Gold Ore

southfork · Apr 22, 2022

A little sample that was found with a metal detector. Crushed by hand then panned to wash away some of the dirt and clay? The photo is macro so real small particles, but the quartz shows and what looks like iron and free gold. I think we need a small smelter to retrieve the values trying to speed up the recovery what's your thoughts ?

Reed Lukens · Feb 16, 2023

Yup I saw the post at the top of this page...lol.
Post #1... haha. Honestly, I was wondering why you were asking :laughing7:

southfork · Feb 18, 2023

Grinding samples today this is a piece of vein material off a mine waste dump. I single jacked it into pieces then into the jaw crusher a trip though the chain mill and onto the ribbed sluice. Cleaned the sluice and into the blue bowl, panned the concentrates I have Gold just a pinch along with some Black and White sands and pyrites. I asked my son to go back and get some more samples this is another new spot. He wasn't there more than a few minutes when someone pulled up and was walking around his car looking in the windows. My son came crashing out of the brush and the low life jumped in his car and was setting a land speed record. I need to drop him off you can't leave your vehicle on these secondary roads even the well-traveled ones.

southfork · Feb 20, 2023

Graphite and Gold this is about the ore sample above.
I found this information on the net about graphite In veins found in high grade metamorphic rocks, graphite often attains 99% purity. A variety of metals are found to accumulate in the graphite, mainly at the margin of these veins. Gold, in particular, becomes concentrated at vein margins, suggesting a hydrothermal transport mechanism and accumulation by carbon. It has been postulated that graphite becomes activated at the vein margins under high temperature conditions and it is this activation that provides sites for the accumulation of metals. Graphite has been reported from hydrothermal vents in the sea floor and these are associated with sulfides, particularly those of antimony. Even though the origin of graphite is still being debated, a deep-seated carbon source and metal-rich solutions appear to play a major role in the accumulation of metals in vein graphite. The ore sample had no visible free gold even after breaking into small pieces. But after processing a good amount of gold showed.

Tesorodeoro · Feb 21, 2023

southfork said:
Graphite and Gold this is about the ore sample above.
I found this information on the net about graphite In veins found in high grade metamorphic rocks, graphite often attains 99% purity. A variety of metals are found to accumulate in the graphite, mainly at the margin of these veins. Gold, in particular, becomes concentrated at vein margins, suggesting a hydrothermal transport mechanism and accumulation by carbon. It has been postulated that graphite becomes activated at the vein margins under high temperature conditions and it is this activation that provides sites for the accumulation of metals. Graphite has been reported from hydrothermal vents in the sea floor and these are associated with sulfides, particularly those of antimony. Even though the origin of graphite is still being debated, a deep-seated carbon source and metal-rich solutions appear to play a major role in the accumulation of metals in vein graphite. The ore sample had no visible free gold even after breaking into small pieces. But after processing a good amount of gold showed.

Gold in Graphite deposits sure are difficult to detect!

Assembler · Feb 21, 2023

Tesorodeoro said:
Gold in Graphite deposits sure are difficult to detect!

A lot of nature's graphite is easy to sound off with a metal detector. Hard to figure out with the metal detector when the values pinch off though.

southfork · Feb 22, 2023

Tesorodeoro said:
Gold in Graphite deposits sure are difficult to detect!

Just running small samples off the mine waste piles about a 1/4 bucket at a time. Trying to find the best pile for my small-scale operation. The claim ground dried enough to get the old pickup in close makes filling buckets easier. Trying to carry loaded buckets across quartz heaps is not fun.

Assembler · Feb 22, 2023

southfork said:
Just running small samples off the mine waste piles about a 1/4 bucket at a time. Trying to find the best pile for my small-scale operation. The claim ground dried enough to get the old pickup in close makes filling buckets easier. Trying to carry loaded buckets across quartz heaps is not fun.

If you can sink posts or use trees for a light zip line for moving loaded buckets.

Tesorodeoro · Feb 23, 2023

southfork said:
Just running small samples off the mine waste piles about a 1/4 bucket at a time. Trying to find the best pile for my small-scale operation. The claim ground dried enough to get the old pickup in close makes filling buckets easier. Trying to carry loaded buckets across quartz heaps is not fun.

Yes, but you will probably agree that this hybrid “hard rock mining” pays much better than placer mining. They cast aside quite a bit of values and were happy doing it. I try to keep the same mindset and not wring my hands about losing minimal values that don’t move the scale. I’ve seen a real nice recirculating shaker table set up that was fed by a two stage jaw crusher/roller set up. Was pretty neat. Drop a softball size piece of ore in and walk over and watch the gold dribble into the vial. They found that the “hot rocks” ended up being loaded with gold. Made it easy to sort buckets of ore. Guy ended up dying from roasting sulfides carelessly too many times.

southfork · Feb 26, 2023

It's been snowing off and on for a few days' time to repair and upgrade my cleanup sluice. The ribbed mat was lifting along the edge silicone calking failing I'm adding a vibration motor to help drop the fines, I hope. There was a little gold underneath the mat gold sure has a way to find places to hide. It's to cold sitting outside feeding the cleanup up sluice anyway. I have buckets of rocks to crush and dump into totes and save for a sunny day. Frozen slush floating in my recirculating system I need to clean out the muck anyway. Happy Mining

southfork · Mar 5, 2023

I'm working on my ribbed sluice and Seth is hand crushing quartz. The quartz sample was clean no pyrites no dirt it ground up into white sand and gold. This was a metal detector find from a day ago between storms. The sample was the size of a large egg a dozen of these would be great. And a photo of the vibration motor on my cleanup sluice I have buckets of material waiting.

southfork · Mar 6, 2023

After drying it weighed 13.5 grams nice rock and a good pinch of fines still in the white sands.

desertgolddigger · Mar 6, 2023

southfork said:
After drying it weighed 13.5 grams nice rock and a good pinch of fines still in the white sands.

That's quite a nice rock. Maybe someday I'll discover something others have missed, and have a great time working it. Hope your Son and friend keep finding those paying rocks. Seems the gold you find at least pays for the groceries. :-)

southfork · Mar 7, 2023

The vibration motor was too strong I'll be chasing my sluice down the road. I sent for more parts AC Motor Speed Controller 110V / 220V Motor Governor for Concrete Vibrator Vibration Motor (Speed Controller with Switch) I can still use the ribbed sluice just can't plug it in. The rocks are piling up I guess that's a good thing I can crush indoors out of this crazy weather.

southfork · Mar 8, 2023

Snowing so my son is crushing yesterdays finds indoors lol. Kitchen sink prospecting Seth is onto a new patch behind the house.

Tesorodeoro · Mar 9, 2023

southfork said:
Snowing so my son is crushing yesterdays finds indoors lol. Kitchen sink prospecting Seth is onto a new patch behind the house.

I got ran out of my mom’s laundry room for doing that! Found a sign taped to the wall above the sink that read “No Mining!!”.

Just saying..

southfork · Mar 12, 2023

Rain and snow are keeping me from using the clean up sluice because I'm wimpy lol. But I'm crushing rocks and saving then for the chain mill when the sun comes out sometime this winter. The chain mill is outside because of the dust we did a quick run yesterday and smelted the concentrates. Our first small gold bar 29 grams.

southfork · Mar 15, 2023

Beautiful day sun shining no wind ran a couple of jars of samples through the jaw crusher. Some nice pickers but everything went though the chain mill not saving any specimens on this run. I had one specimen soaking in Whink for a couple of days the gold is all the way through . I placed it back in after a light brushing still making the water rusty it may get crushed also. Ran all the fines on the ribbed sluice a couple of pickers showed and some micro gold it got the mercury treatment. I have a nice a nice amalgam ball going might try the retort in a couple of days. All metal detector finds.

southfork · Mar 16, 2023

Slim Picken's today crushed a five-gallon bucket from mine waste I hauled home. Into the chain mill for a good whipping Black sand and magnetics / pyrite/ Oh wait I see gold I'll check with my loupe super fine into the I'll Smelt you latter jar. I still have a half bucket of big rocks and a small tote full of rock and dirt it only takes one good rock. Happy Mining 8-)

I'm going to add a section above the slick plate with low profile riffles and a couple of different types of mat. Catch the pickers before they roll! Maybe I'll be able to feed faster. I don't like the vibrator a little too much even turned way down I found a little gold at the bottom of the ribbed sluice.

southfork · Mar 17, 2023

Took advantage of the sunny day and crushed a couple of buckets of rocks. Then I tried crushing a tote full of material I shoveled off the mine waste pile went through the jaw crusher just fine. But clogged the chain mill screen up too much moisture classified all of it by size placed in buckets to dry. Fun for another day my son crushed a couple of small pieces metal detector finds that made a little noise. A small little pinch more than I recovered from a whole bucket.