DIY Cupels ,Gold Hunter .

In this video i show how i make my own Bone ash cupels for refining precious metals , because buying them online is ridiculously expensive . They can be made out of other things like Magnesite or even simply use dry Portland cement which i have done before . But i like to pre make a few of these to have them on hand when and if i need them .

[@AndyAngelaGilbert]

Brilliant video just started Easter refining this is good info thanku

[@bansheemining]

Awesome!! Thank you for sharing! Lots of great information!

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Banshee Mining , i'm glad you liked the vid , but if you live in the USA , you can buy them for next to nothing , but that's not the case here in OZ . They are too expensive for freight to import , so i just make my own . Thanks for watching and commenting cheers , Ned . 👍✌

[@mountainmanjim]

Thanks for sharing ,,,

[@tonysfossickingadventure.8124]

nice information and demonstration cheers.

[@GrooberNedJardine]

Thanks Tony , and thanks for watching and your comment mate , cheers Ned . 👍✌

[@FlourgoldWizards]

Clever and easy all at once ! Very cool , I’m looking at trying my hand at refining!

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Jason , Well i think you can buy cupels in the US for probably 2 bucks a piece , but not here , i don't know any company that makes them here in OZ , and to import from the US the freight is outrageous , so i just make them myself and they do the same job just fine . Yeah you should give it a go , it's just another aspect of our hobby , good fun . Cheers my friend , ohh PS , I posted you a package yesterday , i asked Kirk to let you know about it , as i headed out prospecting at 3.00 o'clock this morning and only just got home .

[@FlourgoldWizards]

@@GrooberNedJardine Yep we can get most anything fairly cheap here … Kirk absolutely let me know and we’re excited!!!! Thanks Nev 👍🏻🐺😃✌️

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@FlourgoldWizards 👌👍

[@SilverStoll]

In the wild!

[@VendettaProspecting]

Looks great as a finished product brother! Great budget friendly refining resources 😉

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Mike , yeah cupels in OZ are ridiculous prices , to freight them from the US , costs an arm and a leg mate , I have also used dry Portland cement too , but i like the Bone ash ones . Cheers Brother , thanks for watching and commenting . Ned . 👍✌

[@newmexicogold2234]

Thanks...... Nice

[@Smithsgold]

Cool !!!!!!

[@GrooberNedJardine]

Thanks for watching Jeff , cheers Mate . 👍

[@Smithsgold]

@@GrooberNedJardine always

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Looking good Ned.

[@GrooberNedJardine]

Thanks Keith , however you can buy them over there pretty cheap , but not here , and importing them from the US , the freight is a killer . Still the Portland cement is even cheaper and it works too , i have used it and it does the job , but Eva says prime it with a little bit of lead first , i'll remember that . Cheers Ned . 👌👍

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

@@GrooberNedJardine It is surprising that a continent with so much gold has such poor access to assay supplies.

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@hardrockuniversity7283 Virtually nothing is manufactured in Australia anymore , most things are imported from China . Things i look for in the US , Like crucibles , furnace coils , and such things , the freight is ridiculous because of the Dollar difference , China seems to use this global shipping which is cheap usually . I can buy stuff from mining suppliers in Western Australia where most of the large scale mines are , but again they buy it cheap from China and charge us the buyer an arm and a leg .

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

@@GrooberNedJardine Well that is less than ideal!

[@YourDailyVideoNews]

Excellent video….thank You !!

[@ProspectorTripp]

Nice work Ned, I’ve made some but I used too much water.. they cracked. After that I’ve been using ones I bought awhile back. I’ll smash my cracked ones and try again! Thanks for the information and especially the resmash and start again! Thanks Gold Hunter Peace Prospector Tripp

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day PT , Yes , i have re constituted them before when they were too crumbly , and it worked fine for me , hope they turn out right for you , but i know you can buy cupels cheap in the US , but not here , They say adding about 2 % Potassium carbonate helps to cement them , but i have never had to do that . Cheers Ned . 👍✌

[@josephknowlton7246]

Liked, shared and commented 🍻

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Joseph , thanks for watching , commenting and sharing . It must be warming up for you a little right about now i would say , as it's cooled down here . Cheers matey . 👍✌

[@josephknowlton7246]

@@GrooberNedJardine yes indeed. 80s lately. Record warm temps too early.

[@dropbearprospecting1117]

Nice work mate great video

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Drop Bear , Thanks for watching mate , Cheers Ned . 👍✌

[@thesurfingprospector6345]

Bit of fun with moulds lol Nice one mate I am off Friday mate so will catch u on my vids Cheers 🍻 CrouchOz

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Crouch , your off this Friday hey , good one . Well have a safe trip mate , and good luck on the Hunt , i'll be watching for your upcoming vids OK 👀👀 Cheers Bro . 👍✌

[@thesurfingprospector6345]

@@GrooberNedJardine yea it’s changed maybe Sunday one more item to get yet

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@thesurfingprospector6345 👍

[@craigmears5985]

One of my favourite work benches wheely bin onya Ned

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Craig , Ahhh you can't beat a wheely bin alright , i use them all the time , they're just the right height too . Thanks for watching and commenting , cheers Ned . 👌👍✌

[@blacklabelonthebedrocks]

Hi Ned, Thanks for these information. I'm planning to build my own cupels for longer. I used portland cement (as compressed powder) until now. It's time for me to start again. For more than one year, I'm just collecting e-scrap without processing it. All the best from Germany!

[@Ltn.Immelmann]

Hallo Øle, ich habe es leider nicht ganz verstanden. Kannst du mir einen kleinen Gedanken Schubser geben ?🙏

[@blacklabelonthebedrocks]

@@Ltn.Immelmann Moin Peter, Aus meinem Lexikon im Forum: Kupellation: Verfahren zur Trennung von Gold (oder Silber) von unedlen Metallen wie z. B. Blei oder Kupfer. Das zu reinigende Gold wird mit zwei Teilen Blei verschmolzen (klingt merkwürdig, funktioniert aber). Das Blei nimmt hierbei die unedlen Metallanteile auf. Dieser Gold-Bleiklumpen wird in einen porösen Tiegel (die "Kupelle") gegeben und in einem Brennofen zum Schmelzen gebracht. Das Blei und die Verunreinigungen oxidieren und werden von der Kupelle aufgesaugt. Am Ende dieses Prozesses bleibt eine kleine Perle aus Edelmetall (Gold, Silber oder auch Platin) zurück. Archäologische Funde lassen vermuten, dass das Verfahren der Kupellation seit 2500 vor Chr. bekannt ist. - Ned hat sich eigene Kupellen hergestellt, die kann man auch fertig kaufen. Ich habe dazu in einer Schale trockenen Portlandzement festgedrückt. Ich sammle Elektroschrott, um daraus Edelmetalle zu recyceln.

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day B L on the Bedrocks , Yeah i pretty much have to make my own cupels because they cost too much to import them , but i can buy bone ash fairly cheaply here in OZ . I too have used the dry cement it works OK too . Funny thing i've been doing some computer gold scrapping as well , i like it , it's interesting . Good luck with the scrapping , Cheers Ned . 👍

[@BiggestKev1960]

G'Day Ned, thanks mate I will be making some👍 Thank you for sharing your idea's. Cheers Kev

[@GrooberNedJardine]

No worries Kev , you can also just use Dry compressed Portland cement in a crucible , i have tried it and it works fine , you should melt a little lead in it first apparently it primes it . But i like the bone ash . Cheers Buddy , Ned . 👌👍

[@frantiseklaluch6605]

Hello man, thanks, very helpful for me, I did buy few Marbor cupels, those are realy good, but expensive and hard to buy here in CZ. Tried Magnesium oxide, disaster incarnated. Made boneash cupel in small claypot (did not use water, just put boneash into claypot and formed a bit), worked kinda good nice bead, but cracked and I was digging some more pure gold out of cracks... I will try this for sure, have some gold and silver to be cupeled... I am using bismuth, not lead, works good...

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day mate , yes just remember with bone ash use very little water just enough that if you squeeze it , it will clump together , too much water they will shrink and crack apart . You can also use powder dry portland cement in a crucible and compress it it will work as a cupel . Using Bismuth is fine , it's a bit less toxic than lead 👍. Cheers Ned ✌

[@LeGloataLou]

Where can I buy the mold

[@GrooberNedJardine]

I made the Moulds out of 40mm and 50mm PVC pipe . Cheers 👍👍

[@Ltn.Immelmann]

Sorry Ned, I know very little about this topic. Is it right that you make molds? 👍🤠

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Peter Ltn . yes must put them in a mould until they dry , then they shrink a bit and they can be pushed out of the mould and then used for refining your precious metals . Thanks for watching and commenting , cheers Ned . 👍✌

[@justme.9711]

I'm getting my first panning kit, probably the bcf one, but what do you recommend as a shovel? Full size, short, trenching or other?

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Just you or Just me , 🤣Ahh , i bought my shovels from Bunnings and modified them , i have two full length shovels that were originally square mouth shovels and i cut the sides in on them to make them into a pointed shovel . A pointed shovel is important for penetrating into cobble rock on the creek bottom . i feel it is easier to stand on it and twist it from side to side , so it penetrates between the rocks much better than any other sort of shovel . but i also sometimes take a little short shovel that is also pointed . Hope that helps Cheers mate , good luck and happy hunting , Ned out . 👌👍✌

[@justme.9711]

@@GrooberNedJardine Much appreciated. I'm on the central coast at woy woy and am going to Armidale for a few days and am interested in anywhere to have a go. Thanks again.

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@justme.9711 Are you going to the Rocky river Uralla near Armidale , theres also Glendon camp ground west of Warwick at Thane Qld .

[@justme.9711]

@@GrooberNedJardine I'm going to Armidale and my nearly 60 year old ass [ and back/knees etc, lol ] have a recent interest in snipping, but it's freakin' winter mate, damn it, LOL! So I'm interested in anywhere you can suggest to have some grey nomad interest/hobby etc I want to get some joy/return but I know I'm not striking it rich, but a few hundred bucks here and there would keep me going something better than sitting at home looking at a screen, so anywhere you can suggest would be greatly appreciated. You would have massive knowledge and insight, and I got none. What creeks are worth a go east or west of the tablelands, anywhere really and/or any webpage etc that's good.

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@justme.9711 G'day mate . yeah , basically the better gold areas are like Sofala , Hill end , The Golden triangle Victoria etc , My Brother in law lives on the Central coast and that's where he goes . Busted Knuckles prospecting channel works down Wagga way , Ettalong falls , there are creeks around Coffs Harbour , Nana Glenn etc . Even up to Gympie , Kilkevan . The best thing is just to go online and search Goldfields of NSW . It's always dicey recommending areas or creeks because situations change . ownership of land changes hands unless it is a designated fossicking area set aside for that . Glendon camp ground at Warwick has that , you have to pay of course to stay on the property but you can prospect for gold there and people do find it too . It's really about researching and /or finding land owners that will let you on their land . Of course they don't own the creeks , but if you have to access the creek through their land , then Arguments can ensue . I v'e had run ins with land owners before , it just pays to say (sorry ) and leave without argument . Anyway good luck mate , cheers Ned . 👌👍

[@OwlTech333]

How and when you get them out of the moulds?

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day mate , Ahh i generally let them air dry a couple of days and they shrink a bit so they will push out of the moulds . Cheers Buddy . 👍✌

[@thisoldminewithlars5324]

How long does it take to dry. Is it a mater of days or weeks? Do they need to fe fired before use?

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day Lars , they usually take a couple of days to dry naturally , you can put them in the Sun , but i do not fire them to dry them . It would hardly be worth you making them in the States as i think you would probably only pay 1 dollar or 2 dollars , but here in OZ they're hard for the individual to obtain . Cheers Ned .

[@thisoldminewithlars5324]

@@GrooberNedJardine Thank you. At this stage of the game, I have built a mill / lab shed, acquired or built machines, and purchased chemical supplies. Unfortunately it has not been financially profitable. In short, I am running short of money. I will consider any way to save a dollar. I have 26 acres of patented claim and 300 acres of hard rock claims. In the 1850 to 1940 era this was a profitable mine area. I just need to find a rich strike.

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@thisoldminewithlars5324 That sounds great , not the running short of money bit , lol , but the fact you have mining claims to work on , i envy you already . Good luck finding what you are looking for , much success sir 👍✌Cheers Ned .

[@Coppercasting]

Hi Ned, A quick question. After they have dried out do they need to be fired before you use them? someone asked a similar question but you just said dont fire them to dry them out.

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day mate , No !!! i don't fire mine , i just pop them out of the moulds after they are dry and store them on a shelf till i need to use them , But if you were going to use one straight after making them and they were dry , you probably could pre heat it for a while just to bake it a bit , but i haven't had any problems with cracking and such . Cheers Buddy . ✌

[@Coppercasting]

Thanks for the reply mate, Another quick question. How much lead do you think the bigger ones could absorb before putting them in the bin?

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@Coppercasting I would probably say maybe 20-30 grams of lead . cheers mate .

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@bluedragon13063 G'day Blue Dragon , usually a few days in Ambient temperatures , but you can dry them in the sun if you wish . Cheers mate . 👍

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@bluedragon13063 Ahhh , yeah i feel for ya , lol , Because i'm not using them all the time , i just leave mine indoors , sometimes for months . 👍

[@justme.9711]

I get the impression you live around Tamworth or Uralla, I could be off by 500k's or more, but do you know of any prospector or fossicking supply shops in Tamworth, Uralla or Armidale areas? I can't find any on google and that seems nuts to me.

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day mate , ahh i have never been to any fossicking supply shops other than online , sorry , i tell a lie , lol , i bought my detectors at sporties Warehouse on the Gold coast Qld . But i did do a quick Google check and there is Clarence valley prospecting supplies at Coutts crossing . Another area you could try prospecting is Nundle , or Wooldridge fossicking reserve , or Dalmorton area south west of Grafton . cheers Ned .

[@justme.9711]

@@GrooberNedJardine Thanks Ned much appreciated. I think I'll get a sluice and I want to make a wide extension for the mouth to be used in slower water, I supppose a gold rat is best.

[@justme.9711]

If you only get a gram or less etc, can you sell that and where?

[@GrooberNedJardine]

G'day mate , you gotta find it first , 🤣, that helps . But seriously though there are many places you can sell it other than refiners , if you had a lot to sell , or jewelers , but they probably won't pay much . You would always get way less than spot price . Best thing i think is to sell it on Facebook , Market place , or Gumtree , or Ebay . I would never melt my fines into buttons to sell , some people do , but i believe it sells better if untampered with . That's just my opinion personally . Cheers mate , hope you find plenty . 👍

[@GrooberNedJardine]

Ohh ps , i would try selling it to another guy panning that you meet , or anybody you meet that's interested , you might be surprised who would by it off you, even a shop owner . Good luck .

[@justme.9711]

@@GrooberNedJardine Much appreciated. What do you usually get for it per gram on facebook or gumtree etc?

[@GrooberNedJardine]

@@justme.9711 I don't sell any , but it's fetching around 100 to 110 a gram , if they're asking any more that that , then it's to expensive . Hope that helps . cheers .

[@justme.9711]

@@GrooberNedJardine Thanks, but I'm not a buyer. I want to fossick/prospect.