Hi,
I noticed today when I was filling up on gas, that they were selling
for $10 these bottles filled with water and some flakes of what the
stand said “guaranteed 24 karat gold”
Since I absolutely cannot afford to buy much let alone even a
pennyweight of gold, I thought this might be a tempting target for
resourcefulness.
I was wondering. could these really be gold? And if they are, could I
drop the flake on some solid silver and melt the gold over it?
Thoughts?
Andrew Jonathan Fine
Theres never a dull question from your good self!! Any chance of some
feedback sometimes? Well, lets look at the numbers, if there selling
for 10 there buying for 5, the makers will have costs of no more that
2.5.
for the bottle, water gold and distribution.
So the gold is likely to be less than 20 cents, if that.
the only way to find out is to buy one, recover the gold and weigh
it. tho I doubt if that small amount is weighable even on a good
micro digital scale.
Are you supposed to drink it? If you want gold, your best source is
scrap electronic circuit boards. There be lots more gold on those
than in the water.
A pain to recover tho.
It’s gold leaf. too thin to do anything at all with. If you tried to
melt it, it would just disappear.
Michael
I’ll be interested in what others who know far more than I will say.
I have one of those little bottles and recently experimented with
placing some of those “flakes” on some enameled pieces. So far so
good. I think (can’t remember for sure) they were the last step on
something I sugar fired. I am really liking the results but am eager
to learn more. I would also like to know where to get more of those
little tourist bottles. Can’t go to Tucson this year to get more.
BTW - I paid $5. Shows where gold prices went.
Beverly
Gold flakes aka gold leaf are vapours. Rub a few between the fingers
and they disappear. Dry them and they float in the air. Light will
pass through them.
Selling .20c worth of flakes for $10 is a cool rip-off!
Alastair
It's gold leaf. too thin to do anything at all with. If you tried to melt it, it would just disappear.
I had some and tried to melt it.
It just disappeared.
Paf Dvorak
Edible golf leaf is available at Amazon
cake.
Wishing you the best of luck
Barbara, waiting for the storm to strike
Why not Goldschlager? There are much more gold flakes for your
money!
Hundreds of flakes, total about 1/10th of one gram so maybe $5 in
gold.
Still a bargain! Imagine pouring a shot and picking out the flakes
to throw in your customers recycled!
Charlie
I would also like to know where to get more of those little tourist bottles.
Wouldn’t gold leaf be cheaper and easier to use?
Al Balmer
Pine City, NY
It's gold leaf. too thin to do anything at all with. If you tried to melt it, it would just disappear.
I see. So there is a difference between gold leaf and gold foil? It
is foil that some people fuse onto silver for contrast?
I had some and tried to melt it. It just disappeared."
I melted the entire bottle full once, (less the bottle of course),
and got a very small bead. I suspect if you tried to melt only one
flake you would still get a bead, but one so small you might not be
able to see it without magnification.
Jerry in Kodiak
Gold Foil is much much thicker than leaf. I use gold foil fused over
silver (keum boo), and roll out my own from a piece of 24K gold. I
make it about the thickness of aluminum foil and one handle it, and
cut it into the shapes needed for the Keum Boo.
Gold leaf on the other hand is very thin, and cannot be handled.
Alma
Here is a visual answer on melting gold foil.
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep800b
I’m curious about how gold leaf is made this thin?
Jamie- I don’t know how it’s made today. I’m guessing some sort of
electro forming.
However I did have a great great uncle who was a gold leaf beater.
He was a recent German immigrant. My late father told about visiting
him in his workshop in NYC around WWI. He said that there were
several guys sitting around a table with books of layers of gold leaf
with tissue in between them. He had a large leather covered wood
mallet that he would endlessly beat the stacked gold with. Constantly
turning it in circles and rearranging the layers. He would switch
arms periodically when one tired.
Did this for 12 hour a day. Dad said that he had arms like Popeye.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
-Jo Haemer
Making goldleaf is called goldbeating, see the above article about
the process.
John
Good description in either of Oppi Untracht’s books.
Or just check Wikipedia.
I'm curious about how gold leaf is made this thin?
Google is your friend. Gold leaf - Wikipedia
Al Balmer
Pine City, NY
I would just like to say that none of the bottles of "gold flakes"
in water that I have drained, and tested, have ever tested as being
gold.
Best regards,
Cecelia
Very interesting. OK how do they get opals that thin for triplets?