Artzak Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 Hello, I obtained a leaf gold specimen a while back that's from the red ledge mine in Washington, Nevada County, CA. and some leaf crystals have a black coting of some oxide over the gold. I want to clean it off so the golds full potential shows but don't know what chemical to use because lightly cleaning it with a brush would damage the leaf crystals. I attached a photo of where the black oxide is located on the gold sorry if the photo is not too clear I'm not good at taking photos. I appreciate any help! Best, Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morlock Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 (edited) How big is the specimen? Gold is insoluble in most acids or solvents except for aqua regia. I would soak it in vinegar for 24 hours, then rinse to see what happens. You'll need a loupe to see if it's working or not. Repeat if needed. If that doesn't work you could try something like Whink which I've had a lot of success with when it comes to cleaning gold specimens. Good luck. Edited July 4 by Morlock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugget108 Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 The picture is pretty blurry but it looks like it has silver mixed in with it. If it is an Electrum alloy you wont be able to do anything with it without damaging the speci. But like i said, its too blurry for me to tell. Nice specimen though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artzak Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Thank you, I appreciate the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.