To keep soaking or not?

[bushpig]

Just after some opinions on weather to keep soaking or not?

Cheers

 

[Bacchus]

Nice nug mate reckon I will be in the minority but I say soak em until all the ironstone is gone love the purity of gold on its own

 

[bushpig]

Thanks for that Baccus. Had it soaking for a week now might as well keep going. Starting to see a bit of quartz under the iron stone.

 

[Bacchus]

Get it out mate ,save the acid ,toothbrush under water and you will be surprised how much comes off then back into the acid . I assume you are in Hcl but that won't dissolve the Quartz

Cheers

 

[bushpig]

Yes mate just hcl. I had a few others in soaking with this one. This one is being a bit stubborn to clean and the iron stone isnt softening as it usually does. May just need longer?

 

[DrDuck]

Oxalic acid (in deck cleaners) is pretty good on ironstone, and might be worth a try.

 

[bushpig]

Thanks Dr. I will give it a go.

 

[RedDirtDigger]

I use oxalic acid to get scalpy ironstone off Smokey quartz crystals from Oberon. It works well on ironstone coated gold as well.
The local chemist sold me a 1 kg plastic container of pure oxalic acid granules. The manufacturer was Ajax chemicals.
RDD

Ps Nice nugget BP. I say dolly it up and parcel it up with more....and off to the refiner

 

[Palmer Digger]

Hit it with bloody hammer lad .. how often do I have to tell you!
Regards from your Uncle.

 

[bushpig]

Thanks RDD i wouldnt mind doing that one day. Might need another 10 or 20 of this size to send off though. To make it worthwhile anyway.

Yeah i could give it a bit of a tap too i suppose uncle.

 

[Bjay]

I reckon I'd soak for a bit longer but wouldn't completely remove the ironstone , a little bit gives it character