of time and re-freshing to dissolve quarts but it will...tho slowly.

 

[Clay Diggins]

So I have had this specimen for a while. The gold contained is in a large reefy chunk. Corse and jagged. Not flakes.

I put it into vinegar and I was able to etch away a small bit of the host rock exposing more of the gold. It’s very slow going. Anyone know of a slightly faster way to etch away the host rock?

Vinegar will not affect quartz. Did the vinegar solution produce little bubbles? If it did you have Calcite - not quartz.

If it is Calcite, and you are in a hurry, you just need to move up to glacial acetic acid. Glacial Acetic Acid and a bunch of water is what vinegar is made from. Vinegar is about 5% acetic acid. Glacial acetic is 99%+ pure acetic acid. It works a lot faster than vinegar and it's not very expensive.

Don't start out with pure acid or you could dissolve your matrix. You can always add more acid as you progress but calcite in strong acids can be like an alka seltzer. Go slow for better results. The melted rock look from a rushed job isn't very attractive in my opinion.

Glacial Acetic Acid, 950ml [FGacet] | DudaDiesel Biodiesel Supplies

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Pure acetic acid freezes a little below room temperature. If your bottle is full of crystals just heat it up a few degrees and it will become a liquid again.

As with all acids don't breathe the fumes, always add acid to water - never the other way around, wear gloves and goggles if you don't want ugly scars from little mistakes. Be safe.

 

[Goldwasher]

i use whink and muriatic..that weakens the quartz. then use little picks and a nice deck sgrew to chip off bits of quartz. make sure you neutralze the piece well and rinse well before working with it.
search my threads youll see pieces i have cleaned up.

dont let anyone tell you they are worth more uncleaned. They arent unless they are big mostly gold and have a natural worn appearance.

most micro mounts and crystaline specimins have been etched and chipped at.