The Misadventures of Mad Machinist

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting


Xaos,

This is what I am chasing. Right now I am evaluation various equipment available to get it out. I should mention I have my blasting license through the ATF and could quite easily get all that I wanted that way. However, not everybody can get a blasting license or has the money to do so, so I am evaluating various equipment that is commonly available to see if it will work as a stopgap measure.

I have the backers to go full scale if I choose to do so but that does no good either as far as small scale mining goes. Sure I could have generators, air compressors, jacklegs, and the like here in about a week but I want to keep this small scale so as to demonstrate that it can be done.
 

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
And today's catch. A barely used Keene RC1 and a Keene stream sluice for the low, low proce of $250.00.

37232805_1320178384782505_4488227441201905664_n.jpg
 

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Minor setback. The primer bubl on the engine sprung a leak from sitting out in the sun too long. New ones should be here in a few days.

Bad thing about Arizona is the sun breaks down just about everything here if it is left too long.
 

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
So I really got to messing with the crusher todays and figured out why it wont start. Seems the new E15 fuels play havoc on the float needle seats in these side draft carbs. A new carb has been ordered with a smaller Viton needle seat to deal with the new E15 fuels.
 

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Carb is here and on the crusher. Starts and runs like a dream. And some pics of a piece of quartz I had.

37960186_1334042420062768_7981920136607039488_n.jpg


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And the final product mostly 30 mesh minus

37912134_1334043666729310_6109400608429572096_n.jpg
 

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Question for the day. Have you ever been so filthy, dirty, and sweaty that you were made to take a "preshower" with the hose before you were left in the house to take a real shower? Today was one of THOSE days.
 

KevinInColorado

Gold Member
Jan 9, 2012
7,037
11,370
Summit County, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Grizzly Goldtrap Explorer & Motherlode, Gold Cube with trommel or Banker on top, Angus Mackirk Expedition, Gold-n-Sand Xtream Hand pump
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Question for the day. Have you ever been so filthy, dirty, and sweaty that you were made to take a "preshower" with the hose before you were left in the house to take a real shower? Today was one of THOSE days.

Haha...Yes, after a day of digging in the heat!
 

gold tramp

Bronze Member
Dec 30, 2012
1,379
2,879
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Other
Whats your method for concentrating your ore.
If you don't mind me asking.
And whens the pilot plant gonna be done? Wanting to see some mill work.

I know you gotta real job but that's just an excuse for the I can't go minin list.

Just funning, I'm still gonna hit it one more full year.
There's to much walk-in left to do, stuff I aint seen yet.

Good luck
Gt....
 

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Whats your method for concentrating your ore.
If you don't mind me asking.
And whens the pilot plant gonna be done? Wanting to see some mill work.

I know you gotta real job but that's just an excuse for the I can't go minin list.

Just funning, I'm still gonna hit it one more full year.
There's to much walk-in left to do, stuff I aint seen yet.

Good luck
Gt....

Got a Gold Cube on loan from the company for primary concentrating. So I'm set to process up to 1000 pounds an hour now. My panning skills leave something to be desired,
 

63bkpkr

Silver Member
Aug 9, 2007
4,069
4,618
Southern California
Detector(s) used
XLT, GMT, 6000D Coinmaster
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Dirty and smelly all at once especially with a week or more of consuming raw garlic to keep the skeeters at bay requires a pre-cleanup! The "fine perfume" requires time to clear up!..................63bkpkr
 

arizau

Bronze Member
May 2, 2014
2,485
3,871
AZ
Detector(s) used
Beach High Banker, Sweep Jig, Whippet Dry Washer, Lobo ST, 1/2 width 2 tray Gold Cube, numerous pans, rocker box, and home made fluid bed and stream sluices.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Got a Gold Cube on loan from the company for primary concentrating. So I'm set to process up to 1000 pounds an hour now. My panning skills leave something to be desired,

If that 1,000# of feed was beach sand it would equate to about 80 gallons (https://www.traditionaloven.com/bui...gal-of-beach-sand-to-pound-beach-sand-lb.html). After viewing videos of cubes in action and seeing how slow they are feeding them with sand, I can't picture running that much of your fine ground feed in an hour. Is your feed mixed size and screened through a trommel so actual cube feed is somewhat less than 1,000#/hr or have you tested and confirmed throughput capability with fine grained feed? Just curious...

Good luck.
 

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
If that 1,000# of feed was beach sand it would equate to about 80 gallons (https://www.traditionaloven.com/bui...gal-of-beach-sand-to-pound-beach-sand-lb.html). After viewing videos of cubes in action and seeing how slow they are feeding them with sand, I can't picture running that much of your fine ground feed in an hour. Is your feed mixed size and screened through a trommel so actual cube feed is somewhat less than 1,000#/hr or have you tested and confirmed throughput capability with fine grained feed? Just curious...

Good luck.

I'll let you know when I get to testing the feed rate. If all else fails, I'll run enough through the Gold Cube to get a decent sized shaker table and never look back.
 

KevinInColorado

Gold Member
Jan 9, 2012
7,037
11,370
Summit County, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Grizzly Goldtrap Explorer & Motherlode, Gold Cube with trommel or Banker on top, Angus Mackirk Expedition, Gold-n-Sand Xtream Hand pump
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
The gold cube will happily eat 1000 lb of -8 material per hour. Most guys feed em way too slow.
 

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
So I've been working on a waste oil burner for awhile now, it's kinda finicky with a mix of synthetic and conventional oils. It's what runs in my vehicles. I finally got it working. It throws about a four foot flame without the combustion chamber. I figure with my diesel taking 4 gallons of oil, my other truck taking 8 quarts with the oil cooler, and the wife's car taking 5, I should have a never ending supply of fuel.

Plans are to use it and its twins, think triplets, as a blacksmith foundry for my kid and as an aluminum foundry and gold smelter for me.
 

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Mad Machinist

Mad Machinist

Silver Member
Aug 18, 2010
3,147
4,686
Southeast Arizona
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Who doesn't like fire? Waste oil burner running on used motor oil. Now I can get my aluminum foundry/gold smelting furnace built.

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63bkpkr

Silver Member
Aug 9, 2007
4,069
4,618
Southern California
Detector(s) used
XLT, GMT, 6000D Coinmaster
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Great use of resources! Have good ventilation! Wear Gloves :tongue3: !.........................63bkpkr (what can I say, once an Ass always an Ass)
 

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