Panning Gold from incinerated and crushed RAM Chips

[patnor1011]

here is video of my small sluice with pump in closed loop system and I will try to look up picture of my small drain pipe sluice too - it is somewhere on the forum.



found post with drain pipe sluice:
https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/help-in-ridding-ash-from-chips-with-water.20428/#post-209816

 

[offtrailhiker]

I recently burned 25# of female plugs for a brass recovery test. Earlier tests showed 15-30% brass recovery and scrap yards show little interest in the whole plugs. The plugs also contain fine Cu wires that get lost in the ash. Setups similar to those offered in this thread may prove effective for said Cu recovery. Thank you!

Edited to correct recovery datum.

 

[kurtak]

Has anyone had any luck panning the bond wires out of chip ash?

Panning chip ash is actually "one" of the better ways to concentrate the ash down to a concentrate of the bond wires before ether leaching or smelting the concentrate for the gold

The problem with panning is that it is a somewhat slow process because you can only pan 1/2 a cup to a cup of ash at a time --- so in as much as it is actually one of the better methods for concentrating chip ash it is really only feasible (time wise) for "small" batch concentrating - like 1 - 5 pound chip batches - 10 pounds at most

What is VERY important about concentrating the carbon/ash down to its actual "bond wire concentrate" is getting the carbon/ash reduced down to a uniform particle size before "washing" the carbon ash to get your concentrate

That means ALL over size MUST first be removed before washing the carbon/ash

The particle size of the carbon/ash needs to be 80 minus mesh in size - in other words the carbon ash needs to go through (at least) an 80 mesh screen (200 mesh will work) - & that is because a piece of carbon/ash large then 80 mesh in size can/will hold a bond wire & that piece of carbon/ash holding that bond wire can/will wash away

So you NEED to screen (sift) the carbon/ash after milling the incinerated chips

Here is a listing on ebay for 100 mesh (which will work) sifting screen

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1263810145...BP4ZW4hVQiqbo3Pv7Sx4R7tHlg==|tkp:BFBMsqzNse5k

As a side note; - the chips "do not" need to be turned to complete ash before concentrating - they (the chips) just need to be completely "carbonized" so that they can be milled to fine powder --- it is only important that all carbon gets turned to "ash" before leaching - which can be done after concentrating

Also - I recommend you read this thread where I posted a great deal of info on processing/concentrating IC chips

https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/ic-chips-gold-recovery.31682/

For what it is worth I used to process 500 - 600 pounds of IC chips per year (in 30 - 50 pound batches) it was "one" of main sources of gold for my 10 year of making a living at recovery/refining of precious metals

Kurt

 

[kurtak]

erhaps I'm thinking about it the wrong way round though- the principle of the blue bowl

A blue bowl (&/or any "other" version thereof) is one of the worst ways to try to concentrate bond wires - as I explained on page 3 of the thread I proved a link to in my last post

Kurt

 

[Darkthirty]

I recently burned 25# of female plugs for a brass recovery test. Earlier tests showed 15-30% brass recovery and scrap yards show little interest in the whole plugs. The plugs also contain fine Cu wires that get lost in the ash. Setups similar to those offered in this thread may prove effective for said Cu recovery. Thank you!

Edited to correct recovery datum.

Put the plugs in the freezer overnight and smack them with a 2# drilling hammer

 

[kurtak]

Again this is predicated on all of the material being of similar mesh size.

Yes - when concentrating the bond wires from IC chips this is VERY important - ALL over size material in the incinerated (then milled) carbon/ash MUST be removed before going to the "washing" part of the process of the carbon/ash to get to your concentrate

If you do not get rid of the oversize - the oversize will most certainly cause "interference" (turbulence) during the washing that allows the ultra fine gold bond wires to lift & wash away

Kurt

 

[haveagojoe]

A blue bowl (&/or any "other" version thereof) is one of the worst ways to try to concentrate bond wires - as I explained on page 3 of the thread I proved a link to in my last post

Kurt

Yes I've heard they are painfully slow...
What do you think about the MrFlyon video though? Not convinced? It's not clear to me whether it's using a blue-bowl style principle of a vortex or whether it's just aggitation. It does seem to work for him though, it's at least intriguing, don't you think?
I do think panning would be the most straightforward though, at my scale at least.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Yes I've heard they are painfully slow...
What do you think about the MrFlyon video though? Not convinced? It's not clear to me whether it's using a blue-bowl style principle of a vortex or whether it's just aggitation. It does seem to work for him though, it's at least intriguing, don't you think?
I do think panning would be the most straightforward though, at my scale at least.

The most important task his contraption does and fast is the remove the finer ashes.
This means that later panning or other gravity separation can be simplified.
Maybe even enough as it is to go straight to smelting or even dissolving after a secondary incineration.
All these processes are material specific and need to be assessed every time with the material at hand.
Hmm. No step by step here either

 

[haveagojoe]

Maybe even enough as it is to go straight to smelting or even dissolving after a secondary incineration.

That's what I thought, if there's only silica left with the bonding wires as he claims, although I would think there might be bits of copper, which the magnet wouldn't catch.

 

[JasonT]

Hello guys, I am a gold prospector, been loving it for almost 20 years. In the first video, the guy has already removed the majority of material by panning it out. As with panning for gold in a creek, your pan is full, but as you continue to pan, your lighter materials wash over the edge. At the end, you have your gold and very little black sands left(garbage but heavy magnetite, hematite, iron, etc). The blue bowl works in a similar manner as you put your material in the bowl, turn on the water inlet, as the water begins to swirl, the lighter material is washed over the center opening, leaving the gold and other heavies at same size will be left in the bowl. For best results, material should always be classified down, so the intention is to have the garbage the same size as your gold....making the gold heavier than the garbage. The recovery of gold is solely based on it's density (unless detecting)...gold is twice as heavy as lead. That is why bedrock in a river is so rich...over time, gold will always be at the bottom of everything else. Apply this concept to this subject, you will be on the right path.

 

[haveagojoe]

At the end, you have your gold and very little black sands left

I found this video very interesting, the guy actually adds extra black sand to assist the panning, then removing it with a magnet, allowing the recovery of very fine microscopic gold: Video

 

[JasonT]

I found this video very interesting, the guy actually adds extra black sand to assist the panning, then removing it with a magnet, allowing the recovery of very fine microscopic gold: Video

Yes, a magnet will remove the majority but it can grab gold too if picking up lots of black sands at a time. There will normally be some non-ferrous left to deal with, but much easier. By itself in a pan, the gold just wants to roll around. It needs something to mesh with.

 

[haveagojoe]

Yes, a magnet will remove the majority but it can grab gold too if picking up lots of black sands at a time. There will normally be some non-ferrous left to deal with, but much easier.

I was wondering if maybe adding black sand to chip ash could help with panning out the gold bonding wires in the same way? It seems to form a layer over the gold, making it easier to pan off the waste from on top. I've never tried panning so I have no idea.

 

[JasonT]

I was wondering if maybe adding black sand to chip ash could help with panning out the gold bonding wires in the same way? It seems to form a layer over the gold, making it easier to pan off the waste from on top. I've never tried panning so I have no idea.

I would be very careful. How about trying without first? Videos can make things look easy, especially when experienced, but not so easy to duplicate as a beginner.

 

[JasonT]

I was wondering if maybe adding black sand to chip ash could help with panning out the gold bonding wires in the same way? It seems to form a layer over the gold, making it easier to pan off the waste from on top. I've never tried panning so I have no idea.

I would also recommend practice panning in general. Take lead shot or similar metals, grind to small -50 mesh and pan it. if you can pan lead, you can pan gold. Practice with garbage before gold

 

[4metals]

@JasonT are you a prospector in upstate NY? I hear there's gold in them thar hills, at least the Adirondack's. And in the Finger Lakes region too. Actually they are both great areas to just be outdoors, any gold would be a bonus!

 

[JasonT]

@JasonT are you a prospector in upstate NY? I hear there's gold in them thar hills, at least the Adirondack's. And in the Finger Lakes region too. Actually they are both great areas to just be outdoors, any gold would be a bonus!

I am in CNY, but yes there is small glacial gold here. I own claims out west, that is where I have found most of my gold. Great gold down south too.

 

[JasonT]

I am in CNY, but yes there is small glacial gold here. I own claims out west, that is where I have found most of my gold. Great gold down south too.

Just south of Syracuse.

 

[4metals]

Just south of Syracuse.

There's gold south of Syracuse or you are south of Syracuse? The thing I like most about Syracuse is the Destiny Mall. It's where I get my Apple products replaced.

 

[Shark]

Spent a week in Syracuse in 1999. The National Trappers Association held their annual convention there the week after the Woodstock reunion. Was 6pm before we could get in our room even that far from the concert.