Rock Crusher

[Smallminers]

New Rock Crusher Needed Who Wants To Build One?

So my rock crusher finally laid a big turd and is done. After about 3 years of running it 2 weeks a month on average and about 10 hours a day the housing is shot. It has probably seen about 5k tons of quartz run through it.

Went back to the place I bought it and prices have jumped to 1500 bucks for a 16 inch which is what I have. I see several people here have built their own and just wondering if anyone would be interested in spinning one up for a reasonable profit but not trying to mug someone. Not going to be needing it again until probably March so time is not an issue. Prefer obviously the larger feed tube and size.

I guess I should add it had (I kept a 13hp engine) impact mill type crusher.

Saw this design which was interesting, may make chain changes easier? https://www.prospectingaustralia.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8941&p=1

Thanks

 

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[SaltwaterServr]

So my rock crusher finally laid a big turd and is done. After about 3 years of running it 2 weeks a month on average and about 10 hours a day the housing is shot. It has probably seen about 5k tons of quartz run through it.

Went back to the place I bought it and prices have jumped to 1500 bucks for a 16 inch which is what I have. I see several people here have built their own and just wondering if anyone would be interested in spinning one up for a reasonable profit but not trying to mug someone. Not going to be needing it again until probably March so time is not an issue. Prefer obviously the larger feed tube and size.

I guess I should add it had (I kept a 13hp engine) impact mill type crusher.

Saw this design which was interesting, may make chain changes easier? https://www.prospectingaustralia.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8941&p=1

Thanks

A friend of mine in Kalifornia has a clam-shell type like that he built. He said the extra effort of the build is worth it and he'd never own another front access flail crusher.

Here's a video from Mount Baker Mountain:



Prototyping still:



This guy is in Idaho and will sell you the steel work, you add the motor and go to town.

Portable Rock crusher kits and mining equipment

 

[Smallminers]

Thanks I had looked at the patriot one in the link but he is 1850 for a 16"

If I end up buying one that will probably be it, but hopefully can get one made a little cheaper

 

[Kenmitch]

Your old one is beyond repair? Seems like a shop that works with metal might possibly be able to rebuild it. Might be worth a look at least.

 

[Smallminers]

It could have probably been repaired but it was pretty worn. Was just a matter of short time before I would be doing this anyways and I have some stuff going on (my kids wrestling season) every weekend between now and march so that ends my ability to travel because I would have to fly back and forth and just not worth the added expense. Claim is in Nevada, I am in Florida this the two weeks on and two off every month.

Been averaging about 3/4 an oz a ton out of the tailings so well worth it but have to balance what else is important as well.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Smallminer,

You should be able to find a small metal fab shop there in Florida. The shell should be relatively inexpensive to have fabricated. If you cannot find anybody there, I'm in the SE corner of Arizona and might be able to find something here.

But I am with SaltwaterServr here. An actual hammer mill like the one he posted will last a great deal longer than anything with chains. If your running 3/4 ounce per ton on the tailing pile, then you should really think about ponying up for some better equipment. With the time gained from a maintenance downtime perspective, an actual hammer mill would pay for itself rather quickly. The chain based impact mills were never built from a production standpoint. There were built to fill a niche between using a hand based method and full on cone crushers.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Have you done any testing on your ore to see just how fine it needs to be ground for recovery?

 

[Mad Machinist]

SaltwaterServr,

The formula for building an octagon shaped hammer mill visas follows:

s=0.765R

So if you want a 16" octagon shaped crusher it would be s (side) = 0.765 x 8" (radius) = 6.120".

The included angle between the plates is 135 degrees.

 

[Smallminers]

I have not tested the ore, a few years ago we were just dabbling and next thing you now I am making regular trips back and forth. I cant say I am getting exactly 3/4 an ounce a ton because I have never tried to weigh out a ton and check it but witht he random samples we had assayed that was what came back.

My crusher would supposedly do 1800 lbs an hour. I usually Crush about 10 hrs day starting at 6 or 7 and call it quits. Lowest I have got is 4 ounces, most I have had in a day was 17 ounces (after refining). I average 8-12 oz a day. More or less a 1 man show.

I may look at the hammer mill. I am a creature of habit I hate change. Not a mechanical kind of guy just like to keep things simple.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Ok, first things first. Either your one of the luckiest people alive or your full of chit. There are no chain flail crushers on the market that will do 1800 pound an hour, especially with a 13 horse motor. More likely your getting about 500 pounds an hour through it. Even the best chains on these flail crushers will only do an average of 1000 lbs before they need turned or replaced.

Now given those numbers along with your recovery rates, that would put your ore grade at two to three ounces a ton. Meaning you didn't do proper sampling to begin with. You more than likely just picked up a few rocks and sent them in. This is bad as if you could have proven a resource, you would have had absolutely no problem getting money to do a full scale operation. The second mistake you made was not testing the ore to see just how fine you have to grind it for the best recovery rate with the least amount of capital investment. By grinding to dust with a chain flail mill when 50 or 100 mesh would have sufficed, you just may be LOSING gold.

Now a lot of people may think you are full of it with this much in a tailings pile, I say it is possible if their was a visible seam of gold somewhere in the mix. Then tunnel vision kicks in and the rest is history. Or depending on when the mine was worked last, it just may have been highgraded.

If it was me in your shoes, with those kind of recovery rates, I would damn well find somebody who knows what they are doing to show you the ropes so to speak. And I damn sure wouldn't have a problem buying equipment to make sure my recovery rate was maximized while laying out a minimum of money.

The flail mill you were using was never designed for hard production runs as you are using it. At 2 hours run time before chains need changed, with a half an hour to change them, your losing 2 hours per day in maintenance. That's two hours your not breaking rocks thus losing money. So with the numbers you posted that's 1 to 1.5 ounces a day your losing, that's $1000 to $1500 a day in lost money. Multiply that by your 14 days and you end up with $14,000 to $21,000 in two weeks your missing out on. Multiply by 12 months and you get the picture.

You want some help yet? Some of us here, like me, are miners for a living.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Smallminer,

I know I come across as a harda$$ and I am that way in real life not just on the internet.

To give you an example of what I am talking about take a look at what SaltwaterServr, a few others, and I are trying to do with the bioleaching. We will still most likely be over $10,000 to get set up and running to recover grams per ton. And you are upset over the price of an impact mill while recovering ounces per ton? Do you see where I am coming from?

While I will agree with you that prices for some of this equipment is getting out of hand, especially the one mill they want $1700 for with a Harbor Freight Predator 7hp engine, you have three choices.

1. Pay the price for the equipment and mine.

2. Don't pay the price and you don't mine.

3. Learn how to weld and build your own.

That is all there is. The people building this stuff have families to feed too. I could build you something that would outlast you, but I doubt you would pay my price.

 

[kurtak]

Smallminer,

I know I come across as a harda$$ and I am that way in real life not just on the internet.

Not sure about coming across as a harda$$ --- blunt & to the point maybe - I would call that being realistic &/or good advice !!!

Kurt

 

[SaltwaterServr]

Not sure about coming across as a harda$$ --- blunt & to the point maybe - I would call that being realistic &/or good advice !!!

Kurt

Smallminer,

I know I come across as a harda$$ and I am that way in real life not just on the internet.

Ole Mad Machinist is an acquired taste, which makes me laugh, he's exactly like my dad. He'll tell you how the cow eats the cabbage and show you it too.

If ya don't like it and it puts your panties in a bunch, guess what? Home Depot and Lowes have pliers, and come-alongs if necessary, to get them yanked on out.

End of the day if you're smart you'll listen and learn and apply it down the road.

There's tons of money to be made in mining these small deposits if we can put a game plan together.

Folks might get hurt feelings along the way, they might not too. This dang sure ain't a metrosexual safe-space course on post-holiday season pumpkin spice latte withdrawal. It's mining for precious metals, one of the things that made this country great. It's hard, dangerous, and not the feint of heart.

What we're trying to do is one of those things that made America great to begin with, and I'm damn proud to be part of this group that's trying to evolve it.

 

[Mad Machinist]

I don't know about an acquired taste. I tend to be on the salty side.

I understand where Smallminer is coming from, but things are what they are right now. And no amount of complaining is going to do anything about it. Only guys and gals like us exchanging ideas and skills will change the status quo that we have now.

I have a design for an impact mill, just need to find someone to give me what it would cost to build it and test the damn thing to destruction.

I'd do it but that wouldn't be real world. I'm a machinist which means i could break a ballpeen hammer in a sandbox, then for an encore, I'd break an anvil with a rubber hammer just because I could.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Smallminers,

Tell ya what, I checked some prices and I'll build you a one off 16"-ish octagon based shell for $600. Now you might think that is high but for that price you are getting a shell made from 3/8" thick AR500 plate, more commonly know as bulletproof armor plate. Like I said, it will outlast you.

AR500 plate cannot be cut with a oxy acetylene torch. You have to use a plasma cutter (and not the cheaply harbor freight one, not enough power), a water jet, or laser to cut it. Hence the reason it is not used more often, it is neither cheap nor easy to work with.