New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

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Cleaning Your Gold

criticol		Posted : Sunday, 27 June 2010 11:10:37 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/05/2010(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: coromandel Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 66 time(s) in 48 post(s)		Tips for cleaning gold: “CLR” cleaner,(Calcium-Lime and Rust remover). Does a good job. So does “Bleach“, (Janola strength.Use this mainly for reasonably clean gold.) “Oxalic acid“,(Tablespoon full (or more) in enough water to cover your stuff, cook the lot at a “Simmer point“. (use carefully, as its sort of nasty stuff.) Use any of the above till your satisfied with the result! Cheers---Colin.
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criticol		Posted : Sunday, 27 June 2010 11:44:09 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/05/2010(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: coromandel Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 66 time(s) in 48 post(s)		Cleaning your world as well ! When out prospecting: Use your shovel as your toilet. Afterwards, cut out a piece of sod (keeping it intact if possible.) Then dig a hole “NO” deeper than 200 mils (20 c-mtrs), because the “Biological" bugs etc, that exist within this level will “Ecologically” break down your “Poos". Burying it deeper than 200 mils will sort of negate this process. Fill your hole and replace the sod, kick some grass etc over it ,and “Bobs your uncle“, you’ve done your bit for the environment and been a good clean Kiwi. Cheers---Colin.
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roman holiday		Posted : Sunday, 27 June 2010 3:28:36 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 26/04/2010(UTC) Posts: 147 Location: Tauranga Thanks: 18 times Was thanked: 8 time(s) in 7 post(s)		criticol wrote: Tips for cleaning gold: “CLR” cleaner,(Calcium-Lime and Rust remover). Does a good job. So does “Bleach“, (Janola strength.Use this mainly for reasonably clean gold.) “Oxalic acid“,(Tablespoon full (or more) in enough water to cover your stuff, cook the lot at a “Simmer point“. (use carefully, as its sort of nasty stuff.) Use any of the above till your satisfied with the result! Cheers---Colin. I don't suppose you've tried your hand at a little smelting Colin? I like the idea of smelting a little down [providing I find some first] hammering into fine leaf, and gilding some mundane object with it!^^

criticol		Posted : Sunday, 27 June 2010 4:00:50 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/05/2010(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: coromandel Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 66 time(s) in 48 post(s)		Hi Roman H. Yes,I have tried smelting, (made myself a "visious" gas torch,and a furnace too,(it even worked after experimentation,burnt arm hairs and eyebrows, but nothing too serious like you`d expect from a Klutz:)(the gas thats still left in the bottle must be 20 odd years old by now) The best and safest way to "GILD" objects is to "Electroplate" (or electrogild) the gold onto them. You can even use the gold grains that you get in your sluice etc, "As they are" in this process, saves you melting them first. The "Net" will throw up plenty of methods of doing this, some of them without using dangerous Acids.(I had to use Hydrochloric and Nitric acids, made up to "Aqua Regia" which dissolves gold into gold chloride.) Whatever method you use, "Take care" Cheers---Colin.
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criticol		Posted : Sunday, 27 June 2010 4:09:52 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/05/2010(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: coromandel Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 66 time(s) in 48 post(s)		Almost forgot.( I do seem to hit the post button too soon). If your gilding or plating a "Non-Metallic" objects,I still think that it needs to be coated with an "Acceptor substance", Graphites good, (Pencil lead?) but there may be commercial products out there that perform the same job.(Better?) Regards---Colin.
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roman holiday		Posted : Sunday, 27 June 2010 4:31:38 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 26/04/2010(UTC) Posts: 147 Location: Tauranga Thanks: 18 times Was thanked: 8 time(s) in 7 post(s)		criticol wrote: Hi Roman H. Yes,I have tried smelting, (made myself a "visious" gas torch,and a furnace too,(it even worked after experimentation,burnt arm hairs and eyebrows, but nothing too serious like you`d expect from a Klutz:)(the gas thats still left in the bottle must be 20 odd years old by now) The best and safest way to "GILD" objects is to "Electroplate" (or electrogild) the gold onto them. You can even use the gold grains that you get in your sluice etc, "As they are" in this process, saves you melting them first. The "Net" will throw up plenty of methods of doing this, some of them without using dangerous Acids.(I had to use Hydrochloric and Nitric acids, made up to "Aqua Regia" which dissolves gold into gold chloride.) Whatever method you use, "Take care" Cheers---Colin. "Electrogilding"... I like the sound of that. Also, sounds like the very fine gold is also "finer"... or more pure than the larger stuff you might find. I'm thinking/ assuming some of the gold flakes you may find must be somewhat less than pure gold. 80% or so?

criticol		Posted : Sunday, 27 June 2010 4:50:34 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 14/05/2010(UTC) Posts: 234 Location: coromandel Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 66 time(s) in 48 post(s)		Hi Roman H, (again) The "Fineness" of the gold dregs that you find anywhere does not matter in the electroplating method, as the current, plus the gold solution will only Plate out "Pure" gold from these dregs etc, so it dosen1t matter if your use a "Rough" type of gold Bullion .( how about them apples):);) Cheers---Colin.
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