Summary for recover gold from stainless steel Discussion
Recover gold from gold plated stainless steel wire is the core issue here: Vishnu Kumar Sharma asked how to dissolve 304 stainless steel completely without losing the gold coating. Ted Mooney, P.E. answered briefly, suggesting 50% hydrochloric acid as a possible approach. The thread later resurfaced in 2020 when Jason Ho asked about removing tiny stainless steel pieces from 22K gold jewelry after an accidental melt, saying he had already tried boiling with 60% hydrochloric acid. A 2025 follow-up from Daniel Broadbent asked whether Jason had succeeded, noting he had bench filings and sweeps with stainless steel and other metals and wanted to recover gold and possibly silver. The discussion is limited, but the practical advice given is that hydrochloric acid was the suggested method for attacking stainless steel while leaving gold intact, though no detailed procedure or confirmed outcome is provided.
Q. I am a chemical engineer working with a private firm in India. At this stage the problem I am facing is the following, any sort of help will be appreciated:
I have stainless steel wire of 304 grade, which is electro-coated with gold. Now I am seeking to dissolve stainless steel completely without losing gold at all.
Can you suggest any method?
Warm regards,
Vishnu Kumar Sharma
– Gurgaon, India
2006
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A. Try 50% hydrochloric acid
Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
A. Hi Vishnu. Hopefully Trevor’s response will be the answer you seek, but you seem to be describing one particular step you intend to execute rather than mentioning the actual goal, and it’s hard for me to accept that dissolving all of the stainless steel is the most practical route to recovery of the materials from gold plated stainless steel wire :-)
It just seems more practical to strip the gold plating off and recover the gold, and I wonder if maybe it’s possible to strip the gold but you started with the assumption that it isn’t possible?
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
Q. Hi, Jason Ho here from Malaysia, I am facing an issues where my 22K gold jewellery contains some small and tiny broken pieces of stainless steel. I believe my worker accidentally melted the old jewelry with it and that then being used in the casting process. May I know which acid should I use to dissolve stainless steel but not gold. I have tried boiling it with 60% hydrochloric acid
Jason Ho
– Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
July 10, 2020
Q. Jason, did you get the stainless steel out of the gold? I have a few ounces of bench filings and sweeps that have some stainless steel and other metals in it. I’m wanting to recover the gold and possibly the silver too.
Daniel Broadbent
Jeweler – Provo, Utah
January 13, 2025