Gus in idaho
New member
I found this nugget last year, and before any cleaning was done It weighed in at 110 grams.
After soaking it in CLR, Lime away, and scrubbing it several times with a toothbrush it weighed 93 grams.
This piece has broken out of a rich vein and not traveled very far. The host rock is not very pretty and it has dulled the appearance of this nugget. I had always wanted to use Hydrofluoric acid on it, but after reading all the warnings, side affects, and scary things affiliated with the highly toxic stuff I have stayed away from it.
Then a good friend of mine, Mark M. told me about a product that you can buy at hardware stores called WINK.
It is actually used for the removal of rust stains, and contains a very diluted solution of 1-3% hydrofluoric acid.
He told me it would take some time, but it works.... He was right.
This stuff is still very lethal, and if used should be handled with care.
After 6 weeks of soaking it, 99% of the rock has been dissolved away, leaving me with a beautiful crystalline nugget, now weighing 84 grams.
There was also a smaller 2.5 gram nugget I found right next to it that fits perfectly. I was thinking about gluing it, or maybe even having a jeweler soder it back in place.
Happy hunting everyone, Wish I could get out. I have been trapped in town for the past couple of months.
Gus-
[attachment 89138 jan_08_018.jpg] [attachment 89139 bn_acid_cleaned_002.jpg]
After soaking it in CLR, Lime away, and scrubbing it several times with a toothbrush it weighed 93 grams.
This piece has broken out of a rich vein and not traveled very far. The host rock is not very pretty and it has dulled the appearance of this nugget. I had always wanted to use Hydrofluoric acid on it, but after reading all the warnings, side affects, and scary things affiliated with the highly toxic stuff I have stayed away from it.
Then a good friend of mine, Mark M. told me about a product that you can buy at hardware stores called WINK.
It is actually used for the removal of rust stains, and contains a very diluted solution of 1-3% hydrofluoric acid.
He told me it would take some time, but it works.... He was right.
This stuff is still very lethal, and if used should be handled with care.
After 6 weeks of soaking it, 99% of the rock has been dissolved away, leaving me with a beautiful crystalline nugget, now weighing 84 grams.
There was also a smaller 2.5 gram nugget I found right next to it that fits perfectly. I was thinking about gluing it, or maybe even having a jeweler soder it back in place.
Happy hunting everyone, Wish I could get out. I have been trapped in town for the past couple of months.
Gus-
[attachment 89138 jan_08_018.jpg] [attachment 89139 bn_acid_cleaned_002.jpg]