Mac Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 Prospecting many years ago I discovered a large chunk of quartz with intact host rock on one side. The slate is flat and so, I want to clean the piece and display it. It's about the size of a shoebox. It's in my storage unit, otherwise I'd take and post a photo. From what I remember it's got pyrite in the cavaties and might be rather nice looking if clean. I use to be a medical laboratory technologist and very cautious about using chemicals without a safety ventilation hood, so are there non-chemical options? Would a baking soda or vinegar paste get it clean? Do I need to post the photo in order to ID how best to clean it? I have motivation now to tackle the major project of gutting the unit to get to the 40+ year collection of rocks, most of which are quartz pieces from gold bearing regions ... due to realizing just now that none of these have had a detector run over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDancer Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 A photo would be good Mac. It'll let us have a look as to what you want to clean depending on the discoloration. Could be as simple as a little vinegar, baking soda or some CLR but with what you've described I doubt you want to go as heavy as strong acids. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob(AK) Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Depending on what you are trying to clean off of it, Iron Out may work from hardware store. Also a bead blaster works fine on quartz, will not damage it 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted August 2, 2018 Author Share Posted August 2, 2018 Thanks, DD and Bob. I should have waited to post the pics with the question. Pockets are not photographing well, too blurry. Some pyrite deep in there. Have read that pyrite can be a source of gold but that is only oxidized pyrite rather than intact, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDancer Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 Looks interesting. With the pyrites present I dont adivse using strong acids or lime/rust removers as they will react with the pyrites. I'd try bleach first for a week or so to see if it pulls out any organic stains. After that try vinegar on a part of the stone for a week to pull out carbonates and see if that lightens up the quartz. If you do decide to try acid dilute it to about 1 in 10 and try another part of the stone and see how it reacts to the pyrites. Muritic *HCL* pool acid is fairly safe to work with but leave it outdoors and use gloves. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now