An easy and safe way to burn off mercury coated gold with a small propane torch — outdoors, up wind, no sweat, and olny takes a few seconds…then soak in S…
An easy and safe way to burn off mercury coated gold with a small propane torch — outdoors, up wind, no sweat, and olny takes a few seconds…then soak in S…
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Greetings, I normally find gold on mercury panning/sluicing in 1 of 2 ways.
1). bigger flakes & pickers of gold with a VERY thin layer of mercury
coating it, or 2). a small ball of amalgamated mercury & very fine gold
mixed into it. If you burn off the mercury on 1). above you get to see
native, natural gold w/o the mercury. 2). above you get a ball of “sponge
gold” made up of the conglomerated amount of gold bonded together. Mercury
burns off at a low temp. The gold won’t melt. C-17A
I found some some small amounts of mercury in my concentrates. It’s
squishy, and drips like water. If I torch it, won’t that melt the gold
flakes or should it just melt everything into one ball
where did you find gold?! o.0
Randy, Checkout this simple retort.. It’ll save the brain cells for about
$5.00 at the local Ace youtube.com/watch?v=KL9deyMSzs8
not trying to tell you how to do or say anything there bro and meant no
offense …hell im stuck to kansas for the time being and dont get much
opportunity to prospect anyways (last time was in 08 in clearwater national
forest in Idaho) so i assume you know way more about the trade than i do
Thank you for making this video. I had always wondered about this. Cool.
What an interesting table. And thank God the shots of the gold are out of
focus and shaky. Nice.
Kindnugz420, Yep, mercury is not good for our health if eaten, absorbed in
amounts dangerous to us… That said, if one takes normal precautions, this
will not kill you, or harm you. Like I say in my video I probably only have
to burn off mercury contaminated gold once or twice a year, at most. Just
don’t breathe any vapors. Only takes a few seconds for this little amount
of gold. Go Google mercury in everyday food & be amazed… Happy
prospecting. Randy C-17A
I go to walmart are a dollar store and but thermometers.and then take a
piar of pliers and break out the murcury
Thanks. Everyone has their opinion. My contention is at this amount and
this process it is safe. Cheers.
Guys, guys, guys… I don’t mine with mercury & I don’t amalgamate gold &
mercury to later retort, or I’d use a retort. I maybe get a gram or two of
gold at most a year as I pan, sluice dredge contaminated with mercury and
once a year put it in a pan & burn it off. This mercury is only atoms thick
on the gold and a retort would be a waste of time. Every house size
flourescent bulb has 3-5 milligrams mercury, and billions are made every
year. Lots break, or are thrown away. Go after that…
Ronny, Ha! That’s too good… You know, it just amazes me how loony people
get when they see me burning off this little bit of mercury on a little bit
of gold. Heck, I have to do this once, maybe twice a year, if even that.
Haven’t had to do it since I shot this video in 2009, but they somehow
think I killed the planet in 15 seconds.. Simply stay up wind, don’t
breathe the fumes. Simple, cheap, fast. Sure, if I had a lot, get a retort.
C-17A
Though not the best camera work, that was a good demonstration of how to
burn off mercury. Personally, I use nitric, but you never seem to be able
to restore the natural luster. That said, all these worriesome comments
about burning such a little amount of mercury off is rather pathetic. I
guess it’s much easier to criticize this than to worry about slurping down
their daily dose of mercury and fluoride in their food and water. Keep up
the good work and lots of that Colorado AU to you.
Greetings, Any heat source can work…I use a little hand help propane
torch………a little wanding it over the gold and “poof” the mercury is
gone. I have heard others put the pan on their BBQ outside and heat it
until the mercury vaporizes. Do it outside, stay upwind, don’t breathe any
vapors. C-17A
Kickass0815, I disagree it’s unsafe. You are free to do whatever you wish
with your mercury coated gold. This is how I deal with the problem. Thanks
for looking, however. Randy
note to self dont use this pan for bakeing..
thanks for making your crabon footprint bigger hahaha people just wish they
had gold, this video helps i got some i need to treat, a few specs arent
anything, the old miners did tis by the barrel haha
Hey Randy, C0017A I got a question about getting mercury off some gold i
found in California. I went panning today, and got alot of mercury in my
pan. It engolfed my gold, and now i got a big BB sized ball of mercury.
Will this prosess work? It looked real simple. Well any feed back would be
creat tku. Jessgo33
Thanks for the demo, Randy – my buddy and I ran into our first encounter of
mercury-contaminated gold about a month ago. We will go with your approach.
And I’d pay no heed, either, to these other guys. They probably drink out
of a garden hose, either! 🙂
You should make a follow up video of yourself smashing up asbestos house
shingles followed by venting AC refrigerant all while burning old PCBs.
@C0017A they pull the teeth out of people before cremation that have
mercury fillings, good money in sifting dead peoples ashs!
Exenrontexas, Good idea…I now have a tripod. I made the video on the spur
of the moment one night on my back patio. Trying to hold the camera, the
small propane torch and talk was a lot. Anyways, you get the idea by the
end. A few passes of the torch, and poof, mercury is vaporized. Don’t heat
so much my lead pieces may melt and bond to your gold! Cheers. Randy C-17A
if you have gold thats got mercury on it, you wouldnt want to be touching
it or wearing it all the time, that would kill you. youd have to burn it
off. but 0.0000001% of mercury in the atmosphere is not going to kill you.
we have cigarettes that will do what mercury can.
Mogges1, Also, a very cheap way to get mercury easily is buying/salvaging
used mercury switches for house A/C & heater thermostats. Randy “C-17A”
@username0u812ic , No need to watch. Thanks. I see all the kids at the
local schools. That’s all the brain damage I can stand, knowing what they
are taught & what they will become. Randy
Kelt76, Agree 100%. I have to do this maybe once or twice a year at most.
Gregconquest, Sorry on the camera work…I did it all by myself at night on
my back patio. Operating the torch was job # 1, and I tried to hold the
camera pointed at the operation as best I could. It was made for a buddy,
not really intended to post it here as a cinamgraphic work of art, but did
anyways, as I hope you got the idea. Cheers, Randy C-17A
Steepline1, You are welcome… Simple, no big deal in the amounts of
mercury we’re talking about….I have to do this maybe once or twice a
year. Outside, stay up wind, don’t breathe any vapors. Obviously, IF I had
a LOT I’d use a retort. This is atoms thick on that little amount of fine
placer gold. Cheers, Randy C-17A triple w (dot) goldadventures (dot) biz
Please buy and use a tripod. I realize that it is hard to do a process and
hold the camera at the same time so…the tripod is a cheap and easy
solution.
too cool! thanks for posting i have been waiting for a video of mercury
removel like this, you made it look soo easy now i can do it. thanks
I too believe this small amount is safe, remember florescent lights all
have mercury in them and when you break them it gets out also. I have maybe
1/10th this much mercury coated gold stored up and I’d need 300 times my
amount to consider making a retort. EVERYTHING is relative, and this much
won’t affect anything even with thousands of people doing it. Check out
what they do in developing countries, that’s where the attention needs to
go.
echarters, Who ever said anything about taking 1 pound of mercury, locking
yourself in a room and enjoying the aroma? Nobody. You comparison is
idiotic. The amount of mercury on this small amount of gold is about
.000000000000000001 grams. It clings only a few atoms thick. Gone in a
flash at 674 degrees F. This is a simple & cheap way to return it to
nature, where it came from. If you don’t like this method, pick one you do,
I like this one — fast, cheap, works. Randy “C-17A”
I was under the impression that burning mercury off into the atmosphere,
where it then comes back down in rainfall polluting the water again, was
Bad.
i want a natural chunk of gold
Doing this once on a small scale is no big deal. If you do this on a
regular basis it will have serious consequences on your health.
Most was in the rivers of the MotherLode areas in the Sierra Nevada
Mountains of California… The old miners used a LOT of mercury (quick
silver) to try and capture fine gold in their rockers, sluices and even
pans…a LOT got out into the rivers and we prospectors get it back. Randy
C-17A triple w (dot) goldadventures (dot) biz
MountainDweller67, Ha. Right you are… Those overly concerned should look
at the mercury in the queer, twisty little lightbulbs they love & tout sooo
much & std. 4 foot flourescent bulbs too. Break one & they have to evacuate
the school, call in a hazmat team to clean it up for several days. Google
up common foods and see mercury in what you’re eating… Just silly. I used
this last week, on a MUCH smaller amount. 2nd time only since 2009. Just
one option. I use it. Nobody has to… C-17A
Thanks or the info I can now clean up all my gold. The amount o mercury
released is so small Its a wonder how so many people have been
oversensitized to the word mercury. a can of hair spray has about 100 tmes
the pollutents than were just burned of. ,however the government makes
money of that so propoganda doesnt include it or your household cleaners.
Jessgo33, Yes, the mercury will vaporize off just the same. May take a
moment or two longer and leave your with a little litle ball of what is
called sponge gold. A little chunk of all the individual specks
conglomerated together. Usually a dull gold color. I say keep the BB size
ball in an airtight glass vial. Use it whenever to roll around in the last
bit of black sands you have -50 mesh and finer. Let it amalgamate with what
it can until it won’t roll. THEN heat it in fresh air. Randy C-17A
Well, sorry you can’t see the demo well. I was admittedly trying to hold
the camera in one hand and run my propane torch in the other. The propane
torch hand had priority. I had no helper. Hopefully you got the point. Put
your mercury contaminated gold in an old tin pan with sides, heat the gold
slowly to just drive the mercury off. Let cool. You’re done. Randy “C-17A”
triple w dot goldadventures dot biz
he’s probably not an idiot if he’s doing this. think a bit.
Nakinilerak, Yep, that table is a cast aluminum item, made in Mexico from
beer cans & auto tranny cases about 40 years ago. I have it, a love seat
and 4 chairs that match. Only cost about $50 back then. Sorry on the
quality, as I was by myself one night holding the cheapo camera, running
the torch and simply made it fort a prospecting buddy that had a little
mercury coated gold he wanted to clean. Not high quality, BUT shows the
simple process. Yes, yes, yes, don’t breathe any vapors. C-17A
Kindnugz420, Nooffense taken… I’ll let everyone decide which method is
best for them. This is simple, effective, only takes a few seconds. If I
had lots, I’d use a retort. This amount? Ha. Nothing to retort but a few
atoms thick coating on very small gold. Some folks are so extreme they act
like this is the end of the world. Ha. Have they never rode a bike w/o a
helmet, in a car w/o seat belts, or played with a broken thermometer?
Anyways, to each his own. This works for me once a year. C-17A
Amen. I’m reading some of the wisecrack comments, and just amazed at what
they think ‘damage’ to the environment is. If you want to see environmental
damage, you should see that 100-year old coal mine sitting on Al Gore’s
farm in Tennessee. Most of that coal is going to be burned in a powerplant,
where it will release TONS of mercury per day into the atmosphere. Yes,
they won’t talk about that, they want to mention that 0.015 grams that
off-gassed in this GREAT video instead.
@username0u812ic , Thanks for your concern. Maybe add to your list of
“evil” things heavy metal music, drugs, sniffing glue, alcohol abuse,
gambling, prostitution, extreme sports, Liberalism, Socialism,
Elitist/Leftist politicians, excess taxes on working Americans & eco-Nazis.
This is no big deal in the micro amounts we’re talking about… Randy
i use thermite
I can’t even start my day without burning a little mercury and Teflon
coating off a non-stick pan. Hell, I usually just throw it all inside a
Blendtec blender and just go to town on the fumes.
Sorry if you’ve been drilled with this question before. What’s the easiest
place to get mercury from? thermometers?