# an interesting find....



## amosfella (Nov 15, 2010)

http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/coin-production-1200012
I wonder if the small home refiner could use this...


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## rusty (Nov 15, 2010)

amosfella said:


> http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/coin-production-1200012
> I wonder if the small home refiner could use this...



ammosfella that url leads to the Royal Canadian Mint, what exactly are we supposed to be looking at on that page.


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## Anonymous (Nov 15, 2010)

I think he wanted us to see the 4N process at the bottom of the page.Pretty neat.Makes me wish I had chlorine gas.


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## goldsilverpro (Nov 15, 2010)

That's a very brief description of the Miller chlorine and Wohlwill cell methods.


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## nickvc (Nov 15, 2010)

goldsilverpro said:


> That's a very brief description of the Miller chlorine and Wohlwill cell methods.


Yes it sure is and now we have a full description of exactly how it's done here on the forum..
But it's not ever really going to be a small/hobby refiners method due to the amount of gold needed to make the outlay justified same as 4metals atomisation process which in my opinion is brilliant but the costs put it out of our reach...Unless you know better members?


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## Anonymous (Nov 15, 2010)

nickvc said:


> Unless you know better members?


Lol nick put a question mark at the end of that.I think he was hoping for someone to come forward......lol.
Nick you are ok in my book.


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## HAuCl4 (Nov 15, 2010)

nickvc said:


> goldsilverpro said:
> 
> 
> > That's a very brief description of the Miller chlorine and Wohlwill cell methods.
> ...



In my humble, but engineering opinion, Miller has been rendered obsolete by "atomization" as per 4metals description. And Wohlwill was rendered obsolete by DBC extraction many years ago.

And regarding the costs, I haven't ever built one, but an atomizer of the type needed to get the job done in size can probably be built for less than $10,000, maybe less than $5,000.

To me the atomizer/powder metallurgy is the greatest innovation in PM refining of the last 100 years.

Now building an ICP-MS machine...that I wouldn't know where to start!. :shock: 

Somehow I suspect that there is enough know-how in this forum to do it too!. 

Look at Tim: He built a 10Kw induction furnace, and is selling it for $2,000. THAT is a huge achievement!. 8)


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## T3sl4 (Nov 15, 2010)

ICP-MS... ha... too bad my induction heater doesn't run at a nearly high enough frequency to do that. That would be seriously cool 8) 

Ya know.. might not be too hard to make one with a microwave oven to drive the plasma, and some basic optics to do AAS instead of MS. Diffraction grating and photosensor methinks.

Tim


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## HAuCl4 (Nov 15, 2010)

I only understood "microwave oven" in your explanation...Completely out of my league Tim, but perhaps in your league. :shock:


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## Lou (Nov 15, 2010)

In my opinion, there is no beating the Miller process when it comes to large scale processing (i.e. 10,000 oz at a time). Small scale stuff seems less useful by virtue of the expense on controlling the AgCl particulate (and other volatiles) and chlorine gas.

Chlorine is dirt cheap.


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## g_axelsson (Nov 16, 2010)

I've toyed with the idea to build an MS... I've got the vacuum parts that I need after scrapping two electron microscopes.
To build an Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer is a bit trickier, you need to do a lot of plasma calculations and that is closer to magic than science. :lol:
In ordinary air sound waves and electromagnetic waves passes independent of each other but in plasma every sound wave creates electromagnetic waves too and vice versa. The calculations has to be done in sixdimensional space!

... or you might find some drawings by googling.

:mrgreen: 

/Göran


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## Oz (Nov 16, 2010)

Lou said:


> In my opinion, there is no beating the Miller process when it comes to large scale processing (i.e. 10,000 oz at a time).


Getting back to the basics for a moment. I would be willing to bet that if I had 10,000 troy ounces of gold for sale (a borderline small/large lot) at 97% of spot you would fly out to me and give hands on instruction as to the Miller Process to close the sale (a one time sale, gratis your instruction), even if it took me a week or 2 to learn it. Unless you would not appreciate 270 large or so in your pocket gross net. 

I'm just having a bit of fun with you Lou over small/large lots. But who knows, there may be someone here that needs that service. More than one decent sized refinery watches this forum that does not use the Miller Process, yet.


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## HAuCl4 (Nov 16, 2010)

LOL. I'll bid 99% for the 10,000 oz lot!. :lol:

And I'll bring female entertainment!


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