Flour gold

[casandgabcan]

OK so really, really new at this. Have been panning for gold at a mine no longer in use. Going through concentrates that have fallen off the conveyor belts. I am getting a lot of show, but it is very fine (what I think they call flour gold) and so heavily mixed with black sand and is near impossible to segregate. I have managed to get it to a stage that shows gold colour, but there is still a lot of black sand mixed in. The sand seems to weigh the same as the gold. That's my first problem, second problem is I want to get it assayed before I begin to purchase any equipment. I live in Northern Tasmania and would like to know where I can get it assayed. Does anyone know if it can be assayed in its present form i.e. mixed with black sand. Would the cost for the assay be higher because of this. Any helpful comments would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Kingsolomon]

There's a thread on making a blue bowl ... That'll do the trick.

 

[casandgabcan]

Thanks Kingsolomon, have looked at the thread and will be making my own on Friday. Curious though after looking at the thread and other comments and pictures, can't help but feel that the gold I have is a lot finer, almost a powder, do you think I would be wasting my time?

 

[Ramjet]

Hi casandgabcan.
Welcome to the forum. There is a lot of info on the site to help you.
I am no expert. Some of the black sand will be magnetic. So you can remove a portion of it with a strong or rare earth magnet.
Here are a few threads onfine gold seperation.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2987

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=2975

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=491

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=242

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=521

I hope you find some of this info useful.

Cheers

Ramjet

 

[BrisJoe]

strong magnet in a plastic cup also helps to remove the back sand from your final concentrates. Just have about 3-5 bowls, and drop the magnet filled cup into the cons, then move to 2nd bowl and lift the maget up so it drops the black sand, then go again until you have picked pretty much all of the black sand away from the flour gold.

Like this: As I said above you can improvise with a strong magnet in a plastic cup instead of buying the 1 featured in the vid.

[video=480,360]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAulZdFW3x8[/video]

 

[orgone500]

If you are after free rare earth magnets, old computer hard drives are a good source.

 

[Diggerdude]

Classifying is the key, get yourself a 100,50, and 20 mesh screens then run each batch through a blue bowl. A magnet probably won't help much in northern tassie as there is too much tin ore which isn't magnetic. But it is also worth collecting if you have enough of it.
I haven't had anything assayed in Tassie before so can't help you there, but I'm sure there will be a lab nearby that does it , try google. Beginner fire assay kits can be bought for about $1000 if you want to try it yourself. The lab will charge about $150 per sample.

DD

 

[bobcat]

how do you smelt flower gold have a heap but stuck on how to do it

 

[bobcat]

and what is the best consentrator to use for flower gold

 

[bobcat]

flour gold sorry about spelling

 

[Ramjet]

how do you smelt flower gold have a heap but stuck on how to do it

Hi bobcat.
Welcome to the forum.
That's a terrible problem you have... a heap of flour gold
I dont have enough to worry about smelting it.
Search the forum and google it. You sh uld find some info to help you.

 

[Diggerdude]

how do you smelt flower gold have a heap but stuck on how to do it

Check out a post half way down this page by Shivan.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3444

DD

 

[G0lddigg@]

flour gold sorry about spelling

id make a concentrator with ribbed rubber matting only on recirculation with a bilge pump and very low water flow, as long as you ahve classified right down you should be right. If your having trouble panning it try adding some detergent to your water that your panning in it will help break the surface tension of the water and keep the fine gold down

 

[Ben78]

I have some black sand cons from crushing quartz that is impossible to separate, can't do it in the pan and the blue bowl won't do it either. I believe that the black sand is gold trapped in arsenopyrites. The black sand in my case needs to be treated to free the gold from the pyrites. Normal black sand as found in creeks is easily separated by comparison.

As for the Assay, there is ads in the Gold Gem and Treasure magazine for XRF assay for $15 a test. Cheap if you ask me - if you contact them they'll tell you what you need to send them.

 

[G0lddigg@]

have you tried using acid?

 

[slowflow]

I could smelt all my flour gold wit 2 matches.
For a fine cheap mesh try a fat splatter stopper, in any kitchen shop of kmart etc. what a terrible problem to have.

 

[casandgabcan]

Thanks everyone, much more reading to do I feel and looking at YouTube. We made two brilliant sluices, which we use after we have sieved all the material. Actually even before the sluice we use the old cement mixer, and it has been fantastic. Maybe I should start again, first my son removes all the larger stones, rocks etc, the cement mixer comes into play and this further refines the material finally he sieves through a number of sized screens. He ends up with a grey powder, which he wets, places on one of the sluices that we have made, (we have two, one for larger volume and one much smaller for the final sieved gold/sand. The process is repeated and then the pan comes into play, removing more sand, I will post photos in a day or two, perhaps then someone may be able to tell us where we are going wrong, although from what we have researched so far we seem to be on track, with the exception of the weight factor of the sand and gold being the same. Tried using the magnet, but very little is picked up. We most definitely will try the "blue bowl" method, but my son seems keen on getting a "concentrator". Oh and Diggerdude, will have to get it assayed before we spend any real money on equipment, so $150 doesn't seem to bad to find out if its worth continuing.

 

[HeadsUp]

Thanks Kingsolomon, have looked at the thread and will be making my own on Friday. Curious though after looking at the thread and other comments and pictures, can't help but feel that the gold I have is a lot finer, almost a powder, do you think I would be wasting my time?

the very fine gold is still gold , yes its worth saving . it all adds up.

as mentioned by DD , use 2 or 3 mesh sieves , say 30 , 70 , 100 mesh , put them over a plastic bucket and put the contents through your new blue bowl one screen at a time , then screen the ultra fine stuff from the bucket.

do it slowly at first , feed the stuff in to the blue bowl no more than 2 or 3 tablespoons full at a time , adjust the water speed down lower as the gold gets smaller and you will get the fine stuff.

i have retained gold as fine as talcum powder , you cant even see it until you have a pile of it in the bowl

you might be very lucky and have a good spot there . good luck with it.

ps . what kind of sluices are you using ?

are you sure the sluices are set up so you are keeping all the gold that goes into it ? photo of the sluice setup would be good to see

 

[Ag Man]

This is what I do to - I wait till I'm at home to really clean my concentrates because you can take your time...
Add small batches(table spoon?) of concentrates to a pan with a big bottom(Garrett 15" pan or a big steel pan work great).
then try the swirl method like here in the Youtube clip below.
If gold starts to wander with the black sands, then tap the rim of the pan in the direction you want the gold to go back to.
Snuff up any black sands & discard. Repeat until there's just gold left.

[video=480,360]http://youtu.be/4a3ZiAdwrCQ[/video]

 

[Mudguts]

That is awesome
Thanks for that vid