# lead silver ore



## Cody Reeder (Apr 27, 2011)

I am new to the forum but I have been refining metals for some time.

any way, I have reopened one of my grandpa's old mines. the mine was originaly abandand becouse the lead silver ore that it contains wasent profitable. now with the price of silver going up I thought that it may be worth looking into. 

when assayed the ore (galina) it is around 20% lead by weigh with aproximatly 50 ounces/ton of silver and a little bit of paladium. 

I want to work the ore my self as a hobby (not out to get rich) and really I wont be able to do massive quantitys. (it all has to be packed out via horse)

I was wondering if any one had any ideas on how I could go about safely processing this type of ore. along with the silver and lead I am also a little interested in the Sulfur that I might be able to recover.


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## Richard36 (Apr 28, 2011)

Hello Cody,

If you could post a photo it would help out immensely. 
I'm speaking for all of us here when I say that. 

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Lino1406 (Apr 28, 2011)

Looks as a "little" foundry is needed


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## Cody Reeder (Apr 28, 2011)

My coumputer is a bit slow but I will try to upload a photo with this post.

the "ore" consists of shiny metalic looking crystels as well as grey metalic areas it is also quite heavy. my grandpa always called it lead silver and I have just assumed it to be a type of galena.


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## Drewbie (Apr 29, 2011)

Careful, that yellow coloured mineral could be orpiment - As2S3 - Arsenic Sulphide.

"Also usually has a distinct odor similar to sulfur, but is due to the arsenic."

Are you in Wyoming or Washington State?


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## Cody Reeder (Apr 29, 2011)

how would I find out if it is arsenic? I dont think that it is but I supose it could be... it does sometimes have a sulphure like smell when struck. 
at any rate I have been pretty carfull to stay out of the fumes when I heat it.

No, I am in Utah.


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## Drewbie (Apr 30, 2011)

try the google for qualitative analysis arsenic


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## stihl88 (Apr 30, 2011)

Could be Litharge, or Litharge of Silver.


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## Cody Reeder (Apr 30, 2011)

at any rate I went ahead and cupeled doun 100 grams of metal that I prevously recovered from this rock and I got an 1150mg bead of silver out of it. so inorder to get an ounce I would have to burn away over 60lbs of lead. last I cheaked 60 lbs of lead is worth more than an ounce of silver.

now I know why my grandpa closed the mine in the first place. I still might be interested in working it if I could find an easy way to extract the lead becouse it has so much in it and maybe I could just sale the lead.


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## Drewbie (Apr 30, 2011)

Yes, sell the ore. Make it someone else's problem - someone else equipped to split the elements out.


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## Richard36 (Apr 30, 2011)

Drewbie said:


> Yes, sell the ore. Make it someone else's problem - someone else equipped to split the elements out.



I agree. 
Processing this ore can be done, but do you have the facilities, or cash flow needed to set up such a process?
Leaching, or smelting are your options.

If you smelt it, and then rabble in some zinc to the molten lead, the zinc will collect all the Gold and Silver within the lead.
The molten Zinc is lighter than the lead, so it will float to the top of the molten pool. The zinc can then be skimmed, or ladled off, and retorted in much the same way as Mercury Amalgam, thus gassing off the zinc, and leaving the Gold and Silver behind. 

The Precious Metals left behind could then be refined with the methods found on this forum.

That yellow coating could be Cadmium, or Uranium from what all I have studied, 
and you being in Utah, Uranium would be a serious concern for anything Yellow.

Heat some with Borax on a Platinum wire, 
and see if the bead will glow green, or Yellow in Short wave, or long wave UV light.
If it Glows, so will you if you're exposed long enough.
Get the picture?

As for your math, 
if the measurements were correct, this is what I came up with.

100 gm divided by 29.16 gm per assay ton = 3.4293552 times.
1150 mg divided by 3.4293552 = 335.34 mg 
1 mg = 1 oz in each assay ton, so that lead concentrate contains 335.34 oz per ton silver.

So, by my math, 
that lead ore concentrate is worth $16,076.199 per ton at current spot value of Silver.
My contact pays $700 on each $1000 worth of bullion, 
so through me it would be worth $11,253.335 per ton of concentrate,
and that's if the bead was 100% Silver. 

I doubt that it was. 
Chances are that there is some percentage of gold in that bead. 
Put that bead in a hot solution of 1 part Nitric Acid, and 2 Parts Distilled water for 5 seconds, and tell me what color it turns, or if it completely dissolves, and I'll give you a rough idea on the gold content, based on those results.

If any gold is present, 
the value per ton goes up from what I quoted above, 
and doesn't even include the value of the lead within the Ore, which makes it be worth even more.

You still interested in blowing off that mine?
I wouldn't be.

But yes, sell the ore, unless you have the knowledge and facilities to process it yourself.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Cody Reeder (May 1, 2011)

most of my math is done in my head so it probly isnt all that acurate...

I actualy did put the bead in some hot nitric acid earlyer today . it disolved compleatly but left a brown/black powder. which I fired doun and was able to get a small bead of yellow metal that acording to my scale is 19mg. 

the rock that I got the 100g of lead is about as big as the one that I have in the photo that I posted.

I supose my intrest has been restored and I have a lot of my grandpa's old equitment so I might be able to pull it off. but I still dont like the idia of dealing with all that toxic lead. so selling the ore may be my best option but it sounds a lot less fun.


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## Cody Reeder (May 1, 2011)

shoot I figured out why the quote was so high; it was actualy 150mg that I got from the 100g of lead not 1150mg, I must have typed an extra one...

so that means that it is more like 30oz/ton for the lead concintrate.  

but 20mg gold / 100g is what 6 ounce/ton? and that would be 9000$? maybe it still is worth it.

by the way, I have my own giger counter and this ore doesnt read above background so the yellow is proably not uranium. the yellow is the color of the rock


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## Richard36 (May 1, 2011)

At least the yellow isn't a radio-active mineral. Glad to hear that.
The ore is still marketable, even though you added the extra zero.

I hope that I've been helpful.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Cody Reeder (May 1, 2011)

you all certantly have been helpfull and this forum is a awesome place.

my grandpa actualy left me with several mines so I might have some more rocks to ask you about.  

Thanks, Cody Don Reeder


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## Drewbie (May 1, 2011)

Congrats on having your own geiger counter.

Right now, you can't buy a decent one of those for love nor money.


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## Drewbie (May 1, 2011)

Visit them with a decent camera with a macro lens and good lighting and post the photos here so we can all drool over them.

Please.


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## Richard36 (May 1, 2011)

You're welcome Cody, and thanks.
Post some photos of the Ore's that you have access to.
I'd like to look at them, and tell ya what I think.

Seems others would like to look at those photos as well.

Have a good one.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Cody Reeder (May 3, 2011)

Richard36 said:


> If you smelt it, and then rabble in some zinc to the molten lead, the zinc will collect all the Gold and Silver within the lead.
> The molten Zinc is lighter than the lead, so it will float to the top of the molten pool. The zinc can then be skimmed, or ladled off, and retorted in much the same way as Mercury Amalgam, thus gassing off the zinc, and leaving the Gold and Silver behind.



I tried this method and it worked great! I disolved the zinc with hydrocloric and was able to easly recover the values without burning through all my lead.

what about the leaching method, what would I use with this type of ore?

I have pretty much decided that I just want to get enugh to make a ring and then I will be happy with the knolage that its there if I become unemmployed. but for now I dont need to go nuts over it.


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## Cody Reeder (May 3, 2011)

Drewbie said:


> Visit them with a decent camera with a macro lens and good lighting and post the photos here so we can all drool over them.
> 
> Please.



well I dont have much of a camera but soon I will post photos of some samples.

honestly though, for some of the holes I dont know which rocks (if there are any) are ore. and my grandpa was far from being a rich man.


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## Richard36 (May 3, 2011)

Cody Reeder said:


> Drewbie said:
> 
> 
> > Visit them with a decent camera with a macro lens and good lighting and post the photos here so we can all drool over them.
> ...



The photo you posted is fine, as far as clarity, and is the Ore to be looking for, as well as taking photo's of. 
That blue-gray lead mineral looks a lot like the Plumbjarosite that DarcSparks found in that old abandon mine.
If so, then that Ore probably contains some percentage of Palladium, and possibly lesser amounts of Platinum. His did.

Just an observation that I thought was pertinent.

Edit: I just re-read the thread, and you did say that your Ore contains Palladium, so yes, I do think that the Ore Mineral is Plumjarosite. Galena is probably present, but the mineral posted appears to be Plumjarosite. 

Nice find!

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Cody Reeder (May 3, 2011)

sweet! now I know exsataly what mineral I am dealing with, thank you Rick!

by chance do you know where DarcSparks found that old abandon mine? after all my mine was "abandoned" for over hafe a century...


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## Richard36 (May 3, 2011)

Cody Reeder said:


> sweet! now I know exsataly what mineral I am dealing with, thank you Rick!
> 
> by chance do you know where DarcSparks found that old abandon mine? after all my mine was "abandoned" for over hafe a century...



You're welcome.
The mine that DarcSparks posted photos of is in Nevada.
Close enough to you for similar geology.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Cody Reeder (May 18, 2011)

hey sorry it took so long, I have been realy buisy latly. but I have some photos that I am putting up now.


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## Cody Reeder (May 18, 2011)

tis looks very promising but I cant find any more in the mine and unfortunatly I dont have very much of this. onlt enugh to fill a baby food bottle was saved.


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## Cody Reeder (May 18, 2011)

I was told that this was cinibar. if it is the mine doesnt seem to have very much but I would love to try and get some mercury out of it.


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## Cody Reeder (May 18, 2011)

I would like to know what this rock is. you cant see anything in it but I can get some metal out of it by using cyanide. also the rock itsself is quite basic. (acid bubbles when it is added to it) their is also another darker rock that is similar and in the same mine that I will add a photo of but right now, I think that I have ground up all the samples that I had...


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## Richard36 (May 18, 2011)

The first photo is to blurry, the second photo looks good, highly probable gold content, and the last photo is a Skarn. 
The reddish zones most likely do contain gold. It is the same reddish hematite Ore material that I've made a few posts about. 
The video that I posted in my thread under refiners, buyers, and assayers shows a few examples of this and other Ore's that I and others have found.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Cody Reeder (May 23, 2011)

Richard36 said:


> The first photo is to blurry, the second photo looks good, highly probable gold content, and the last photo is a Skarn.
> The reddish zones most likely do contain gold. It is the same reddish hematite Ore material that I've made a few posts about.
> The video that I posted in my thread under refiners, buyers, and assayers shows a few examples of this and other Ore's that I and others have found.
> 
> Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".



I looked up "Skarn" on wikipedia and it sounds exsataly what I am dealing with. there is a lot of lime stone in the area. I thought that this rock was the ore but should I be looking for a volcanic inclusion? and would the scarn get darker as I got closer to the inclusion?


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## Richard36 (May 23, 2011)

Cody Reeder said:


> Richard36 said:
> 
> 
> > The first photo is to blurry, the second photo looks good, highly probable gold content, and the last photo is a Skarn.
> ...



If limestone is present, then Skarn, Marble, and Dolostone should be present as well.
Any contacts between any of those rock-types and Granite will be the areas to be looking for when searching for native Gold, Gemstones, and various Sulfide and Oxide Ores.

Any intrusions of Rhyolite, and Diorite should be inspected, 
as well as the contacts and zones of where they differentiate into other rock-types.

Andesite and Greenstone are distant possibilities as far as possible present rock-types.
Andesite is indicative of volcanic activity within mountainous regions, and Greenstone is indicative, as well as created by intense heating of Basalt or Andesite by an intruding mass of magma.

Skarn is created by intense heating of Limestone, Marble, Dolostone, or Carbonatite.

The skarn would get darker as you neared the zone of contact due to intense heating of the surrounding rock.
Keep in mind the Hydrothermal solutions drop their load as they cool. 

Minerals with a melting/formation temperature close to that of Gold's melting/solidification temperature will be the indicator minerals to be looking for in order to determine if you are in the correct zone.

All three photo's that you posted look like some sort of Ore to me.
I would like a clearer photo of the first photo.

The second and the third photo's are Ore's.
How good is the question.

I hope that this has been Helpful.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Cody Reeder (May 24, 2011)

thanks Rock Man that is some info that I can really use  sorry about the first one being blury, I took another one. this rock has been cut with a saw so you can see the minerals better. I dont think that the yellow metal looking stuff realy is gold becouse it turns to a black powder when heated but a stannious test shows that it still contains a large amount of precious metals. I do wish I had more of this I think I will go back to that mine and look some more.


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## Cody Reeder (May 24, 2011)

here is some of the darker skarn I was talking about.


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## shaftsinkerawc (May 24, 2011)

Nice looking slab! Have you done a scratch test on the golden areas & also on the host material to see it's hardness? Also in the host material after scratch test put a drop of hydrocloric acid on it and let us know what you see. Hope you can find some more of that material. Have a great day. awc


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## Cody Reeder (May 24, 2011)

to answer shaftsinker's question, its pretty hard but I havent done an actual scrach test on it.


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## Cody Reeder (May 24, 2011)

this one has mika (spelling?) and a lot of iron, in fact it atracts a strong magnet. their is a pencil thick vein of quarts that contained gold that ran through this material. my grandpa chased it for probably 200 ft befor having to give up. I wonder what kind of rock this is, I have always called it a shist.
this photo was takin on the mine dump.


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## Cody Reeder (May 24, 2011)

theese 2 samples are from the same mine. I think the white mineral is calcite. it has a lot of mika and iron. a yellow metal can sometimes be seen and stannous shows gold but I have never gotten a bead out of it. it was raining when I took theese photos, I hope thats not a problem.


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## Cody Reeder (May 24, 2011)

this is from an out crop of rust colored rock on my property, The Rock Man said that red is good so I thought I would put a photo up.


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## Cody Reeder (May 24, 2011)

this is another abandond mine that is neer my claims (the mine the "skarn rock" came from is just a few miles away ) I think it is it is 450 milion year old limestone.
the cliff is 280ft tall and is fun to through things off


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## Richard36 (May 24, 2011)

Lol! 

Have you read anything that I've posted about outcrops?
I see a major "Iron Hat" in that last photo, also known as a "Gossan", 
which indicates the presence of Sulfides, and would be the Ore being mined at that location.

Plenty of Ore there.
Definitely worth an assay.

Nice clarity on the photo's this time.
The rock in the first photo that you were wondering about is a Skarn, 
very closely resembling Carbonatite, at least in the top left corner.

The slightly brownish rock in the center of the photo is a granitic differentiation product. 
There is a possibility that it was produced directly from a Basaltic magma as a "Pocket Zone" as well, 
I've looked at quarries in basalt where that has happened.

The third photo sort of makes me think that Granite, Diorite, Andesite, or Basalt would be the surrounding rock type(s).

Anyway, that last photo is well worth more investigation, if open to mineral entry.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## Cody Reeder (May 26, 2011)

I have read into your posts about outcrops a little bit (just now).

I do have the mineral rights to the area so Ithink I will look in to it. what part f the outcrop should I sample for an assay?

as for the "granitic differentiation product" rock I have never seen an outcrop of it and the mine is the only place that I have seen it. the srounding rocks are sedimentry I think (quartsite perhaps, brown with grains but no spaces like regular sand stone has) and there is some limestone in the area. most of the rock is light grey with lots of mika but my grandpa was saving the brounish variety for some reason.

after reading some of your posts I was wondering if it would be possible to build a type of preashure cooker and use super heated water to disolve the minerals from ore, my lead silver perhaps. how hot would it have to get? sounds pretty far feched and I am shure its been thought of and shot doun befor... but I did take first in a national welding contest a while back and I love to tinker


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## Cody Reeder (Aug 26, 2015)

Hey Guys! I have been gone for a long time But I am back! Here Is a video link to one of my recent projects that you all may be interested in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2epi6xRFKFE


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## kurtak (Aug 27, 2015)

Cool video - "Rock to Ring" - thanks for posting 8) 

Kurt


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## Toddntucson7 (Apr 28, 2016)

I don't think a lot of people when we say the AG ton ratio concider we are high grading the ore. Not the dump truck load but the 5 gallon bucket that weighs 150 lbs plus. At least that's what I'm doing. I heard at the end of your video anyone can analyze the palladium groups to find the area the mine is at. I was advised by a person to secure the land I was going to be mining before making it my FOB. I called a BLM in a different state and then was sent to a another person in minerals from that state and she/he ran reports and also stated to watch out for someone over mining me with more acreage' and I could end up in court for them claim jumping me, once I started pulling lobster dinners from dirt. Makes me want to change the chemical structure of the ore by adding .999 silver bullion into the finish before refining. I guess that would only matter if they had mine melted product and I don't know if that's even legal, I know once I hit the 250 lb mark it's not casual mining and paperwork will be filled out anyways and location info. Plus were it is I told them I dought anyone would want to mine there anyways unless they want to be on a major Mexican drug and human smuggling route from Mexico. They don't bother me unless it's for water and they are off just as fast as you see em after hydrating. I won't let someone die of thirst. What are the taxes off income from mining and are they reported thru the rifiner to the IRS or can I just smelt and gift to a family member for refining later in life? I haven't seen a Capitol gains law yet. Just some concerns. Great lead ore I need to check mine for hazmat because it melts that yellow too. Not stinky but yellow. Will test in morning.


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