Mercury Use and Recovering Gold from Amalgam information and questions

[Marked]

Check out previous posts on mercury...there has been plenty of debate on just how risky various mercury removal processes can be in the volumes a recreational prospector is looking at. That way you can make your own decision

 

[SkipperDVP]

G'day all just realised that all of the gold that I found today is now ruined because of trace amounts of mercury found on afew pieces has spread through my vials and now most of my gold looks kinda platinum anyone know how I can clean them up and make them look the way gold should, any advice would be a great help???

Cheers
Dan

 

[headbut]

One way is to burn it off , but its very dangerous, as mercury vapourises at room temp, but I have heard sticking it in a potatoe & puting that in a fire .The mercury will soak into it

Cheers Paul

 

[headbut]

But if your gold is fine , that could be difficult to recover

 

[SkipperDVP]

Thanks Paul sounds like an interesting idea thanks for the post not sure what I'm going to do I have heard that mercury vapor is deadly even in a small dose and I don't have a g class respirator ha ha ha really appreciate your input

Cheers
Dan

 

[thedigger]

A drop of nitric acid will do it.

 

[XIV]

there are several ways of doing it
have a look on utube
some are quite safe while others can be very dangerous
store your gold in water for now till you find the way you are going to remove the mercury

 

[Diggerdude]

Stick it in a metal pan on the camp fire for a few minutes will do the trick. Obviously don't stand above it inhaling

DD

 

[KarlS]

Stick it in a metal pan on the camp fire for a few minutes will do the trick. Obviously don't stand above it inhaling

DD

Ditto. All this green hysteria about lead and mercury. Where they think those metals come from? From the rocks and the soil around us!
Living is a healt hazard, like it or not.
Karl

 

[headbut]

This may be true Karl , but you always need to be careful when handling such material

Post from thesmithy sums it up

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3582

 

[Nugget]

I agree with headbut, this is some serious stuff you're dealing with so be sure you know what the hazards are and how to work with it as safely as possible. Don't risk yours or anyone elses health over a tiny portion of gold.

I'd love to know if the potato in the fire trick works, can anyone confirm this?

 

[headbut]

Found this link

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/science/geology/extracting-gold-rock

 

[dwt]

hi guys after reading this post prompted me to ask this question the picture is of a silver looking substance ive been recovering with trace amounts of gold and black sands ive tried burning it with a butane torch and melting it with no change to its appearence any ideas on what it is ?

 

[KarlS]

I agree with headbut, this is some serious stuff you're dealing with so be sure you know what the hazards are and how to work with it as safely as possible. Don't risk yours or anyone elses health over a tiny portion of gold.

I'd love to know if the potato in the fire trick works, can anyone confirm this?

I agree with you Nugget, to be careful. But burning off half a gram of mercury will not cause environmental catastrophe. It is just that mercury occur naturally in lot's of gold fields. First report of mercury in NSW dates 1851
from around Mudgee. Digging in mercury bearing ground expose people to its vapor, like it or not.
Potato method works OK for small amount of amalgam, I had done it once in seventies. If you got half an ounce or more of amalgam there are better methods to recover gold and mercury as well, without releasing any pollution. After all mercury is not exactly cheap and easy to buy
Karl

 

[Coyote]

One way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShgM07O1rqQ

 

[Diggerdude]

I have read a few of the posts with hesteria around mercury which is why I was not even going to respond. It's pretty simple really if your scared of it, this fear generally comes from not understanding it properly, so throw it back in the creek, or call the fire brigade or what ever you see appropriate.
But as overs have stated as long as you understand it's properties, it's not rocket science, just use your head and do it safely.

DD

 

[Diggerdude]

https://www.prospectingaustralia.co...ages/428/1393563036_trommel_306-optimized.jpg

hi guys after reading this post prompted me to ask this question the picture is of a silver looking substance ive been recovering with trace amounts of gold and black sands ive tried burning it with a butane torch and melting it with no change to its appearence any ideas on what it is ?

It's not mercury if not affected by heat. Smelting is the only way to tell for sure, use the mapp ( methyl acetylene ) gas cannisters , they are yellow. The blue butane/propane torches won't get hot enough.

DD

 

[the cradler]

Listen to thedigger.

This happened to me and a mate several years ago with a couple of grams of fine gold and flakes we sluiced at Nundle. I went to Chemical world and bought some nitric acid. I put the gold in about 30mls of the acid and in about 10 seconds the gold was returned to original lustre. Do it outside and stay upwind, hold your breathe if you want because it will not take long, dilute the acid with water before retrieving gold, and you will probably get more mercury from the fish you eat for dinner that night than the amount of mercury you are handling.

 

[headbut]

I have read a few of the posts with hesteria around mercury which is why I was not even going to respond. It's pretty simple really if your scared of it, this fear generally comes from not understanding it properly, so throw it back in the creek, or call the fire brigade or what ever you see appropriate.
But as overs have stated as long as you understand it's properties, it's not rocket science, just use your head and do it safely.

DD

Not making a big deal about the qty DD , i was just making a point that it is a dangerous material if larger quantities are involved. Some people are clueless & can get themselves in all sorts of bother, Ignorance is NOT bliss

In times gone by , they used to facet Cinnabar and they didnt live too long.

Further to add is that I dont want to be involved in promoting materials as safe , when they are clearly not

Enough said

 

[Guest]

Everyday in the paper I read about people dying from mercury poisoning, oh wait that's sharks, oh wait thats getting lost in the bush, Oh wait what was it again? Everything is just too damn dangerous I am going to stay inside and eat a burger, drink a bottle of bourbon and smoke a pack of ciggies at least that way I will stay safe. The amount of mercury you are talking about is minuscule if your worried about burning it never ever walk behind a car when its running or live in a city etc. Oh and never ever own a thermometer or a lightbulb because if it breaks you and your whole neighbourhood are done for.