Buried Jar of Liquid Mercury

[Ed144]

I found a jar of liquid mercury buried about 6" deep in an upright position. The lid top was rusted away to nothing so the jar was filled with dirt. The detector sounded a large target that was both ferrous and non-ferrous, so I dug it. Some of the mercury spilled into the zip-lock bag I put it in. The photos shows the jar and the mercury I cleaned up. Also found a bunch of other stuff: A.J. Tower Co. Boston button back, REM UMC 32-40, REM UMC 32-20, W.R.A. Co 32 W.C.F. cartridges, Leader No 12 1901 and Black Club No 12 U.M.G. Co shot gun cartridges. The rifle cartridges where in several groups. There seemed to be so many cartridges I suspect a shoot-out or something. Also two melted metal lumps that appear to be lead. Does anyone have a suggestion how I might clean the mercury from the dirt in the jar? I have it sealed in two zip lock bags at this time. What does one do with old liquid mercury other that take it to a hazardous waste disposal?

 

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[Digger RJ]

Wow

 

[firemanphob]

I have read where gold is dissolved in Mercury. Don't understand the procedure but you might want to check with someone more knowledgeable about it. Could someone have dissolved gold in the mercury to camo it?

 

[DetectingGodlikeOnOlympus]

You could probably sell it for a few bucks to someone on Craig's List since you are in gold country. They will be able to clean it up and use it.

 

[63bkpkr]

If it is dirt then MAYBE wash it with water MIGHT dissolve and carry off some of the dirt. Likely the rusted lid is also in there, might get that out with a magnet.

The miners used to put the dirty mercury (or mercury with gold in it) into a porous cloth (skin) and then they could squeeze some of the mercury out, this would yield cleaner mercury.

Likely where you found the mercury was someone's type of hazardous waste disposal site. You could contact a mining supply store out your way to see if they would want to purchase it (first check the price of purchasing mercury in small quantities so you know what to ask/accept for it, though looks like you could have a pint of it).

Wear rubber gloves as the mercury can be absorbed into your body and heating it will cause it to evaporate which means you could then breathe it in, this is not good to do!! Be safe..............63bkpkr

 

[UnderMiner]

I would clean up the mercury and keep it, it is very useful material to have and has a rich history in precious metals refining. Maybe it has some gold dissolved in it, this was a common practice back in the day. However it is also toxic and causes neurological damage if it gets into your body, it vaporizes into the air if heated.

 

[ToddsPoint]

With all the ammunition, the mercury might have been used to clean rifle bores. Lead has an a affinity for mercury. To remove lead fouling from a bore, you plug one end of the bore and fill it with mercury. The lead fouling combines with the mercury and is removed. Later, the lead can be removed from the mercury. Gary

 

[A2coins]

Wow thats a first Ive seen found be careful with it .cool find

 

[cyzak]

I do not believe it is dirt in your mercury it has become attracted to either lead, silver or gold it has to be ran thru a retort to separate the impurities out of it. This is a very dangerous process you need to find a competent person who knows how to deal with it I use to take mine to and old prospector who had all the right equipment and experience to handle it.You really need to keep it cool to I use to keep mine inside of a jar inside of a jar with water in both you do not want it vape in off and make sure you use rubber gloves when handling to.

 

[Peyton Manning]

Uh. You know not to get it on skin, right?

 

[Bodkin]

Nice. That mercury could be your fortune or mis-fortune. I bent glass and made neon signs for years until the EPA and other state regulators decided to, for all intents and purposes, shut me and others down. Certain colors in the neon signs get a drop of mercury which regulators don't feel should be in the hands of common folks. Be careful with the stuff and good luck with disposal. Nice find though!

 

[smokeythecat]

Well, mercury is highly poisonous. I'd get rid of it asap. Doesn't matter what else is in there. The old timers would put in over a fire in a cast iron pan outside and burn the mercury off, but that gives off toxic gasses, and you could wind up dead real fast, of have kids with 2 heads each. Best left alone.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

As others have mentioned, there is a chance what you have is emalgam and could be worth a lot!
I have heard of more than one person finding many ounces of gold in a jar of emalgum while metal detecting.
Old time miners would wring the mercury out through a cheese cloth, leaving the bulk of the gold inside to be cleaned in a retort. Small flour gold would be carried through the cheese cloth and remain with the mercury.

I believe a retort would be required to purify the mercury and extract any trapped gold.
Treat it with care- it can be very dangerous, especially if heated.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

Mercury will fume off at room temperature out of water, you dont have to heat it for it to give off gasses. It's only stable in water.

 

[Whyme]

Wow it seems that stuff is pretty dangerous. Be very careful!

 

[Ed144]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm taking all safety measures with the mercury. I think I'll try dumping the contents of the jar into a tall bucket and wash away the dirt using water. I should then be able to pour the remaining mercury into a jar that can be sealed. I am using chemical gloves and also have a charcoal canister breather and will work outdoors. The area I found the jar is an old gold mining area that could date back pre-1900 so it was likely used for mining. If anyone around El Dorado county is interested in this type of detecting and would like to team-up, contact me.

 

[huntsman53]

Welcome to the TNET forums and congrats on the finds! Since you found the jar of Mercury in Gold Country, there is a really good chance that the Mercury contains Gold. Like others have stated, clean it up as best you can and then store the Mercury in a good sealable jar with plenty of water, then store in a cool location to keep the Mercury stable. Find you a knowledgeable or professional person that has a Retort and can separate any Gold or other precious metals from the Mercury and also come out with a lot of clean Mercury. I sure hope the Mercury contains a lot of Gold!

 

[cyzak]

A big plastic gold pan works best just put a little mercury at a time in it.

 

[RTR]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm taking all safety measures with the mercury. I think I'll try dumping the contents of the jar into a tall bucket and wash away the dirt using water. I should then be able to pour the remaining mercury into a jar that can be sealed. I am using chemical gloves and also have a charcoal canister breather and will work outdoors. The area I found the jar is an old gold mining area that could date back pre-1900 so it was likely used for mining. If anyone around El Dorado county is interested in this type of detecting and would like to team-up, contact me.

Hey Ed, take a look at this

 

[dirtlooter]

mercury was used for a lot things in the past including doctoring. it was also used years ago in hat making/forming thus the old saying "The Mad Hatter" from the effects of the mercury on the person(s) using it to make the hats.