That's a lot of knowlege about chemistry he has there. I think Jeff Williams is actually a very intellectual person. It's amazing what kind of show he is pulling off here.
Yeah, here in America we call that "smarter than he looks"! This young man is ASTOUNDING! PURELY ASTOUNDING! I Hope he has a happy life. He has more energy in him than a lot of normal men. And smart! OooooooohWeeeeeee! Runs around like a kid. But so what! That gold he gets ain't no joke.
You can also use a syringe and pure cotton balls instead of a chamois cloth,which is the way I like. The cotton balls decompose in the 20% HNO3 solution and the rest is burned up in your melt. Good video as always!
A friend from Reno found 4 55hal drums of Mercury. He and some friends got them all out and took them home thinking they could find someone to buy it. Last I heard he still had it and was willing to give it away. He wishes he didn't take it now he is responsible for it.
If the mercury is in separate balls in the pan, take a 9V battery and touch one post to a ball and the other in the water. The mercury will come together.
I have no idea how safe this procedure is that you are doing but the info of what you are doing to extract the gold is captivating. I could not take my eyes off the video. You guys are interesting. lol Very comical and I thank you for sharing.
I used to find amalgam gold near an old mine. My brother used to use mercury coated copper plates in a recirculating sluice he made. We would crush ore up and run it thru. He used the tater trick. But he an acid to cause the mercury to coat the copper sheets. Another trick to clean the mercury was a wet cotton ball inserted in a syringe. Pull out the plunger, put in the wet ball, then put in the mercury. Put the plunger back in and slowly push it thru the cotton.
Ask Jeff Williams ..Hello sir , what do you know about gems ? is gold found with amethyst ? I've found a pretty good vain of the stuff in a well known gold area ... I don't see any of your videos referencing to anything about gems .. can you make a video about that, or is that not something your familiar with ..
That would be cool, if not a little tedious. If it has bluing, that would need to be removed first. And then of course he would need to completely disassemble it, which shouldn't be too much of an issue. Those cap and ball revolvers are definitely cool. You can just order them online too, delivered straight to your house lol (the ATF doesn't define them as firearms).
this is my favorite video, sure wish i could see a drawing of the retort explaining how the mercury floats and the gold drops, aw wait i just explained it
Glad you kept emphasizing how dangerous mercury is. A lot of old timers in Goldfield, and Tonopah have mercury poisoning from drinking the water. Love your videos. Thank you Christian
When we were kids with cap guns... It was good fun... Until Scotty Peterson showed up with a fresh box of caps... and a hammer... Hg has a VERY SLIM margin for error... I mean Slim... Look at him... Didn't they used to call him "Old Retort" out at Goldfield... That "button" ain't worth yer hide... I seen em Damn sure ain't going to be one... WORK SMARTER... WORK HARDER... LEAVE THE Hg ALONE.!.!.!
What a coincidence my kids mom is a gold digger that’s 100% lye too, or at least she lyes 100% of the time, and she’s toxic just like the mercury. Brings back old memories
New drinking game! The word for tonight is "amalgam". Try it! You'll be plastered waaay before the end of the video! Jeff Williams is some of the very best entertainment on RU-vid, and that's significant added value for all the mining and prospecting information that you watch for.
I was panning in prescott az and found some nice flakes. put them in a vial and when I got home, they turned silver. then I remembered seeing some mercury in my pan. guess I was panning in a mercury pool probably left behind by miners in the 1800's. I drank a bunch of the water too, haven't done a #2 right since.
Not shilling here honest, but you can also find Hg at United Nuclear which is reagent grade and cheap if your super paranoid about getting that last bit of Au. Also while good practice to wear gloves. Metalic Hg by itself can't/isn't going to poison you on skin contact. It's when you retort it/heat it up you need to be especially careful since it does have vapors you definitely do not want to inhale.
Jeff, I'm surprised you didn't see any reaction between the mercury and the aluminum cup you used in the retort, especially being heated like it was. Loved the video and enjoyed reading all the important comments about the toxic nature of mercury.
Yeah WTF right? At those temps( hell room temp for that matter) The slighted knick in the pacification layer should have just turned that to dust even if the atmosphere was devoid of 02. I am honestly curious how it did not just turn to dust when he pulled it out immediately.
idk why he put the aluminum cup there, but its not really going to effect anything, the aluminum is much more reactive than the gold, so its easy to separate later on. and the aluminum does not boil, so its easily separated from the mercury. without any oxygen, the aluminum can't oxidize in the cup, and so there is really no problem with adding an aluminum cup. aluminum and mercury don't chemically react. the mercury simply sticks to the aluminum, disturbing the oxide layer, which exposes the aluminum to the air more, and so the aluminum oxidizes. but that doesn't happen if there is no air.
No such word as lazy in the gold mining culture! I am likewise mighty impressed with your intellect, humor, and your effort to teach! Grateful to see your videos Jeff! Be careful to keep that mercury from splashing you!
My dad used to play with mercury in school (the school handed it out) on his desk, no gloves, no safety equipment. He's still alive and well.... Bunch of pansy's these days.... Keep the videos coming Jeff!
I accidentally ate mercury when I was a toddler,im58 now with a recent diagnosis of segmental arterial mediolysis SAM for short..... Better to be carefully you never now what can get you down the line..I'm actually looking for some now to do a run
Excellent episode. Could you please do one on the use of Nitric Acid? Please go a bit deeper into the cleaning and re charging mercury as well. It's a lost art that many don't share. I did get critical information out of this, particularly storing that under water. At one point I stored those amalgamated chunks in my bedroom!
Hi Jeff, Great video, and thanks for emphasizing safety!!! I have Mercury that has been stored in a sealed jar for decades. Why store Mercury underwater? Say hi to Silver Spurs Lila, Pops, Nevada Jack, and grumpy old Slim. Take care my busy friend.
I always look froward to your videos. I got a friend on them as well. We plan to try panning for gold we quit our day jobs due to age. Bought detectors and going to get some gold stuff. I don't think we can bounce around those rocks like you do but we'll give it hell. So soon we'll be saying come on get it done. You thought I was going to "say let's go" didn't ya.
Yeeeeehaaaaaaw!!! Thanks for the awesome video, guys. I think my favorite part about all of your videos is that you love what you do & you love makin' these fun & informative videos. It's good stuff.. Also, glad to see Slim is doin' good! Take care
good job , good on safety ,yeah I like to tell your a story when I was mining out in the desert and really hot places I seen Mercury flowing out of the rocks and you can just pick it up with a piece of paper I know the old timers did it wrongly a lot but they didn't know what there handling . I'm always enjoyed watching your videos .
Hi Jeff, as I am in Australia I have no idea if you have your own TV show. If you don't then I am horrified that no network has snapped you up. You clearly have the best vid's out there. Top stuff well done Mate hehe, keep it going.
great video, we found last year that our charged mercury picked up more than gold from our hard rock , and added to weak nitric dropped some crystals. still testing. the retort got cherry red and when cooled still had mercury coated substance in the cup. very strange indeed..... but that's mining! keep educating folks
Heavy metals from Chem Trails? I'm seeing new extremely fine heavier than gold showing up on my claims. Some Platinum occurs in my district, though not known to be found where I am.
I think your video editor spent too much time at the saloon! Great and entertaining info, as always. I'll echo what a few others have pointed out. Mercury contamination is a major issue, especially in streams around historic mining activity, and especially in the state where you live! Some info on proper disposal of water, chamois, anything else that comes into contact is essential. And what do you do with the mercury when you realize mining is too hard and you go get a real job?
Hey Jeff and Slim, what a fantastic and informative video. So this Amalgamate you speak about, can it be found in the bottom of your pan? I was sampling in eastern Oregon last year in some slate like material, and found a bunch of "lead like" metal bits in my pan. I have no idea what it is, and some have suggested to me that it could be some sort of Amalgamate. Any thoughts? Keep up your great work as I am saving the brain cells I have left for your vast knowledge. ;)
Thanks glad you liked it. yes and in some rivers too left over from the old timers.....Amalgam s Shiney and lead is very soft. Thanks we will and we have more on the way.
Jeff & Slim great video and nice hit on some of the safety issues with "mercury " . Mercury is such a nasty metal to work with and getting rid of the toxic waste is a pain but I really enjoyed the show and probably will try it one day .. Have you thought about a video using borax to clean the gold ?
I've found that you can remove mercury in a spiral wheel, but I've seen it floured so fine that you need a blue bowl. Also work over a tub cause you will eventually spill it.
Dude I have to say the animation for Slim just keep getting better. Good information, keep up getting the word out! So why put the mercury in water all the time?
JEFF, Been a follower for years and appreciate the informative videos. Since Mercury is so incredibly harmful to human and animal life as well as potential contamination could you list all the "DON'TS" like not throwing your shammy away nor using it for anything else besides this process and even a method for disposal/reclamation. I know you know your smarts but there's a heck of a lot of youngsters even that follow you...even a link to a video in your description explaining the health issues resulting from Mercury Contamination could do well to safeguard your audience.
moto2kx2 mercury is already in the ground in coal, silver ore, all kinds of places. Fish...and especially fish that eat a lot of other fish like tuna, salmon etc. Now industrial contamination does add to the levels though no doubt. Here in SC we can't eat certain fish out of the Savanna River Reservoirs cause the PCB content...it's really high in Striped bass, hybrid bass. But it's not as harmful as you may think and some may make out by just touching it or whatever. it becomes harmful to dangerous levels when heated or burned without a retort.. I have seen the miners in the Amazon rain forest pour it in their bucket, stomp it w their feet instead of using a stirring device and then they burn it in a metal pan with a torch...that is where it becomes highly toxic. And at high levels. But you ingest and eat more than you think in its natural state.
Great show and information. What does amalgamate look like in the pan, at the river? Is it still shiney or does it get a patina? I think I have some in my cons...
Probably why I can't find any gold in the Holston river, back in the day the Olin chemical company was pumping about 100 gallons of mercury per day into it. Well shoot.
If you can find the pockets in the river where the mercury collects, then suck it out and retort it. Should be quite a bit of recoverable gold in it, not to mention saleable mercury.
Hi jeff i did it the same process you did it but i melt the amalgam including the mercury after all i got a small piece of white soft metal kind of lead what i did it wrong???
i noticed your lincoln electric just sayin because im a welder myself. i was wondering if you could try seperating the iron from the oxygen using the welding machine if its a TIG welder. in my experience it works but i could use your professional opinion, after all it is fe3o4 (Fe3O4). it would be nice if you could back to me, Thanks.
Will the charged Mercury charge un charged Mercury when you combine amalgam lumps together into one ball? I notice that you can only get so much gold in a lump. Looks great bunch of crystal form and shinny! My problem is Jeff I need to find a solution for processing soon. I need to find buyers! Gold ain't worth a lick if you can't sell shit lol.
Another great Video Jeff as well as very informative, I am interested in using mercury to separate my gold from black sands but not willing to teach myself from reading a book, I wanted to see it done. Mercury will kill you or cause severe brain damage if not careful, I can't afford to lose any more brain cells.
You have tons of knowledge, they keep getting better. Mercury was used big time up in the Alison mine, it's why they say do not drink from the stream but I have and I still am walking, I THINK??? or, is this one big dream. cheers guys
Hi Alan, thanks really appreciate that and we try. I get and it never goes away and in some places it has been sitting at the low spots of rivers and creeks collecting Gold for over 100 years. We know of people who go looking for it just for this reason, could be and we are in your Dream and not real or you are in ours.
JEFF SLIM, when are you gonna be in Tucson? Ive got a deuce and a half 6x6 big enough for all of us to go get that YELLA GOLD! I'll buy the steaks and drive you and slim sniff out the spots! Another exalent video! I'd expect no less. RRRICK in Pantano, AZ yes the ghost town.
Great video. Jeff, is the percentage of gold recovered worth the expense of purchasing the mercury and equipment needed to recover gold in the fashion you educated us on? I am thinking as a small, part-time hobbyist, it's probably worth the times, expense and possible environmental hazard to do this? Your thoughts please.
good question....depending on the type of Gold deposit is a big factor. Most Gold can be recovered using gravitation methods but there are times when mechanical and chemical separation is needed
If you use the acid method to separate your gold from your mercury and it dissolves any silver that might be in with it, can you recover that silver or is it lost...?
I am hooked on watching Jeff and Slim. I picked up an old First Texas Treasure Tracker 3000 from Goodwill. I had to fix it but it works great. I found some screws and staples in my driveway along with what looks like a piece of meteorite. I didn't have a hold pan so I used a brand new oil drain pan. It still worked just the same. instead of a plastic spoon like yours I used a 1 cup plastic measuring cup. That really helped me Isolate the targets. I improvised a bit but I still found my targets the way you showed us with perhaps the simplest detector ever. I would love to go on a dig with you all. I researched how to find gold for years and never got close to what I've learned from watching your videos. My grandpa made it through the Great Depression mining gold in Wickenburg, AZ and I hear there's still plenty left there. You have gotten me interested again. Thank you so much for all of your efforts.
Very informative video like always. Irrelevant question, I have a Continuous Ore Roaster and a M7 Wave Table by Action Mining. What's the best way to sell them...any websites you recommend?
I know I'm late to the shows, and I'm just enjoying all of of um. I bet by now in September 2021, that 1851 Navy is beat to crap. Keep um coming Jeff.... 🤭
Hi Jeff.Slim and Nevada Jack. Have seen videos on using Borax,,to extract fine gold from black sand which seems to be a safer method. Will that method extract just as much gold..!! Regards Tony.👍⛏
pretty sure the clean water act makes using mercury amalgam illegal. "Under the Act, no person may release any pollutant into waters unless the person has a permit under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). EPA or U.S. states authorized by EPA issue these permits. Permits include pollution limits that ensure the water quality standards are met. " do you have one of those permits jeff? all that water is contaminated with mercury now.
Your best video yet! How ever having had college chemistry I could make a couple of minor suggestions..... Keep up the good work, maybe I can catch you on down the road!
seems like a lot of work. i have some solid mercury ive kept in a glass vile cause i know it has gold in it. i just dont have the equitment to get the gold :P great vid. maybe ill send it you
***** yeah well my body cant detox heavy metals very well (genetics sucks) so i cant be messing with mercury other wise id do it. so.. i doubt theres very much gold in the mercury i have, it probably wouldn't be worth it. (rough guess 15 to 30 dollars worth maybe) plus if i send it to you slim might take it XD ill think about it. Do you have a public PO box Jeff?
Boy it sure is a shame about all the mercury building up in our rivers here in California that all the gold dredgers use to remove during dredging operations. But hey, we need to save the environment according to the state government!
not sure if anyone mentioned this or not, but I might suggest talking about what the dangers of using mercury are, beyond saying it's " dangerous". love your videos. I'm trying to learn all I can.
Thanks for the video, A&B are good people, I am a customer. We bought one of the distilling retorts, as you have here. The modifications you made are exceptional, the cooling of the coil, very smart, and the extension to the firing cup. The only thing we do different, is we put our black sand through a coffee grinder, to separate from Hematite, and then we cook it. In doing so, it releases the sulfites. This is a really good video, and very usful, if you have good black sands.
Enjoyed the video was watching the clock in the back it seem to show that you were working on it about 6 hours , is that right? is a gram and a half worth about 60 Bucks?
