Gold Ore

southfork

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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 ?
 

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arizau

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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.
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Even with my slow careful panning of the ground ore sample with all the sulphides it wants to escape. After tapping all the concentrates down while using a little dish soap. I slowly pour off the murky water across the small riffles in the test pan. These little micro flour gold particles are showing nothing escapes well almost nothing lol.
Just curious........are you screening to progresively smaller mesh and panning the lots separately?
 

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southfork

southfork

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Just curious........are you screening to progresively smaller mesh and panning the lots separately?
No this was a small sample maybe 4 or 5 grams I ground with a mortar and pestle. This piece made the Nox scream, so I have been experimenting with releasing the values. I'm going to smelt this sample for fun.
 

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southfork

southfork

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I got the smelting furnace set up 6 an KG Stainless steel propane fired. Seasoned a 4.01-inch crucible 30 minutes let it cool then added 33 cc of Borax at first it was just bubbling then turning to liquid. I swirled the molting Borax around then dumped on the concrete while wearing goggles. I am letting it cool I hope it coated the bottom I like to try a little gold mixed with Borax. Maybe I can get a little button of gold to pop out on the next try.
 

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gold tramp

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I got the smelting furnace set up 6 an KG Stainless steel propane fired. Seasoned a 4.01-inch crucible 30 minutes let it cool then added 33 cc of Borax at first it was just bubbling then turning to liquid. I swirled the molting Borax around then dumped on the concrete while wearing goggles. I am letting it cool I hope it coated the bottom I like to try a little gold mixed with Borax. Maybe I can get a little button of gold to pop out on the next try.
You don't need to season crucible, and you should be using a smelting flux, and pour your glass into mold so you don't have to break crucible, I've heard of seasoned crucible but it make no sense, just more wear on you equipment.. always 30 minutes in the heat.
You can dump the bead in glass into water bucket but don't drop the crucible in it will explode...
Hope this is helpful info ...
Gt....
 

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southfork

southfork

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I'm just following the instructions that came with the Silicon Carbide Graphite Crucible said heat to red and let cool for longer life. The Borax is to coat the crucible pores and hopefully let it release the little button of 24k gold lol I'm going to smelt. We have smaller crucibles on the way it would be great to fill that big one 128mm diameter x 145mm height says it can melt 13 Kg of Gold. Borax is a smelting flux simple and cheap along with the silica / quartz on the gold hopefully it will nice and clean. I have small molds for pure gold I just want to try a button in the bottom of the big one. Thanks for the information.
 

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gold tramp

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I'm just following the instructions that came with the Silicon Carbide Graphite Crucible said heat to red and let cool for longer life. The Borax is to coat the crucible pores and hopefully let it release the little button of 24k gold lol I'm going to smelt. We have smaller crucibles on the way it would be great to fill that big one 128mm diameter x 145mm height says it can melt 13 Kg of Gold. Borax is a smelting flux simple and cheap along with the silica / quartz on the gold hopefully it will nice and clean. I have small molds for pure gold I just want to try a button in the bottom of the big one. Thanks for the information.
My mistake I don't use graphite crucibles and just assumed that what you had was clay...
Good luck have fun....
 

alloy_II

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You don't need to season crucible, and you should be using a smelting flux, and pour your glass into mold so you don't have to break crucible, I've heard of seasoned crucible but it make no sense, just more wear on you equipment.. always 30 minutes in the heat.
You can dump the bead in glass into water bucket but don't drop the crucible in it will explode...
Hope this is helpful info ...
Gt....
The melting dish gets a light coating of Borax.

Borax mixed with water to make a paste which is brushed on before melting your gold or silver.

Melting your gold any impurity's rise to the surface, a light sprinkle of potassium nitrate will eliminate minute traces.

Using a graphite cone mold, you should heat it up slightly before pouring metal into it. The button will release easily.

Using a cast iron cone mold it also should be slightly heated before pouring the molten slag into it. A light coating of oil ( Cooking oil ) or other will create a film of carbon when the molten slag makes contact. The helps to release the slag once it has cooled enough to handle the mold.

Never pour molten Borax slag into water.

This hard, glassy, granular product is water-soluble at a much slower rate than boric acid—and reacts exothermically when wetted

If your using off the shelf store purchased Borax for smelting only fill the crucible 2/3rds full. Once the molten flux settles down you can add more.

Screenshot from 2022-04-30 15-34-31.png

20220430_172030.jpg
 

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gold tramp

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The melting dish gets a light coating of Borax.

Borax mixed with water to make a paste which is brushed on before melting your gold or silver.

Melting your gold any impurity's rise to the surface, a light sprinkle of potassium nitrate will eliminate minute traces.

Using a graphite cone mold, you should heat it up slightly before pouring metal into it. The button will release easily.

Using a cast iron cone mold it also could be slightly heated before pouring the molten slag into it. A light coating of oil ( Cooking oil ) or other will create a film of carbon when the molten slag makes contact. The helps to release the slag once it has cooled enough to handle the mold.

Never pour molten Borax slag into water.

This hard, glassy, granular product is water-soluble at a much slower rate than boric acid—and reacts exothermically when wetted

If your using off the shelf store purchased Borax for smelting only fill the crucible 2/3rds full. Once the molten flux settles down you can add more.

View attachment 2024046
View attachment 2024047
Alloy, You don't need to tell me crap about smelting gold, I've been at it for 30 years and don't need a black sand smelter to give me advice.
Please leave my name out of your replys..
South fork I apologise for stepping into your thread...
Gold tramp said ...
 

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southfork

southfork

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Well to late the slag would not release from the crucible. So, I added another 33 cc of Borax and reheated for 30 minutes. Then poured the molting slag into water worked perfect shattered into bits and the gold was laying on the bottom. 1 - 1/2 grams of Gold out of a little ball of mercury. First run Breaking Bad Mining Company. Another wife's tale shattered lol.
 

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alloy_II

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Alloy, You don't need to tell me crap about smelting gold, I've been at it for 30 years and don't need a black sand smelter to give me advice.
Please leave my name out of your replys..
South fork I apologise for stepping into your thread...
Gold tramp said ...
If your so smart why haven't you suggested to the OP to use a collector such as litharge.

Collectors litharge a lead oxide, lead metal or bismuth also works.

The button from the cone mold is then cupeled to recover his gold, a bone ash cupel and one made from portland.

The cupel with the collector metal is then heated in an oxygen rich atmospher, the lead as it oxidizes will soak into the cupel. Leaving the precious metals button behind.
 

alloy_II

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Well to late the slag would not release from the crucible. So, I added another 33 cc of Borax and reheated for 30 minutes. Then poured the molting slag into water worked perfect shattered into bits and the gold was laying on the bottom. 1 - 1/2 grams of Gold out of a little ball of mercury. First run Breaking Bad Mining Company. Another wife's tale shattered lol.
Seriously, you smelted the mercury amalgam.

RETORT

Screenshot from 2022-04-30 18-55-45.png
 

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gold tramp

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If your so smart why haven't you suggested to the OP to use a collector such as litharge.

Collectors litharge a lead oxide, lead metal or bismuth also works.

The button from the cone mold is then cupeled to recover his gold, a bone ash cupel and one made from portland.

The cupel with the collector metal is then heated in an oxygen rich atmospher, the lead as it oxidizes will soak into the cupel. Leaving the precious metals button behind.
Im not that smart just know you don't need all that internet garbage to geter done. It's just smelting.
South fork you should use a little nitric on your amalgam get that Hg out of the way save the soultion recover Hg later when you learn how.
You should really try getting some store bought flux it will make smelting easier..
It will pour easier also using flux you gold will come out cleaner.
Then just tap glass when it cools break out you bead..
Action mining is a good place get a bucket of flux..
I'm glad to see Bbmco joining hardrockin...
I like Makin the water dump nuggets
Gt.....
 

alloy_II

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Dec 24, 2021
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Im not that smart just know you don't need all that internet garbage to geter done. It's just smelting.
South fork you should use a little nitric on your amalgam get that Hg out of the way save the soultion recover Hg later when you learn how.
You should really try getting some store bought flux it will make smelting easier..
It will pour easier also using flux you gold will come out cleaner.
Then just tap glass when it cools break out you bead..
Action mining is a good place get a bucket of flux..
I'm glad to see Bbmco joining hardrockin...
I like Makin the water dump nuggets
Gt.....
If the OP is smelting there's no need to use mercury at all.

Mercury(II) nitrate is a toxic colorless or white soluble crystalline mercury(II) salt of nitric acid. It was used to treat fur to make felt in a process called 'carroting'.

The phrase 'mad as a hatter' is associated with psychological illness brought on by excessive exposure to mercury(II) nitrate.
 

gold tramp

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If the OP is smelting there's no need to use mercury at all.

Mercury(II) nitrate is a toxic colorless or white soluble crystalline mercury(II) salt of nitric acid. It was used to treat fur to make felt in a process called 'carroting'.

The phrase 'mad as a hatter' is associated with psychological illness brought on by excessive exposure to mercury(II) nitrate.
How was he supposed to recover all that fine gold stuck in his pan. Your lack of mining experience is telling on you....
We all know what Mercury is and does...
If you were actually into finding n recovery of micro gold we wouldn't be having this conversation...course it might be about leaching ....
We can go on all night about recovery of fine gold this is South forks thread let's let him have it back ..
Gt....
 

Tesorodeoro

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South Fork, you have free milling gold do you not? I’m not sure what all this smelting business is about. Are you wanting to consolidate fine gold that is difficult for you to sell or recover? Basically turning “ugly gold” (as My dad calls some of my gold) into something you can handle? curious is all.
 

Tesorodeoro

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The melting dish gets a light coating of Borax.

Borax mixed with water to make a paste which is brushed on before melting your gold or silver.

Melting your gold any impurity's rise to the surface, a light sprinkle of potassium nitrate will eliminate minute traces.

Using a graphite cone mold, you should heat it up slightly before pouring metal into it. The button will release easily.

Using a cast iron cone mold it also should be slightly heated before pouring the molten slag into it. A light coating of oil ( Cooking oil ) or other will create a film of carbon when the molten slag makes contact. The helps to release the slag once it has cooled enough to handle the mold.

Never pour molten Borax slag into water.

This hard, glassy, granular product is water-soluble at a much slower rate than boric acid—and reacts exothermically when wetted

If your using off the shelf store purchased Borax for smelting only fill the crucible 2/3rds full. Once the molten flux settles down you can add more.

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Was this cut and pasted? I only ask because you have provided a lot of information about recovering gold that was per Google and it is VERY useful to know if information is being provided as theoretical data or based on successful profitable gold recovery, not experiments.
 

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