New use for black sand tailings

Capt Nemo

Bronze Member
Apr 11, 2015
1,058
1,609
Oshkosh, WI
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I was reading in an old book on nuclear reactors and found that they were adding boron, iron, and lead shot to concrete for shielding. The iron and boron are for neutron shielding and the lead is for gamma/X-ray shielding. Hmmmm........

Replace the normal sand in the concrete with black sand and your concrete is neutron shielding.

Maybe we should be selling it to the prepping community for their fallout shelters. I know we get a ton of iron sands that don't provide most of us with income, but I think I found a new market for them! Now, we have to create the demand by letting the prepping community know.

I already sell my magnetite to a blacksmith. With this I could sell all the buckets of hematite to the preppers.
 

Upvote 0

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,433
30,134
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I used to package our black sands into 5lbs bags, and sell it to the aquarium/pet shops in Glendale and Phoenix. $0.60-lbs. :skullflag:
 

ncclaymaker

Sr. Member
Aug 26, 2011
370
316
Champlain, NY on the Canadian border.
Detector(s) used
Minelab 1000, A Motorized Power Glider Trike, 17 foot travel trailer behind my Jeep. 4" suction dredge/high banker.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Too bad that plutonium has a half-life of about 24,100 years... otherwise, we could have offered clothing with hematite embedded in the fibers.
 

DizzyDigger

Gold Member
Dec 9, 2012
5,914
11,703
Concrete, WA
Detector(s) used
Nokta FoRs Gold, a Gold Cube, 2 Keene Sluices and Lord only knows how many pans....not to mention a load of other gear my wife still doesn't know about!
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I was reading in an old book on nuclear reactors and found that they were adding boron, iron, and lead shot to concrete for shielding. The iron and boron are for neutron shielding and the lead is for gamma/X-ray shielding. Hmmmm........
Replace the normal sand in the concrete with black sand and your concrete is neutron shielding.
Maybe we should be selling it to the prepping community for their fallout shelters. I know we get a ton of iron sands that don't provide most of us with income, but I think I found a new market for them! Now, we have to create the demand by letting the prepping community know.
I already sell my magnetite to a blacksmith. With this I could sell all the buckets of hematite to the preppers.

They will need a lot of it to do the job, but if done properly they could
actually shield themselves from the magnetic field effects of an EMP.

Biggest issue would be finding a door that provided a safe level of
shielding while not weighing 1000 lbs.
 

rainwolf75

Jr. Member
Nov 9, 2013
36
31
NW Georgia
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I am not 100% sure on this, but I believe someone mentioned that you can use it during either the smelting or melting process. From what I can recall if using black sand you don not have to roast it first. Maybe someone who knows much more about that can chime in.
 

Laz7777

Sr. Member
Dec 19, 2015
255
494
South Fork Yuba River, Motherlode
Detector(s) used
GoldBug II
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I think I've thrown away some important values in my black sand.
in pulling away the magnetite I'm showing a blue-gray non-magnetic sand in some areas that could possibly contain iridium and/or osmium.
there have been finds of iridium and osmium in the Hammonton mining district on the lower Yuba, near Marysville.
next season I'll save some and bring it in to have it looked at with an xrf at my buyer.
 

johnedoe

Bronze Member
Jan 15, 2012
1,489
2,239
Oregon Coast
Detector(s) used
White's V3i, White's MXT, and White's Eagle Spectrum
Cleangold sluice & prospectors pan, EZ-Gold Pan, and custom cleanup sluice.
Primary Interest:
Other
If I could find a market for my black sands I would be rich..........
Black sand is all I deal with for my fine gold recovered.
 

ecmjamsit

Hero Member
Dec 2, 2007
873
1,061
Colorado
Detector(s) used
Whites Goldmaster GMT, GMII,Whites Sierra Super Trac, Ace250, Teknetics Gamma 6000, Whites Pinpointer,Garrett Pro Pointer II
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Black sand is used for cinder block manufacturing. It has been for a long time too.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top