# Gold Testing Kit



## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Can anyone recommend the manufacturer of a good gold testing (acid) kit or are they all much the same?


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

If you find one, I could do with one myself. I have a stack of old watch parts (mainly pocket stuff) which need testing so that I can weigh them in!

Mike


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## remb1000 (Jan 17, 2012)

You get them off ebay, some American firm provides them.

Allthough the acids are not supposed to be sent by aeroplane, they still do.

Mine took 4 days to get here to Ireland from united states.

Good kit too, has the 10k, 14k, 18k, 22k, Platinum and silver testing solutions.

Plus the scratch test stone.

Here's a link to one:

http://www.ebay.ie/i...85#ht_500wt_716

A bit of reading up on the subject and youl be sucking diesel. lol

(PS: Be careful though as some metals will still test positive for gold and are in fact just hard steels, like the steel used in pocket watch movements, that's why I suggested reading up if you are not familiar with the chemical reactions)

In response to your message, yes they are all pretty much the same, as long as you have a fresh batch of acid and a bit of know how, its doesnt matter a F*** which name is on the bottle.

Regards

Rob


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Just had a quick look, and Cousins do some kits...as usual, I mustn't link to them, but go to their site and search 'Gold testing kit'. They also do the rubbing stone to avoid putting the acid directly on the piece, and thus avoid staining it, plus refill bottles.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Thanks for the suggestions gents. I had an idea of where to buy, but not necessarily what. So whilst the well-known materials house sells equally well-known brands of testing kits I wasn't sure if these were necessarily better than the very much cheaper, unknown, brands of kits sold by the famous internet auction site.

Anyway, after crafting my own cunning chemical concoctions comprising salt-water, vinegar, lemon juice and household bleach I have concluded that the item I have here is made of good ol' brass!

Bugger! :lol:


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## remb1000 (Jan 17, 2012)

Shame !


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

rhaythorne said:


> Anyway, after crafting my own cunning chemical concoctions comprising salt-water, vinegar, lemon juice and household bleach I have concluded that the item I have here is made of good ol' brass!
> 
> Bugger! :lol:


Bloody hell...did it disappear in a puff of smoke?....... :lol:


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Not quite. I used a needle file to scrape away any lacquer or other deposits, exposing the bare metal, and then bathed the item in the acids for a couple of hours to stimulate corrosion. I neutralized the acids with bleach, causing it to bubble and foam. The bubbles, I guess, lift tiny particles of metal off the item and corrode them further. They turned bright green (signifying the presence of copper) almost immediately.

I've no idea about the scientific merits of my procedure which I made up as I went along but it seemed to work! If you try it at home though, do it in a well-ventilated area as the bleach will give off a lot of gas (Chlorine?) when neutralizing the acid. As well as being disappointed finding out that the item was brass I very nearly asphyxiated myself into the bargain!


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