Step 2 Getting Prepared

OK, now that you have hopefully read Hoke and did a lot or research, its time to get prepared.  Here is a small list of item you will need to attempt the A/P method for all of those gold fingers.  Most of these items are either around your house all ready or available at the dollar store.

Old glass coffee pot and maker ( or Pyrex 4 cup measuring cup, and plastic funnel)
Coffee filters
long plastic spoon
Rubber gloves
Water spray bottle
Plastic tweezers
two plastic containers large enough to hold at least 1/2 gallon of liquids and that can be sealed
5 gallon bucket
1 bottle Hydrogen Peroxide
1 bottle of muriatic acid 31.45% (HCL) the product listed as being safer will also work just a little slower
small glass jar
Protective eye wear
a safe outdoor location


So the first thing you want to do is place the GBM in the tempered glass coffee pot or Pyrex.  Make sure that you are doing this outside and if there is a breeze you are up wind as the fumes from the reaction are very dangerous.  For those who know their history you may recall that chlorine gas was once a nasty chemical warfare agent.....not to be messed around with.  The next step is to add the HCL to the pot slowly making sure not to splash any.  Use just enough to cover the GBM and note how much you use.  The proper ratio for HCL and H2O2 is 3 to 1.  With a coffee pot, if you fill up to the 3 cup line with HCL, then add H2O2 to the 4 cup line.  The solution should turn emerald green.  The first few hours of the reaction are the most active as far as fumes.  The solution is changing to copper 2 chloride as it is slowly dissolving the copper etch that is holding the gold to the boards.  Gently swirl the mix or use the plastic spoon to stir.  You will want to stir it as often as you can to make sure that the solution comes into contact with all the surfaces. 

Stir and wait......stir and wait.....  This process can take a few days to complete.  You will start to notice gold foils floating around in the solution.  If the solution starts to get too dark, add small amounts of H2O2 but be careful not to add too much as the you may dissolve some of the gold. 

Keep this up until all of the gold appears to be fallen off of the boards. 

Now comes the time to clean your gold!  First you want to prepare a container and a funnel with a filter.  This container should be able to be sealed.  I used an old bleach bottle that I thoroughly washed out and dried.  Place the funnel in the top of the bottle and carefully pour your acid solution into the funnel.  This solution can be reused and revived as needed in the future.  Add a small amount of fresh HCL to the pot and gently swirl.  If the acid starts to turn green that means there is still copper present.  Pour the HCL into the used acid container and repeat until the acid stays clear.  Seal the container and set aside.

Have a 5 gal bucket of water handy.  With the water spray bottle and the plastic tweezers, pick up each piece of board and spray off any gold foils back into the coffee pot.  once the boards are cleaned drop them into the bucket of water.  This will dilute the acids still on it to a safe level.  HCL is a harsh acid, but remember, your stomach creates it as well to break down food so in a very dilute solution it is not as dangerous.  Keep spraying the boards until all the gold is left in the bottom of the pot. 

Now move the funnel to the second unused container.  Fill the pot half way up with clean water and gently swirl it around to clean and dilute any remaining acid and pour off the gold bearing water into the funnel.  Use the spray bottle to get the gold foils off of the sides of the coffee pot.  What you are left with is clean gold foils.  Please keep in mind that these are not necessarily 24K gold!!  The refining process comes later once you have a larger quantity.  Let dry in an area free from draft and pour into the glass jar. 

That is gold recovery from boards.  Please remember to be safe and to read about each process as much as you can before attempting to do it yourself!

Next up, recovering gold from plated pins or plated jewelry.