Recipe for cleaning gold

[Oakview2]

Someone posted it earlier and forgot to write it down, It was Wink rust remover and something else. Thanks in advance

[mn90403]

Here was one post:

http://www.nuggetshooter.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=13318&hl=floric#entry100488

Here is another:

http://www.nuggetshooter.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=13112&hl=whink

Search for Whink or HF and you will read more.

Mitchel

[Oakview2]

Thanks for the links

Edited October 14, 2013 by Oakview2

[fredmason]

you might ask on the main forum...El Dorado uses salt and vinegar-I think!!!???

fred

[El Dorado]

Yes I do, it cleans gold very nicely

[fredmason]

Thanks Steve;

in what ratio...pray tell?

fred

[Au Seeker]

I'm not sure as how Steve uses the vinegar and salt, but I put some vinegar and salt in a little bottle add the gold and let it sit on a shelf, and once, twice even three a day I give it a good shaking, do that for a week or two and it will cleanup your gold very nice, the salt adds a little abrasion and the vinegar/acid eats away at any mineral stains, etc.

[Steel Pan]

Never tried it on Gold, but what about vinegar and baking soda?

I seem to remember cleaning copper pennies that way when I was a kid.

[klunker]

About a tablespoon full of salt in a plastic pill bottle and fill about 3/4 full of white vinegar toss in several nuggets and shake gently for about 5 minutes. The salt doesn't dissolve in the vinegar and the nuggets come out with a beautiful natural looking shine. Use the left over solution to season the gator mentioned in a previous post.

My preference is to not over clean and polish a natural nugget.

[Bedrock Bob]

Isn't there a chlorine molecule doing something there? Seems like I heard something about the chlorine from the salt acting with the surface. We did a bunch of amalgam one time and I think the fellow used salt to get the sponge gold to shine up. He explained something about chlorine and gold and why salt worked so well.

I put my dry gold in table salt in a vial about half full and set it on the console. By the time I get to the pavement it shines good enough for me. Those manganese oxide coated nuggets look great with only the high spots burnished anyway.

[homefire]

Sodium Hydroxide (Bleach) does eat gold. Not enough to worry about unless you add some Hydrochloric to make it a Halide.

[Bedrock Bob]

Sodium hydroxide is lye Homefire. Sodium hypochlorite is bleach.

[El Dorado]

Been out in the field for a week and only got a few stabs at the forum so this was missed. Klunker got it perfect. Ratio does not really seem to matter I usually put the nugs in a container and cover with salt then fill with white vinegar. I'm to lazy to do the shake so I just put the container in my ultrasonic cleaner....... After half a long lifetime of dealing with cleaning nuggets this is the best way I have found to just clean nuggets without polishing them or altering the surface in anyway...........