Hey guys, I was planning on cleaning some gold nuggets that I have in acid. They are pretty big in size not sure if it will affect the premium but I didn't buy them with any premium attached to it. Sizes 58g probably need the most cleaning. 38g 8.5g looks like state of victoria
58g nugget is a monster bro.... you've done well! As to cleaning, I don't think you should cause it'll ruin the nugget characters..... unless it is pretty bad looking!
Sreetips on YouTube has the best gold refining/purification videos by far. Pretty involved process though
Use brick wash which is a hydrochloric acid solution to remove ironstone. This can take from a couple of days to over a week depending on how thick and hard the ironstone is. MAKE SURE TO TRY AND DO THIS SAFELY, or at least wear clothes you dislike. Make sure you do this in a well ventilated area and have quick access to water if any gets on bare skin or in eyes. Remove from acid every day or two and use a stiff brush (denture brush is way better than a toothbrush) to try and remove deposits, put back in bath until all gone. Brushing speeds up the process by allowing the acid to better penetrate the ironstone. If just wishing to make shiny mix together equal parts salt and vinegar and put in a sealed container, then shake the shit out of it for 30-60 seconds. Salt won't dissolve so the crystals do the cleaning.
If the shapes is appealing do not clean it. Leave it in it Natural states ( from the host rock ) https://www.gold-prospecting-wa.com/cleaning-gold.html Check the video , it looks better not to clean too much.
I did a thread on here years ago cleaning a nugget with brickwash. I had it tested using xrf before and after. What was lost in weight was more than compensated by the improved purity reading. If you have already been able to remove deposits with toothbrush it might only need a couple of days to remove the rest. Rinse thouroughly with water afterwards, same also for salt and vinegar cleaning.