Cleaning nuggets in Aluminium Brightener

Hi everyone

I recently found a nugget that was encrusted with some rock and it was suggested that I soak it in acid (Aluminium Brightener) to clean it and to get rid of the rocky bits.

I've had it soaking for several weeks now, and every day I give the container a shake to roll the nugget around in the acid. Once a week I remove the nugget and chip/pick away at the rock, then put it into a new batch of acid.

I've pretty much got rid of all the rocky bits, but the acid only seems to 'soften' the rock, rather than dissolve it, as I was lead to believe it would do.

There must have been a fair bit of rock in it because when I found it, it weighed 82.6gms but now it's down to 66.8gms.

As I'm planning on selling this nugget shortly, I would like to get all the rock out of it, if possible.

Is this the normal way to treat/clean nuggets??

regards
Rusty...

the 'rock' attached is more important than the gold. Not from a sales point of view but from a 'where did it come from POV.

HF (hydraflouric acid (sp?) or a furnace are the two way's to remove the 'rock'.....but you do NOT want to be messing with HF.

Hey Rusty, you gotta remember that the aluminium brightner (alibrite) has only a very low % of acid that does the job (HF) hydrofluoric acid so for it to have softened and removed about 16grams of rock/dirt so far it has done a mighty good job. A high % hydrofluoric acid is very very dangerous stuff and like Tony said you don't want to be messing with the stuff