120towing Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 recently my mobile home burned down to the ground. Sadly...all my gold nuggets were inside it. They were in a large glass mason jar along with my pocket change.I was lucky enough to find it, but it was all melted together in one big lump of glass, coins and gold. Any ideas on how to save the gold? (the coins aren't important.)was thinking of trying to re- melt it, but i don't know how to seperate it? Help please!Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted May 16, 2006 Admin Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Hello Anna, Sorry to hear about the mobile home burning down. I sure hope everyone was alright. Humm ... I'm not exactly sure how you would separate all the glass and different metals (silver/gold) since they are in a melted mass. I'm sure others will give some advice. Wishing you the best,Rob Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpion Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 How much gold verses the coins. The glass you could remove by beating the heck out of the lump, much like when you remove rock matrix from a gold specimen. With the different metals now melted together the fines value percentage of the gold has been affected. That probably requires a commercial process to separate the gold from the other metals. Better just to sell it and take the money and run!Would processing with mercury separate the gold out or will it also pick up the other metals? Hazardous if not carefull!Leaching? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reno Chris Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Honestly I'd use a hammer to break off the glass first. You did not tell us the ratio of coins to gold if you lots of gold and only a few coins, I'd just send the whole mass in to a refiner - it no longer has any nugget value anyway. If there are loads of coins - I'd try to break them off. You could use nitric acid - it will eat the zinc, copper and nickel that the coins are made of, but will not harm gold. However you will be left with a hazardous mix of copper and nickel nitrates, that would cost you loads to legally dispose of. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotsa Luck Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 It mostly depends on how much of what was there to begin with but I'd personaly leave it just the way it is and keep it around for conversation of intrigue for now. All that has been said can be done at any future time. If you are in need of turning it for cash then also leave it alone and place an add on ebay with nice photo's of it along with how much value in gold is there. For an item such as that you will at least get spot price for it (which a refiner will never do) and it could go much higher.Also sorry to hear about the fire... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubstake Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 I had a friendwhen I was on the Merced river, he had about 7 oz's of Amalgum, so he put it in an alluminum pot, on a cleman stove and walked away so the mercury would not piosn him, when he came back, the pot was thin, and the pot and gold and mercury all had melted together. He ended up sending it to a refiner to get any money out of it. we joke and call it goldalum. He didn't think it was so funny, he did not get much after all the fees and postage. Grubstake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
120towing Posted May 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 The ratio of gold and coins was something like $20 to $30 in coins and 1 ounce or so, of gold. Lucky for me, my garage is still in tact....so I guess I'll get out my hammer. ( stupid me, I thought it would better if I kept my metal detector in the house) Oh well, thanks for all of your ideas.Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamikaze Posted May 18, 2006 Report Share Posted May 18, 2006 Are the coins all melted into an unrecognizable mass? And the glass too? If so, it must be and interesting piece. Try listing it on ebay with a detailed story...it might turn out to be one of those extraordinary listing like the foot long french fry or that insane wedding dress listing or even that piece of toast with the image of Mother Theresa! You just need to be creative and give a good story to go with the listing. Play your sympathy card and say how sad you are that your nuggets melted, and your RV burnt to the ground! Post a pic, I wouldn't mind seeing what it looks like. By the way, sorry to hear about the fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGFOOT Posted May 18, 2006 Report Share Posted May 18, 2006 120towing,Never heard of anyone trying to smelt precious metals THAT way before!If we had some kind ideal how much non-gold metals were present(saying $30.oo worth doesnt tell me how much mass of which non AU metal is present).You could boil off(oxidize)the junk metal with Nitric Acid&Distilled Water(never use JUST striaght acid for this,cheaper&has more oxidation strenth when using both).You could get a hot plate & coffee pot...something made of Pyrex....bust ALL of it into small pieces and boil off...then smelt in furnace till it return to a pure product.............OR............just send it to a refiner.Less risk and most likely(if its just 1 oz)cheaper! BIGFOOT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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