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| Mercury and Black Sands part 2 |
| Updated 11/7/2006 |
by Tom Ashworth
LEGAL NOTICE
Tom Ashworth (the author) shall not be liable for incidental or consequential
damages in connection with or arising out of the furnishing or use of this material.
I have no control over how you do these procedures. This procedure works for
me and if something gets messed up it is your problem, not mine!
LEGAL NOTICE
Tom Ashworth (the author) shall not be liable for incidental or consequential
damages in connection with or arising out of the furnishing or use of this material.
I have no control over how you do these procedures. This procedure works for
me and if something gets messed up it is your problem, not mine!
| WARNING The processes contained herein require the use of high heat, mercury and very dangerous acids, and must be performed in a well ventilated area. Always use mercury, sulfuric acid and nitric acid in a well ventilated area. DO NOT breathe the fumes. Mercury begins to vaporize at room temperature and its fumes can be deadly. Fumes from many ores are deadly when heated. Nitric acid can be absorbed through the skin causing nitric acid poisoning. WEAR RUBBER ACID GLOVES. Always add acid to water, NEVER ADD WATER TO ACID! Mercury and nitric acid can kill if swallowed. Nitric acid can ruin your clothes and shoes. Always wear rubber gloves, plastic safety glasses and a plastic or rubber apron. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE ABOVE WARNINGS, DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER! |
EQUIPMENT USED:
Large copper gold pan
Rubber spatula
Tweezers
Oral syringe or large veterinarian's syringe
Virgin cotton balls
Pyrex Beaker
INGREDIENTS USED
Mercury
Nitric acid
Distilled water (With no chlorine)
Mercury
NOTES
Any clean water without chlorine. Chlorine mixed with nitric acid can dissolve gold. Gold must be clean
in order for mercury to attach itself. Sometimes placer gold will be covered with a thin film of oil, which
will prevent the gold from being amalgamated unless the oil is cleaned off first. CAUTIONS: Working
with nitric acid, can be very dangerous. Be extra careful to avoid spilling it on yourself or splashing it in
your eyes. DO NOT breathe its fumes! When a solution of nitric acid is poured onto a dirty set of
concentrates, the effect will be a bubbly reaction. Allow the concentrates to bathe until all such visible
reaction
Large copper gold pan
Rubber spatula
Tweezers
Oral syringe or large veterinarian's syringe
Virgin cotton balls
Pyrex Beaker
INGREDIENTS USED
Mercury
Nitric acid
Distilled water (With no chlorine)
Mercury
NOTES
Any clean water without chlorine. Chlorine mixed with nitric acid can dissolve gold. Gold must be clean
in order for mercury to attach itself. Sometimes placer gold will be covered with a thin film of oil, which
will prevent the gold from being amalgamated unless the oil is cleaned off first. CAUTIONS: Working
with nitric acid, can be very dangerous. Be extra careful to avoid spilling it on yourself or splashing it in
your eyes. DO NOT breathe its fumes! When a solution of nitric acid is poured onto a dirty set of
concentrates, the effect will be a bubbly reaction. Allow the concentrates to bathe until all such visible
reaction
PROCEDURE
1. Soak the concentrates in a 10:1 solution of nitric acid, which means 10 parts of water to 1 part of nitric acid. use a
Pyrex beaker. This is to clean the gold. You can do a better job of this if you put the concentrates and the 10:1 solution
in a rock tumbler with a plastic or rubber barrel (no metal, acid will corrode the metal).
2. Rinse the concentrates with fresh water so that the acid is diluted and washed away. Once this is done, the
concentrates are properly set up for amalgamation.
3. Take a clean, large, copper gold pan and coat thoroughly with mercury, using a pad of folded cloth. Deposit the
concentrates in the pan, add some fresh water and swirl and agitate until all visible gold has been taken in by the mercury.
If you want to check for platinum, if you suspect it may be present, wash the black sands into a separate pan which can
be checked later.
4. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the gold bearing mercury from the copper gold pan into a Pyrex beaker.
5. Wet a ball of virgin cotton and squeeze out the excess water. Place it into the bottom of an oral or veterinarian syringe
and pour in the amalgam ball. Replace the plunger and holding the end of the syringe over a container, press the plunger
to extract the excess mercury. If the container is filled with water, the mercury will be prevented from splashing or
bouncing out as it drops into the container if you hold the end of the needle under the surface of the water.
6. Remove the plunger from the syringe and extract the cotton containing the amalgam, using tweezers. Put the amalgam
ball into a Pyrex beaker and set it in a safe place, downwind of any populated area within the vicinity
1. Soak the concentrates in a 10:1 solution of nitric acid, which means 10 parts of water to 1 part of nitric acid. use a
Pyrex beaker. This is to clean the gold. You can do a better job of this if you put the concentrates and the 10:1 solution
in a rock tumbler with a plastic or rubber barrel (no metal, acid will corrode the metal).
2. Rinse the concentrates with fresh water so that the acid is diluted and washed away. Once this is done, the
concentrates are properly set up for amalgamation.
3. Take a clean, large, copper gold pan and coat thoroughly with mercury, using a pad of folded cloth. Deposit the
concentrates in the pan, add some fresh water and swirl and agitate until all visible gold has been taken in by the mercury.
If you want to check for platinum, if you suspect it may be present, wash the black sands into a separate pan which can
be checked later.
4. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the gold bearing mercury from the copper gold pan into a Pyrex beaker.
5. Wet a ball of virgin cotton and squeeze out the excess water. Place it into the bottom of an oral or veterinarian syringe
and pour in the amalgam ball. Replace the plunger and holding the end of the syringe over a container, press the plunger
to extract the excess mercury. If the container is filled with water, the mercury will be prevented from splashing or
bouncing out as it drops into the container if you hold the end of the needle under the surface of the water.
6. Remove the plunger from the syringe and extract the cotton containing the amalgam, using tweezers. Put the amalgam
ball into a Pyrex beaker and set it in a safe place, downwind of any populated area within the vicinity