All things hardrock ...

[BlasterJ]

A stamp mill is a single purpose piece of equipment while the ball mill may also be loaded with rods making it a multi purpose unit.

If you had read the document I had posted "Clarkson Rod Mill" we wouldn't be having this discussion.

1. The stamp mill is preferred when the ore has a decent concentration of gold with some visible gold.

2. A rod mill is used when the precious metals in the ore is very high with some visible gold, the rods flatten the gold which makes recovery quick and easy this gives the mine operator an instant cash flow. After the flattened gold has been removed the ore then goes into the ball mill for a final fine grind.

3. A ball mill is used when the precious metals encapsulated within a low grade ore. The balls grind the ore to a very fine powder liberating the precious metals. Which are then subjected to a cyanide leach with activated carbon to capture the gold. Google it CIP ( carbon in pulp ).



.

The part about rolling and flattening the Gold in that paper was very interesting. Since we don't have the ability to run huge amounts of ore through a heap-leach process, this seems like a "high return on investment" for a small operator.

I saw another interesting homemade crusher a while back. It was more or less an arrastra, but built with stacks of cast Iron weight-lifting plates on a rod that spun around. The unit was 2-3' in diameter, semi-crushed ore was poured onto the grinding surface and a fine wet slurry came out the bottom.

I would imagine that the metal-on-metal rolling action would also flatten Gold particles.

 

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[Assembler]

There is room for many types of equipment.
The stamp mill can be very portable however not as portable as a rod mill.
The stamp mill is high on the list for impact type of action as well as the rotary hammer mill.

 

[Assembler]

The part about rolling and flattening the Gold in that paper was very interesting. Since we don't have the ability to run huge amounts of ore through a heap-leach process, this seems like a "high return on investment" for a small operator.

I saw another interesting homemade crusher a while back. It was more or less an arrastra, but built with stacks of cast Iron weight-lifting plates on a rod that spun around. The unit was 2-3' in diameter, semi-crushed ore was poured onto the grinding surface and a fine wet slurry came out the bottom.

I would imagine that the metal-on-metal rolling action would also flatten Gold particles.

It does not take much to flatten out gold and this can be helpful in the concentration process.

The small / micro scale miner should use a number of types of equipment if it can be justified in cost and time factors.

Anyone can spend a lot on equipment it is the returns on values, use on the terrain /field, amount of time are the questions.

 

[Assembler]

One has to decide what returns per ton of ore rock is worth the effort / time / investments.

A simple pipe stamp mill is very hard to beet for very fast samplings tests. This may also help you to start using your eyes if there is 'gravity free milling values present'. This may also speed up the process of one finding something worth the time and effort of extraction / mining.

After all there is a lot of mineralize ore rock out there you have to decide if it is worth it with the processes that you have at hand and are willing to use to release the values that are there. This is what mining is about. No two people will use exactly the same processes / methods. This is critical to the micro / small miner as the deposit will dictate what is feasible / worth the efforts.

The Carlton size deposit that you can not see without a microscope is a different ball game and the micro scale miner can not move enough material to make it worth it. How ever the last I heard they are around 2 miles down now and there is no end to it. This deposit is considered the 3ed largest deposit in the world.

A small pipe stamp mill is the perfect micro miners tool for sampling / tests and can fit inside a backpack if necessary for all types of terrains.

 

[BlasterJ]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like the only way a small hardrock operation works economically is when you can selectively mine good pockets of ore that were missed or not economical the first time around and recover the Gold on-site.

Being able to conjure up a ball mill with items you can get at Harbor Freight is a neat trick.

 

[alloy_II]

The part about rolling and flattening the Gold in that paper was very interesting. Since we don't have the ability to run huge amounts of ore through a heap-leach process, this seems like a "high return on investment" for a small operator.

I saw another interesting homemade crusher a while back. It was more or less an arrastra, but built with stacks of cast Iron weight-lifting plates on a rod that spun around. The unit was 2-3' in diameter, semi-crushed ore was poured onto the grinding surface and a fine wet slurry came out the bottom.

I would imagine that the metal-on-metal rolling action would also flatten Gold particles.

Could not resist the temptation to look it up, interesting.

 

[alloy_II]

There you have it Assembler in the video they claimed using the stamp mill 40% of the gold was lost to tailings.

 

[Assembler]

There you have it Assembler in the video they claimed using the stamp mill 40% of the gold was lost to tailings.

Then just move the material to a rod mill.

 

[Assembler]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like the only way a small hardrock operation works economically is when you can selectively mine good pockets of ore that were missed or not economical the first time around and recover the Gold on-site.

Being able to conjure up a ball mill with items you can get at Harbor Freight is a neat trick.

Now you are talking close to what I'm saying all along. This is the main point of small to micro equipment is that you take it to the rocks if you can.
The not economical the first time also goes to say that the the selection of equipment / process has changed some over time.

Harbor freight not known for mining equipment.....lol.
Better off using used equipment or fabrication.

 

[Assembler]

Assembler in order to further this discussion we need to know if the ore you intend to process actually has any values.

Have you had a professional assessment, done on your ore if so I would like to see the report.

I previously sent you a book, had you taken the time to read through it your would have learned how to do a bottle roll.

If it were not for the fact other's who have an actual interest in this thread, I would not have taken the time to further this discussion.

As it has become apparent to me that you have contributed very little of actual worth.

As they say, you can lead a horse to water but canot force it to drink.

This information is not for this forum.

 

[Assembler]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like the only way a small hardrock operation works economically is when you can selectively mine good pockets of ore that were missed or not economical the first time around and recover the Gold on-site.

Being able to conjure up a ball mill with items you can get at Harbor Freight is a neat trick.

If you can not verify out in the field what you have it may not be worth messing with is a good guide.

The first time around many where looking for big / easy values. Almost every foot of surface ground has been hiked / looked at in many areas.

The trick is being resourceful enough to geter done.......lol.

 

[Assembler]

Finding thick walled pipe is not hard if you are willing to pay a prime or high cost new or used to make a rod / ball mill.

 

[Assembler]

This information is not for this forum.

What do you know, this topic thread has over 4,000 views with around 60 different people looking at it.

Hum someone out of the 60 people or more must see something useful here don't you think so?

If the assembler cat chooses to not talk about some thing so what that is ones choice don't you think so?

After all some set of numbers on a report with a commercial "Intrastate transaction" means very little except to some set of books some place where books are kept. Go look it up for yourself.

 

[gold tramp]

Few shots from Claudette mill...

crushin ore for the grind

Fresh load pulp ready to table

Buisness end of a rp table

Shes fine stuff these days

Little Hg grabbed that yeller out that pyrites..

 

[Assembler]

Few shots from Claudette mill...
View attachment 2014887
crushin ore for the grind
View attachment 2014888
Fresh load pulp ready to table
View attachment 2014889
Buisness end of a rp table
View attachment 2014890

Shes fine stuff these days

Great pictures and thanks for posting. Yep there is a lot more fine values left now. The big stuff was in large part taken the first time around.

 

[gold tramp]

Great pictures and thanks for posting. Yep there is a lot more fine values left now. The big stuff was in large part taken the first time around.

There was no big stuff first time around the ore I hunt here is super fine gold same as the old timers hunted, ones lucky to find any course values in my district...
Gt ....

 

[Assembler]

There was no big stuff first time around the ore I hunt here is super fine gold same as the old timers hunted, ones lucky to find any course values in my district...
Gt ....

No two deposits are the same. Maybe the first time around the fines where in different grades. With the best grades being process first (high, medium, low grades).

 

[gold tramp]

The ores here all run the same fine gold, out of the 100 or better veins I've found maybe 5 were course gold, even the deep mines here run fine gold, it's all about pockets, ore shoots whatever you want to call them...I call them pockets....if you get lucky you find one if not it's just a weaky vein...
But I take those also, cause it's all about Makin that ounce or ounces.
Getter done...
Gt....

 

[gold tramp]

Asking what purpose is flatining out ones gold serve, I didn't read the Clarkson paper his tool looked to be nothing more than somebody's attempt at building a better mouse trap.
Or maybe it's a super amalgamator, just wondering as somebody who grinds much ore it looks to be another useless miners invention.
enlighten me ......
gt.....

 

[BlasterJ]

Asking what purpose is flatining out ones gold serve, I didn't read the Clarkson paper his tool looked to be nothing more than somebody's attempt at building a better mouse trap.
Or maybe it's a super amalgamator, just wondering as somebody who grinds much ore it looks to be another useless miners invention.
enlighten me ......
gt.....

I think the paper just tried to put numbers on what different techniques for processing free milling Gold techniques in Alaska actually recover.