Daredevils, whose minds were at the mercy of the gold rush of bygone days, overcame hardship and privation as they set out in search of treasure. As for today's gold diggersthey have long since found a way to enrich themselves without having to leave the apartment.
How do I make my own gold? Is homemade gold legal? gold miners operations? How to get gold in at home? Let's consider each of these questions in detail.
Gold: its properties and applications
Everyone is familiar with the attractive yellow color of this precious metal. Because of its warm hue, it has been associated with the sun since ancient times. The metal is soft, malleable, but very heavy.
The purest precious metal can be cut with a knife. As an element it is designated "Au", and the Latin name "aurum" is associated with the morning star Aurora.
Gold is unaffected by non-metallic elements and does not react to natural substances, so it absolutely does not change its appearance over time.
This precious metal was the most expensive at the dawn of civilization until the 19th century AD.
The field of application is taking over the jewelry industry, electronicsThe solar metal has also been of investment importance for several millennia. Solar metal has also been of investment importance for several millennia.
Predominantly gold mined by washing river sand and processing gold-bearing rocks. On the territory of Russia MiningThe main focus is in the northeast of the country.
Where you can find gold. Raw materials for mining the precious metal at home
Precious metal is all around us. It is used for corrosion-resistant coatings inside computers, it is used to decorate cutlery, it can be covered with contacts cell phone.
Many gold-containing items are used to pure metal mining at home:
- Gold-containing parts in electronics. Especially rich in precious metal are electrical and radio components from the Soviet era. D226 diodes, KT transistors, 133 and 155 models of microcircuits are worth looking at. Other elements of devices - resistors, relays, processors, boards, capacitors may also contain gold "stuffing". Modern equipment cannot boast a similar amount of precious metal, but there is gold in computers, televisions, SIM cards, refrigerators, laptops and various computer parts. Even the keyboard and the CPU fan contain a small amount of it.
- Gold-plated costume jewelry. Earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets and many other jewelry items can be gilded and inclusions of precious metals.
- Gold plating on watches. Gold is often used as a coating a few microns thick for the watch case, hands, and numerals.
- Cutlery from the flea market. A wide variety of kitchen utensils can contain gold plating. It is worth paying attention to Soviet-era plates, which were often decorated with gold rims.
Methods of gold mining from recycled materials
When it is necessary to obtain precious metal from gold-containing objects, a variety of techniques are used. Let's consider the most effective ones.
Dissolution of the substrate in acid. Principles of the method for sprayed products
First, you need to collect a sufficient amount of gold-containing raw material. Next, the parts that have no value are removed from it.
All items are placed in a specially prepared container and poured with saturated nitric acid. After 5 days, after the base is completely dissolved, the entire mixture is filtered.
The resulting sediment should be placed in a new vessel, then pour vodka or ethyl alcohol. Leave it for 24 hours.
The brown sludge is cleaned with running water, filtered and melted.
Etching in an infernal mixture. How to precipitate gold from microchips
The method is based on the complete dissolving elements. This is done as follows:
- First, you will need to make royal vodka, which is a mixture of HNO3, HCl and H2O. The essence will have a pungent chemical odor of nitrogen and chlorine. It is the strongest solvent.
Important: The essence must be prepared immediately before use, as it loses its oxidizing power over time.
- The resulting mixture should be heated to 70 degrees, then carefully immerse in the container pre-cleaned gold-plated items.
- The reaction will take six hours. Next, the gold is extracted with hydrazine.
- It is necessary to stir 200 grams of hydrazine in 1 liter of water. This solution is gradually added to the royal vodka. A brown metal, which is gold, will be released. It should be filtered, then fused with a burner.
Electrolysis for high-grade gold
The electrolytic method requires gold chloride, hydrochloric acid and the highest purity precious metal, which is used as the positive electrode. Iron and lead are used as the negative electrode.
A direct current is connected to the cathode and anode for the reaction to take place. The current density indicates dissolution during the reaction. A drop in density will tell you that the metal is completely dissolved.
Table: pros and cons of the methods
| The way | Pros | Minuses |
|---|---|---|
| Electrolysis refining | Allows you to quickly produce the purest metal. Fewer reagents are needed for the reaction. | Rather complicated technology of execution |
| Acid refining | Easy to implement. Components for the reaction are inexpensive. Refining without heating does not require regular monitoring of the reaction. | Requires more reagents to perform the reaction. The procedure releases vapors that are harmful to humans, and increased safety precautions must be observed. The procedure has to be repeated several times to get the purest metal. |
Borax and soda for further processing and reduction of precious metal losses
Borax or sodium tetraborate is widely used in the home and is not a toxic element. Sometimes borax is used in gold recovery - It is readily available and cheap. Much more precious metal can be extracted with it than with methods such as amalgamation.
Because home gold mining involves small amounts of solar metal, it is important to minimize loss. Adding borax to the precious metal flakes in the final refining step will simplify the subsequent processing steps, as well as reduce volume loss.
Soda, which has a lower melting point, can be used instead of borax.
Gold melting equipment
To melt the precious metal you need the following equipment:
- Gold melting mold (crucible). This is a container for heating, drying and melting the metal. An indispensable piece of equipment for recovering gold at home. Has a conical or cylindrical shape. Can be made by hand.
- Burners or muffle furnaces. This equipment is needed for melting. Muffle furnaces are heating devices capable of maintaining a temperature of 1800 degrees. Both gasoline and gas burners are used.
Rules and protections for safe gold mining operations
Keep in mind that extracting gold at home is a dangerous process because there is constant contact with aggressive chemicals.
Vapors released into the air during the reaction are toxic and can lead to unconsciousness and even death. Therefore, all operations with chemicals should be performed in a room with good ventilation or outdoors.
When in contact with skin, saturated acids cause severe burns. Gloves, protective clothing and goggles should be a constant attribute gold miner at work.
Does the Law. The conditions for the legality of the activity when earning a permanent income
To mine The use of precious metals at home will necessarily require a license. Otherwise, such operations with in gold will be outside the law. Such operations are regulated by Article 191 of the Criminal Code on "Illegal turnover of amber, nephrite or other semi-precious stones, precious metals, precious stones or pearls.
- Opening an LLC with a legal address. A license can be obtained by a legal entity that has a legal address. Consequently, to legally extract the precious metal, you need to open an LLC.
- Obtaining a license to operate. Only legal entities with a valid legal address can obtain a license. The applicant must submit the following documents to the Assay Office:
- Statement;
- Copies of documents for immovable premises used in the activity;
- Confirmation that the premises used meet fire safety requirements.
A certificate from the assay office will cost 10,000 rubles.
Important: It is not allowed to use residential premises for gold mining. It is forbidden to mine the precious metal at home or in an apartment. You will need to rent or buy a suitable room.
Is the gold mining business profitable: the main pros and cons
Subject: Q&A
Can I make gold at home with my own hands?
Where can I get everything I need to make gold at home?
You can buy scales, plastic containers, and rubber gloves at the hardware store. Chemical reagents and equipment are sold in specialized stores.
How lucrative is it to mine gold from old things?
What kind of gold is etched?
Repeated purification makes it possible to achieve the highest 999 proof.
Is it realistic to create gold at home?
The simplest method of obtaining precious metal at home is etching, based on the chemical inertness of the material.
Video: how to get gold from junk
Application of the gold produced
The obtained precious metal can be used in different ways. It should always be remembered that a license is required in order to receive income from this type of activity.
- For soldering and repairing jewelry. Precious metal obtained by the homemade method refiningThe soldering process is suitable for the soldering process of damaged jewelry. Soldering may be necessary to repair antiques, various pendants, bracelets. With the right tools, it is a fairly simple process. The brazing alloy, in addition to pure precious metal, should contain impurities that will give it a greater resource of wear resistance.
- Creating jewelry with your own hands. Making jewelry is an interesting and fun process, and pieces made by hand will be much more appreciated. Simple jewelry making does not require a professional set of tools. Rings, pendants, chains can be made with minimal equipment. You will need special molds, a muffle furnace, and vessels for melting.
- Handing it over for sale. In order to sell the metal, it is necessary to give it an appropriate appearance. Usually it is alloyed into the form of an ingot, and then polished to a shining sheen.
