Small Scale Hard Rock Mining

[Reno Chris 101]

There are more than one hundred million people engaged in small scale hard rock mining across the planet. A lot of it is done in a dangerous manner, but is still interesting to see. I am always amazed at how people take what I would call Junk and turn it into functional mining equipment. I ran across this guide for small scale miners in third world countries. I think a lot of prospectors in the developed world would find this information very interesting.

See:

https://docs.google.com/a/artisanalgold.org/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=YXJ0aXNhbmFsZ29sZC5vcmd8YWdjMXxneDoxZjQ0YWYzMjIyMWQ3NjA1

[Tad R 8]

Amazing!!  This one goes into my Library.

[Steve Herschbach (Inactive) 32]

I like the Chilean wet arrastre - never seen a setup exactly like that before. Looks simple and fairly efficient.

[Reno Chris 101]

When I saw that I thought to myself that while I've seen a lot of single wheel Chilean mills, I've not seen a two-wheeler before. Like I noted in the OP, these guys turn odd stuff into original designs for extracting gold which range from just crazy to true genius.

[4theluvofgold 0]

Very creative stuff.   Amazing what people with so little can create to accomplish their goals.

[Robert Cox 1]

Need some ideas on  small scale hard hard rocking mining. My claim is in the old Banner District near Julian California, an area known for it rich gold quartz  pockets. I have ore that is assaying about 1/2 oz per ton, lots of it. Full face of the adit. Crushed quart and Julian Schist type of ore.

What is the best type of small scale mill to set up at the lowest possable cost, this is free milling gold.Very near the Golden Chariot Mine which hit an ore shoot of about 150 feet and took out 35,000 oz of gold, it ran from 4 to over 40 oz per ton.

[Guest Chris Ralph]

For Cheap, I'd go with a hammer mill and a vibrating table.

 

Still just setting up to drill and blast is expensive in itself. Handling the material and hauling it out can be a significant cost. Setting up a rock crusher and gold recovery plant for free gold. Getting all necessary permits from San Diego County. It all adds up.

It could all easy add up to well more than $50,000 - maybe even $100,000.

 

The big expense of setting up for and doing hard rock mining is why so few small individuals do this.

[Geowizard 122]

Blasting can be contracted.

 

- Geowizard

[Robert Cox 1]

Need some ideas on  small scale hard hard rocking mining. My claim is in the old Banner District near Julian California, an area known for it rich gold quartz  pockets. I have ore that is assaying about 1/2 oz per ton, lots of it. Full face of the adit. Crushed quart and Julian Schist type of ore.

What is the best type of small scale mill to set up at the lowest possable cost, this is free milling gold.Very near the Golden Chariot Mine which hit an ore shoot of about 150 feet and took out 35,000 oz of gold, it ran from 4 to over 40 oz per ton.

 

There are more than one hundred million people engaged in small scale hard rock mining across the planet. A lot of it is done in a dangerous manner, but is still interesting to see. I am always amazed at how people take what I would call Junk and turn it into functional mining equipment. I ran across this guide for small scale miners in third world countries. I think a lot of prospectors in the developed world would find this information very interesting.

See:

https://docs.google.com/a/artisanalgold.org/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=YXJ0aXNhbmFsZ29sZC5vcmd8YWdjMXxneDoxZjQ0YWYzMjIyMWQ3NjA1

How about the Icon Concentrator, would it work better than a table.

[Robert Cox 1]

Has anybody used the Icon Concentrator, would it do a better job than a table.

[Geowizard 122]

Concentration involves many variables.

 

- Geowizard

[GoldBellMining 1]

Wow, does this guy really handle this mercury bare handed?

[Steve Herschbach (Inactive) 32]

Hard to believe. But then again lots of people smoke cigarettes also. Just because something is known to kill people does not stop people from doing it.

[Geowizard 122]

Mining has occupational hazards.

 

Be Safe!

 

- Geowizard

[hardrockpaul 0]

      I don't know much about the other states, but here in Arizona there seems to be all most no interest at all in small scale hardrock property.   A person would think after the price of AU went up a few hundred percent interest would have also went up. Seems like there was more interest 8-9 years ago when the price was around $250.00 per oz.  

[Geowizard 122]

Yes.

 

- Geowizard

[Steve Herschbach (Inactive) 32]

      I don't know much about the other states, but here in Arizona there seems to be all most no interest at all in small scale hardrock property.   A person would think after the price of AU went up a few hundred percent interest would have also went up. Seems like there was more interest 8-9 years ago when the price was around $250.00 per oz.  

Four letters - M S H A

[Reno Chris 101]

No question MSHA and permitting requirements have gotten tougher. Even with high gold prices, if your costs of mining, compliance and permitting have gone up just as fast as gold, you wont find yourself rolling in profits just because the metal prices are up.

However, its also about raising the money you need to open up a mine because even "small scale" mining is capital intensive. Seven years ago you could go into a bank and get a loan with little more than your signature - mining companies also had an easy time raising capital. Today everyone, including banks, are highly risk averse and mining is a high risk business - that's just the nature of it. Even small mining companies with good properties are selling for a few pennies per share because they cant raise money to explore and operate their properties. Banks don't want to loan money out and investors don't want to buy anything more risky than government bonds. A while back I asked a guy I know in the mining and exploration business who aquires and explores hard rock properties how things were in Vancouver (Vancouver, BC, where most small exploration companies are headquartered) - he told me the mood was suicidal. They just cant raise any money to do any work.

[james a. 0]

If there is mercury under water while you are dredgeing.How does it look or how can you tell you are dredging mercury?\

Is it a silver liquid pool on bedrock?Does it get stuck in your sluice box?

If I ran into it.I would like to clean some of it up from the bottom of our river.I used to like to play with mercury too when I was litle.

[Reno Chris 101]

I suppose you could hit a pool, but my experience is that I just recover little balls of mercury, and I have never seen it on the bedrock before I sucked it up. I've only seen it in my box at clean up.

[Geowizard 122]

Enough is known today that would make it bad advice.

 

- Geowizard

[Goldrushexpeditions 0]

Very creative stuff.   Amazing what people with so little can create to accomplish their goals.

I'm amazed what they've done around the world to get to the gold. At work I document old mines and it never ceases to amaze me - the great lengths the prospectors have gone to even here in the U.S. to mine the gold. Stoped out area that extends hundreds of feet upwards, and shafts that descend hundreds of feet with old wooden ladders. Whatever it took to get the job done. This mine was in Yuma County, Arizona, with no wood around for miles, yet there was a wooden collar around the mine and wooden ladders that descended down the 150 foot shaft.

[Geowizard 122]

Nice photo.

 

- Geowizard

[rabbitt46 0]

Mercury can also be in its natural state in the water (rock form). I have heard of people seeing liquid mercury in the water but I've never seen it.

[Geowizard 122]

Naturally occurring mercury is common around many mines.

 

- Geowizard