I still have the panned down cons from a trip into the Bradshaw mountains to an abandoned gold mine. The mine also produced lead and silver. So I have tiny lead bits mixed in with chunky and fine gold. I've tried to reduce it to just gold in the Falcon finish pan but no luck as the lead is all over the place and pretty close to the weight of the gold. It's a mix of chunky to fines in both gold and lead. Anyone have any suggestions?
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I have never had a problem panning lead out of gold, classify the material and try to pan out the different fractions, gold will win out over lead as it's almost twice as heavy, that is as long as the particles are very close to the same size.
That being said you will have a problem of separating the lead from silver as they're both have very similar specific gravities.
Here is a link from the Gold Refining Forum that shows a how to make a mini firebrick furnace. All you need is a Mapp torch. http://goldrefiningforum.com/~goldrefi/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=38&am...
They have MAP Pro gas that is used with Oxygen, you can pick up a complete MAP Pro torch kit at Lowe's for about $70.00.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_124500-13877-OX2550KC_0__?productId=5012640...=
Thanks Dick. Great suggestion. Can I use a "Nap" gas torch, yellow bottle, which gets a whole lot hotter than a regular propane torch (blue bottle) or is the propane torch hot enough?
That means that the gold will melt before the lead, right?
Lead will melt first, silver next and then gold. Mapp gas will burn hotter that propane, but you probably need to use Oxygen with an oxy/gas torch to get it hot enough. I have seen propane and map gas torches used in a kiln set up to melt metals so it can be done. Try to google gold assays or look on utube to get some ideas. Your kinda getting away from prospecting and getting into gold refining and that's an all together different topic with forums on just that subject. I would also use some borax ( twenty mule team soap) as a flux for the first try. Your the first I have heard of having lead with the gold that couldn't be picked out. Shot, bullets etc.
Dickb
I would suggest you try taking a small quantity of the cons and put it in a bone ash cupel, then heat it to the melting point of the gold. The lead should go into the cupel and leave the gold and silver alloy as a small button it the bottom of the cupel. You won't get the silver and gold to separate unless your refine the button. If that does work then you may be able to up size the sample and get better production. You should get the black sands out first with a magnet.
This how they assay gold and silver. Good luck.
Dickb