I was having poor XRF gun reproducibility with long hole percussion cuttings from one shot to the next. I came up with wetting them, tapping them to settle, pouring off the liquid, stirring the damp sample again, then shooting through the bottom of a polyethylene container to protect the gun aperture, and keeping the aperture moving during the 30 second shot. Shooting the sample damp dealt with gravity separation issues and the moving aperture averaged out nugget effect errors. My subsequent QR/QC analysis had high agreement with independent bench XRF. This technique would work well with panning and sluice cons. The tapping/draining gives you a consistent ~15% moisture content. This method allowed me to get reliable results underground for real time decisions. I have used both Olympic and Thermo-Fisher guns.
Hi Jon, I appreciate your comment. This sounds like a method we should consider incorporating. Interesting idea to address nugget affect 🤔. I have to try that. Our XRF is the Delta 6550 50kv unit with tantalum anode. We have 4 modes but use soils and precious metals modes the most.We may get our hands on a new Vanta for a short period of time to try it out. We haven't tried Thermo-Fisher. Any feedback on Thermo-Fisher?
@@mineoperator XRF works great for silver but sucks for gold. However silver and gold values usually correlate. I loved the TF Niton but the price was higher.
I forgot to mention i found some old working in southern cali with Huge Old cyanide waste piles. Of course, i had sampled them and to my surprise, there was quite a bit of fine gold contained in the samples. your cyanide dump does have some good value which again i find surprising considering the effectiveness of the leching process....
I am curious to know if you are going to sample the bottoms of the tailing piles, as we all know that heavy materials will work their way down to the bottom. Also, is there any hazard in working through the cyanide processed tailings, mainly cyanide poisoning from poorly cleaned materials? Thanks.
Great questions. We do plan on going back to survey the both the dump and cyanide tailings. We are working on a "Notice of Intent" with the BLM in order to use an excavator on the property. Otherwise, we will trench the best we can by hand on a day much cooler than the 110F day we had. I have a cyanide testing kit that I'll use throughout the sample. We will wear respirators taking those samples. The cyanide is usually destroyed by UV over the many decades. However, at depth, anything is possible.
Thank you for the fast response. You are doing what I would like to be doing, but age & health prevent me. I wish you a mother load find in he mine.@@mineoperator
How much money could be made by running all the tailings through a plant to crush it down and extract whatever's left in it? Or maybe the better question would be: how much time and money would somebody need to invest, to be able to crush it all down and extract whatever value remains in it?
Hi Paul, we need to perform a survey to confirm these numbers, but using Google Earth, early estimates are 10,000+ tons on the top dump and 2,000+ tons of tailings. Using the low figures we came up with in our sampling program, it's possible that there's $1.5mm in gold and silver on the surface. Our plant currently can process 6-8 tons per day. Adding a 2tph table, new sandscrew, increase the pond size, and a piece of heavy equipment, we could process 2tph or 14-16 ton per day. We'd have to haul it to the mill, so include hauling charges. Shooting from the hip I'd say $100,000-$150,000 in capital could get the job done. If we processed 220 tons per month with upgrades to the plant, 4.5 years. These are all rough, early numbers. There maybe ways to engineer it to process it closer or onsite. It's worth the research. I did not include operating costs over the 4.5 years. Early estimates. If the grade of gold in the tailings goes up, there could be $2-$2.5mm on the surface.
@@mineoperator is that just the two of you working? That sounds like a FT job for a few years, there wouldn't be any prospecting or time for much else. But $100k a man, tax free, for 4 years sounds like a good gig too
@krakhedd, depends if we can setup a mill close to this mine or we need to haul it a few hours to our current mill. Would probably be 4 full-time. We definitely need to count the costs closely to see if it's worth it.
few videos ago you said you need help. i would love to go there swing my gold monster. do some dry washing. find you some placer gold. is this possible. pretty good with a gps. also. have a good day.
Can you recover that gold that is question.tests tels you there is a gold but can you recover that gold. From my experience gold is almost an every rock, but can you recover it? I not believe in any test results they are useless . You need look at recoverable gold . And methods hou to recover that gold or another metals
Thanks for your comment. I stated in the video 3 data points and that can include identifying if you can recover the precious metals with your current mill process. We didn't see any free-mill gold at this mine 😕. Further testing is in order.
I was having poor XRF gun reproducibility with long hole percussion cuttings from one shot to the next. I came up with wetting them, tapping them to settle, pouring off the liquid, stirring the damp sample again, then shooting through the bottom of a polyethylene container to protect the gun aperture, and keeping the aperture moving during the 30 second shot. Shooting the sample damp dealt with gravity separation issues and the moving aperture averaged out nugget effect errors. My subsequent QR/QC analysis had high agreement with independent bench XRF. This technique would work well with panning and sluice cons. The tapping/draining gives you a consistent ~15% moisture content. This method allowed me to get reliable results underground for real time decisions. I have used both Olympic and Thermo-Fisher guns.
Hi Jon, I appreciate your comment. This sounds like a method we should consider incorporating. Interesting idea to address nugget affect 🤔. I have to try that. Our XRF is the Delta 6550 50kv unit with tantalum anode. We have 4 modes but use soils and precious metals modes the most.We may get our hands on a new Vanta for a short period of time to try it out. We haven't tried Thermo-Fisher. Any feedback on Thermo-Fisher?
@@mineoperator XRF works great for silver but sucks for gold. However silver and gold values usually correlate. I loved the TF Niton but the price was higher.
@@jonsdigs1great advice!
That was a great video guys! super thorough explanation of all the steps and love the samples under zoom!! 105 OPT!! AGWESOME!
Thanks, Mike! You ready for a collaboration video. Let's schedule one in the next month or two 🤔.
@@mineoperator I am Fosho hopefully before the end of the year!
I forgot to mention i found some old working in southern cali with Huge Old cyanide waste piles. Of course, i had sampled them and to my surprise, there was quite a bit of fine gold contained in the samples. your cyanide dump does have some good value which again i find surprising considering the effectiveness of the leching process....
@@VendettaProspecting call me when you get a chance. I misplaced your number Mike.
Thanx for an informative video. As always, wishing you fine fellows all the best in your exiting ventures.
Thank you, Kahn. We're covering so much ground lately. We have some great ones coming up I think you'll like.
Uhhh, exciting
Wow! This is so much good info. Thank you for educating us and please keep it up.
Thanks, Alex. We'll give it our best shot. Glad it didn't put you to sleep.
Just enjoyed the explanation of the process and cost.
Thanks, Wayne. I'm happy to help.
Good video guys looking forward to the processing side and results
Thanks Bobby. Us too! Soon.
Excellent info! Thanks for posting this :)
Really do enjoy this type of video with detailed sampling explanations. I have subcribed and will definately tune in again.
Thanks for subscribing! We just started this style of video. We have more scheduled in the coming months.
Looks like some very thorough sampling.
Helpful information great job thanks for the video keep them coming
Great info! Thank you!
You're welcome, Paul! We're looking forward to visiting again in November, if possible 🤔.
great video
Thanks!
Usted dice que 2 ppm de Au no es un resultado alentador? Cuanta concentración en ppm es un buen resultados. 32 ppm es una alta o media concentración?
I am curious to know if you are going to sample the bottoms of the tailing piles, as we all know that heavy materials will work their way down to the bottom. Also, is there any hazard in working through the cyanide processed tailings, mainly cyanide poisoning from poorly cleaned materials? Thanks.
Great questions. We do plan on going back to survey the both the dump and cyanide tailings. We are working on a "Notice of Intent" with the BLM in order to use an excavator on the property. Otherwise, we will trench the best we can by hand on a day much cooler than the 110F day we had. I have a cyanide testing kit that I'll use throughout the sample. We will wear respirators taking those samples. The cyanide is usually destroyed by UV over the many decades. However, at depth, anything is possible.
Thank you for the fast response. You are doing what I would like to be doing, but age & health prevent me. I wish you a mother load find in he mine.@@mineoperator
What a good amount of gold in 1 ton of ore ? For both open bit and underground mining
Thanks so much for the video. Very interesting. Is that calaverite under magnification you are looking at
I'm not 100% sure. Possibly. We've had some comments suggesting it is.
@@mineoperator It appeared to be regular pyritohedrons to me rather than calaverite blades.
@@jonsdigs1 Copy that. Thanks for your comments. Every location we go to is so different. We're constantly learning.
How much money could be made by running all the tailings through a plant to crush it down and extract whatever's left in it? Or maybe the better question would be: how much time and money would somebody need to invest, to be able to crush it all down and extract whatever value remains in it?
Hi Paul, we need to perform a survey to confirm these numbers, but using Google Earth, early estimates are 10,000+ tons on the top dump and 2,000+ tons of tailings. Using the low figures we came up with in our sampling program, it's possible that there's $1.5mm in gold and silver on the surface. Our plant currently can process 6-8 tons per day. Adding a 2tph table, new sandscrew, increase the pond size, and a piece of heavy equipment, we could process 2tph or 14-16 ton per day. We'd have to haul it to the mill, so include hauling charges. Shooting from the hip I'd say $100,000-$150,000 in capital could get the job done. If we processed 220 tons per month with upgrades to the plant, 4.5 years. These are all rough, early numbers. There maybe ways to engineer it to process it closer or onsite. It's worth the research. I did not include operating costs over the 4.5 years. Early estimates. If the grade of gold in the tailings goes up, there could be $2-$2.5mm on the surface.
@@mineoperator is that just the two of you working? That sounds like a FT job for a few years, there wouldn't be any prospecting or time for much else. But $100k a man, tax free, for 4 years sounds like a good gig too
@krakhedd, depends if we can setup a mill close to this mine or we need to haul it a few hours to our current mill. Would probably be 4 full-time. We definitely need to count the costs closely to see if it's worth it.
few videos ago you said you need help. i would love to go there swing my gold monster. do some dry washing. find you some placer gold. is this possible. pretty good with a gps. also. have a good day.
Feel free to email me: info@mineoperator.com. We could arrange that.
any rhodium. ???
Not yet. If we get on some high-grade vein material, I wouldn't be surprised to see it pop up. Especially in our concentrates.
is that per tun
Yes it is. Great question.
Can you recover that gold that is question.tests tels you there is a gold but can you recover that gold. From my experience gold is almost an every rock, but can you recover it? I not believe in any test results they are useless . You need look at recoverable gold . And methods hou to recover that gold or another metals
Thanks for your comment. I stated in the video 3 data points and that can include identifying if you can recover the precious metals with your current mill process. We didn't see any free-mill gold at this mine 😕. Further testing is in order.
@@mineoperator Refractory ore, gold hidden, encapsulated by the sulphides. The reddest, most rusted, oxidized soil, rock might have some freed gold.