How to make gold for cheap - crushing and processing gold ore picked off an old mine dump
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
- The remnants of old gold ores left behind on an old mine dump still have gold in them and you can process rock like this for cheap. See how much gold and silver I end up with at the end. I will go through all the steps of processing the rock and concentrating the ore down to the very end where I come up with a nice gold button.
For those who want to learn more about Prospecting and finding gold check out my book, Fists full of Gold. It’s an encyclopedia of everything on the topic of prospecting. It’s available on from High Plains Prospectors. (Affiliate) You can find it at:
highplainspros...
For even more information on prospecting, minerals, gems and other related information you can also check out my website at:
nevada-outback-...
The Prospecting and Mining Journal magazine can be found at:
www.icmj.com
I can’t believe this channel isn’t more popular. Chris Ralph is the man. Great book, invaluable info, and trusted experience.
Listen to this man.
P.S. I use a pneumatic hammer with a heat treated steel ball on the end. I use a steel cup to hold the ore. Works great.
A great idea for crushing ore. Your check for the compliments will be in the mail shortly.
Hey Chris, this is the one and only time that I know some thing that you might not if you would like to have your chains last longer put your ores in the fire and heat them up to soften up the rocks so that way when you put them in your crusher, they will be softer and your chains will last longer you won’t have to switch them out so much so often this is an old minors trick. I heard that if you soak them in vinegar before you heat them up that works as well. But I just heat them up in my fire pit in my backyard and use my leaf blower to increase the temperature on the rocks and speed up the process. Some guys put them in a metal container and then put it in the fire, I find putting them in and letting them get going down to the coals works just as well.
Or you can use hardened steel chains.
Thanks! Great video. You have the patience of a saint !
Glad it helped!
Good job on the video !!!!!!
Thanks!! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Professor you didn't show us your sluice s but thank you for the video and all your videos which I like very much sharing your knowledge wealth with all blesssed you are indeed .sir only if there could me more generous ppl like you on earth we could have less poverty on earth and raise the living standard and become a wealthier society as a whole
The sluice is featured in another video - see: ruclips.net/video/G3fV0hN8V00/видео.html
I have a friend in nevada and all he does is hunt old mine for left over gold ore....he brings home buckets of it every weekend. Then once he has about 4 yards of it sitting in his driveway ....he proccess it. Once a year he sends off his gold for refinement.....last year he scored 9.7 oz for 7 yards of hand picked ore.
That sounds pretty good!
The 2020 North Yuba Hunt is on. We will be digging at my Petey's Place claim (just downstream from the Union Flat Campground) on July 25 and 26. You're invited and we hope to see you there.
I'll write it down. Good chance I will be there.
@@ChrisRalph Great, It's going to be a whole lot of fun for everyone.
By the way, I just got your book like two days ago started reading it so far awesome I love it. I can’t wait to become a better prospect Jj I just recently joined the GPAA as well. I’m going to be meeting Kevin Hogland in Wyoming, and do some prospecting with him this week I hope one day I get to meet you in person and go prospecting with you on an outing or something. You and Kevin are the two dudes that I have really wanted to meet since I started prospecting this year I hope to be as great as you and Kevin one day, I wish I would’ve found this passion that I have for prospecting years ago but I’m still 33 years young and finally chose this as my career path I really wanna get better so that I can make this my living be a dream come true to make my favorite hobby my career that I could live off of
Best of luck to you in your efforts.
I have something for you to look at I recently prospected a rock that has chain links in it it looks like it could be older than the one they found with the rock in the hammer
Sorry - I get quite a few people every day who want me to ID their rock and mineral photos. I do not offer a mineral ID service, mostly because it’s not as easy as you think. Usually, minerals cannot be identified from just a picture. Please watch my videos on how to Identify minerals for yourself. Part 1 can be found here: ruclips.net/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/видео.html and Part 2 can be found here: ruclips.net/video/zOWo49X90gA/видео.html and Part 3 can be found here: ruclips.net/video/_ab5NngRlVw/видео.html
No you got this wrong I'm not asking to identify golden rocks no I can do that no I wanted to show you was that there's something a link like chain links inside this rock like a necklace it is older as it appears than the rock they've found in with a hammer
My apologies - I strangely thought that when you said "I have something for you to look at" talking about a rock you prospected meant that you wanted me to look at a rock you found. Just to clarify, when I said " I do not offer a mineral ID service" that meant for rocks and minerals - not just for gold but for other things too. I really do get quite a few people every day who want me to ID their rock and mineral photos. Its also true that usually, minerals cannot be identified from just a picture.
So I guess the recirculateling sluice box is a tub of water and a gold pan?
A recirculating sluice box is a sluice with a pump and a water tub or other container. A pan is used to process the concentrates.
Thanks man
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Hi Chris. Thanks for demonstrating the process from rock to metal. Basically, how we did at our lode mine near Searchlight, NV many years ago. However, we had the luxury of a 10" crusher and 48" impact mill. Average .5 oz/ton Au and 1 oz/ton Ag. We also collected more mercury then we put in !
That would go through the rock pretty quickly!
i just got your book today Chris!
Great. I am sure you will enjoy it.
Enjoy your videos',Chris.Not sure I will ever pan gold,but it's really
nice to learn how to process 'gold-bearing' 'ore' and what to look for!
Glad you enjoyed it. Its a fun adventure for sure.
Man that big old motor! A fellow could make a Huge dry-sifter?
With that motor, it would not be very portable!
So I'm starting to get psyched out, I hope you can help. What's the best way you know of for those of us doing this process to stay safe from all of the startling information one learns about when trying to find out what all of these minerals are? The arsenopyrite, cinnabar, hg vapors when dustifying, citrine, urinite, etc.
There are plenty of different hazards out in the wild. Educate yourself on the ones that might impact you and stay safe.
@@ChrisRalph yes there are lots of hazards. If your having a bad day wear nothing is going right stop ! Slow down and go back another day. Being positve helps. I had one od of those days recently. I made it threw and couldnt wait to go to bed.
There was an enormous smelter in Globeville, Denver, along the Platte, in trash digs, I've seen some assayers samples like that in a clay crucible, they were heavyish I tossed them aside I was worried about mercury jeez I wonder if there are gold chunks? but its railroad property now anyway
Assaying uses lead, hence the heavy weight. So you did not throw away gold, you tossed aside lead.
love that hand crank jaw crusher - can you provide any specifics? brand, age, .... thanks
Its a Gardner-Denver assay lab jaw crusher, I would guess from the 1950s.
Chris, I was wondering if TWO rock crushing machines are necessary. The jaw crusher and the chain crusher? They are so expensive and wondering if perhaps a newer crusher had been developed that would take a larger sized rock and pulverize it to powder. Thanks.
You can use the chain mill only, but it is much slower and makes a lot more wear on the chains. It will cost you a lot to save money 💰.
Thanks for all your help,I would like to send you some very high grade ore. I finally found a hell of a lode.
I appreciate your request, but I get so many, many requests from people for consulting, advisement, rock and mineral identification and related stuff every day, that I just cannot do that. This is mainly because it is almost impossible to identify minerals and ores reliably from just photos. Watch this video and learn how to identify minerals for yourself: ruclips.net/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/видео.html
Good video, thanks again Chris....!
Glad you enjoyed it
Very Experience video sir Helpful information thank you very much sir.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I would strongly recommend the use of a dust mask for all of the rock crushing steps. I understand if not doing so is so we can hear you speak much better. Thank you for your videos! Long time subscriber here.
I do when I am not filming.
Chris, your flux only had two components while Chapman flux and thinner has a few more. Why is that?
The fluorite "thinner" doesn't melt at the temperatures used. CaF2 melts at 1350 - much higher than my furnace ever gets. The other thing is that it is not a thinner but a thickener. Its used in steel manufacture, but steel melts at much higher temps, so CaF2 is OK for that. Silica can be good to add if you are melting stuff with no silica in it, but its not absolutely necessary. Borax is the main thing that will capture iron oxides in a flux, and that is what I was trying to do. Chapman flux works, but is over-rated as if it had some kind of special properties.
@@ChrisRalph I haven't done this process yet so your input is very much appreciated. I was reading your book a second time last night and I think that I found exactly what you describe on page 216-219. My last question is do you think that roasting should be done prior to smelting?
Depends on what you are melting - some things need to be roasted, others do not.
Good evening Chris,
Hope your well, just asking have you tried the Keenes A52s super sluice yet, l've ordered one two days ago, also my Gold 1000 detector has arrived today and looking forward trying it on the gold mine dumps in wales, I been taking your advise over detecting etc, let you know next week how things go with detecting on the trips, hope your out this weekend, looking forward to more videos, getting your book next week also, looking so forward to your book.
Regards
Richard
I have an A52 sluice I bought in the late 1970s, and still use it.
Hi Chris,
There one real wonderful sluice, you have the best one ever made, seen your one on a video.@@ChrisRalph
Thanks Chris, very nice information,
I am a prospector looking for gold in an area that has very iron stain quartz vanes, the area is nearby an ancient geological site
I appreciate your request, but I get so many, many requests from people for consulting, advisement, rock and mineral identification and related stuff every day, that I just cannot do that. This is mainly because it is almost impossible to identify minerals and ores reliably from just photos. Watch this video and learn how to identify minerals for yourself: ruclips.net/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/видео.html
Thank you Chris for taking the time to show the complete process from ore to button. I found this very interesting.
Glad it was helpful! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
This was a great video.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Chris my question today is,the borax you use is it the same as the laundry booster or soap?
Not soap, but you can buy pure borax as a cleaner. 20 mule team - but not the soap.
I met a vet who said he'd used his steel pot Helmut from nam or something, he'd used it to smelt gold and silver with like mercury!
Not really sure about that. Hot open container mercury vapors are poisonous.
that's for the class teach. I'm learning a lot. GOLD SQUAD OUT!!!!
Glad to hear it!
Chris, I put the hardest chains I could find in my custom built chain mill as well as I built it out of 1/2” hardened plate. The chain you showed in the video is mild compared to the stuff I use. I know this just by looking simply because I have worked with many different types over the years. All chain is NOT created equal. I strongly recommend you source harder chain before you do your next crush and see how much more use you get before replacement. I have not crushed enough to be able to say how often I need to change them but well over 200lbs and they hardly look used. I do not have a jaw crusher so I’ve been putting big chunks into it. The inlet is 4”x 4” Hope this helps on your maintenance.Happy Hunting 😉
I agree, except mine is not made for the harder chain. I have some hardened chain but the links are not the same size, so that 2 links are too short, 3 links hits the walls of the chain mill.
Chris, you might want to try a higher hardness chain also called a proof coil chain. The cheap box store chain is normally a grade 5 or grade 3 chain. If you get hold of a higher grade chain it will stand up better to abrasion
The inside of the mill is sized to hold specific sized chain, and the harder chain is sized different so it does not fit.
Hey Chris, thanks for all your guidance! Ready for the last step! Yeah. Where’s the best place to cash in? I know it’s probably in your book which I’ll absolutely buy soon ! Thanks for any last clues here!!! Your the best!!!
There are refiners out there. Check the internet.
Thanks Chris you always have very good interesting videos to see. If you looking for bigger jaw crusher or impact mill . I have a friend in the stringer district .He has a lot of mining equipment most it is used but very good equipment .
I gotta find a whole lot of rich ore first before I get bigger equipment! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Great video and very informative. Enjoyed. Should someone use ear protectionfor the sound/noise and for some people eye protection? I enjoyed your video and I always learn something!
I wear protection when not filming, but its hard to communicate during filming with eye and sound protection.
هلا .منك نستفيد .شكرا.
Sorry, I dont speak arabic.
Hi .Mr chris .thank you .
From 3100 years ago, 6 golden cup and numerous golden things have been discoverd at that site, I realy believe on that the orgin of the gold has to be the site that I am prospecting now, unfortunatly I live in a country that using a metal detector is forbidden, How can ask you my questions directly?
I appreciate your request, but I get so many, many requests from people for consulting, advisement, rock and mineral identification and related stuff every day, that I just cannot do that. This is mainly because it is almost impossible to identify minerals and ores reliably from just photos.
Wouldn't lower the rpm little bit maybe 600-650 invrease the chain age at least little bit? I know galvanize steel chains not strong mayne 50% less trong than normal stainless steel but its really cheap and yea it might add some zinc impurity to the crushing rocks but if you choose rhe right rpm it might do as good as normal steel chians !!!
The chains wear because the ore is abrasive. Speed would not help much as it would extend the time the chains are flying around hitting the ore.
Another great video, Chris. You can show us your sluice set up in another vid.
I had a lot on that in a previous video.
@@ChrisRalph It was a good one, too.
Chris what do you know about 1960’s and 70’s metal detectors? I have a crystal controlled b f o metal detector “hiker 2” model from I think the Kovack company. They used to be advertised in the c m j. Any info would be helpful. Much thanks.
They are ancient technology - you are basically handicapping yourself. Think about what it would be like going back to a personal computer from the 1980s. You have the metal detector equivalent of a 1985 computer. New BFO detectors have not been made since around 1990. You could get a better detector for $200.
Does the flux mix you used make it so you don't need to roast or was the ore you were working with a type that is not going to add to the gold by roasting? Thanks for all your work
There were very few sulfides in the concentrates, so no need to roast.
@@ChrisRalph does your book go into detail on what ores should be roasted or how to "see" the sulfides? or maybe a video I missed. Honestly thank you for all the information in usable form.
Why not use a blue bowl on the concentrates?
I could have - I decided to pan.
Hey hope your well. I watch a lot of your videos. I'm not a professional. I just enjoy looking for diamonds in the ruff so to speak. But I found some rock that has something that looks like gold running threw it and some that look like your yellow gold ore with the rust spots. I was wondering since I don't have any equipment. Could I just try to crush it up as much as possible and pan it out or would that just be a waste of time.
I showed the mortar and pestle in this video and talked about them. You can use that to crush a sample of ore and pan it out to see if it has gold.
Might there be lead in the button as well?
Yes, no question there is some.
Love your videos! Keep them up.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Could you use a stronger chain
It would require major modifications.
Great informative video, it would be worth it to try hardened chain for increased life.
The system is designed for chain of a specific size, hardened chains are of different size.
Chris what temperature is reached when you say up to temperature? 🖖👏👏👏🥂
About 1100 C
Thats really good experience for me thanks!!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Great channel! I just revived your book from amazon! I’ll be tearing into this weekend!
I think you will enjoy the book. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Haha cleaning the carage and putting the motor might be good idea for next video !!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for all of your information it has been very helpful in my new ventures into prospecting if only you could have a tag along and make half of my income from prospecting I would do all of my own work and you would reap half of the benefits but learning from you as a prospector would be a life-changing experience as if I were learning how to paint from Bob Ross. You are an inspiration and thanks again for all of your help
Thank you for the kind words! I get so many, many requests I simply cannot do individual training.
Thanks for the video and your book is great. If your ever get out to Arizona I would love to get it signed!
Thanks for the kind words of support. Not sure when I will be down Arizona way.
Does yellow color in your priorities means gold
Perhaps....
Thank you very much for making all these videos. Although I have had a great geology professor and a couple semesters of geo classes I had never considered trying to turn prospecting into profit. Well the Virus hit, paying work evaporated and I’m a single parent so now it’s five months later, I’m dead broke and we have 34 days until we are homeless. But thanks to you we have a few on ounces of concentrate! Just watched this video for the 5th time. I’m stuck,
where would we find the flux, the Borax and Sodium bi carbonate?
Do you think a plumbing torch and map gas would do it? Could a ceramic coated steel pan work as a vessel?
Is there some household object that will work as a mould like a plumbing fitting?
And finally how do we turn the cast button into cash?
Thank you so much , if my little girl and I have a roof over our heads this winter it’s completely because of your selfless work making these videos! You’re the best!
You can get borax and bi-carbonate at your local grocery store.
Did you think we can find this ore in Canada?
There is loads of rich gold ore in Canada.
I find myself wondering without a way to test the ideas , two things recently . first is , would with big rocks of about 200 punds and larger,could a thermite be used to semi smelt the ore right in the field? My thoughts are if one could drill a hole in the rough center of the width of the ore rock about 2/3rds deep. Pack with thermite and alot of flux (to help isolate the iron it will make from the oxygen burning out of the hemitite. ) set off the thermite with magnesium ribbon or an electric arc...or cutting torch... And let it do its work in open air. I think it may embrittle the rock itself and essentially preform larger metalic beads in the substrate than the specks that naturally occur. So it seems like it may save some effort and alot of man and machine wear. As i am quite physically disabled , i am looking for anything to simplify every aspect i can of prospecting without making it less effective. I want the chances of me getting gold to come down to knowledge and skil and experience ,with a twist of good luck. Im not joking or wise cracking i am genuinly curious...Extremely so ,as to how that would work . will it preroast the sulfides ?... My question to you is Were can i read up on this? Isbit in your book?
Heating rock does not necessarily collect the gold out of it. Melting ore is not a good idea.
@@ChrisRalph aside from the fumes from sublimation that it would create , what does it actually do? What i picture is the rock melting around the thermite creating an odd glassy core similar to obsidian mixed with pummace. I would also not put thermite in the heavily minerlized areas...it would be the hostrock/ wallrock or matrix (whatever name fits the situation) i just mention because i know this day and age, one has to assume they are talking to someone with no critical thinking skills nor common sense.
@@coreymerrill3257 Hi there, I don't really know what you're talking about and don't have much insight, but it's similar to freeing the gold in placers from clay. The clay has to be ground down before gravity separation. You can't really melt the rock, and the molten gold won't flow unless the rock is sufficiently crushed. Good luck.
Ya buddy good vid on how to prosess hard rock !
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you! I always learn stuff watching your videos. Cool process. I think I might try the pipe on the plate motor and pestle poor man's crusher.....
You can do it! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Chris. Thanks for your very informative videos. I live in NE GA, a stones throw from where gold was first found in the states. It's hard to find info about the specifics of prospecting here and was wondering if you had any advice. Most locals don't bother with looking and the ones that do are pretty tight lipped. So far lots of fun in the woods and creeks, which is kinda the point, but not much luck.
Lots of info out there - search on line. Problem in the SE part of the US is that almost all land is private and owners dont welcome prospectors trespassing on their land.
Thanks for reply. Luckily I own a cpl of properties right in the middle of the " gold belt" so no trespassing for me. One is lowlands where 4 creeks converge the other, where I live, is cut into the side of a mountain. Been collecting hopeful ores and starting to crush. Your videos are great and very informative, so thanks again for the info, I'll keep watching.! Peace. Z
what does pirite look like
check out this video I did to show what pyrite and other minerals look lie: ruclips.net/video/_ab5NngRlVw/видео.html
Great video! How would you separate the Gold from silver,copper and any other metallics?
Nitric acid will dissolve silver and copper and most other metals, but will not dissolve gold (unless you add chlorides).
Great video as always. It went from crushing to panning, but no sluice? Did you leave it out on purpose?
Did a lot of stuff on the sluicing recently.
The sitting on seat clip with lecture is mute for me.
Have you a source for me to buy one of those rock crushers please? Does it have a brand/make or model please?
If you must use cheap soft chain you should prepare some with hard steel paddles welded on, Make several and balance them by weight into pairs.
Why dont you do that? your comments are mute to me because you dont know the work involved.
Chris this is awesome !! I have just moved to Sanora Ca. There is tons of ore all over the county. You have given me everything i need to know. Thank you.
Do you also know web sites that sell and or trade the equipment new or used. Thank you again.
Not that I know of. Search the internet. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I'm going to weld a ball hitch to hex pry bar...make a morter outta a thick piece of pipe heat up a piece of 1/4 inch plate to fit the pipe...round it to fit the ball weld it in then 1/2 inch plate for the base putting the bottom of the mortar right against the plate...I wont have to pay for a gym membership then... everytime the wife gets mad at me I can go pound rocks into sand sounds like a win win...
Breaking rock is exercise.....
@@ChrisRalph worked concrete for 15 years I made a lot of rock 😅...for some reason I get great pleasure out of cracking open rocks...I can watch the old granite splitter gent for his whole videos rod n hammer...tik tik tik tik tik tik tik...tik hole wedge again...again...again.
.tik...tik..tik tik ....tik tik tik tik....crack...love it....everyone in my life has called my passion for splitting rocks and my amazement over rocks silly... or... childish...or absurd...now I can share a video...and they are starting to see...they go...ohhhh...i dont want to get in it for money...idc....about the money...bonus 😁 but idc...I got a gold pan... I got a sluice matt built a small sluice...a metal detector.....i have a microscope some trinkets...a chipper...scraper...hook...wedges...3 n 6 lbs thor hammers and a will to give it a try...for the sake of exploring my environment...my kids love busting open rocks as much as I do and pockets always have to be emptied on wash day because our pockets are all full of rocks...lol even mine...sooo...time to figure out the legalities in my area and go forth and explorify...👈had to correct that 4 times to make that a word👍😆...I really really rather than gold or other metals, would like to find geodes small aggets and little gems...we can make jewelry for my autistic daughter...she loves homemade things...I'm going to get some of Dan Hurds ocean picture stone...that right there leaves me speechless...n my daughter looked at piece after piece...so I hope I'll figure it all out and get to get in on the action a bit...love your videos...thank you...