Are any smelters that work with the little guy?

[g_opolis]

About ten years ago, I discovered a rather decent deposite of very compact sugary ore. I will refer to this as galena, even though it is a very complex mess of minerals.What grabbed my attention is that it is a hanging wall butted on one side by a natural cave, and the other side by an underground river. The limestone was eaten right up to the vein.This was mined at one point, with the vein opened up in a 20ft/10 ft area( thereby exposing the river and the opposing side of the vein). I filed for claim and was granted such. The USGS info was limited on this claim, but was noted that it was mined briefly in the late 1890's. No claim since.
I took 3 samples from 3 different points ( 9 total), and sent 3 samples to 3 different assayers.
Came back on average of the 9 : Pb 34%, Sn 29% , Cu 3%, Ag 40 oz./t.
Au content varied from .03 oz./t. up to .3 oz./t. The other values were very consistant, with Ag at lowest 30 oz./t.
The amount of ore exposed is roughly 25 ft by 400 ft by 3 ft, with virtually no gangue at all. Many, many tons of very dense material.
I held the claim for four years, making nothing on it, just doing minor " improvements" to hold the claim. I have recently reclaimed this with the rise of base metals.
I ran these numbers through a Kitco calculator a few months ago ( can't seem to locate it right now for a current figure), and it grossed around $2000.00 a ton (+/- ).
I have about 5 tons piled up, ready for a trial run. I can't seem to find anyone willing to do it. Extemely complex sulphide ore.
Sorry for the long post, but this matter it seems a real waste not to pursue to the bitter end. Any advice is very welcome.

Thanks,

Robert

 

[calgoldrecyclers]

robert,
try a google search of the major refiners, e.g.: phelps/ dodge. that would be my best guess. i have to do the same with a ledge of copper i came across. none of the smaller refiners can handle the volume or the cost of transportation.
good luck.

 

[g_opolis]

I have searched on the net with very little success on nunerous occasions. I did run into a small outfit in Wyoming, but transpo costs vs. "possible net worth" seem to be cost prohibitive on a small load ( couple tons). Phelps Dodge doesn't want to deal with me. The combination of government regulations and giant corporate B.S. basically cuts out the little guy here in AZ. A rfriend of mine who owns an actual "operating" lead/silver mine in Tombstone tried firing some material at his small home built smelter, and was immediately shut down and fined big time. Then he mysteriously starting having endless problems with the EPA.

 

[Rag and Bone]

You could sell it by the Flat Rate box on ebay. It would certainly take the fun out of it but in the end you might do well. Provide some assay info, history, nice photos and just let it ride. Flat rate boxes full of base metals and questionable ore are selling.

 

[g_opolis]

I just noticed that I mistyped my values. They are: 34% Lead, 29% Zinc, 3% Copper, 30-40 oz./ton Silver, and .03-.3 oz./ton Gold. Sorry for the typo.

Thanks,

Robert

 

[calgoldrecyclers]

Robert,
have you considered an option agreement? that is, to lease the claim to a mining company, letting them conduct their own tests and evaluations?
i was reading in a book somewhere that you could lease the rights to a company, letting them do the assaying, drilling, evaluating, etc. while you sit back and relax, collecting a yearly fee and a smelter returns percentage.

if that option dosnt seem possible, you could try a venture capital company.
what it all comes down to, do you think it will be profitable to mine the elements discovered?
this from an excerpt from modern prospecting by roger mcpherson:
sometimes its worthwhile for an owner/ prospector to spend some money drilling the property to get a better profile of what's there. adding possitive drill findings to a report can raise the value of the claims. here, the costs are high, but the deposit justifies the expense. the drilling and sampling are done according to accepted practice and the results define the grade and extent of the ore. junior companies often operate in this area, developing a good prospect with the expectation of a major company taking over.
between the prospectors find and the eventual mine are many branches along the path. costs quickly escalate, but each step of the process will confirm or negate taking further action. marketing a claim requires solid data, a good write up, and an interested funding source. taking it a step further, into drilling, may bring greater rewards, or a bust and big bills.
there are no economic rules attached to it. the prospectore takes all the risk chasing a dream.
hope that helps a litle.
it turns out that the ledge i discovered belongs to an abandoned mine company. which is to say, someone else still owns the land and mineral rights, even though the mine has been abandoned.
thats o.k. though, because i discovered sperrylite in my black sands!
good luck to you!

 

[g_opolis]

Thanks for the tips. I am going to take it as it comes. Something may pop up. As for your find, congrats! I need to start checking the local sands for PM's. There is a 2.3 pound nugget in a local bank showcase that came from here, albeit from the 1890's. Good Luck, Robert