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MERCURY
simon  
Posted : Monday, 3 September 2012 5:50:15 PM(UTC)
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I was sorting out some gold and came across some mercury i have found in a local creek.

about 7 or 8 bits all up. most are round . biggest couple might be about a mm big.

got out the old magnifying loupe. a couple that are semi circular have such smooth surfaces it looks cut.

the big surprise was a few shiny gold looking patches on one of the biggest bits. then on the other side there was what i thought was a bit of my gold stuck to it. turns out its stuck in the mercury. the mercury is other round and smooth. like a gold nugget some globs have indents where they have been hit in the water.

my question is how much gold content can mercury absorb before it is loaded?
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oroplata  
Posted : Monday, 3 September 2012 6:20:05 PM(UTC)
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Pure mercury is a liquid at room temperature. You should be able to split it into two pieces and when they touch each other they should immediately glob together into one piece.

If your mercury isn't behaving like a liquid, it must have other material in it.

Do some intensive research before trying to pull whatever's in the mercury out of it. Mercury vapour is not good for you at all.
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LepreSean  
Posted : Monday, 3 September 2012 6:40:25 PM(UTC)
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I have constructed a simple mercury retort using galvanized fittings. The plumbing shop will have these. Yes do plenty of research b4 using mercury and retorting it. Have a look around the forum as there has been a bit of discussion about it. Here is a good pic of something similar to what I have made... http://www.google.co.nz/...:165&tx=29&ty=52 and

http://nevada-outback-ge...e_pages/Amalgamation.htm

Edited by user Monday, 3 September 2012 6:41:32 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

auri sacra fames (accursed hunger for gold)
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simon  
Posted : Monday, 3 September 2012 8:32:51 PM(UTC)
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oroplata, there sure is something else in it, gold.

i think i will just keep it as it is.

i found these bits in a local creek. guess it was lost in the wash up.
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oroplata  
Posted : Monday, 3 September 2012 9:50:36 PM(UTC)
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Yeah, nice to leave it in that state as it gives it historical perspective. :)

You can then extract the gold at a later date if you need to. :)
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gingerbreadman  
Posted : Monday, 3 September 2012 9:53:37 PM(UTC)
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Hi simon....just use a gas cooker and burn it off in your pan out in the paddock be the easyist thing to do no point using a retort when its such a small amount....i often find mercury stuck to gold when dredging last season i hit a patch were virtually all the gold in 1 small area had mercury attached to it guess its eather escaped when the old timers were finishing it off or mercury has just been lost in the water and stuck to the gold along the way.
cheers.
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oroplata  
Posted : Tuesday, 4 September 2012 12:19:46 AM(UTC)
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Yes, but using a retort, you get to keep the mercury for later use, and it keeps it out of the environment too.
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gogold  
Posted : Tuesday, 4 September 2012 6:57:32 PM(UTC)
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mercury will dissolve fine gold but not larger flakes or nuggets it will however stick to and part or fully coat the larger peices of gold. with fine gold and mercury amalgam if all the excess is sucked up then whats left about 45-50% of its weight should be gold.
to clean such a small amount just do what GBM sugested or else use a small amount of nitric acid(carefull of the fumes) and it will clean up easy.
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Lammerlaw  
Posted : Tuesday, 4 September 2012 10:59:25 PM(UTC)
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Mercury will never dissolve gold but it will absorb the gold - the gold will not lose its form or weight but will merely be suspended within the blob of mercury regardless of how small it is - the mercury will absorb the gold until it reaches 'saturation point' which is basically a solid amalgam of Gold and Mercury but can be deformed, reformed, pushed, poked and prodded without being runny or fluid.

Edited by user Tuesday, 4 September 2012 11:44:38 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified
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