A little help ...100,000 tons of silver ore

[GoldGoblin]

I am looking for some advice/input . My partner and I have a claim located in _________ Idaho , and we would like to know what Yall think . The Spanish worked this mine hundreds of years ago and according to OLD records they pulled out 3,000 ounces of silver per "ton" for a very long time . In the course of mining they discarded anything that basically wasnt pure silver and accumulated an ore "dump" that currently has verified ore values just over 100k tons and assays at 9 ounces per ton average . Here is the issue , what do we do with it ? Its ABOUT 300 miles to the nearest refiner and it would take hundreds of semi loads to move it ..Even at 2 oz per ton at today's market that's 3.6 million not to mention the lead , zinc and .16 Au per ton . Should we try to sell it to someone willing to tackle it for say ..7 dollars a ton ? Just would love some input since it will soon be accessible . Thanks everybody .

 

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[huntsman53]

I can't really answer your question but will offer the following. How far is it to the nearest Railroad Station, Junction or Material loading point? If fairly close, then it will likely be much more profitable to haul the Ore there where it can be shipped to the Refiner which likely has Railroad tracks to the facility and gets regular deliveries by train. However, it all depends upon how much the Refiner is going to take for handling the refining and likely the disposition of the refined metals.


Frank

 

[arizau]

My thought is that no one will be interested in buying raw "ore" unless, at the least, they have milling and concentrating facilities. I am not sure if there are still any operating mine/milling operations there in Idaho but if there are they would be the first I would contact. I don't don't think a "refinery" per se would be at all interested in raw "ore" unless they also had milling and concentrating facilities.

Good luck.

 

[Mad Machinist]

You might try contacting these people. Lucky Friday | Hecla Mining Company

 

[NHBandit]

If I didn't go back and see "Idaho" in your post I might have thought you were trying to sell a gold mine in the Philippines... Who sells 3.6 million bucks worth of anything for 700k ? Just curious...

 

[Dirthogg]

I know I know,waving hands in the air.I know of places in Can that have some of the purest silver in North America.They can't get anyone to develop the site.Assays or not.Plus there are no refiners around anymore on this side.I also know that some of the biggest players in the world for silver and the others you mentioned have reserves coming out the ying yang.I know you think you have something great.But talk to a refiner,if you can find one still operating.They will not process raw ore that I'm aware of.If you have a concentrate maybe something very pure,they might touch it.The permiting and processing ,production.ect will eat up all your investment.Unless you know away nobody else doesn't.It really sucks I know.But this is the day and age we live in.Now if you had a wicked gold strike,different ball game altogether.PM me and I can give you a contact for somebody that knows everything you could ever imagine about said.Mining is the toughest game around to play.

 

[kcm]

Got a friend on the GPEX channel that has quite a variety of rich minerals, but he's having to develop his own processing plant on-site as 1) no refiners around and nobody wants to touch it anyhow, because 2) of all the added gov't regulation, oversight, etc. - you know, just to make sure "we" don't screw up. However, nothing is to stop them from screwing things up worse. In the end, it's all about the money that heads to the gov't. That dictates how easy or overly-complicated mining and ore processing is.

 

[GoldGoblin]

Thank you ...no railroads very close sadly .

 

[GoldGoblin]

Seems the logistics could become very expensive and I was more looking for an idea of what it might be a fair price to ask , more than it being a concrete number .. Thank you

 

[GoldGoblin]

PM sent .

 

[Ragnor]

My vote is for setting up a concentration plant. Even if it's just by gravity separation. You should be able to crush and concentrate pretty cheaply assuming you have water available.

 

[kcm]

GG, is your ore mostly oxides or sulfides? If mostly sulfides, then you'll have to process your ores prior to working them - but then I'm sure you already know that.

If planning to process/concentrate your ores on-site (or nearby), what would be your best accessible means of powering the operation?

 

[wilfndgold1]

****, Your rich

 

[huntsman53]

I am sorry that I did not check back on this Thread and that trucking the ore is the most feasible! When you stated that it would take hundreds of semi loads to haul the ore to the Refiner, I just took it as fact when it is not. Most Tractor Trailers can haul 60,000 to 100,000 pounds of material, supplies or just about anything but I believe the capacity for a dump semi-trailer is 40,000 pounds but there may be with more capability/capacity. To be safe and not risk loss of ore and other problems, then 40,000 pounds is about all you would want one Tractor Trailer to haul. Even at only 40,000 pounds, it only take 5 loads to haul the 200,000 pounds (100,000 tons) of ore to the Refiner not hundreds of loads. Check with local Trucking companies that haul Construction materials as they may really need the business and if that is a no go, check with some larger Trucking companies in the area or nearby.


Frank

 

[bobw53]

it only take 5 loads to haul the 200,000 pounds (100,000 tons) of ore

Check your math.. 100,000 TONS is 200,000,000 pounds. TWO HUNDRED MILLION. That's 5000 truckloads.

 

[distribuidorUSA]

Assuming Your Math gives You 2 Pounds =1 ton.