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goldstalker  
Posted : Monday, 24 December 2012 5:30:52 PM(UTC)
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hi i just got givin 1500 grams of mercury in a jar from a old mans shed. whats it worth these days ?
oroplata  
Posted : Monday, 24 December 2012 6:37:35 PM(UTC)
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goldstalker  
Posted : Monday, 24 December 2012 7:00:29 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: oroplata Go to Quoted Post


hmmm that link doesnt seem to have price info or anything i can find. i clicked on the other things in there and you have to register an account.
goldstalker  
Posted : Monday, 24 December 2012 7:03:45 PM(UTC)
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ive never used it guess i need to learn now i have a bucket of blacksands with very fine gold in it. ill see how it pays off
NUGGY  
Posted : Monday, 24 December 2012 8:14:58 PM(UTC)
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Hi Goldstalker, use caustic soda on your black sands, (about 2 tablespoons - with warm water 100mm / 10 cm above sand level) soak for about an hour, agitating by rolling around on edge every 5 mins or so. Then tip it out (down drain) flush with hose and agitate till water runs clean.

With 100mm cold water above level of sand add about 100 grams of mercury, agitate as best you can for about a half hour. Mercury will fume a minor amount even through water so don't have your head over it much, and don't use hot water or it fumes a lot more.

Use rubber gloves while handling panning the mercury and sand mix. When you only have the mercury with gold in it left squeeze this through a chamois cloth (used for car washing, imitation ones work ok) What wont go through your chamois cloth is amalgam, gold covered with mercury.
Take this to Evan at Hose and Hydraulic in Greymouth and he will retort/melt it for you. Or if only a small amount you could try to get some nitric acid to dissolve the mercury. Still need to melt it with some borax, to get it really clean though.
Remember mercury is dangerous, toxic and does nasty stuff to your brain if it gets into your system, so take care. Seek other advise, google safe handling practises and don't even bother with it if you don't really need to.
Brian at hunting and fishing in Grey is an agent for Morris and Watson, and can tell you what mercury is worth they used to buy and sell it - probably still do.
Nuggy
gogold  
Posted : Monday, 24 December 2012 9:21:32 PM(UTC)
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I use hot water seems to make it work better/faster, also instead of a chamois i use a syringe with a handkerchief (just 1 maybe 2 layers) over the tip of the syringe works great then you can just squirt the excess into a container.
have to be carful using a chamios got to do it underwater as it can squirt through the fine pores and get on skin and in eyes etc.
retorts are easy and very cheap to make http://practicalaction.o...ort-una-retorta-simple-1 this type works well and just make sure you get it glowing to be sure all the mercury is vapd off also make sure the end is submerged at all times or the fumes will escape. another important thing is never put mercury in contact with aluminium- make fumes and sticks like s**t to a blanket.
heres a pic of mine very simple
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LazyD  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 7:20:11 AM(UTC)
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Just be careful with mercury, the efffects of mercury poisoning can be passed up to 2 generations. So that could effect your grandson kids. They have banned the sale of mercury here to the general public, you need a permit to by it now. I do not mean to be a scare monger about this topic, but I have seen the effects mercury first hand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_poisoning
goldstalker  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 8:23:42 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: NUGGY Go to Quoted Post
Hi Goldstalker, use caustic soda on your black sands, (about 2 tablespoons - with warm water 100mm / 10 cm above sand level) soak for about an hour, agitating by rolling around on edge every 5 mins or so. Then tip it out (down drain) flush with hose and agitate till water runs clean.

With 100mm cold water above level of sand add about 100 grams of mercury, agitate as best you can for about a half hour. Mercury will fume a minor amount even through water so don't have your head over it much, and don't use hot water or it fumes a lot more.

Use rubber gloves while handling panning the mercury and sand mix. When you only have the mercury with gold in it left squeeze this through a chamois cloth (used for car washing, imitation ones work ok) What wont go through your chamois cloth is amalgam, gold covered with mercury.
Take this to Evan at Hose and Hydraulic in Greymouth and he will retort/melt it for you. Or if only a small amount you could try to get some nitric acid to dissolve the mercury. Still need to melt it with some borax, to get it really clean though.
Remember mercury is dangerous, toxic and does nasty stuff to your brain if it gets into your system, so take care. Seek other advise, google safe handling practises and don't even bother with it if you don't really need to.
Brian at hunting and fishing in Grey is an agent for Morris and Watson, and can tell you what mercury is worth they used to buy and sell it - probably still do.
Nuggy


wow great info thanks nuggy, my mate akai who knows evan and works for percy on gold claims said that it looks like there could already be gold in it, as it looks like something is clinging to the glass jar until you tilt it i might pass it threw a cloth today and see if theres any gold in it, wouldnt that be a great xmas gift if it had 4 ounces in it lol im hoping anyway
goldstalker  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 8:25:47 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: LazyD Go to Quoted Post
Just be careful with mercury, the efffects of mercury poisoning can be passed up to 2 generations. So that could effect your grandson kids. They have banned the sale of mercury here to the general public, you need a permit to by it now. I do not mean to be a scare monger about this topic, but I have seen the effects mercury first hand.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_poisoning


its not scare mongering at all :) i call it usefull info as it is very dangerous stuff. if there is no gold already in it, i will give it to someone who uses it. thanks for your help :)
goldstalker  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 8:27:59 AM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: gogold Go to Quoted Post
I use hot water seems to make it work better/faster, also instead of a chamois i use a syringe with a handkerchief (just 1 maybe 2 layers) over the tip of the syringe works great then you can just squirt the excess into a container.
have to be carful using a chamios got to do it underwater as it can squirt through the fine pores and get on skin and in eyes etc.
retorts are easy and very cheap to make http://practicalaction.o...ort-una-retorta-simple-1 this type works well and just make sure you get it glowing to be sure all the mercury is vapd off also make sure the end is submerged at all times or the fumes will escape. another important thing is never put mercury in contact with aluminium- make fumes and sticks like s**t to a blanket.
heres a pic of mine very simple


thanks gogold this forum is awesome, so many people with alot of exsperience, and some solid advice cheers :)
NUGGY  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 2:24:57 PM(UTC)
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Meant to say I think mercury was about ten dollars a gram, and you got given 1,500 grams. Santa was good to you. Nuggy
goldstalker  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 4:19:05 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: NUGGY Go to Quoted Post
Meant to say I think mercury was about ten dollars a gram, and you got given 1,500 grams. Santa was good to you. Nuggy


wow that would be nice but i dont think its that dare is it ??? SHIT I HOPE SO HAHAH i passed it threw a cloth and got a ball of gold out of it, im guessing around half a gram or a gram, pretty cool just have to burn it off. if i could get an exact value on the mercury that would be good
1864hatter  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 5:44:46 PM(UTC)
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And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!
1864hatter  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 5:51:06 PM(UTC)
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And now....On sandy beaches and muddy soil, rings and coins await my coil!
goldstalker  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 6:24:51 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: 1864hatter Go to Quoted Post
http://www.goodfellow.com/catalogue/GFCat4I.php?ewd_token=0Fyz1T6SjlPBVRQgwoSgu5zPyt9vrv&n=p8IBbQC6yMMvjV43dz8syDhLAnb7ND&ewd_urlNo=GFCat411&Catite=HG006710&CatSearNum=1


wow so it is worth alot of money, $470 GBP = $923 NZD for 200grams so im rich :) i must have $5000-$7000 dollars worth if its 99.9999 pure. is that right ??
oroplata  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 7:06:04 PM(UTC)
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Yeah but yours isn't going to be anywhere near 99.9999% pure (analytical grade), and that's what make it cost so much.

I seem to recall it costing about $40/kg last time I checked.

goldstalker  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 7:20:24 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: oroplata Go to Quoted Post

Yeah but yours isn't going to be anywhere near 99.9999% pure (analytical grade), and that's what make it cost so much.

I seem to recall it costing about $40/kg last time I checked.



were did you get it from ? and how do you test its purity?
gogold  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 7:26:59 PM(UTC)
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http://answers.yahoo.com...id=20061217080620AA0ZmoY
this one says 36 cents per gram for 99.9995% pure

if its been through a retort wouldnt that sort of distill it? or nitrc acid.
if it was worth a bit then people wouldnt give it away i guess, iv got quite a lot of the stuff now as it costs them too much to dispose of it being a hazardous waste etc.
goldstalker  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 7:39:29 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: gogold Go to Quoted Post
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061217080620AA0ZmoY
this one says 36 cents per gram for 99.9995% pure

if its been through a retort wouldnt that sort of distill it? or nitrc acid.
if it was worth a bit then people wouldnt give it away i guess, iv got quite a lot of the stuff now as it costs them too much to dispose of it being a hazardous waste etc.


god theres lots of different prices on the net for it, not sure what the stuffs worth but for 1.5 kilos have to be worth abit id say as it isnt easy to get for the public
goldstalker  
Posted : Tuesday, 25 December 2012 7:42:22 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: gogold Go to Quoted Post
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061217080620AA0ZmoY
this one says 36 cents per gram for 99.9995% pure

if its been through a retort wouldnt that sort of distill it? or nitrc acid.
if it was worth a bit then people wouldnt give it away i guess, iv got quite a lot of the stuff now as it costs them too much to dispose of it being a hazardous waste etc.


i just noticed that link for 36cents a gram is 6 years old hope it means something lol good to get gold out of it to :)
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