hydrofloric acid gold etching services in california?

[beekbuster]

wondering if anyone can guide me in the right direction. i cannot find any information pertaining to what i am looking for. i have accumulated a few nice pieces and would like to have one etched. any help is appreciated. thanks

 

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[old digger]

If I am not mistaken Hydrofloric acid is Very dangerous to be messing with. That acid when dropped on your skin will absorb into your skin and eat away your bone. Very dangerous to be messing with. When I worked at a refinery, only specially trained personal were allowed to be around it. Special extra thick gloves used along with a full protected body suit.

 

[beekbuster]

right. and is not legal to possess without a special license, nor would i ever think of getting anywhere near that stuff. which is why i am searching for someone who has the qualifications and experience in the services i am seeking

 

[JohnWhite]

Once upon a time...There was an assaying service in Sacramento CA...His name was Smith I believe...He advertised in the ICMJ...I gave him 4.86lbs of high grade ore with wire gold in it...Needless to say...I believed he used hydrofloric acid on the ore to free the wire gold from the matrix...

He went out of business needless to say...And who knows what became of the beautiful wire gold that he recovered from the ore I gave him...lol...Oh well...I wonder IF he had any luck in finding where the ore came from...

I gave some of what I call platinum ore to a Paul on this site...I believe he is prolly having as much luck finding where it came from as well...rofl...

It is where one finds it...What ever the IT may be...

Ed T

 

[rodoconnor]

Special license ? As of when ? I bought some a year and a half ago no problem. I bought it from a company in Ca..

 

[Clay Diggins]

No special license needed or available.

Dave Variboff at Gold Bay can probably do this for you. His number is on the website.

Heavy Pans

 

[bug]

Im not experienced with the exact methods but I know there are other ways they are removing quartz by heating and shocking with water and using vibrating pick type tools to pop off the quartz slowly.

 

[winners58]

I think Oakview2 has posted some nice gold on quartz specimens and
says he uses muratic heated in an old crock pot to etch off the host rock to the desired look.

 

[beekbuster]

when i was looking for someone who specializes in etching n the internet what poped up was hf for sale. out of curiosity i clicked on the site, and it said it only sells to a certified lab. i would hope this stuff is not readily available to the public.

 

[beekbuster]

Im not experienced with the exact methods but I know there are other ways they are removing quartz by heating and shocking with water and using vibrating pick type tools to pop off the quartz slowly.

the only way to keep the gold intact is by chemical process, otherwise it will be ruined

 

[beekbuster]

No special license needed or available.

Dave Variboff at Gold Bay can probably do this for you. His number is on the website.

Heavy Pans

i stand corrected

 

[63bkpkr]

beekbuster,

hydrofluoric Acid (a solution of HF in water) as you've indicated is Very Bad Stuff! There is a limit of human exposure with this acid, likely you can find it on an MSDS sheet (Material Safety Data Sheet or they may have abbreviated it to MSD. There are three exposure limits to this material, after the first exposure the unlucky person becomes very sick including removing everything from their stomach they've eaten in the last three months. After the victim gets over that they put a medical alert bracelet on their wrist that lets ER people know how to treat the victim should they have a second exposure. At the time of the second exposure the victim will be unconscious so they will not be able to explain to the ER folks what happened. After the third exposure to HF they will place the victims body into a heavy plastic bag because the victim has died. Why? HF builds up in the human body, similar to lead, once the maximum quantity has been stored up it keeps the victim from the fourth exposure.

I could easily be incorrect but I thought Nitric Acid could be used for etching host rock away from Gold! It depends on the strength of the acid to work, more or less true for all acids, and the host rock material.

Regardless of the acid suit up, that would be a rubber apron with gloves above the elbows(acid specific materials need to be used: neoprene, natural rubber, etc.), a breathing mask of the proper type and and eye protection (minimum glasses but more likely a hood or mask). I know You care which is why you posted your question and it is wise of you to care as acids will take skin, eyes, etc. up to and including a persons life IF they do not take proper safety precautions.

Also, TEST a tiny piece of the host rock in a very small quantity of the acid. If there is a VIOLENT REACTION you want only small quantities of each to be involved. Violent reactions can be from heavy bubbling to an explosion like reaction, either of which can throw the acid all over everything in the general area of the Accident.

Work carefully with these materials, do your research. The results of careful etching work are absolutely beautiful!...............63bkpkr

 

[dave wiseman]

With any of the acids remember these words...Do like you oughta add acid to water...

 

[delnorter]

I second Clays suggestion. I’ve done business with Dave Variboff of Gold Bay a number of times. Straight shooter. Besides the question of this thread, check out his business / website. He deals in gold.

Mike

 

[Gravelwasher]

Dave is a good guy to deal with and knows a thing or two about how to handle high quality specimen gold.

I saw a picture of some of his recent finds and work on a 4oz beautiful specimen from the Colorado Quartz mine.

I inquired on the pricing of such a nice pc and found out it is way to rich for my blood, 4oz specimen 150k$

If I had a pc to pretty up Dave is the 1st person to get a hold of.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I have about a liter of the stuff. I used to work at a scientific glass company and we used HF to clean up glass that had been cut or ground. I was taught to work with the stuff without gloves or any kind of safety apparel as it was supposed to give a false sense of security that could lead to carelessness.

 

[arizau]

Wow. I don't remember if MSHA checked our mine labs for safety but seems OSHA would have stricter standards than that.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I have about a liter of the stuff. I used to work at a scientific glass company and we used HF to clean up glass that had been cut or ground. I was taught to work with the stuff without gloves or any kind of safety apparel as it was supposed to give a false sense of security that could lead to carelessness.

Wow! What year was this?
That stuff is scary. I’d be worried about someone else getting into it that does not know the extreme danger it presents. Hopefully you have it well labeled in case your not around when it happens.

 

[N-Lionberger]

2012-13, I keep it in a fairly safe place, its triple bagged and boxed with very clear labeling. Its around 75% if I remember, the stuff we used on the glass was like 8% and it would dissolve the glass completely if you left it in long enough, we used it to etch off the rough surfaces left by grinding so it would be easily polished in the flame. Pretty scary stuff, I actually had a nightmare after aquiring my personal stock about spilling some on my arm and not being able to find any water or baking soda, all the faucets were dry it was terrible.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

2012-13, I keep it in a fairly safe place, its triple bagged and boxed with very clear labeling. Its around 75% if I remember, the stuff we used on the glass was like 8% and it would dissolve the glass completely if you left it in long enough, we used it to etch off the rough surfaces left by grinding so it would be easily polished in the flame. Pretty scary stuff, I actually had a nightmare after aquiring my personal stock about spilling some on my arm and not being able to find any water or baking soda, all the faucets were dry it was terrible.

You could always use powdered cement...I think.
It’s scary like radiation exposure. I used to work with several radioactive sources, so I can probably handle a bathroom cleaning product.

There are videos on you tube of people literally pouring Wink Rust Remover (1%HF) into their bathtub and scrubbing it with brushes. Wash it down the drain and enjoy your clean bath tub!

How about those stubborn rust stains in the sink..clean them up with some HF and do your dishes or wash your face.

The best was a cleaning company sharing a tip, where they pour HF on the carpet to remove stains. Use a vacuum to suck it dry (while spreading it all over the carpet). Turn the kiddo’s loose to crawl around. I really don’t think it should be legal to sell over the counter at any concentration level.