What are prospectors using to clean specimen's these pieces are covered with what looks like iron and a soft host rock some of the samples have a vein all the way through don't want to crush yet. A few specimens are gold and quartz. My son is charging batteries and going back out I'm playing with the gold. And some of it is like thick bacon strips of pure gold.Gorgeous gold...I'm looking forward to seeing a pic after it's been cleaned.
Beware if you choose Whink Rust Stain Remover, available at most hardware stores.What are prospectors using to clean specimen's these pieces are covered with what looks like iron and a soft host rock some of the samples have a vein all the way through don't want to crush yet. A few specimens are gold and quartz. My son is charging batteries and going back out I'm playing with the gold. And some of it is like thick bacon strips of pure gold.
Not to detract from that awesome pile of gold you posted…but this is what some specimens soaked in Whink end up looking like. The soak is changed out with fresh acid after a day or so..some light brushing helped (with face protection). I used metal tongs to handle the specimens and avoided contact with the acid, even with my rubber gloves. This was my dad‘s gold that he cleaned.Beware if you choose Whink Rust Stain Remover, available at most hardware stores.
WARNING!! The active ingredient in this product is 1%-2.5% strength hydrofluoric acid. Look it up first. It needs to be used with caution. Long sleeves, rubber gloves, and safety glasses. Keep it out of reach of children and pets.
I believe this to be one of the more dangerous consumer cleaning products on the shelves. The molecules of this acid will pass directly through your skin and remain in your body like a heavy metal.
Here is a link to the safety sheet. Those safety warnings are pretty serious if you look up what they mean. The skull and crossbones on the bottle should be a good indicator.
I’ve soaked specimens in a ceramic bowl of Whink for several days. It will dissolve all the rust and eventually all of the host rock as well. The quartz will turn a chalky white. The gold specimen then needs to be neutralized and rinsed so as to avoid secondary contamination from folks handling it.
Thanks. I’d try to keep that together as a collection representing what a pocket of gold looked like to the folks hunting that stuff so many years ago. I think it will add to the value. Personally I try and clean them as little as possible other than the rusty mineral deposits. PM me if your thinking of selling and I’ll pass on a good contact.I have specimens soaking in nitric and phosphoric acid the phosphoric is slowly dissolving the rust oxidation and gold showing. Nice gold by the way we had some specimens cleaned with hydrofluoric and it dissolved the quartz leaving just the gold.
Nice. Is the gold as light (silver) colored as it looks in the photos?A few pieces I cleaned first piece is 2.5 grams a specimen still soaking in the middle gold showing both sides and a handful to clean.
I think it depends on the light but could have a silver content like Nevada gold .Nice. Is the gold as light (silver) colored as it looks in the photos? View attachment 2016823
That’s an impressive piece of the vein. Curious if it was removed directly from the deposit, found in tailings pile, or float gold found on a hillside? Don’t want you to give up too much information. The early miners were sorting ore under candle light. Lots went into the dump by accident. Also blasting methods mixed country rock with ore making it a little difficult to get it all. Fascinating stuff right there.I think it depends on the light but could have a silver content like Nevada gold .
Nice gold...!!!! I use muriatic acid to clean my gold and sometimes use Whink. Muriatic really tackles the rust. A gallon at Ace Hardware is pretty cheap ($7-8) and goes a long ways. Be careful with the stuff, use it outdoors preferably with a breeze. A wiff of this stuff will knock you on your a$$.... Wise to nuetralize when done but I never do, just rinse real good with water.My son had a good day at the mine this seam is loaded.
All mined and in a tailing pile /dumpThat’s an impressive piece of the vein. Curious if it was removed directly from the deposit, found in tailings pile, or float gold found on a hillside? Don’t want you to give up too much information. The early miners were sorting ore under candle light. Lots went into the dump by accident. Also blasting methods mixed country rock with ore making it a little difficult to get it all. Fascinating stuff right there.