Mercury!!!

SO! your out dredging and at the end of the day you have 3.9g of gold.You have some with little bits of mercury on them.What would you do?

Welcome to dredging!If you dont keep it separate from your clean gold you will have about a  4.5 gram amalgam!!!I am not going to offer advice on removing it,be careful

 

last trip i had ,hit a lot of mercury.it was floured and was all thru my cons.when i pulled it all together i had a lot more than i thought .it got on the whole run.at least it was really loaded.definantly keep it separate. and use caution when dealling with it.don't wan't to loose your hair and teeth.

   So thats whats causing that!!!I miss them though.........my hair and teeth!!!

last trip i had ,hit a lot of mercury.it was floured and was all thru my cons.when i pulled it all together i had a lot more than i thought .it got on the whole run.at least it was really loaded.definantly keep it separate. and use caution when dealling with it.don't wan't to loose your hair and teeth.

That's right, be very careful with this stuff.  To remove mercury from gold, put it in a metal pan and set it over a heated surface (hot plate, Coleman stove, campfire)...... OUTSIDE!  Make sure the wind is blowing away from you, and please make sure no one else is around when you do this. The fumes from mercury are very toxic and you will die instantly if you inhale them. Mercury will begin to "cook off" at room temperature and the fumes can be breathed in before you ever put it on the heating source, this is why the others are very reluctant to share this information with you. Mercury is very deadly stuff to fool with if you don't know what you are doing. It's best to ask around and find someone who does this sort of thing all the time, and ask if they will clean your gold for you.

You will need to wear rubber gloves when handling any of the concentrates, mercury will absorb through your skin.

Also, if you do decide and cook off the mercury yourself,  any metal pan you use, you can never use it to eat out of. Once it is used for mercury, it is ruined as an eating utensil and it must remain as a mercury removal pan for as long as you own it. If you ever decide to use something else, destroy that pan, and make sure no one else ever gets a hold of it to use for cooking.  Like Strickman says....  "use common sense".  Mercury is no joke!


Update:  Jog,  I just read a previous post of yours where you had removed the mercury by going over it with a torch,  I don't recommend this!  Even with a fan blowing behind you, you are still sitting way too close to the mercury fumes. You better get a good distance from these fumes, all it takes is for that fan to tip, or a stronger gust of wind to blow back on you at the wrong moment of you taking a breath, and it will be your last. Get some distance!

   The mercury will coat the coleman stove and you will contaminate it forever. What ever you do always have DESIGNATED MERCURY PROCESSING EQUIPMENT that is sealed up and not used for anything else. I've never had trouble but I can point to a case,Butler Labs in Costa Mesa, where a gent with 30+ years of chemistry died almost instantly when the fume hood stopped for a second. Or the Idjet at Union Flats on the Yuba who decided to burn off some mercury in his rv whilst the wifey and kids slept---ALL DEAD--- now that sure sucked bigtime the next morning!! Use caution and stay upwind, no fun being mad as a hatter with green teeth,no fingernails  and no st. pattys day parade to show them off-John

Just wash it with some Nitric Acid and be done with it!   

  same rules apply-fumaric mercury ---tons a au 2 u 2-John 

Lades and gentlemen:  This business of Mercury is a bit overdone.  As a child we played with mercury plating copper pennies.

During the war we adjusted and calibrated our Nordan bombsights with open pools of mercury in a 'completely closed' Quonset hut @ about 130*  F.  We shot at flies with hypodermic syringes full of mercury.

In short, there were pools and globules of mercury everywhere, the air prob was 'saturated' with mercury fumes, yet 'none' of us ever came down with the horriblies that are publically proclaimed today.

Later, I owned a Mercury mine and we had 4 large home made distillation retorts.  I still have 10# of Mercury on my desk as a paperweight.  The container is often opened so that visitors can see what Mercury actually looks like.

Given this short resume' of exposure to Mercury in all forms, with no known bad effects to any of us, makes me wonder why such a fuss is made over a broken Thermometer??  A max of one drop?

To add to the horrors, we had open buckets of Carbon tetrachloride  everywhere that we used to wash the bombsight parts with.  The air was saturated with the fumes of this and Mercury.

Like even the 'gasoline' that you use for your gold recovery equipment, yes they can be dangerous,  but I believe that this danger is greatly over emphasized.  

Just read any old prospectors handbook on retorting of Mercury and follow their
instructions.  

The same goes for Cyanide.  As an assayer I was careless and was hit with cyanide poisoning, and later, Arsenic poisoning.  Obviously I survived, but am now sensitized to Cyanide, I can smell an open drum of it up to 50 meters.  A sickly sweet odor for me.  I have won a few bets this way he he he

Incidentally, for those that may get careless, Massive doses of Vit 'C' will pull out the heavy metals from your system, including  Mercury.  Prob the best Chelating agent known, but not normally utilized.  I used this to eliminate the Arsenic poisoning.

The gold ore that we were processing, ran 33% As, raised hell with my carbon columns and zinc recovery system.

Don Jose de La Mancha

p.s.  Do what is known as DD,  'due diligence' and research, don't take my, or another's word.  Research.

p.p.s. will post pictures of the retort system that we had if wished.

For experienced folks mercury is no problem but for newbies it's easy to do a dumb thing. I've done the same with mercury as a kid, and whether we know it or not, we DID pay a price for our ignorance. I'd hate like LL to read about some guys death from following ill advised advice on my conscience. I used TONS of cyanide in the electroplating field and that all encompassing almond taste was lived with for years BUT it don't make it right either. This ol' ride called life has only 1 ticket--1 way--and a little ignorance can cut it tooooo short-- caution--common sense to ya all-John

p.p.s. will post pictures of the retort system that we had if wished.

i would like to see the pictures of the retort.

i have one but it only handles about 5 lbs at a time(kinda small lol)

Good evening Beaks, You would ask  sheesh:  I have just spent 2 hrs going through boxes of old pictures without success.  I did find three of the working area, but you can't see the retorts.  

They were constructed of 3 10" x 10 ft. iron pipes with a door on the feed side, and a 45*  elbow on the exit side which almost dipped into the recovery tank. The final connection was with canvas which when wet was impermeable. yet did not let any water return to the retort tubes.  In effect they were just giant mercury retorts to collect Mercury from the ore which was walnut sized.      

We had  a local gal handle them.  She was extremely careful and efficient.  
  
Somewhere I have posted a story of sleeping by the retorts one night  snicker.  

Don Jose de La Mancha

p.s  If I can find the other photos tomorrow, I will post them  

p.p.s. My apologies to those that first viewed the pictures.  For some reason they wouldn't size correctly. 


                                                                                                                                                      

my pipe runs from the iron cooking pot through an icewater bath and into the collector(dont have to worry about sucking water)

r.d.t.-i remember reading the story of you sleeping by the retorts    oink oink!

You got my buddy strickman.  he he he  Gracias.


Don Jose de La Mancha   

I ALWAYS wrap the discharge end of the retort thats underwater with a fine cotton cloth as the retort BUBBLES and the rising air also carries mercury vapors. Just a little extra caution to a many 100's of years old process. tons a au 2 u2 -John   

 

When I was 11 years old I had 10 Mercury Amalgam filling put in my face.

I'm 52 now and shake like a leaf in a force 9 Gail when in uncomfortable surrounding. Other times I am fine.

Is it the Mercury or something else.

I have handled it, Played with it and until someone tells me other wise I think I am still alive.

If Mercury is so EVAL why do they put it in all the Fluorescent Light bulbs that replace the Incandescent type to save energy?

Have you ever broken a Florence type bulb in your home?

If so according to the Hype your suppose to Bulldoze the home down, Decontaminate the Soil and Rebuild.

Did you Know that a Injection of Mercury was the prescribed cure for Syphilis back in the 1800's?

People lived through it and lived on. Mind you in a man certain glands no longer worked.

When you was a kid and scraped your knee, did you mother ever put mecuricrome on it? Salts of Mercury!

What is mercuricome? - Yahoo! Answers


Did you Know the until recently almost all Vaccines you received had Mercury in it used as a Preservative?


Just like Co2 is the Scurage of the Earth, It has a bum wrap.

Did you know CO2 is a trace gas being only 0.0383% of the atmosphere That feeds the Plants supplying the Oxygen you breath.

Excellent post my friend home fires.

Don Jose de La Mancha

Well back when I was a teenager with my dad out dredging.  We found the remains of an old stamp mill somewhat accicentally.  We had found over 6 ounces of gold in one day but all of it was covered in Mercury.  Over the course of the next few weeks we found over 300 pounds of that stuff, and other pockets weighing anywhere from 10-15 pounds during the rest of the years dredging this creek.  Still have some of it.  But most of it pops sold it off to various people.  

Hi my long time friend Hoser john:  I suggest that you do NOT immerse the exit of your retort in the water. Under certain conditions the retort can suck water back into the system, then you have a minature atomic bomb on your hnds. 

Please check on this as I want to have you as a friend for a long time to come.

Don Jose de La Mancha

Hi montgomery  an excellent post  let's go back there to see if any more remains hehhe

When I was a kiddie i lived in Grass Valley, Calif.  Just below the home on E. Main st, was the creek from the Idaho Maryland mine.  It was milky from the discharge of the mine and globules of Mercury and amalgam were every where, most carrying some gold as they had escaped fom the Stamps.  I hate to think of the free Cyanide that may have been in there, but I lived to bug you in here

I have often wondered if it would pay to go back and work that creek bed?.

Don Jose de La Mancha

Well back when I was a teenager with my dad out dredging.  We found the remains of an old stamp mill somewhat accicentally.  We had found over 6 ounces of gold in one day but all of it was covered in Mercury.  Over the course of the next few weeks we found over 300 pounds of that stuff, and other pockets weighing anywhere from 10-15 pounds during the rest of the years dredging this creek.  Still have some of it.  But most of it pops sold it off to various people. 

                thats a lot!was this in virginia?

Well back when I was a teenager with my dad out dredging.  We found the remains of an old stamp mill somewhat accicentally.  We had found over 6 ounces of gold in one day but all of it was covered in Mercury.  Over the course of the next few weeks we found over 300 pounds of that stuff, and other pockets weighing anywhere from 10-15 pounds during the rest of the years dredging this creek.  Still have some of it.  But most of it pops sold it off to various people. 

                thats a lot!was this in virginia?

Good ol' homestate of GA. 

Thanks for the heads up Don---never had a problem yet--but---why chance it?? When in Grass Valley did ya get into gold as a kid?? Can't think of a better place than SF Yuba-purdone crossing to Edwards--righteous--simply righteous river of gold river crossing!!  tons a au 2 u 2 -John   

Well back when I was a teenager with my dad out dredging.  We found the remains of an old stamp mill somewhat accicentally.  We had found over 6 ounces of gold in one day but all of it was covered in Mercury.  Over the course of the next few weeks we found over 300 pounds of that stuff, and other pockets weighing anywhere from 10-15 pounds during the rest of the years dredging this creek.  Still have some of it.  But most of it pops sold it off to various people. 

                thats a lot!was this in virginia?

     i would love to hit that creek!

Well back when I was a teenager with my dad out dredging.  We found the remains of an old stamp mill somewhat accicentally.  We had found over 6 ounces of gold in one day but all of it was covered in Mercury.  Over the course of the next few weeks we found over 300 pounds of that stuff, and other pockets weighing anywhere from 10-15 pounds during the rest of the years dredging this creek.  Still have some of it.  But most of it pops sold it off to various people. 

                thats a lot!was this in virginia?

     i would love to hit that creek!

Hell I am trying to get back there one day.  There is a lot more there I am sure of it.

Hopefully my new 4" dredge will be ready this week, so if anyone needs/wants help with that creek let me know!
We'll go clean it out!

Hopefully my new 4" dredge will be ready this week, so if anyone needs/wants help with that creek let me know!
We'll go clean it out!

If only it was that easy!!Trust me you are going to want a 5 or 6 next!

One of the comments in this topic was "Danger of Mercury way overstated".  In the early sixties my Uncle's owned a mine in Fallon, Nevada.  They were going to corner the quicksilver market, brought home incredible amounts of it and stored it underneath their house in Central California.  Withing two years, my uncle died of Melanoma, 8 months later my aunt died of Melanoma, both of my cousins have had testicular cancer.

I am in gold country and am fortunate I have a couple of old timers that help me out.  Don't listen to idiots who say the dangers of mercury are overstated.

One of the comments in this topic was "Danger of Mercury way overstated".  In the early sixties my Uncle's owned a mine in Fallon, Nevada.  They were going to corner the quicksilver market, brought home incredible amounts of it and stored it underneath their house in Central California.  Withing two years, my uncle died of Melanoma, 8 months later my aunt died of Melanoma, both of my cousins have had testicular cancer.

I am in gold country and am fortunate I have a couple of old timers that help me out.  Don't listen to idiots who say the dangers of mercury are overstated.

That's a New One!

Mercury linked to Cancer!

HI:  To a point you are correct Bucky boy.  I was 17 and was exposed daily to saturated Mercury and Carbon tetrachloride air and physical contact for months.  The Ctet is now  considered as very carcinogenic.  Yet here I am at 86 and still kicking.   I can also guarantee that many others in here in their 70's also played with raw Mercury, coating pennies etc and just playing with it.

Mercury's effect,  if it is in a certain chemical state, generally not raw Mercury, is primarily in your brain.  In it's metallic state it is not in itself normally cancerous / carcinogenic. But then everything today is considered carcinogenic, including, horrors  SEX! sigh.   

Mercury's primary effect lies in children, they are extremely susceptible to many chemical effects. 

I can only guess that one of the myriads of other factors effected the family.  Nevada sun for the parents, diet or uncertain habits for the sons shall we say canned soft drinks in aluminum cans exposed to Nevada's summer climate...

I rate equate it to Global Warning.  hmmmm


Don Jose de La Mancha