New to the forum and to Gold

[geoffrod]

Hi, name is Geoff
very new here, and brand new to gold.
i have been reading a few threads, mainly the DIY stuff, im a tinkerer. but i had a thought, what do people do with their gold when they work hard to find it and gather it and clean it up?
if you sell it who buys it?
how does one go about finding someone who will buy it, and what process do you go thru to present your gold to said buyer?

Anyway just a couple of questions i was thinking about.
look forward to contributing to the forum at some stage.

Regards
Geoff

 

[kiwifred]

Welcome Geoff, never a dumb question here....... believe me, I've asked a few..... fire away

 

[geoffrod]

Welcome Geoff, never a dumb question here....... believe me, I've asked a few..... fire away

Hi Kiwi friend,
thanks for the reply,
Question 1 - what do people do with their gold when they work hard to find it and gather it and clean it up?
Question 2 - if you sell it who buys it?

Just uploading a couple of pics, all 3 are the same pan just closer everytime.
is this gold?
if its not shouldnt it discolour in vinegar?

Thanks again for the reply. greatly appreciated

 

[RichardWest]

Would be nice if it was gold but it looks like iron pyrites.

 

[geoffrod]

Would be nice if it was gold but it looks like iron pyrites.

Hey Richard, thanks for the reply. how can i prove it,
would iron pyrite be magentic?
would it be effected by vinegar?
is there any other test i can do to seperate any gold from the iron pyrites?
Like i said at the start, i am new to gold

Thanks in advance
Geoff
Edit,
ok so a quick google search told me it isnt magnetic.
still looking for ways to separate it from the flour gold that is suppose to be in there

 

[5SIX8]

Hi, name is Geoff
very new here, and brand new to gold.
i have been reading a few threads, mainly the DIY stuff, im a tinkerer. but i had a thought, what do people do with their gold when they work hard to find it and gather it and clean it up?
if you sell it who buys it?
how does one go about finding someone who will buy it, and what process do you go thru to present your gold to said buyer?

Anyway just a couple of questions i was thinking about.
look forward to contributing to the forum at some stage.

Regards
Geoff

Gday Geoff.

I'm matt, also new to PA and prospecting in general.

All posts relating to gold, gems, minerals, camping and basically Bushcraft seem to be welcome here and everyone seems pretty friendly.

Welcome to the addiction

 

[5SIX8]

Hey Richard, thanks for the reply. how can i prove it,
would iron pyrite be magentic?
would it be effected by vinegar?
is there any other test i can do to seperate any gold from the iron pyrites?
Like i said at the start, i am new to gold

Thanks in advance
Geoff
Edit,
ok so a quick google search told me it isnt magnetic.
still looking for ways to separate it from the flour gold that is suppose to be in there

One simple way to determine pyrites is by moving them around.

Gold will "flash" from every angle but pyrites will shine (flash) then become not shiny as you move them around.

 

[Moneybox]

Fortunately I don't have any pyrites here where I work. I think I'd take a bit of it and stir in a little brickies acid (hydrochloric acid). The iron will be destroyed and the gold will be unaffected. You can buy it at the local hardware.

 

[geoffrod]

Gday Geoff.

I'm matt, also new to PA and prospecting in general.

All posts relating to gold, gems, minerals, camping and basically Bushcraft seem to be welcome here and everyone seems pretty friendly.

Welcome to the addiction

Hi Matt, good to meet you mate.
haha yeah im hooked for sure

 

[geoffrod]

One simple way to determine pyrites is by moving them around.

Gold will "flash" from every angle but pyrites will shine (flash) then become not shiny as you move them around.

this stuff seems to shine regardless of angle, there is a lot of sand in amongst it as well
going to try the Hydrochloric acid on a little of it

Regards
Geoff

 

[geoffrod]

Fortunately I don't have any pyrites here where I work. I think I'd take a bit of it and stir in a little brickies acid (hydrochloric acid). The iron will be destroyed and the gold will be unaffected. You can buy it at the local hardware.

Thanks for the reply Moneybox, greatly appreciated.
i have tried what you suggested, please see the attached photo

looks to be still lots of shiny gold stuff in there

 

[Moneybox]

Thanks for the reply Moneybox, greatly appreciated.
i have tried what you suggested, please see the attached photo

looks to be still lots of shiny gold stuff in there

Well it looks good from here

Have you weighed it dry? Gold is very heavy compared to pyrites and it looks like you have quite a lot. You might like to keep it like it is until you can confirmation otherwise the option is to melt it into a gold button, bar or whatever you chose. Of course you'll only be successful if it is gold

 

[geoffrod]

Well it looks good from here

Have you weighed it dry? Gold is very heavy compared to pyrites and it looks like you have quite a lot. You might like to keep it like it is until you can confirmation otherwise the option is to melt it into a gold button, bar or whatever you chose. Of course you'll only be successful if it is gold

haha,
looks good to the uninitiated as well!!
not sure what the hydrochloric acid would do ???, have you actually used it in this way before?

 

[Moneybox]

haha,
looks good to the uninitiated as well!!
not sure what the hydrochloric acid would do ???, have you actually used it in this way before?

No, why would I do it when I can watch you do it first? but I did expect it to work.

As I said I don't have any pyrites here. Lead is my problem and that's a whole other story. I have to pick out anything that I can't pan off and then remove the last of it in a cupel during the smelting process.

 

[geoffrod]

No, why would I do it when I can watch you do it first? but I did expect it to work.

As I said I don't have any pyrites here. Lead is my problem and that's a whole other story. I have to pick out anything that I can't pan off and then remove the last of it in a cupel during the smelting process.

Well you got me for sure
pretty gullible here obviously

 

[Moneybox]

Seriously Geoff, I did expect it to tell you the difference. If it's gold you can safely leave it soak in the acid overnight however if it's pyrites I would expect it to be eaten away by the acid. I'm sure someone more knowlegable will give you better guidance such as roasting it in a steel pan however it's not something I've done.

 

[user 4485]

IMO it looks like pyrite or mica.
Easy, safe test is gold dints or squashes under pressure. Other minerals will break up or crumble to powder.
Not sure if there are big enough particles there for a pin or similar. Maybe a pestle & mortar?
Not convinced brickies acid will dissolve pyrite (won't dissolve mica) as it's not strong enough.

 

[geoffrod]

IMO it looks like pyrite or mica.
Easy, safe test is gold dints or squashes under pressure. Other minerals will break up or crumble to powder.
Not sure if there are big enough particles there for a pin or similar. Maybe a pestle & mortar?
Not convinced brickies acid will dissolve pyrite (won't dissolve mica) as it's not strong enough.

Hi Mbasko,
thanks for the reply, greatly appreciated.
im also convinced that there is quite a bit of pyrite in these cons.
now how to deal with them,
Can i ;
A - crush them finer, and will that make them easier to remove?
B - Smelt this all down? ( i have a Smelting furnace on its way)
C - some other way, (open to suggestions here) not really wanting to go the nitric acid route.

I look forward to what ever suggestions anyone could offer.

Regards
Geoff

 

[Hawkear]

Where did the material come from? That would be important to know also to determine its likely composition. Maybe a bit more information would be helpful otherwise treatment possibilities may be just guesses.
My first impression was of gold glitter you can buy from a party shop.

 

[geoffrod]

Where did the material come from? That would be important to know also to determine its likely composition. Maybe a bit more information would be helpful otherwise treatment possibilities may be just guesses.
My first impression was of gold glitter you can buy from a party shop.

Hi @Hawkear thanks for the reply, the material came from a guy in Tenterfield NSW.
I believe it came out of rocks like this, this sample was given to me with the material.

Regards
Geoff