How much gold is in this 20 gram bag of gold leaf?

[@mm-qd1ho]

Just for a fun comparison, the James Webb telescope mirror gold layer is 100 nanometers (600 gold atoms) thick. With a total diameter of 6.5 m (21 ft), the total gold content is only 48 grams.

[@oldhollywoodbriar]

Just like the capstone of the pyramid is also a gold mirror?

[@Superintendent_Chalmers]

@@oldhollywoodbriar not quite… the Egyptians very unlikely had the ability to cover the capstone with millimeters of gold… that most likely would have been a thicc hunk of gold. Most probably covering something else, not solid through, but there’s always the possibility of that

[@TheMilwaukieDan]

@@Superintendent_Chalmers I disagree… if you research the technology the pyramid builders had electroplating technology. Even shows it in their glyphs.

[@oldhollywoodbriar]

@@Superintendent_Chalmers anyone with a hammer can beat gold down to that thickness but I appreciate your attempt to pull off “internet smart guy,” lol. Also, remember, only the capstone, not the whole pyramid. The Egyptians certainly were masters of Gold plating. mold is beaten with an 8-pound (3.6 kg) hammer for three to four hours until it has been beaten into a circle about six inches (15 cm) in diameter. The finished leaf forms an unbroken sheet of gold with a thickness of approximately 100 nanometres ( 1⁄250000 in).

[@redbaronrefining5322]

I’d still totally recover the gold if I could get my hands on it lol. That’s with the idea that I was already on a mission that was paid for and I happened to pass by to be able to capture it. I’d estimate close to 100g total in the scope as all of the radiation hardened electronics would have some great components to recover from not just the lense.

[@idigdaytona4478]

I was in a pawn shop and a guy came in with a bunch of that "gold leaf " and wanted to sell it . They did an acid test. The guy doing the test started laughing . He said it was like a magic act. As soon as the acid touched it , it disappeared. Good stuff Dan.

[@snailsaredumb9412]

Atleast it dissolved, thats a good sign (usually)

[@johnnyseven5058]

Hi Dan, those foils are actually made off brass. Brass looks very goldish till it is fresh and not oxidized yet. It is used for making cheap "gold" pigments or colours as substitute of real gold. That is why you ended up with pure copper from smelting process. That little bead of gold is most likely left from the previous smeltings on the walls of crucible.

[@Crumbed304]

no that is real gold i have looked it up

[@calogero_t]

I've used gold leaf for years restoring antique picture frames. There is both real 24k gold leaf as well as imitation leaf. They both come in "books" of super thin sheets between papers. Imitation gold leaf is usually aluminum or brass. I suspect you have imitation leaf as I noticed a dark mark on your fingers when handling it. Real gold leaf does not leaf a mark on your skin when rubbed together. Also real 24k gold leaf is pricy. Around $75 for a book of 20 small sheets, which generally contains less than half a gram of gold total.

[@MattRoadhouse]

I use Thai 24k leaf a lot for my resin pours - making Orgonite

[@johnn3542]

Think the ones I got from Thailand are fake, look decent but listing said edible 24k, don't think I would trust eating em

[@jimmyhardison2630]

I think its ridiculous that people eat gold leaf. What is the point?

[@diamondhunterTv5]

Gold leaf is a very thin sheet of gold that is commonly used for decoration, gilding, and other applications. The weight of gold leaf is typically measured in troy ounces or grams. To determine how much gold is in a 20-gram bag of gold leaf, you would need to know the purity of the gold. Gold purity is measured in karats, with 24 karats being the highest purity.

[@forg0tten]

I love my Sunday morning episodes of prospecting with Dan. Greetings from Victoria :)

[@rikspector]

Dan, I was a picture framer for 40 plus years and you to do gold leafing with real gold leaf. The other leaf was what was called Dutch metal or fake gold. It worked well on frames and did a pretty good job of imitating the real thing. That's most likely what you have there, not gold leaf. When I applied gold leaf to a very smooth surface on a frame, it could be burnished to a really beautiful finish because it was genuine gold. A book of genuine gold leaf 22 /23 usually 25 sheets, can run over 40 to 60$ U.S. in todays market It has a bit of copper or silver to change the color. fake leaf Dutch metal) can run up to 60$ U.S. Dollars depending on the mix. Thanks for the great demo,(I mean it, no sarcasm) Cheers, Rik Spector

[@trevorwhat]

That was a particularly good walkthrough, Dan. Thanks for putting it together.

[@fredwright3070]

Always nice to see your dad hanging out with you!

[@draagynshit2729]

Nice seeing you and your dad having fun.

[@Landogarner83]

As a bit of additional info on the topic: It is not possible to directly electroplate gold onto copper. the gold will just soak into the copper without leaving a visible layer on the surface. To electroplate gold onto copper there has to be a layer of different metal like nickel in between.

[@terryfowler1495]

Or on a sheet of paper.

[@mayhemdiscordchaosohmy573]

Yes one can its done all the time but there is a way it must be done to make last for a while. I KNOW i was a jeweler for 30 years

[@Landogarner83]

@@mayhemdiscordchaosohmy573 interesting. How does that work?

[@ronsaunders3170]

I worked at a circuit board manufacturer in Connecticut all we did was electro plate the boards

[@MrGoesBoom]

Not gonna lie, the smart ass in me, as soon as I saw the title was thinking "Well there might be 20 grams of gold in that 20 gram bag of gold...but I could be wrong"

[@ron6Gs]

I literally asked the same just now😂😂

[@angeschannel73]

Imitation gold leaf, also called composition gold leaf, Dutch metal, or Dutch gold, while made to imitate the appearance of gold, is made from a combination of copper, zinc, and brass.

[@rtmsound1877]

There is an alloy called Nordic Gold that is copper, tin, zinc, and aluminum. It is used in European coins that look gold.

[@uncleal]

"Copper plus 4 - 15 % aluminum gives corrosion-resistant and strong aluminum bronze with a pale gold color. Powdered it's used as a metallic, gold-color pigment in oil-based paints and inks."

[@kevinmartin7760]

I'm guessing that this material is mainly brass with perhaps just a flash of gold to prevent corrosion. That smoke would be the zinc burning off. Once the zinc is gone the melting point went up so the bead solidified. At first I was wondering how aluminum would work in cupelling; it forms a very stubborn oxide layer with a very high melting point, and I'm not sure the lead oxide would be able to dissolve it. Much of what is currently sold as "gold leaf" is aluminum with some coating to make it look gold.

[@robrob5081]

Depending on the brand of the gold leaf most of the cheaper ones are mostly copper zinc and brass mix.

[@Radix.Strategy]

Dan and Jason again. Yes please. Y'all are the best.

[@HotelPapa100]

That's not pure gold leaf. That's what guilders call composition gold; an alloy that looks golden, but is probably some kind of bronze or brass. Real gold leaf comes in purities of 12 to 24 ct, depending on color, and while it IS incredibly thin (about 100 atoms worth of thickness), the foil IS as pure as that carat indicates. 1 leaf of 80 x 80 mm contains gold in a value of maybe 1 buck. Real gold leaf you cannot hold in your hand; it curls up into nothingness under the influence of your skin oils. And, yes, copper can be drawn out almost as thin as gold. But composition gold is way thicker than gold leaf, no reason to go through the elaborate process of beating that is used to make gold leaf. That's why you can handle composition gold with your hands.

[@denp54z]

Oh forgot to say thanks,v good show and good to see you have your Dad still with you alive, kicking & having some fun together! Cheers!

[@placidyeti]

Dude - you two are the most dyslexic alchemists ever turning gold into lead.

[@helenak.5762]

Thank you, Dan, for another educational video. I love these experiments you do ❣️

[@krisgalusha9820]

Gold leaf comes as 24k and as a fake gold. It is used in antique repair and art.

[@EchoJulez]

Always nice seeing you dad in these videos. Keep up the great content.

[@x31omega]

Love your dad. He reminds me of mine.

[@wildfirebill]

I work in a copper tubing facility when I pour the molten copper out it is 1200*c. Anything under 1080*c if you pull a test it turns solid quickly.

[@blizzardfpv9584]

24:00 Elios 3 inspection drone with LiDAR i got to fly that drone at an aviation museum in Edmonton. Very cool live mapping features

[@me5768]

I had around 40 pounds of gold leaf that I saved from being thrown away on the job I was on once. I finally got around to testing it turned out it was mostly copper with a small amount of zinc. The zinc was used I am guessing to coat the paper and then electroplating the copper on it, and it made it look like gold. So as you can imagine, I didn’t spend anymore time on it. I just threw it away. But it was fun watching you. Play with it anyway enjoy your videos very much.

[@savingferris8279]

FYI, 40 lbs of copper is worth around $160.

[@me5768]

@@savingferris8279 It was mostly paper weight the coating was super thin, so I didn't bother with it. I did however find some old switch gear from a electrical box that was plated with silver that I recovered 2 lbs of silver off of it years ago that was fun.

[@seymourpro6097]

There is an alloy called Prince Rupert's Metal that has no gold in the mix but looks rather like gold, it's 75/25 copper zinc so it's really a brass alloy. It's specifically made to imitate gold.

[@firefox2716]

Cupels usually have to be heated to . turn red hot all over, then allow some oxygen flow or air flow over the cuppel......to oxidize the base metals like copper & lead absorption into the cupel. Not easy can take an hour to do this under super hot temps Glowing the cupels to a red color is not easy..I believe the copper mixed in with the gold is making harder to cupel. Great experiment Dan

[@Danhurd]

That is not what my smelting text book says. Nor the manufacturer of kiln.

[@firefox2716]

@@Danhurd Ok, Dan, my mabor cupel is rated up to 2,300 F , you dont have to reach 2,300 F....I melt gold at 1,943 F to 1,950 F depending what other metals are in it like copper 1,990 F , when my cupels turn red glowing is when it works for me, then I allow some air to flow into my kiln and see the absorption take place in the cupel. It takes me 40 to 60 minutes to make it work. Everyone's kiln & torch is usually different, sizes & manufactures. Ok, I seen you cupel in the past, but I dont think you had that amount of copper . The copper makes it harder Dan......ok, I'll edit my comment so theirs no confusion. I also learn from you over the years, so glad your health improved my friend ....Dan 🌝

[@mikeyoungblood1706]

Thanks Dan I definitely learned several things from this Video, Your Dad seems to be a fine Gentleman, Please feature Him in more Videos !

[@chuckster6513]

Hey Dan, Such a pleasant surprise to see your father in the opening of this video. Great subject for todays video. Work Safe, Be Well Stay Warm

[@Technician99m]

In the UK, schools use "dutch metal" (a form of brass) for gold leaf electroscopes. This is very thin. This is used in physics electrostatic experiments.

[@davidjaminsky]

There’s something incredible about seeing your “elder male role model” grow over time and evolve and THEN meet HIS father. Mind blowing. I feel like I just met my great grandfather that didn’t know his son had grandkids elsewhere. 🤯

[@ant-1382]

My Sunday fix of Dan Hurd, Hi Doug. Greetings from Comox.

[@tylerkeeling3786]

LETS START A CAMPAIGN MAKE Dan the man Herd have the highest like ratio we can. I never like videos, but Dan's out here earning not begging, sincerely you are the man. I always love your videos

[@Emu0181]

Having gilded quite a few picture frames and sculptures for stage productions, most cheap leafing material is some brass alloy, although real gold leaf is available in various purities (24k for edible like for cakes and stuff). Edit: most of this cheap stuff is labeled as "gold leaf" despite containing no gold, and comes on pads of tissue paper for application.

[@Emu0181]

Also the cheap stuff needs to be clear coated with polyurethane to prevent oxidation, whereas the real stuff doesn't

[@40thplumengineering61]

Hay Dan . It doesn't really apply here, but if you ever want to refine Cu from Pb and Sn is present, you can separate the Cu by adding Sulfur at 650f and mixing. If no Sn is present, you can add a mixture of sulfur and iorn pyrite at 900f and mix. You can also use red phosphorus at 750f and dropping .

[@christhompson4270]

Great experiment, take care and thank you for the lesson 👍🙏❤️

[@frederickbierweiler8020]

your outdoor set up looks like it should be housing a moonshine operation. ;))

[@Vocopi]

love it, such great positivity from you and your father!

[@beez1717]

What a fun video! I love seeing metal melt/smelt it's so satisfying to watch.

[@jaratt85]

Copper and silver are also available in leaf form. Amazingly I just found out they make platinum and palladium leaf too. The scrunched up pieces like that are called schabin. There's also lead leaf too, I know that from an episode of Mythbusters. "Imitation leaf gives the appearance of solid gold despite the fact that it does not contain any gold at all. It is composed of some combination of copper, zinc, and brass and is much less expensive than gold leaf which is its primary drawing factor."

[@georgeconnon7272]

Thank you, Dan and Doug for your knowledge!

[@georgeearls3338]

I have one of those. It was given to me by my girlfriends grand daughter. That is the real value of it to me. It's not worth what she paid for it, but I wouldn't take a thousand dollars for it. It was very interesting to find out the actual content. Thank you. As always great video.

[@whitneykelley3580]

I used XRF in college and when the video started, I was like “Shame he doesn’t have access to an XRF. It’d be a lot faster than this.” Then I got to the end of the video. 😂

[@robertdaley671]

Congratulations on 1M subscribers Dan.

[@icarus877]

In the UK there is a difference between gold leaf and gold foil. Gold foil does not need to contain any gold. Gold leaf must contain gold and it must be stipulated.

[@jasonfox6013]

Love watching your videos I learn soo much thanks for the knowledge much love from New Zealand

[@intothewildexplore]

My consideration before watching the entire video: "I don't understand... gold leaf is many times thinner than a human hair, but if you weight it to be 20g, it surely must be 20g worth of material. If you don't get 20g of gold, that is another story, but that is due to its purity, not thickness..." Conclusion after watching the full video: " Yeah, I agree with you, that was indeed 20g of rubbish material, probably some electroplated metal"

[@billdewaine997]

Awesome it's good to see your dad it's been awhile

[@europeantechie]

hello dan from dan hurd prospecting I've watched every video in the last 1 or 2 years and I still love that intro

[@lovelylisawarriorqueen7923]

Peanut butter in the background are the real show stoppers, lol. I didn't realize how much science goes into all this. Thank you for showing us it's very interesting.

[@donhoughton271]

I had a friend bring home a bottle of that, so called gold and he paid $20.00 for it .I told him that did not look like gold to me since I have been prospecting for years and know what gold looks like and how it moves in water .He was passed off at himself for being so gualbable.So I took him with me and went gold panning for his first time and he now understands what real gold looks like and how it reacts in water.

[@LoisELewis]

Fun to watch you working with your dad. Learned lots too

[@RonnieFrancis]

I had heard that gold leaf was a joke but thanks for showing us just how much.

[@shawn1744]

2 very smart men!! Thank you for the lesson.

[@goldmonkeyprospecting5789]

I loved this video. I love when you do these types of videos. Science and experiments got to love it.

[@trevdyer173]

Would have been Interesting to see how it reacted too a metal detector like an equinox 800

[@charlescann531]

I really enjoy the smelting videos thank you.

[@davidariamirroarkyoung]

I love watching you with your Dad. I never knew my father but my grandfather was amazing and started me prospecting and looking for gems the first gem I found was a 3000 pound quartz Boulder I saw just a inch sticking out of the ground and then kept digging and digging and digging and then my grandfather hired a crew and once structure dug out a giant Crain lifted it out of the ground and on the side of the lake one of the straps broke and it cracked it into twenty pieces but they were still large pieces I keep a 300lb piece in my living room it was one of my happiest memories of him. Sadly he was killed the following year. But I love seeing you guys together it's magical please make as. Many videos as possible with him also have him talk about some of. The adventures he had with you as a kid would love to hear his account

[@dragonshoardstacker]

Awesome video idea earned my subscription on the first video ever seen and enjoy every video with the family since Dan seems like a cool guy everyone wants to hang out with and learn something from bet he's a blast to sit around the campfire with and tell stores

[@redbaronrefining5322]

I remember that eBay ad exactly! I wanted to put the foils into nitric to verify they were only gold but I had a feeling it was gold plated copper or something similar as you bravely took the financial risk to try for us!

[@-Jeremiah-]

I see the beard and I hear Burl Ives as frosty “Silver and Gold Silver and gold”

[@762sandman]

I loved this video. We need way more of this,!!!

[@sarahhanna9241]

That's AWESOME I always wandered what that gold leaf actually was. Very interesting! I love your channel and always great to see your dad in videos!

[@promontorium]

A lot of gold leaf is pure gold. It just depends what it's meant for, who's selling it, etc.

[@iandale]

Glad to hear the technical term “Iffy” being used outside of the UK

[@richardbreisch8049]

Your Dad is cool! Good lesson on gold foil, didn't know there is so little gold. Nice

[@aleishahansen2068]

hahahah i love watching you and have watched for years!!! we as a family are such a huge fan!!! we had a funny laugh at you being a red head with a little pot of gold and your laughing, such a leprechaun thing. ❤️ happy st patricks day!

[@charityrocks]

I am a nail technician and I use gold leafing for nails. If you wipe the gold leafing with nail polish remover with acetone or solidify it into the acrylic using methacrylate monomer then file it they will turn copper. So yes a fun fact is that Soaking and wiping gold leaf with acetone will expose the copper ❤ I have to be very careful when applying it or I will make the nails look copper and not gold. I have always wondered how they “paint” the copper gold.

[@charityrocks]

I have always been curious what metal they use to make glitter too. Most glitters are actually silver or copper in colour underneath the paint on them. So you think they use copper or tin maybe? If there is lead we should be more careful when filing into glitters then right?

[@frederickbierweiler8020]

very informative love your videos

[@gyvren]

“🎵Yeah, just for the smelt of it.. We’ll have a little laughter..🎶” 😉

[@beez1717]

That XRF machine is amazing! It would be cool if you had the funds to buy one so you could easily tell what ore you're looking at out in the field but I bet it's far too expensive.

[@kasnitch]

Depends on how you define expensive vs almost invaluable as a tool . I've seen a handheld advertised for around $40k .

[@roycehartman325]

Great looking ore you've got there! Would love to see a collab with you and Jason, that guy really knows his stuff when it comes to refining!

[@futtermanfarms6791]

can't tell you haw many times I've wondered the same thing. How much gold is that really. Loved this one!

[@dubcindub15]

I saw the video title and thought....he's gonna need the tiny scales for this one!

[@derrickdutka3691]

Thanks Dan, that was a fun vid

[@pmackay159]

Love the vids mate and where your doing your smelting is a wicked back yard

[@craigdavid4718]

I know nothing about gold, but, I enjoyed this vid a lot... You got my Subscription, Sir. Pleasure to meet you Dan and Doug 🙂

[@uwepolifka4583]

I think it is this -- "Composition gold (also composition gold), leaf metal, leaf metal, French gold, Parisian gold or fake gold leaf refers to wafer-thin rolled or beaten brass or bronze, which is used as a cheap surrogate for real gold leaf"

[@mytwocoins]

Can you burn gold if it gets too hot for too long? Fun watching you and your dad having a good time together.

[@jamesdickman8315]

I'm wondering about the gold in peppermint snachapps fond in the brand Gold Wasser

[@FuturisticPast1515]

So lead dissolves copper does it need to be a specific type of Lead like lead with a zinc coating or does it not matter

[@pathoodjoy]

Great GLoTD and fun experiment to watch. Thank you.

[@leuserstoneschannel]

this is so amazing i love it guys a very good process 👌👌👍

[@prospectorpete]

It's only shaved brass. I've tested it chemically in one of my videos

[@robycannady160]

Awesome video Dan! Thanks so much. I needed some of your positive energy today. 👍

[@Baronstone]

Dan, one of these days I would love to come and visit you and work for a month chasing that ore vein on the surface of the Blue Chip mine like you said you wanted to do. You could probably extract 50-100 tons of ore from the surface during that time. Most of it would be poor quality because it would be from the surface, but you said you wanted to expose that vein along the surface. Who knows, maybe you could have a 2-4 week long event where folks pay a small fee to come and camp at the mine site and then help clear off the area you want during the day as well as help collect ore for you while they get a few pieces for themselves along with learning the ropes of hardrock mining from the surface. You could invite guest speakers to give talks about the best way to stake claims, do research looking for potential new claims in areas, and exactly how to check for gold in quartz that you can't see gold on the surface of, etc. etc. etc. I would absolutely pay to go to an event like that. Also, I was wondering why you don't follow the logging companies and check along the new roads they cut as they log an area looking for quartz and sulfide deposits?

[@Zimgirgaz]

Backyard geurrilla chemistry with dad! Fun! Yarrrrr...!

[@HealingNews]

As a gold leaf specialist: That is not real gold - mostly alloy of copper, zinc, brass/bronze, and aluminum - depending on the supplier, but still called gold leaf. The real gold leaf is 10-12K white [alloyed with silver], 16K pale, 18K Lemon gold leaf [75% gold with alloys copper for red], 21-22K Moon Gold [alloyed with Palladium], or 22,23,23.75 & 24K [99%+ pure]. 24K gold leaf is purer and so soft - extremely delicate & has to be mostly handled with special brushes as it sticks to fingertips when pure. Nothing pounds as thin/malleable as gold, except maybe palladium or silver, but pure silver leaf is thicker and easier to handle but will tarnish faster once it is touched - can turn dark just like copper when oxidized.

[@frederickbierweiler8020]

happy to see Doug in your video again. was wondering about him

[@jeremykooi6215]

Nice job, I always wondered how much gold is really in those souvenirs, thank you

[@jasonlinhart3300]

Thanks for the GLOTD! Wow! Once again I wish I knew what you have forgotten 😂.

[@ScottCameron-r5l]

Hey Dan love the videos the blow torch cylinders will get colder when burning causing drop in pressure and heat and if it's winter it will affect pressure too hope this is helpful Dan

[@johnpawicz2297]

I don't think it is plated. I am willing to bet it is an alloy called nordic gold. It's 89% copper, 5% aluminum, 5% zinc and 1% tin.. It is a beautiful gold color. I cast with it.

[@Danhurd]

It actually had a small amount of gold/silver in it, but a tiny amount

[@debiesubaugher]

One of the best videos you've done, I cackled most of the time so had to watch it again just to see what I missed.

[@Danhurd]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jessekirton8537]

2:39am and woke up to the notification couldn't help myself

[@kscory8577]

What part of the world?

[@jessekirton8537]

@@kscory8577 Sydney Australia

[@kscory8577]

@@jessekirton8537 sweet! I would love to check out Australia before my time is up. I'm in Kansas in the middle of the US.

[@jessekirton8537]

@@kscory8577 it's good if you like deadly animals every where nah you get use to that pretty quick you learn to just leave em alone lol other than that it's a great place great fun and laidback is us mate

[@kscory8577]

@@jessekirton8537 I actually love animals even if they are trying to kill you. It doesn't look too different from America. I'm not so sure about Australia's politics but it's not that great here right now either

[@redbaronrefining5322]

The dead giveaway on that gold foil was the color it turned as soon as the flame touched It and it tarnished like copper or brass. Gold wouldn’t change color, just get brighter until it glows haha

[@martineastburn3679]

When I machined some Si-Bronze Silicon Bronze the metal rolled off and I had a jar of Beautiful Gold color metal. I never found a art design for the curls.

[@carlospitteri3146]

Really like the videos with dad Hurd