Expert Engineer Shares Top Platinum Testing methods!

[@davevan1928]

I missed this one for some reason , oh well saw it just now. Another good one chris. One this ice noticed with all your videos is you give us all the tools to do our own work. And when we do our own we learn so much more. Ty sir

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad to hear it was helpful.

[@demiradam1627]

I heve olso

[@demiradam1627]

​@@ChrisRalphhi türkiye

[@jackfox9548]

Thank u chris for all the time and experience you share with us you are a great person. Your generosity goes unoticed bless you brotha

[@ChrisRalph]

Thanks, I appreciate that

[@seymourrivers6169]

I enjoyed this episode of have you found platinum, etc. Safe Shemitah Chris. I have your book "Fists Full of Gold" and value it as a rich source of information to refer to. Thank you for your continued video series. Looking forward to your next one!

[@ChrisRalph]

Awesome, thank you!

[@supmit2k8]

Great stuff... Thanks for the facts about identifying platinum ore.

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad you enjoyed it and it was helpful.

[@LesleyB38]

It’s really exciting finding the lumps of alum - I’ve found several in a local river. They shine up like silver through the water. Thank you for the video 🤩

[@ChrisRalph]

So glad you enjoyed it.

[@MEMELIFEBABY]

I get pissed when I find aluminum thinking it’s platinum. What are you talking about?

[@LesleyB38]

@@MEMELIFEBABYunfortunately for me - where I live, the most exciting thing I’m likely to find is aluminium. I’m easily pleased. I get excited when I find a cool pebble on the beach. Maybe I’m sad 😉

[@richardbeee]

It's amazing that both platinum and palladium are both listed as rarer than gold, but an ounce of gold is nearly three times the amount of platinum; and i believe palladium is still more expensive than gold. Makes you wonder. Now rhodium is rarer than all and its price does reflex it. Although i believe rhodium is a lot like diamonds on their pump and dump schemes. Great information Chris. Another good test is to put a torch to it. Platinum will continue to glow long after you turn off the fire.

[@ChrisRalph]

Rarity is one thing, demand is another and both are needed for a high value. Some years back platinum was by far the most valuable, then car manufacturers switched from platinum based smog converters to palladium. Now less platinum is needed and the price is less, while palladium is now the most valuable.

[@gloriabadon2694]

@@ChrisRalph gold is everywhere no shortage and in bottom of da boot sir. This shortage of gold and many other precious metals and stones r not as rare to find on this earth. The government is Lian because I can prove this

[@mikeblair2594]

@@gloriabadon2694 Im sorry, but even if you might be able to prove this, nobody is going to know about it if you don't learn to spell.

[@mikemcchesney2555]

@@mikeblair2594 a 14 year old, probably. LOL Actually these days, they could well have a PhD in English!

[@patrickmanasco5905]

@@gloriabadon2694really

[@lisaturner6034]

Thanks Chris.It was so nice meeting you at the Gold Show and thanks for taking a picture with me.We appreciate all your information.

[@ChrisRalph]

Still can't believe you asked for a photo! I'm not a celebrity, just another guy.

[@damxgopak457]

Turns out my placer gold claim in AZ is high in pgm I only know gold processing trying to figure out how to process this ore .

[@ChrisRalph]

interesting.

[@Smithsgold]

another Home Run video Thanks me and Gary have been talking about platinum

[@ChrisRalph]

Cherokee diggings.

[@Smithsgold]

@@ChrisRalph watching again !!!!

[@Stradiota]

So will acid from a precious metal acid tests like the kits that come with the. 14 18 22 k gold silver and platinum acids work

[@ChrisRalph]

To do what exactly? Indicate purity? The kits are not all exactly the same, and are designed with jewelry in mind, so no, they do not reliably work with raw platinum which can contain a variety of PGM metals and other metals as well like iron.

[@AkTx907]

Thank you for the time you take making your content, and I've learned a lot from watching your videos,

[@ChrisRalph]

My pleasure!

[@norcalprospecting2809]

My nuggets were found downstream from the Stillwater Mine. 45 minutes drive from the mine. Wow, thank you for this. I have 2 nuggets that I found on a bench off of the Yellowstone River. They look a lot like the picture that you showed. They are certainly heavier than aluminum. I put them off to the side and have not even much looked at them over the past several years. The first sentence about Stillwater occurred from seeing your picture of Platinum. My projecting/geology knowledge is more about that yellow. Thanks again.

[@ChrisRalph]

No problem, glad you enjoyed the video.

[@gloriabadon2694]

That yellow???

[@gloriabadon2694]

Gold u mean??

[@gloriabadon2694]

Gold is not just gold my bruhda

[@GiepersLab]

Totally fun. Thank you for all the great and educational videos. Great book! It's not even a month old and it looks like a 3 year old college chemistry text book (well used). OUTSTANDING! BTW, I'm starting to figure it out. At least getting my gas, a little pick and a magnet paid for. Cool! THANK YOU!

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad it's been helpful.

[@toddeftsadams5909]

Thank you Chris! This was a great informative video. We have some platinum in the Snowy Range here in Southeast Wyoming.

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cenizacunanan4851]

Chris how you test this kind of metal,they say it's platinum

[@elliottfamily5077]

Does anyone know what that beautiful light metallic green mineral is, Coming from boss mine in Clarks County platinum ore examples pictures around 12:10 of the video? I have came across running along ,some deep inside cracks in small amounts on what a believe is just white ,clear and smoke quartz. Any clue? When I try to google it I can never find it! This is the first time I seen or really noticed it in a video.

[@ChrisRalph]

This demonstrates how very difficult it is to ID a mineral just by a picture - and I get people all the time wanting me to look at their pictures and tell them what it is. However on this one, since I took the picture, I know what I was looking at when I was there in person. First, the green is not metallic in any way if you see the rock in person. Its a mixture of malachite (a green copper carbonate mineral) and limonite - an iron oxide that is basically the same as rust. The coating is very thin - so you see a combination of the two.

[@AscentionSouls]

I have found a platinum or palladium metamorphic rock. Extremely heavy and I cannot cut it

[@ChrisRalph]

Congratulations.

[@mikemullenix6956]

You are an excellent teacher sir and I have your book.

[@ChrisRalph]

Cool, and thanks for watching!

[@sparks4025]

I hope to watch this video again in the future when I have this problem.

[@ChrisRalph]

It will still be and best of luck in your efforts.

[@BillWrites-t2e]

I'm totally buying your book, thanks for being awesome

[@ChrisRalph]

I am sure you will like the book.

[@briananton9176]

Thank you for a great video give me a lot of information I didn't have my next step is to get your book

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jayalderman5801]

I had an assey done on some pyrite found in Northern Nevada. It came out as 3 oz gold 19 oz of silver and trace amounts of palladium l. Is that common?

[@ChrisRalph]

The gold and silver numbers are good, the trace of palladium is unusual, but not unheard of.

[@jayalderman5801]

@ChrisRalph I wish I could pick your brain about a certain area in Northern Nevada. But your videos are great. They are definitely teaching me a lot. And I will be buying your book before I go prospecting this April. Keep doing what you are doing.

[@thundermind5572]

Good show Sir. What of taste or lack thereof?

[@ChrisRalph]

That is not a test which would tell you anything at all.

[@shakascloset1700]

Years ago when I had metal detector I would fid heavy globs of something on lake Erie especially in a couple locations. I always thought they were shrapnel from the war on the lakes. I still have a small box full of the pieces. Some probably are aluminum and some are real heavy and dense. I always thought possible silver but looked more like steal.

[@ChrisRalph]

Melted Pot metal (zinc) is pretty common in some areas and it is a lot more dense than aluminum, but still roughly half as dense as real platinum.

[@jmadventures1984]

Hi good day sir Ralph....how to distinguish a real rhodium powder?I found it in grey color in crystaline silvery white fine texture....it is 1.3 kilos of pure powder ...sir pls help me to determine this thing....and I found it by means of treasure hunting here in phillipines.thank u sir

[@ChrisRalph]

You would need to get a lab to analyze it for you.

[@pablo6305]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Appreciate it.

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad it was helpful!

[@glentimmins7560]

Thanks for all the information ⛏️

[@ChrisRalph]

You bet!

[@tucsonbubba1574]

Great video Chris.

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@JoseTorres-io4eh]

Love your videos I have found some really amazing things Chris if you would like to see is there somewhere I can reach you to send you pictures I think you will be pretty amazed

[@ChrisRalph]

Trying to identify minerals just from a picture is nearly impossible - that is why I dont try to offer a mineral ID service. I get loads of requests like yours even though I do say in several of my videos, I don't do this.

[@JoseTorres-io4eh]

I wasn't asking for I'd sorry if it came across that way

[@ChrisRalph]

My mistake - you told me you found amazing things and wanted to send pictures.

[@Mine.locator]

Hello Professor, how can I talk to you about rhodium extraction? Thank you for your guidance

[@ChrisRalph]

I am sorry, but I get so many requests that I cannot offer personal guidance and training.

[@longdonglarry]

Can you pan for Platinum the same way as for gold? I'm close to a platinum area in southern spain, near Marbella and would like to give it a try. Unfortunately, detectors are prohibited. And is your book also available as an e-book? That would be easier for your non US audience to get a hold of. Thank you.

[@ChrisRalph]

Platinum is dense like gold and can be panned like gold. The book is not available as an E-book. E-books are designed for books with few or no pictures like novels. Mine is extensively illustrated and the scaling for different devices works poorly with photos.

[@blacklabelonthebedrocks]

@@ChrisRalph Hi Chris, I'm sorry to correct you, but if you convert the text of your book to pdf and embed the photos correctly, the pdf will look at least 99% like the printed book. It can be done. I've got some "books" I can't get in printed version, but I prefer the real books. Scrolling real books is different compared to e-books.

[@rockybutler]

I found small pieces of metallic magnetic material in the creek, at first sight i thought it was maybe platinum. Weird thing is some of the chunks. While squeezing with tweezers. The pieces would explode into a dust, under the water? New to this stuff, did buy your book.

[@ChrisRalph]

Only a very small portion of all platinum is very slightly and weakly magnetic. Most is not magnetic at all. pieces exploding while being held by also does not sound like platinum. but really I have no idea what you have. - I get quite a few people every day who want me to ID their rock and mineral photos. I do not offer a mineral ID service, mostly because it’s not as easy as you think. Usually, minerals cannot be identified from just a picture. Please watch my videos on how to Identify minerals for yourself. Part 1 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6HOiGhuj8qEosU and Part 2 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIC6oGdvjZ5jnaM and Part 3 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZLFZoGknLefjNk - Those videos should answer a lot of your questions.

[@simondennison8499]

excellent video. excellent work, very engaging

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@francismashitisho2771]

You are such a vessel of knowledge

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad it was helpful!

[@altonlynch5464]

is Cobalt a mineral? was it the first natural magnet? and what would that mineral look like found in nature?

[@ChrisRalph]

Cobalt is an element like copper or iron or silver. It is also a metal like the other elements I named. Its not a mineral, although there are minerals containing cobalt, like there are minerals containing copper or iron or silver.

[@altonlynch5464]

@@ChrisRalph What is lodestone made out of?

[@ChrisRalph]

Iron and oxygen in the form of a mineral called magnetite.

[@mountainmanprojects]

At 13:52 what is the green mineral in this sample? Would you be willing to receive samples by mail and identify what the minerals are in an ore sample?

[@ChrisRalph]

I do not offer either an ore testing or mineral ID service, mostly because it’s not as easy as you think. Ores must be tested by assay and the professional labs which do that charge significant fees.

[@mountainmanprojects]

@@ChrisRalph ok thanks for responding.

[@lesjones5684]

Very interesting 🤔

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad you think so!

[@the1dud]

Probably a tire fire artifact, aluminum rims are pretty common and tires burn pretty darn hot.

[@ChrisRalph]

The problem is that there was only a little more aluminum in the fire beyond this chunk and there was no sign of a vehicle fire. Plus it was a forest campfire in the middle of nowhere next to old gold diggings. I would expect a tire fire to have a lot more aluminum and sign of a vehicle fire.

[@the1dud]

@@ChrisRalph well, could be a jiffy-pop aluminum pan would be my next guess see it's near a campfire.

[@seymourrivers6169]

@@the1dud A Jiffy-Pop pan would make only a fractional size nugget compared to what Chris has shown us.

[@greedygringoprospecting6941]

was out swinging my gold monster ,left early to get to the monthly meeting. ,they were talking about the claim me and a buddy were on ,and of course we find out we we're in the wrong area. of that claim. 😀. was nice and cool. though. was a great day ,been so hot in california. was good to get a chance to try to find gold. have a good day.

[@ChrisRalph]

Knowing exactly where you are is important.

[@charlesstein2880]

What materials looks like stainless steel filings, mixed with flour gold and black sand? Any guesses?

[@ChrisRalph]

From your description, which is pretty vague, I have no idea.

[@SILVER-DONKEY]

Chris, just found your KZbin videos and love the info. I never thought about platinum nuggets before. We live in Riverside CA and have Several gold and mineral mines around, we like exploring tailing piles looking for minerals. Last summer our local reservoir Was doing repairs and drained the water Exposing about 50 feet of The Lake bottom. When walking my dogs along the new shoreline I was finding 5 and 6 pounds of led fishing weights In pockets of hardened clay where the sad had been washed away. When I got home I noticed that 1 of them Had a metallic blue-green Color and is about 3/8x5/16 (2 grams) and ferrous. When looking at it with a loop the outside looks like It's a mineral With boxy edges. But the middle has a smooth gold like tone to it. I've been tempted to acid test it or smash it flat and see what happens, what would you do. Looking forward to reading your book. The kids and I love to treasure hunt. Thanks

[@ChrisRalph]

I am unsure of your description - you say its ferrous - that means its made of iron. Then you say you don't know what it is. Its almost impossible to ID minerals from pictures, and far more difficult to ID from just descriptions.

[@ScotlandsGold]

My new favourite nuggets are bismuth, know a great spot with loads of placer nugs😁

[@ChrisRalph]

sounds good.

[@BrokerBarbara119]

I love your videos. It’s too bad that the Niton XRF technology isn’t cheaper for the hobby prospector.

[@ChrisRalph]

XRF technology is very expensive.

[@BrokerBarbara119]

@@ChrisRalph Yes, I know. Fisher will lease one but that too isn’t cheap. Though cheaper than purchasing one. For a rock hound club, group of hobby collectors, prospectors, etc it may be worthwhile to go in for a 2 week rental and charge members a nominal fee per analysis, just to pay for the rental cost. I’ve had specimens analyzed by a local Scrap Metal dealer, pawn broker and a Gallery who purchased antique Silver pieces and jewelry. They’ll do it for free if you’re doing business with them or a nominal fee.

[@blacklabelonthebedrocks]

Hi Chris, I guess, most people find a very small piece of silver looking stuff and try to determine it. Mostly it's a part of the shovel you're working with… But if it's not reacting to nitric acid and too small for a density test, you'll never know for sure. I'm prospecting for gold in Germany were platinum is very rare. I found a tiny, flat piece (about 0.4 mm) looking like platinum and doesn't react to nitric acid. If it would be easy, it would be easy. ;-) Best regards from Germany!

[@ChrisRalph]

at less than half an mm and only one piece, it is hard to say.

[@richardrobertson1331]

Are you aware if anyone has processed the platinum in the serpentine mixed rock in the Bear River Campground near Colfax, Calif. with any commercial success?

[@ChrisRalph]

Most serpentine carries asbestos, dont crush it. Second the serpentine carries only tiny traces of gold, not economic amounts.

[@mikeblair2594]

I was placer mining on my old claim on the Applegate in southern Oregon and what we had was a bench deposit from the old riverbed. So my kid would dig up the ground to bedrock and fill buckets and bring them down to me and I'd run the bucket through the sluice. Ain't teenagers great! Anyway, I was getting a lot of lead from folks shooting across the river and I just put that in an old Gatorade bottle to melt and recast. I found a lot of small shiny flakes and fly poop that always road with the gold, not much but it was there. My father is a geologist (he's the one who gave me the fever) and I gave him the contents of that vial (about an ounce) when we were shutting down operations and he did the testing and it was platinum. He was able to do some expensive repairs on his truck with a bit left over. The reason I kept the stuff was I remembered an old story about the 49rs finding a white metal in their sluice boxes and throwing it away because they didn't know what it was. I don't know if that was true, but it made me be cautious. BTW, I know what gold covered with mercury looks like. That wasn't it. Though I did find it there, not as much as I thought I would.

[@ChrisRalph]

Sounds good. nitric will dissolve lead and mercury (from amalgam). But nitric won't touch platinum.

[@sdk6120]

Hi sir , you clear much more misconception thank sir

[@ChrisRalph]

Thanks. I'm glad to hear that

[@sonalparekh3077]

Thank you very much👍😀

[@ChrisRalph]

You are very welcome

[@roqlyncansancio]

I have silvery rock but i do not have enough knowlage to identify what kind of stone i have so if i send you can you identify and tell me what kind of stone i have

[@ChrisRalph]

I get quite a few people every day who want me to ID their rock and mineral photos. I do not offer a mineral ID service, mostly because it’s not as easy as you think. Usually, minerals cannot be identified from just a picture. Please watch my videos on how to Identify minerals for yourself. Part 1 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6HOiGhuj8qEosU and Part 2 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIC6oGdvjZ5jnaM and Part 3 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZLFZoGknLefjNk - Those videos should answer a lot of your questions.

[@j4713333]

Can you tell me what percentage concentration of nitric acid I should get to test a lot of possible platinum?

[@ChrisRalph]

25 percent should be plenty.

[@j4713333]

@@ChrisRalphthank you! I’ve been looking through all these KZbin videos and it’s good to finally find an expert.

[@AltonClark-x9b]

Back i. My teens I had the pleasure to be introduced to dredging for gold in Oregon and we sucked up an interesting crystalin shaped looking chunk of metal never found out what it was it had no oxidation just clean crystal shaped chunk

[@ChrisRalph]

You should have taken a sample to a professional to have it tested.

[@jirossentsige1231]

I collectimg more different stone but i do.not have enough knowlage of gem stones so if i send to you can you identified and tell me what age them Please ?

[@ChrisRalph]

- I get quite a few people every day who want me to ID their rock and mineral photos. I do not offer a mineral ID service, mostly because it’s not as easy as you think. Usually, minerals cannot be identified from just a picture. Please watch my videos on how to Identify minerals for yourself. Part 1 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6HOiGhuj8qEosU and Part 2 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIC6oGdvjZ5jnaM and Part 3 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZLFZoGknLefjNk - Those videos should answer a lot of your questions.

[@RolandoBustos-qc3hk]

A question, if I have a ores sample that contains gold or platinum and also other elements such as nickel, copper and especially iron, can these other elements interfere with the recognition of gold or platinum?

[@ChrisRalph]

Not if the sample test is done properly.

[@RolandoBustos-qc3hk]

@@ChrisRalph Ok. thanks

[@geraldault1214]

I have silvery rock with holes in it would really like to no if it's real or not

[@ChrisRalph]

I'm sure it's a rock, but I don't offer a mineral ID service. Find someone local who can look at it in person.

[@timharper-rf4cg]

I have a question I inherited some platinum ore where would I have it checked into maybe sell it I've looked online and haven't really got any good information

[@ChrisRalph]

Use Google and find an assay lab to test it for you.

[@focusmicro]

I have a silver in colour bar of metal, density of Mass 350g/Volume .35g = 10 grams. Not magnetic, bubbles in H2O2. What is it do you think?

[@ChrisRalph]

Lots of metals and alloys make H2O2 bubble - that is not a test for platinum.

[@RebeccaArcos-bq6pu]

Don't listen to him guy ,of course he is going to put your nugget down, you probably have a PGM NUGGET! That means it might have a little platinum in it or none at all! But that is good because it could have just Rhodium in it and ruthenium, or several pgm's .remember there are 6 platinum group metals not one ! Platinum is just the most commercial or popular, so that's all they test for, and when you walk away because there was no platinum in it ,which is a mesley 850 a ounce , but you have rhodium in it which is 10,000 a ounce , you just got ripped off .They can only test for platinum and maybe palladium.....but there are 4 more left ....and that is ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium!!

[@RebeccaArcos-bq6pu]

Everyone REMEMBER THERE ARE 6 PLATINUM GROUP METALS NOT JUST PLATINUM!!!! THERE IS RHODIUM, RUTHENIUM, PALLADIUM, IRIDIUM, AND OSMIUM!! THEY CAN ONLY TEST AT A PAWN SHOP FOR PLATINUM AND MAYBE PALLADIUM, BUT NOT THE OTHERS. IN FACT EVEN IF YOU HAVE PLATINUM, IT WILL STILL TEST NEGATIVE FOR PLATINUM IF YOU DONT HAVE AT LEAST 75 PERCENT PLATINUM . BUT IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, THERE ARE PGM NUGGETS THAT LOOK LIKE MELTED METAL, THEY ARE NATURAL...THE PLATINUM ONLY GOES AS HIGH AS LIKE 40 PERCENT . A COMMON PGM NUGGET IF IT EVEN HAS PLATINUM IN IT AND NOT JUST THE OTHER MORE EXPENSIVE PGM "S WILL READ LIKE THIS ....PLATINUM 22 PERCENT, PALLADIUM,15 PERCENT , RUTHENIUM 23 PERCENT, RHODIUM, 20 PERCENT , IRIDIUM, 9 PERCENT , AND OSMIUM 6 PERCENT....AND THE REST OF THE PERCENTAGE IS THE COMMON BASE METALS THAT A NATIVE PLACER PLATINUM NUGGET IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE IN IT! AND THESE NUGGETS AVERAGE FROM 2 OUNCES TO 1 POND . IF YOU HAVE A THREE QUARTER POND NUGGET WITH A QUARTER POUND OF RHODIUM IN IT AND A QUARTER POUND OF RUTHENIUM IN IT, WELL THST MAKES YOU A RICH MAN, BUT BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE AT LEAST 75 PERCENT PLATINUM IN IT, OR NO PLATINUM AT ALL BUT OTHER MORE EXPENSIVE PGM 'S ,THEY SAY GOOD BYE ,YOU HAVE NO PLATINUM , YOU HAVE NOTHING , IN THE MEANTIME YOU WALK AWAY FROM A FORTUNE ABD THEY REFINE YOUR NUGGET AND LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK!! AND THE MELTED LOOK , DON'T GET ME STARTED ,BUT THAT HAS TO DO WITH ACUMULATION OF METALS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS THAT GOT DRANK UP BY THE TREES IN THE WATER . THEN WHEN THERE IS A FOREST FIRE ALL THE PARTICLES OF METAL IN THE ROOT ALL RUNS UP TO ONE SPOT, WHEN THE TREE COOLS DOWN. YOU HAVE ONE BLOB OF METAL ,LOOKING MAN MADE MELTED BUT ITS NOT, ITS NATURAL!!!

[@jerrahkawina9290]

Would I be able to use the Nitric Acid test on Ore that I suspect to be platinum ore?

[@ChrisRalph]

It is a test of metallic platinum, not for ore rocks.

[@jerrahkawina9290]

@@ChrisRalph How'd you advise testing ore to confirm?

[@ChrisRalph]

As I say in the video, you need to find an assay lab to test your ores for you.

[@MEMELIFEBABY]

I found some native rhodium nuggets, native platinum nuggets, palladium ore and some rough diamonds, one still in the yellow ground kimberlite matrix, in a glacier till on the Ohio river, on the east side of Cincinnati, when I was fishing one day. Most of the nuggets are over 50 grams, my digital scale only goes to 50 grams, I need a new one. Do you know where I can get an assay done or what I can do to verify what I’ve found? I’ve researched and tested this stuff myself and I can’t figure out what else this stuff could possibly be. Any information would be great. Thank you.

[@ChrisRalph]

I have all my assays done by ALS labs in Reno, Nevada.

[@MEMELIFEBABY]

@@ChrisRalph thank you

[@Mark-tc2fi]

First time watching , couldn't quite understand all the info you were talking about . Some helped like you say can't believe everything on the internet..have some stuff I still Don't know if it's platinum maybe you can educate me some more

[@ChrisRalph]

Watch it a second time to understand fully - you will catch on.

[@EdrisKasim-ym7ci]

Thanks for identifying facts

[@ChrisRalph]

Our pleasure! Glad you liked the video.

[@aljenembtry7781]

Or biologineer some bugs that would start glowing when in contact with the metal???

[@ChrisRalph]

A dream.

[@carloseduardrumbo364]

Hi Chris Ralph, thank you for your information in this video. I found it very informative. I was wondering if you can give me a bit of advice. My family recently found PGM ore in some land in Mexico, and have since been mining it. Like you stated, the ore contains higher concentrations of Rhodium and Irridium but has a good amount of Platinum. Issue is now that it is mined, what next? Thank you in advance.

[@ChrisRalph]

This is a much bigger question than you think. I'd need to go over many things with you, perhaps have you go through various laboratory tests, answer many questions and then evaluate all the information to give you an answer. I do not offer consulting or advisement services, so it is just not possible for me to get involved in your project.

[@carloseduardrumbo364]

@ChrisRalph thank you for your response. I understand that you might not offer those services, I guess I was much more interested in seeing if maybe we're on to something here. We did an Atomic absorption spectroscopy test already. I'm about to order some nickel sulfide tests through ALS labs. Maybe you can point me in the right direction. This is all new to me and so far I'm learning most of my information through KZbin such as your channel, which is great by the way. Thank you again for all the videos.

[@austinhart5310]

I found somthing that’s non magnetic in bear creek past red rocks in colorado in a river bank looks like chromite is all over it with some type of amphibole may be mixed with serpentine

[@ChrisRalph]

Best of luck to you.

[@patdenney7046]

It’s easy to mine platinum just use the saws all go out at night it’s kinda like sniping! Are you missing your catalytic converter?

[@ChrisRalph]

I drive a diesel truck - diesel has no converter.

[@oneofone.929]

I'm in West Australia and I think I have found a Nugget and triangle shape of platinum who knows where I could take it to get it tested it is extremely heavy and magnetic any answers would be appreciated

[@ChrisRalph]

Natural Platinum is only very weakly magnetic on rare occasions. If its plainly magnetic, its probably not platinum.

[@oneofone.929]

@@ChrisRalph thank you for your reply yes you're right it is only slightly magnetic but only on very powerful magnet I have found meteorites mostly iron or nickel but this is something I have not seen before and looking at photograph of platinum this seems very likely but .I will see if my local jeweller don't mind doing a quick test. the thing is quite unusual it is very heavy and very dense with a Grey white silver colour it is a flat triangle two leading edges have like a black melted looks like extremely dark coloured rock hard substance on 2 sides edge a pure steel or platinum it is not aluminium as I know that is not magnetic and is lighter and this is extremely heavy and very dense almost unscratchable compared to Silver or any other metal that I have found I will let you know once I get a test because I would love to find out what this thing is as I've been doing this for a long time and never came across anything like it before again thank you for your reply👍

[@wynnebisig]

What is Pt 195.08? I found 6 bar of it? Does it have value?

[@ChrisRalph]

The atomic weight of platinum is 195.08. So Pt 195.08 is regular platinum. 195.08 grams of platinum will contain 6.02 X 10 to the 23rd power of atoms.

[@wynnebisig]

@@ChrisRalph Does it have value? How much will it cost?

[@ChrisRalph]

Yes, platinum is valuable. The prices goes up and down every day.

[@HALIYALBETAGERIVLOGKANNADA]

Nice video sir

[@ChrisRalph]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

[@bjornhalstrom9933]

All of the Platinum metals are valuable and useful. They are the heavier Iron group elements. One of the best sources of platinum is the Ural Mountains of Russia. Thee mountains have a unique feature. There is a prairie of both sides. All other mountains are only associated with a prairie on one side or no prairies. There are often some small amounts of platinum in copper ores. Platinum metal have and interesting chemistry. They tend to have a greater valence than the iron group which is usually 2 or 3 and do not.for aqua icons in water. They and gold are most often chloro complexes.

[@ChrisRalph]

The amounts of PGMs in copper ores are only the tiniest traces but are recovered from the copper bearing sulfides in he normal processing of the ore.

[@roberthart7145]

Can you find platinum in black sand? I’m getting some really heavy silvery crystalline concentrate

[@ChrisRalph]

Yes, it's possible but you know that some black sand has a silvery sheen.

[@roberthart7145]

@@ChrisRalph ya, it’s a real silvery crystalline sand far heavier than black sand. I also have lots of pyrite that floats off early. I guess I could try some nitric acid solution? Also does mercury pick up platinum? Thanks for the info

[@ronburgendyaman]

Thanks for the vid! 👍🏻

[@ChrisRalph]

No problem 👍

[@MEMELIFEBABY]

Other metals may make hydrogen peroxide bubble but not like how platinum makes it bubble. Metals like silver, aluminum, etc. are slower catalysts unlike platinum group metals. It takes 30 seconds to a one minute for former metals to start bubbling but PGMs are instantaneous.

[@ChrisRalph]

Tried nickel as a catalyst?

[@MEMELIFEBABY]

@@ChrisRalph have not but I will

[@michaelpessin7233]

Just love your videos

[@ChrisRalph]

I'm glad you enjoy them.

[@aliabdihaj001]

what is the value of that one you are holding

[@ChrisRalph]

Watch the video.

[@PerpetuallyTiiiiiired]

Hey Chris, new subscriber and I love the content. Have been learning quite a bit. I do have one question though especially for places where there was a lot of mining in the past. How likely are you to run into gold with mercury attached to it from the old timers mining operations? Especially when prospecting streams? Is it a pretty valid concern in your experience?Any tips on safety?

[@ChrisRalph]

Probability of encountering amalgam from old timer operations varies a lot - from zero to fairly good. It depends on what is upstream from you. Mercury was fairly expensive, and only used by larger operators. Individual prospectors rarely used it. I've prospected all over California and Nevada and have only seen it occasionally.

[@PerpetuallyTiiiiiired]

Thank you!

[@chetterb4]

@@ChrisRalph high Chris I am learning about geology and I was wondering if your taking a apprentice.?

[@stevesmith8354]

I went to my spot got 4 rocks Could put all four n a 12 pack About 80 to 100 pounds so hard Bringing up the hill And burned crush crushed burned some more and crashed added some flux put in the crucible put in the microwave get red hot hit with a torch got a little piece of metal test Where is acid and it was platinum

[@stevesmith8354]

The small amount of rock made 8 g Crazy homeless living my car have no money and what am I doing finding platinum and Gold definitely gonna be out of the car soonIt’s a year to figure this stuff out but never gave up

[@joshuamoore24_7]

Will silver desolve in a diluted nitric acid solution?

[@ChrisRalph]

Yes, but lots of things also dissolve in dilute nitric.

[@OldsmobileCutlassSupremeConver]

I bought a Silver Floating Heart. Turns out it said 950 not 925 It was Tiffany/Platinum Gave it away as a gift. "Need to understand Hallmarks" Gold is Gold. In The back country or in the city.

[@ChrisRalph]

hallmarks are important.

[@ReneeMedeiros-g2w]

I have a nugget that looks exactly like your platinum nuggets it’s super heavy. I have held onto it for 20 years I found it out on a desert road. I’m from Oregon it was in the desert. Nobody knows what it is. What should I do to know for sure?

[@ChrisRalph]

Watch the video, it has a number of suggestions for identification.

[@aliabdihaj001]

Hello sir .is there any gem detector machine in the market

[@ChrisRalph]

No

[@ganeshgautam8498]

Sir Good afternoon ;May you help me sir to receive the knowledge of gem stone;

[@ChrisRalph]

Look at my gemstone videos.

[@aljenembtry7781]

Where could I find near Southern Indiana and northern Kentucky a small particles of where is particles of rare Earth elements????

[@ChrisRalph]

Rare earth deposits are not common, dont know if any exist in your part of the county.

[@rogerboutet6876]

there is placer platinum in B.C Canada . up around some rivers near kolowna are you familiar with that area.? have heard Bill Barlee.he wrote afew books and had serios called gold trails and ghost towns for about 10 years you can on see it youtub. very im formative

[@ChrisRalph]

I know there is platinum in several areas of BC, but I am not well familiar with the deposits.

[@patrickaussieMilartry]

Why is platinum worth approximately only 2/3rds the price of Gold especially because it's so much more rare? Is it because of the requirement in industry which appears to be less in use??? Cheers

[@ChrisRalph]

Less overall demand for platinum right now. Some years back platinum was much more expensive than gold - markets change over time.

[@patrickaussieMilartry]

@@ChrisRalph ok cheers thanks for the history lesson. I never new this. Thankyou. Cheers Patrick Wilson.👍🇦🇺

[@aljenembtry7781]

Couldn't we make a spray that would make would make your platinum or gold luminous bored luminous with a special light???

[@ChrisRalph]

Not that I know of.

[@guecofp8498]

I am from Philippines interested about the platinum sir tell me how to test

[@ChrisRalph]

The video talks about how to test.

[@guecofp8498]

My friend has found in the mountain morethan 3kilos but there is no direct buyer, how much in one gram sir the platinum?

[@ChrisRalph]

Find a laboratory in your country to do the test and see.

[@newwen298]

​@@guecofp8498 kumusta po? na test nyo ba if platinum ba o hindi?

[@jasminenwhitaker9717]

Good morning Chris

[@ChrisRalph]

Hey there!

[@jdavis954]

Im Positive I have found a Platinum Nugget but I have not sent it for a XRF or to a refiner. But I have ran a Bunch of test and it is dense. I even used a app and it said Platinum Multiple times. I wish I knew someone with a XRF or similar Machine.

[@Jake12220]

First test l would be doing is hitting it with a blowtorch(propane or butane, not oxy acetylene). Platinum has a very high melting point, but aluminium, lead and even silver will start to melt. Definitely needs to be done outside, you don't want to breathe in lead fumes. It wouldn't be nice to damage a silver nugget, but if you wanted an answer, or at least to rule out some of the more likely options. Platinum was once not considered useful through most of history because jewelers couldn't melt it until better methods were developed.

[@jdavis954]

@@Jake12220 well I think the Platinum Nugget is not pure. So this is why I want to get a XRF Scan because I think the metal is like a Native Metal or could possibly be a artifact. Because I can melt it with a Butane Torch which is not nearly as hot as a oxy one. I did melt a small piece off my main nugget and this is the piece I have been running test on. I have hit it with Nitric. Sometimes the streak stays sometimes it dosent. It dosent rust or corrode. Is bendable and unbreakable, never ever do i loose a grain of metal it always bends right back into shape. And my app has said its PT like 3 times while also suspecting hematite or FE with Quartz. I really just need to find someone soon to scan it.

[@ChrisRalph]

As I said on the video, test it in Nitric acid. Also density tests yield a number not just "dense". You number should be 19 to 21 for it to be platinum. If yo can melt it with a butane torch it is NOT platinum. Most likely melted pot metal or solder or something like that.

[@jdavis954]

@@ChrisRalph can Platinum be mixed with Any low melting point metals within nature ? I cant find any info other then the fact that it hangs around with PGMs

[@FLYINGCOLORSDESTINYMINISTRYINT]

Indeed i have some grams of it like an Ear phone piece look alike ❤

[@ChrisRalph]

Interesting.

[@silversurfer3202]

I love and respect you guy, BUT...... You take beating around the bush to a whole new level. (😝)! Still, thank you for sharing your thoughts, knowledge and experience!!! (Invaluable)👍!!!!......🤠🎧⛏️⚒️

[@ChrisRalph]

Sorry, I dont do the tick-tok 60 second version. Most folks prefer the additional information, but a few, like yourself, just want the super short version. I cant do both at the same time, so I do what the majority want and what I prefer.

[@silversurfer3202]

@@ChrisRalph Sorry if I've offended you. I have a "Get to the point" Military Mind when it comes to presentations (Thanks to the U.S.Army Infantry). Do what you want, you're an American right? God Forbid you should be told something you don't like. I will continue to subscribe, separating the wheat from the chaff in all the many channels I subscribe to. (By the way.... What is Tik Tok?)😒........ Happy Hunting, Happy Teaching and NEVER stop what you're doing!!! 😜👍

[@ChrisRalph]

Tiktoc.com is a Chinese web site that hosts videos, but they are normally less than a couple minutes, often not more than 30 seconds. The site is not intended to teach, but to host funny or entertaining snippets to make people smile or laugh. I do get folks who want me to tell them just what they want to know (and how can I know what particular thing they are interested in) in just a minute or two. The thing with learning something is that it takes time. I have a friend who went to West point and they spent many, many hours learning strategy, combat skills, logistics, etc. Military is only "get to the point quickly" in some areas, but not in others - it depends on the topic.

[@hamidjafari313]

Can you break a platinum ore with hammer?

[@ChrisRalph]

Platinum ore has only a little platinum in it, the rest is rock, you can break rock with a hammer.

[@hamidjafari313]

@@ChrisRalph But my ore was very tough and I brook it after 5 minutes hammering it like a blacksmith

[@ChrisRalph]

If you want to know what it is, spend the money to get a chemical analysis done in a lab.

[@OpioEdward-un8bg]

Good teacher

[@ChrisRalph]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful.

[@Jibs-HappyDesigns-990]

lookout funny bone! that's ore, oar is it? ha.ha....it would really be cool 2 find precious metals in refined nugget states!! good luck!

[@ChrisRalph]

Ore does not always look like you expect it would.

[@mikeconnery4652]

Good video

[@ChrisRalph]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks.

[@Jake12220]

As someone that lives on an old volcanic gold field with lots of unusual geology l find lots of odd and interesting stuff(both natural and man made). Bits of melted aluminium are easy to identify by weight, but the random melted blobs of lead sometimes make me wonder. A melted bullet is never a surprise, but random half pound chunks of melted lead in random spots on the side of a mountain seem out of place and odd. Normally l collect them just in case, clean them up and hit them with a blowtorch. Lead melts, platinum won't without much higher temperatures. I hate having to state the obvious, but clearly something that should only be done outdoors, breathing in lead fumes is a big no no.

[@ChrisRalph]

Best of luck to you.

[@juliojesus2910]

Wells grey?

[@bravewave2084]

Food for the brain. Tastes good. 👍

[@ChrisRalph]

Yes, thank you

[@kauyogtv7293]

How to test the platinum

[@ChrisRalph]

Watch the video - information in there.

[@kerrywoodruff7423]

We're do you get ride of platnuim nuggets

[@ChrisRalph]

Do you mean where do you sell them?

[@RobertBreeze-x8f]

I'm wondering if I found gold can you help

[@ChrisRalph]

Sorry, no. As I clearly said in the video, I don't offer an ID service. I get quite a few people every day who want me to ID their rock and mineral photos. I do not offer a mineral ID service, mostly because it’s not as easy as you think. Usually, minerals cannot be identified from just a picture. Please watch my videos on how to Identify minerals for yourself. Part 1 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6HOiGhuj8qEosU and Part 2 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIC6oGdvjZ5jnaM and Part 3 can be found here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZLFZoGknLefjNk

[@jk-76]

I have shiny, metal looking "flakes" in black sands after panning all the gold out. Not much gold, but tonnes of non magnetic black sand. One day I will learn to smelt...

[@ChrisRalph]

smelting black sand is usually a bad idea.

[@jk-76]

@@ChrisRalph I am new to all of this.lol I am bumbling my way through. What do you recommend? Thanks for the reply.

[@Boxingatall]

How can i communicate you sir.. im from Philippines

[@ChrisRalph]

I don't offer private consulting or advisement services.

[@kerryclark9205]

Plt comes in color from white to charcoal gray

[@ChrisRalph]

Only where it is alloyed with other metals. Pure platinum is one color.

[@JohnWayne-xy1gs]

the crazy think is before we figured out ho to make Aluminum it was worth more than gold per ounce.

[@ChrisRalph]

Yep, 200 years ago it was really rare in metallic form. Then we figured out ways to make it cheaply.