How to mine gold at home with your own hands

Gold is not only a means of payment. Due to its special properties, this precious metal is actively used in various electronics.

Today it is possible to extract gold from chips, circuit boards and other components. And this is quite easy to do. How to mine gold at home depends on your capabilities.

Sources

Do-it-yourself gold mining at home is a painstaking process. It requires significant time investment and diligence. A list of what gold can be mined from is given in the following table.

To extract gold from radio components at home, you can use Soviet-made products.

To get gold from old electronics, it is better to give preference to radios. Almost all of their internal elements are coated with this metal to one degree or another. In addition, you will get a lot of precious material if you can find connectors from Soviet electronics.

Particular attention should be paid to radio tubes. If we manage to get models 12P17L, 6ZH1P-EV, 6V1P, then we can start extracting platinum, tantalum and silver “ingots”. Moreover, it is recommended to give preference to radio tubes of the GMI series. From them you can get gold “ingots” weighing up to 16 grams.

Mining gold from radio components is the easiest way to extract precious metals at home.

The high frequency of its distribution in modern electronics is due to the fact that this material has good electrical conductivity. Moreover, it has increased resistance to oxidation.

There are several approaches to how to extract gold from radio components. Some of these technologies have been used for centuries. In particular, they made it possible to obtain gold from sand.

You can get precious metals at home from almost any radio components. This material is actively used today in electrical microcircuits: computers, tape recorders, televisions and much more.

Etching

For a long time, people used mercury to obtain the precious metal. She connects well with this material. However, mercury is highly toxic, so it is not recommended for use at home.

If you intend to mine gold from microcircuits, you should pay attention to the etching method. To obtain precious metals, you must first prepare the following components:

• any plastic container;
• container made of heat-resistant glass;
• scales (preferably laboratory scales);
• cotton fabric that will act as a filter;
• fireproof structure through which molten metal can be taken (crucible);
• electric stove;
• rubber gloves.

Most often, gold is extracted from microcircuits by etching it. This technology involves the use of an oxidizing agent consisting of hydrochloric nitric acid. Both components must be mixed in a 3:1 ratio. This oxidizing agent has been used for several centuries. Among chemists, this mixture is called “Royal Vodka”.

This acid actively corrodes organic and inorganic materials, so your hand should be covered with a rubber glove when handling microcircuits.

The oxidizer must be poured into a glass container, into which the radio components are then placed. The latter should first be cleaned of various impurities: plastic, dirt, etc. Next, the container is placed on an electric stove and heated. As a result, the liquid should acquire a bright green tint.

The next stage involves the extraction of the precious metal. This will require a 0.5% hydroquinone solution. For every 100 ml of water you need to take no more than 5 grams of the substance. The resulting composition should be carefully and slowly mixed with hydrochloric nitric acid at the rate of 1 ml of hydroquinone solution per 100 ml of “Royal Vodka”. After completing the described procedure, the composition is left for no more than four hours.

During this time, a gold deposit forms at the bottom of the container. Now, through evaporation and drying, we extract the material. To obtain a gold bar, you will need a crucible and drills, which can be borrowed from gas welders. The latter must be added to the resulting precipitate.

Platinum in radio components

Platinum is very similar in appearance to palladium, so it can be difficult to distinguish between these metals.
To find out what kind of metal you eat, you can also perform an experiment. To do this, you will need nitric acid; you need to add metal to it. The palladium will dissolve. The second copy can only be dissolved with aqua regia. Therefore, gold and platinum can be extracted from radio components using the same method, using a special acid solution. A large amount of platinum is found in capacitors. But their cost is already high, so it is more logical to hand them over to a collection point. ◄ Back to news

Electrolysis

Electrolysis is used when gold is extracted from electrical components. This method is considered more complex compared to the evaporation method.

However, electrolysis makes it possible to obtain gold with fewer different impurities.

The extraction process proceeds as follows:

1. We fill the glass container with sulfuric or hydrochloric acid in an amount sufficient to accommodate the prepared microcircuits.
2. We place two iron or lead plates in the container. During the electrolysis process they will play the role of a cathode. This method uses microcircuits as an anode, from which the precious metal is extracted.
3. Both plates are connected using copper wire.
4. After connecting the copper wire, we lower the prepared microcircuits into the container. Next, we pass an electric current through it - no more than 0.8 amperes for every 1 sq. dm of area.
5. During the electrolysis process, the precious metal gradually settles on the plates. After they have acquired a yellow tint, the current is turned off.

Finally, you need to remove the gold from the metal plates. To do this you need to use the etching method. If the process is slow or the amount of deposited gold is not enough, it is necessary to increase the current value.

Both technologies do not require significant time and money. If you have a sufficient number of microcircuits, they can make good money. The result of all work will be gold, which contains many impurities. To remove them, you can use a method known as refining. It involves the use of various acids, through which foreign elements are removed from the precious metal.

If Soviet radio components were used in the electrolysis process, then refining allows us to ultimately obtain 999 purity material.

Electrolysis and etching are two of the most effective and relatively simple ways to obtain precious metal at home. Both technologies do not require serious training. At the same time, during metal etching, it is necessary to follow safety rules and avoid skin contact with acids.

Relay

Among all the radio components that Soviet industry produced, relays are the most expensive and most difficult electronic components to determine the presence of gold. Often you need to know exactly not only the type of relay and the differences in the nameplate markings, but also the years and even certain months of production.

This is due to the fact that for the manufacture of the same models, not only gold, but also silver or palladium with iridium could be used, while the choice of metal was determined at the factory based on its availability.

Depending on the type of relay, either its contacts or terminals, or both at once, were covered with gold. Therefore, you should not bite off the leads (“legs”) during dismantling until you know exactly where the gold is located in the radio component.

Types of relays with marking features and release dates that contain gold.

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The table shows the types of relays that contain significant amounts of gold. Depending on the brand, each radio component contains gold weighing from 0.015 to 0.75 grams. Therefore, the cost of some relays reaches 1200 rubles per unit.

The contacts of the RES-7 and RES-22 relays are completely coated with the purest 999 gold, several microns thick. Due to this, they are incredibly reliable, so radio components of these brands that have not been used or are well preserved are more profitable to sell not for scrap, but to craftsmen who buy them for use in electronic circuits.

Safety precautions

It is important to understand that when working with acids, they can cause serious burns. In particular, the etching process takes about 6 hours, during which a large amount of nitrogen oxide is released into the atmosphere. Therefore, it is highly not recommended to mine gold in an unventilated area.

Nitric oxide that enters the respiratory system can be fatal.

When working with acids and electricity, precautions must be taken. Before you start mining gold, you should wear rubber gloves, if possible safety glasses, an apron and a respirator. The latter can be gauze soaked in water.

Metal processing

It was said above that at the end of the etching process, it is necessary to add borax and soda to the resulting metal. The use of these substances makes it possible to eliminate material loss at the next stage of processing and achieve a beautiful shine that the finished ingot will emit.

Next, the resulting mixture is placed in a crucible and heated using a muffle furnace or burner. The crucible itself must have a small spout through which molten metal is poured into special molds.

When processing the resulting gold, it is necessary to use steel or cast iron products.

In addition, during the casting process it is necessary to ensure that the metal flows in a thin and continuous stream. At the end, the gold should cool to room temperature. Only after this can the casting mold be disassembled.

The result is a material with a rough surface. Now it needs to be processed and given the desired look. Polishing of the material is carried out using special pastes and soft rags. For this, for example, felt and toothpaste are suitable.

Is it worth mining gold at home?

Mining gold from radio parts has certain benefits, despite the fact that the whole process seems lengthy and labor-intensive.

However, you need to understand that to obtain the precious metal in sufficient quantities you will need a lot of microcircuits and other electrical parts. In addition, you should stock up on a large amount of acids.

You should also note that only licensed companies buy gold. Similar rules apply to the refining process. Moreover, purifying gold from impurities with acids on your own is prohibited by law. There is a corresponding article in the Criminal Code.

The gold obtained using the described methods can be used not for sale, but as solder in the reconstruction of jewelry. Restoration of such products is carried out using tinol or a special paste, which increases the strength of the solder.

Modern microcircuits are made using gold, which, with the appropriate materials and acids, can be mined at home. The resulting precious metal cannot be resold in the future, however, it is suitable as solder when restoring jewelry.

Where to deliver the received material and at what price?

The gold ingot (barrel) obtained as a result of purification most often has insignificant weight. However, even in such quantities it is of interest to buyers.

Purchase advertisements

gold can be easily found on the Internet or local newspapers.

Often, solid metal is purchased by the same companies that buy radio components.

If the buyer is in the same city as the seller, the transaction is completed upon visiting the specified address.

The buyer himself weighs the metal and checks its quality, after which he sets a price. Of course, if possible, it is advisable to check all offers on the market

to choose the most profitable one. The bullion can be sent to another city by mail, cash on delivery.

Some pawn shops are also willing to accept

goods of this kind.
To find out at what price the establishment will be willing to purchase gold, contact a pawnshop employee. Another option is to submit an ad yourself
. In this case, you just have to wait for a call from a potential buyer.

If you engage in refining on an industrial scale, you should rely on existing laws.

To legally engage in the circulation of precious metals, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur or create an LLC.

When focusing on its purity and market value.

The price per gram of 999 fine precious metal is set by the Central Bank of Russia

. Since 2004, its prices have been continuously rising. The most significant jump was observed in 2021, when the cost exceeded 3 thousand rubles per gram.