I've discovered a problem with some of my gold.

[cowboy444]

I built a webpage so you can see the pictures of the problem and a link to e-mail me if you have a solution.

http://www.cowboy444.com/Oregon%20Gold/index.html

Thanks for any help rendered.

[Gold Seeker]

Sent you an email, I hope the suggestion helps.



Skip

[Joe S (AK)]

Disregard the "Alcohol smell". Add water, a small bit of soap and pan out as usual.

Joe

[russau]

or dump whatevers there and fill it with rubbing alcohl

[Geo-George]

Am I missin' sumpin'?
I don't get it, what is the prob?

[cowboy444]

Am I missin' sumpin'?
I don't get it, what is the prob?

The problem is that everything was black. I've put it in Distilled white vinegar and the gold is coming clean. There's still a couple of clumps of black stuff but I'm hoping that too will change back to gold.

cowboy444

P.S. Thanks to Megan, Kurt, and Skip for e-mailing and guiding me back to clean gold.

[DJR]

If it turned black then more then likely it is not gold.
Gold don't do that.

[Joe S (AK)]

Probably Brass then, discolored by the Oxygen in the fluid.

[swizz]

Probably Brass then, discolored by the Oxygen in the fluid.

Brass is a man-made alloy (copper + zinc), not a naturally occurring element or mineral.

[Joe S (AK)]

Swizz,

Yes, thank you, but we all knew that.

We all also know that a lot of (man made) brass has been passed off as (non-man made) placer Gold in the past.

Not hard to do when fresh, what with rock tumblers making brass chunks look as though it was just found in the sluice box.

After a while the brass gets a dark coating of Copper Oxide which would easily explain the "Black Gold"


Joe