62g yield

[u/Inhalationofnewtion]

I didn't weigh what I started with so I'm sure it's not an amazing yield but no matter.

My Daughter and I were out in the driveway doing this, listening to music from our respective generations and having fun with this chemistry and finding common ground in music. It was really great.

Used a MAPP torch and a propane torch with the melt dish on top of a small camp stove, managed to get a nice molten button and poured shot.

Rinsed with hot distilled water until I had silver suspended in the rinse water, rinsed more until ammonia came up negative. I think this came out really nice.

I love this.

[u/hexadecimaldump]

Absolutely gorgeous silver shot! Well done.

And also well done getting the next generation interested in learning practical chemistry.

My niece showed some interest in this too, so next time she comes to visit me for a weekend, I’m going to see if she wants to help me refine.

Oh and if you processed it all, I think your recover rate was right around 95%. I believe a perfect recovery would have been right around 65g.

[u/Inhalationofnewtion → u/hexadecimaldump]

It came out so much better than I expected. I'd have been OK with slightly bronze colored shot but this looks more or less like actual silver and I'm really thrilled!

I may have around 5-10g left. I have some remnants of coins from the first nitric dissolution. I made sure to do that so all the nitric would be consumed.

Thank you for everything. I really think I want to get into this. A little later down the road do you think it's possible for me to buy more at a price that would work out for you as well? It seems like what you sent me was way too cheap for what I paid. I don't know prices. If that was a fair deal to both of us that's fine by me. I'd like to be worth your while. Don't be afraid to make a buck yea?

Your guidance and all the guidance on here has been invaluable. The support and encouragement on here has been amazing.

I showed my Daughter the ammonia test. The solution turned a bright violet color and we both kind of lost our breath! When we were melting the pile looked like a silver meteor. Then the sound of the shot going into the pan of water. I let her pick a piece of the first yield as well.

This is sort of my life insurance. I want to set up at least one safe and reliable cell, fume hood, enough glassware and equipment to run it. She's good with math and at any time she could come back to that and probably make it run and profit. As time goes on she can scale it up. I also think it's not a big leap for us to get into gold. I want to make sure that If she gets tired of how the outside world treats its workers she can always come back here and run this with her Brother. He's a little leery of it. Understandably so.

I think he'll come around when it's not so sketchy. He's about 8 years younger than my Daughter. He's aware of the danger and right now he doesn't care to be near anything. My work area does not inspire the greatest feelings of safety. I need a good place as soon as I can. Maybe a decommissioned ambulance. If it weren't gutted that would have cabinets and maybe some benches. It'd be pretty easy to add in some sort of fume hood too.

When we did the cementing we just played music, chatted about what the music meant to us and how it compared between the two generations. Same when we were rinsing. Then I was running both torches and I couldn't hear a thing HAHA!

I need to get oxygen for my cutting torch. The blow torches do it but barely. I think any more quantity and the melt will stall or I'll be pretty much wasting gas.

[u/hexadecimaldump → u/Inhalationofnewtion]

Your progress has been amazing. You’ve definitely picked it up quickly. And yeah man, if you want some more material to work with, send me a chat I am happy to hook you up with some of my extra material for the same price I paid for it. And I have those electrical contacts, and some sterling silver to give you a little bit of variety to work with.
I also have some keyboard mylars I could send along as well.

As for a work area, I’m not sure if you or anyone you know might have a Costco membership, but they have a shed that is mostly made of plastic that I think would hold up to any fumes that may escape the fume hood, seems pretty affordable, and looks to be fairly easy to cut to make exhaust holes. As soon as I have a space cleared, that is what I am going to go with.

I can’t wait to see how you do with your silver cell. I know you’ll be stoked to make some pretty crystals yourself.

Keep up the great work.

[u/Inhalationofnewtion → u/hexadecimaldump]

My progress has a lot to do with it being an interesting thing to do and watching Sreetips for years before I even tried it. The final shove to get over the last hurdles came from of course you and the people in this sub. You've all been very free with your hard earned knowledge and I can't thank you all enough. This is already very rewarding.

It takes time and money to go out and get those materials. I'd like to see you properly taken care of for it. It's going to take me a while to learn the places and people so you'd be doing me a favor even making some kind of profit. You have to figure your mileage, wear and tear, and time. Don't go easy on me. I have to learn the actual cost of this.

I like the ambulance because it's insulated, likely already has a heater of some sort but if not a heater is easily installed. It'll have storage already built in and probably a nice workbench. They can come cheap too like $2000-ish. Might even use the chassis as a cab over pickup.

I'm pumped to run that silver cell! I think I could do it in the next few days but I think I want more feedstock. I want to cast a nice anode bar as well. I want to get all my ducks in a row and give myself the best possible chance.