Every time I look out there, someone is marketing a new magnet or a new magnetic configuration that will capture all of your black sands. There is a problem... you cannot shut them off. With all of our electronic devices, phones, computers, etc., they are VERY SENSITIVE to magnetic force fields. I believe that I may have a unique means of capturing all of the black sand anyone would ever need. The force field can be shut off at will, and while energized will provide up to 700 pounds of lift in the air. All of this while using 2 "D" cell batteries, and weighing in at 4 pounds.
The electromagnet that I'm talking about is from Information Unlimited in Amherst, NH. But you can find this old hippy at - http://www.amazing1.com/projects.htm, scroll down to electromagnet on the page. Sure it will cost about $80, but this can work effectively, where others just promise. I plan to use this to separate the captured black sands from the fine gold that is attached to it. That'll come in about 30 days or so.
There is a website that can give you some ideas of how to separate the sands from the gold dust. Their idea is great, but too complex for the means required for the task. They are using rare earth magnets for the separation, but they are limited to strength; a powered belt assembly, two hoppers. These guys are really sharp, give them credit for thinking outside of the box. They definitely saw the problems of horizontal separation sluices, etc. and decided to go vertical.
A magnet will pick up the magnetite, but the gold will also be picked up as it sticks to the black sand. If you don't like panning the black sand, the next best choice is to use one of the spiral wheel separators or a classifier table. A little dish soap in your pan will help eliminate the surface tension in the water and reduce the loss of the flower gold. Mercury does a good job of capturing the fine gold but it is a mess to use and highly toxic.
A magnet will pick up the magnetite, but the gold will also be picked up as it sticks to the black sand. If you don't like panning the black sand, the next best choice is to use one of the spiral wheel separators or a classifier table. A little dish soap in your pan will help eliminate the surface tension in the water and reduce the loss of the flower gold. Mercury does a good job of capturing the fine gold but it is a mess to use and highly toxic.
lgadbois is right about the wet magnetic black sand holding the gold. This is partly due to the "pinching" action of the particles of magnetic black sand which tend to attract each other and hold gold between them and partly due to the surface tension of the wet black sand which tends to allow gold particles to stick to it. My solution is to separate the magnetic black sand with a magnet, let it dry thoroughly, and shake it into a gold pan while holding the dried magnetic black sand with a magnet. The gold will drop out. You may have to do this a couple of times but it will separate most of your gold.
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Originally Posted by lgadbois
