How can i extract gold from a gold plated component?

Answer 1

Melt the gold. Don't expect much. The thickness of gold plate is somewhere around half a micron thick.

If you covered a standard brick with such plate, you would use about 0.035 cm^3 of gold weighing about 0.67g and worth less than $25.

Of course, it would be nice if you were plating a gold brick!

Answer 2

i would cut several 'notches' into the component and then submerse it into hydrochloric acid. you can do the same thing to a penny, to extract the copper off from the zinc.