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Melting Gold


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I've been buying 10k and 14k pieces of broken jewelry lately and I always test and weigh to make sure I get my money worth. I just bought some things to start melting gold and was trying to get some advice about it from people that are experienced. I want to make little bars and ingots. Not sure how to go about my first melt, I want to get as much of the impurities out as I can. Looking forward to hearing from some pros

(Also looking for broken/unwanted 10k 14k gold jewelry pm me if you have some to sell)

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4 hours ago, DadsPreciousMetals said:

I've been buying 10k and 14k pieces of broken jewelry lately and I always test and weigh to make sure I get my money worth. I just bought some things to start melting gold and was trying to get some advice about it from people that are experienced. I want to make little bars and ingots. Not sure how to go about my first melt, I want to get as much of the impurities out as I can. Looking forward to hearing from some pros

(Also looking for broken/unwanted 10k 14k gold jewelry pm me if you have some to sell)

Check out Sreetips on YouTube. He has countless videos that detail the best way to go about this process. 

Doing my best to sum it up from memory, you will initially inquart the impure gold with impure silver, melting it into shot or something similar for maximum surface area.  From there you will put the mixture through a series of nitric acid boils, in order to remove all impurities and put the silver into a solution.  That should handle the recovery process unless I forgot something.

After that he refines the golden brown mush, using something called aqua regia, a combination of nitric and hydrochloric acid.  This forms it back into a solution, which he will then filter and then precipitate the pure gold powder using sodium metabisulfite.  After that, he rinses the gold using hydrochloric acid and distilled water.  Finally, (unless he decides to double or triple refine it using a variety of other methods) he adds the pure gold mush/powder to a melt dish, melts it, and pours a bar.

As you can see, taking 10k or 14k gold and turning it into .999 fine 24k gold is no simple feat, requiring the use of harmful acids which in turn produce harmful vapors.  You will definitely need access to a fume hood unless you plan on doing this outside.

Good luck.

Edited by MetalMandible
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58 minutes ago, DadsPreciousMetals said:

Well it's definitely something I'm interested in doing and don't mind spending money to learn a new skill. I'm going to check out some more videos and go from there. Probably going to order the acids and do it in my garage lol

Hi. It is very dangerous to use acids in your garage without training and minimal safety measures (fume hood, proper ventilation, quality mask, etc). Also, the waste is very corrosive and should be chemically processed to neutralise.

If you really want to increase the purity of your gold scrap (without using dangerous chemicals), I would suggest you to start with oxidizing the base metals using cupellation. They will be absorbed by a porous vase (ceramic, bone ashes, or the cheapest way raw cement). This method was used by ancestors. See on https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupellation.I

Of course, the result will not be pure .999 gold, but can be a satisfying @22ct gold/silver/platinum alloy.

A good video example is this one:

Note: I would use bismuth instead lead. The lead vapours are very toxic.

 

 

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1 hour ago, DadsPreciousMetals said:

Well it's definitely something I'm interested in doing and don't mind spending money to learn a new skill. I'm going to check out some more videos and go from there. Probably going to order the acids and do it in my garage lol

The health risks/problems related to using the acids and chemicals would scare me enough not to do this , then add in the cost of everything its just not worth messing about.

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3 hours ago, stefffana said:

Hi. It is very dangerous to use acids in your garage without training and minimal safety measures (fume hood, proper ventilation, quality mask, etc). Also, the waste is very corrosive and should be chemically processed to neutralise.

If you really want to increase the purity of your gold scrap (without using dangerous chemicals), I would suggest you to start with oxidizing the base metals using cupellation. They will be absorbed by a porous vase (ceramic, bone ashes, or the cheapest way raw cement). This method was used by ancestors. See on https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupellation.I

Of course, the result will not be pure .999 gold, but can be a satisfying @22ct gold/silver/platinum alloy.

A good video example is this one:

Note: I would use bismuth instead lead. The lead vapours are very toxic.

 

 

A 22k gold alloy would be just fine. It seems like the quicker but more expensive method though.. I figured it'd be worth it because I've been getting good deals on the broken chains and pendants I've come across so far.. I'll try to find some bismuth around town if not I'll order some and try this method..

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3 hours ago, Midasfrog said:

The health risks/problems related to using the acids and chemicals would scare me enough not to do this , then add in the cost of everything its just not worth messing about.

I'm going to hold off on buying these acids for few weeks. We'll see how that goes but usually once I decide I'm going to do something, it gets done.

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8 hours ago, DadsPreciousMetals said:

Well it's definitely something I'm interested in doing and don't mind spending money to learn a new skill. I'm going to check out some more videos and go from there. Probably going to order the acids and do it in my garage lol

You might think you're protected with your hazmat suit and eyebrow shield but one whiff in an unventilated garage and you'll end up with the lungs of a 90 years old, after they've been dead ten years. You might even blow yourself up 😮 Like whoosh what are my legs doing over there? Then there's the burns. Potentially you could end up melting along with your gold like this guy ... 

 

Or maybe you'll just get pulled by mi5 for buying explosive substances lol

 

Edited by CazLikesCoins
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13 hours ago, DadsPreciousMetals said:

I just bought some things to start melting gold

Wish my dad was as cool as you 😎

Good luck and have fun

This user has a knack for offending others with their sense of humour.

Please DO NOT take seriously.

Complaints go directly to ChrisSilver.

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31 minutes ago, CazLikesCoins said:

Just noticed you'e in the USA where they shoot 50cal in their backyards and blow up chickens with tnt. So in that case you should br fine 😆

I don't know if I were texan in a past life but that actually sounds like the life 😍

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1 minute ago, CazLikesCoins said:

He won't be very cool with his undercrackers on fire when it all goes wrong lol

You underestimate what us lads think is cool. Lighting yourself up while pouring molten gold in your back garden it's absolute peak

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1 minute ago, Upsidedown said:

You underestimate what us lads think is cool. Lighting yourself up while pouring molten gold in your back garden it's absolute peak

I know. Fireworks stuck in arses, drawing faces on each others do-dahs after passing out pissed, waking up bald or glued to someone else, also bald, probably with a firework up his arse, matching fireworks up both baldies arses. I've seen it all on UT 😂

 

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4 minutes ago, CazLikesCoins said:

I know. Fireworks stuck in arses, drawing faces on each others do-dahs after passing out pissed, waking up bald or glued to someone else, also bald, probably with a firework up his arse, matching fireworks up both baldies arses. I've seen it all on UT 😂

 

When the euros were on, a fan rammed a flare up his arse and ran through the crowds in a cloud of red smoke.

Claiming a place in all lads hearts in the process, he will be remembered for generations.

He even made the front page! 👍

 

Anyway I'll leave it at that we're kinda hijacking the poor guys thread 😆

20230525_170000.jpg

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It's crazy how I can find the acids in my area but not the bismuth. What the heck I wanted to do this today.. I work with chemicals daily I think I can handle myself and take the right precautions if I were to do the other method but yea I'm going t read up on if there's any laws that way I don't break any

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1 minute ago, DadsPreciousMetals said:

It's crazy how I can find the acids in my area but not the bismuth. What the heck I wanted to do this today.. I work with chemicals daily I think I can handle myself and take the right precautions if I were to do the other method but yea I'm going t read up on if there's any laws that way I don't break any

Ok, you can use lead until you will order some bismuth, but only outside, and stay away of vapours.😊

Good luck and keep us updated, please! Eventually with pictures and weight of your scrap and your final products.

I am very curious. 

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22 minutes ago, Upsidedown said:

When the euros were on, a fan rammed a flare up his arse and ran through the crowds in a cloud of red smoke.

Claiming a place in all lads hearts in the process, he will be remembered for generations.

He even made the front page! 👍

 

Anyway I'll leave it at that we're kinda hijacking the poor guys thread 😆

20230525_170000.jpg

Sounds like a list of accomplishments more than anything. He should put all that on his CV.

Lets get back to the OP wanting to blow himself up using explosives gases in his unventilated garage melting some gold. 😅

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13 minutes ago, DadsPreciousMetals said:

It's crazy how I can find the acids in my area but not the bismuth. What the heck I wanted to do this today.. I work with chemicals daily I think I can handle myself and take the right precautions if I were to do the other method but yea I'm going t read up on if there's any laws that way I don't break any

Tell your dr you've got a raging case of the farts and get the bismuth on prescription 

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22 minutes ago, DadsPreciousMetals said:

It's crazy how I can find the acids in my area but not the bismuth. What the heck I wanted to do this today.. I work with chemicals daily I think I can handle myself and take the right precautions if I were to do the other method but yea I'm going t read up on if there's any laws that way I don't break any

Blowing the roof off your shed might piss off the neighbours a tad.

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If you want training using dangerous chemicals, I hear Syria has good tuition available.

Sorry I can't help myself..

This user has a knack for offending others with their sense of humour.

Please DO NOT take seriously.

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21 minutes ago, stefffana said:

Ok, you can use lead until you will order some bismuth, but only outside, and stay away of vapours.😊

Good luck and keep us updated, please! Eventually with pictures and weight of your scrap and your final products.

I am very curious. 

I'm curious what the first biological human gold hybrid will look like too 😅

Edited by CazLikesCoins
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Just now, Upsidedown said:

If you want training using dangerous chemicals, I hear Syria has good tuition available.

Sorry I can't help myself..

Difficult not to when a fella rolls up and basically says "Ok chaps, I know f all about melting gold using explosive chemicals but what the hell, I'm gonna buy a bunch mix it right up and hope for the best" 😁

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1 minute ago, CazLikesCoins said:

I'm curious what the first biological human gold hybrid will look like too 😅

If you watched game of thrones you wouldn't have to wonder!

Might make a good bond villain origin story.

viserys-with-gold-mask-vs-other-viserys-with-gold-mask-v0-c3icxc62nrs91.jpg

This user has a knack for offending others with their sense of humour.

Please DO NOT take seriously.

Complaints go directly to ChrisSilver.

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