New to Iridium processing and other PMs

[Allen Hammer]

I have mostly been a home remodeler and machine builder in my life, avid naturalist so geology and chemistry for refining I have been trying to learn the last 2 years. I have had 3 conformations of finding some iridium in ore with iron, aluminium, and some other PMs. I have the acids and minor lab to do the job and smelting furnaces, what is the best processes at this point of ore? Magnets to refine for starter, panning, Cook with Bithmus as a collector, Potash, Borax, quarts sand, Sodium Nitrate. What am I missing in my understanding? If I can just smelt down to Bismuth and PMs withbase metals it is sellable to refiners of scrap metals I believe? What do you think gentlemen. I have only been involved in prospecting 3 years. This is from a University lab. I had XRF that confirmed it and after some smelts I had frozen cupels. Stais chloride test. The Hoke book I have looked at and wish to be more familiar with it. I have it and many others about refining but it is so much info to absorb. I realize it is all very dangerous and in this learning at this beginner stage I am the most likely to get hurt, so that is why I am here. A 5 year old with a loaded pistol waving it around the room. A plane plan of action would be nice. THis scan results is of one rock but many have been added from the same hole but I have had many XRFs with a variety of PMs. It is a kind of placer deposit near a stream. Have not found PMs in the stream below. Thanks for whatever help you guys might provide.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I have mostly been a home remodeler and machine builder in my life, avid naturalist so geology and chemistry for refining I have been trying to learn the last 2 years. I have had 3 conformations of finding some iridium in ore with iron, aluminium, and some other PMs. I have the acids and minor lab to do the job and smelting furnaces, what is the best processes at this point of ore? Magnets to refine for starter, panning, Cook with Bithmus as a collector, Potash, Borax, quarts sand, Sodium Nitrate. What am I missing in my understanding? If I can just smelt down to Bismuth and PMs withbase metals it is sellable to refiners of scrap metals I believe? What do you think gentlemen. I have only been involved in prospecting 3 years. This is from a University lab. I had XRF that confirmed it and after some smelts I had frozen cupels. Stais chloride test.

We will try again.
How did you get those confirmations?
Iridium is notoriously hard to dissolve.
It is practically immune to almost anything.
Without being sure, I think your approach is not feasible.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I have mostly been a home remodeler and machine builder in my life, avid naturalist so geology and chemistry for refining I have been trying to learn the last 2 years. I have had 3 conformations of finding some iridium in ore with iron, aluminium, and some other PMs. I have the acids and minor lab to do the job and smelting furnaces, what is the best processes at this point of ore? Magnets to refine for starter, panning, Cook with Bithmus as a collector, Potash, Borax, quarts sand, Sodium Nitrate. What am I missing in my understanding? If I can just smelt down to Bismuth and PMs withbase metals it is sellable to refiners of scrap metals I believe? What do you think gentlemen. I have only been involved in prospecting 3 years. This is from a University lab. I had XRF that confirmed it and after some smelts I had frozen cupels. Stais chloride test.

Do not edit a post unless you notify that it is edited.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I have mostly been a home remodeler and machine builder in my life, avid naturalist so geology and chemistry for refining I have been trying to learn the last 2 years. I have had 3 conformations of finding some iridium in ore with iron, aluminium, and some other PMs. I have the acids and minor lab to do the job and smelting furnaces, what is the best processes at this point of ore? Magnets to refine for starter, panning, Cook with Bithmus as a collector, Potash, Borax, quarts sand, Sodium Nitrate. What am I missing in my understanding? If I can just smelt down to Bismuth and PMs withbase metals it is sellable to refiners of scrap metals I believe? What do you think gentlemen. I have only been involved in prospecting 3 years. This is from a University lab. I had XRF that confirmed it and after some smelts I had frozen cupels. Stais chloride test. The Hoke book I have looked at and wish to be more familiar with it. I have it and many others about refining but it is so much info to absorb. I realize it is all very dangerous and in this learning at this beginner stage I am the most likely to get hurt, so that is why I am here. A 5 year old with a loaded pistol waving it around the room. A plane plan of action would be nice. THis scan results is of one rock but many have been added from the same hole but I have had many XRFs with a variety of PMs. It is a kind of placer deposit near a stream. Have not found PMs in the stream below. Thanks for whatever help you guys might provide.

XRF is notorious to make mistakes if it do not have the correct libraries installed.
We have numerous posts in her from people thinking they have Ir or Rh but in fact have Arsenic.
The XRF is a wonderful machine but it is as stupid as any other machinery, so when it sees the spikes in the region of As and Ir it just picks the closest match and call it that.
If people think they have PGMs, there are mostly two routes, NiS assay or mass spectrography.
None of these are cheap.

 

[Allen Hammer]

We will try again.
How did you get those confirmations?
Iridium is notoriously hard to dissolve.
It is practically immune to almost anything.
Without being sure, I think your approach is not feasible.

Please don't confuse the various results as if together. The understanding came together as results from cupels and acid test, XRF of many samples, XRF after smelts of the lead with PMs but this last more comprehensive test lead me to try to do a large smelt of 5 lbs of concentrates. I could do small test smelts of 100 grams first?

 

[Allen Hammer]

years.https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=3ba4aa119a&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r3830506324054114554&th=187294db34d7a776&view=att&disp=safe&realattid=187294c89cd2f5122fa1

 

[Yggdrasil]

Please don't confuse the various results as if together. The understanding came together as results from cupels and acid test, XRF of many samples, XRF after smelts of the lead with PMs but this last more comprehensive test lead me to try to do a large smelt of 5 lbs of concentrates. I could do small test smelts of 100 grams first?

There are something strange with the XRF result you presented.
If you see here:

The Ir has a Wt% of 0.5 which means 5Kg per ton, but it has 0 Sigma which is not good for trustworthiness.
But if you are adamant of pushing on, just go on.

 

[Yggdrasil]

years.https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui=2&ik=3ba4aa119a&attid=0.1&permmsgid=msg-a:r3830506324054114554&th=187294db34d7a776&view=att&disp=safe&realattid=187294c89cd2f5122fa1

What is this?

 

[Allen Hammer]

There are something strange with the XRF result you presented.
If you see here:
View attachment 55871
The Ir has a Wt% of 0.5 which means 5Kg per ton, but it has 0 Sigma which is not good for trustworthiness.
But if you are adamant of pushing on, just go on.

There are something strange with the XRF result you presented.
If you see here:
View attachment 55871
The Ir has a Wt% of 0.5 which means 5Kg per ton, but it has 0 Sigma which is not good for trustworthiness.
But if you are adamant of pushing on, just go on.

That is not an XRF result spectrometer of some sort, but it is still reading reflections of crystals. I know the amount seems impossible. It is just one rock, a small piece with a high concentration
.

 

[Allen Hammer]

There are something strange with the XRF result you presented.
If you see here:
View attachment 55871
The Ir has a Wt% of 0.5 which means 5Kg per ton, but it has 0 Sigma which is not good for trustworthiness.
But if you are adamant of pushing on, just go on.

Just go on is not chemistry recipe for a smelt and cupel, or a mechanical refining of ore. I need direction in the chemistry I know results are real the extraction without injury is my goal. Thanks

 

[Lou]

Send it out to a proper lab for an analysis where Ir is routine. I like ACT Labs in Canada, good work and reasonable price and lots of experience having worked with Sudbury.

Do this first and then post the content. We can advise from there

 

[Allen Hammer]

My results from the engineering department of a University is not good enough? Mass spectrometer? I need one from the US if you have one on the East coast would be good for testing. I should get a test from such a place I agree but I am ready to go now I need a plan of action as I described either way. I would not do such a large smelt without multiple evidence as I do have. I am ignorant not stupid. I am trying not to find out differently. I could be guilty. A plan of procedure would be great.

 

[Allen Hammer]

The man who did the tests for me was the head of the 3 labs of the Liberty University. I think he is qualified even if he does not do these tests all the time?

 

[Yggdrasil]

The man who did the tests for me was the head of the 3 labs of the Liberty University. I think he is qualified even if he does not do these tests all the time?

Listen to Lou, he know what he is talking about.
You will not get better advice.

 

[slsmp40]

XRF can only be a presumptive indicator for the rarer PGMs in low concentrations. You must do a more advanced analysis preferably with a mass spec before you get involved with chemical extraction. You have to know what you actually have to proceed. Even if the correct library is installed in the XRF the previous is true. I don’t know if a linear accelerator packs enough punch to make trace pgms light up. So if it fits on your desk it will never be the answer you want it to be.

 

[Allen Hammer]

The picture I showed was not from the read out of an XRF and I am surprised he thought it was, it is from a mass spectrometer, it gave percent by weight. There is some confusion here. Why does anyone need more than that. If someone can give an answer on what is the best way to remove PMs from rock when it is magnetic would be nice or anyone who has tackled this problem.

 

[Allen Hammer]

Here is the full picture of results Mass Spectrometer I know it is a lot, but it is just a small rock. I am sure per ton it will be far less. a 100 th of it is still worth my time.

 

[Lou]

That’s not a mass spectrometer. That’s an SEM with an EDXRF.

You can send to Ledoux in NJ.

 

[Allen Hammer]

I smelted a big pot of it. I needed the practice. It cupeled to nothing. I had glassy slag. Nothing in the collector metal. XRF on that hole has been a giant wild goose chase. What is also odd about it it was so magnetic. The soil would hold on to a magnet like I had never seen. Disappointing but a good smelt. 7 lbs of concentrates. The have Nomex suites at sportsman guide 45 bucks.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I smelted a big pot of it. I needed the practice. It cupeled to nothing. I had glassy slag. Nothing in the collector metal. XRF on that hole has been a giant wild goose chase. What is also odd about it it was so magnetic. The soil would hold on to a magnet like I had never seen. Disappointing but a good smelt. 7 lbs of concentrates. The have Nomex suites at sportsman guide 45 bucks.

A cupel should not produce slag.
What collector did you use in your smelt?