Tested out the new impact mill today. Just a preliminary test before the "big" test. I had some ore I got from a mine that supposedly runs 1/2 to 1 oz per ton. I only ran a large coffee can or 1 and 2 inch rock. Talk about dusty! LOL

So I took a 1/2 cup of it and panned it and nothing. No gold and little black sands. Grabbed another pan and opened up the door and with a brush, brushed out some of the stuff still inside the mill, and panned about a 1/2 cup of that. That's when I was excited! There in the pan, too large to pass through the screen was native copper! I took a piece and tapped it with a hammer on the vise anvil and it flattened right out. Put it in nitric acid and it eventually was gone.

Excited because this is the first time I had native copper in my pan! Where there is copper, there is most likely gold with it, around it, and in it. Most large copper mines produce the gold as a "byproduct".  Native Copper is kind of rare!

I've crushed Cinnabar in the past to recover free mercury.   Looking forward to getting out in the field (even if it is triple digits!) It was 128 the other day!

So, I loaded up the truck and moved to Beverly, kidding.. I did meet up with an aquaintence of mine who happens to hold claim on 70 acres outside of Oatman, AZ called the White Chief, which in itself is a historical site. There is two piles of ore, one was from the 60's or 70's the other older one was from the 30's I'm told.

On to the impact mill. I wanted to design something that "I" myself would buy and use! I wanted something within a resonable price range and still have the "tough" Crazycrusher construction to it. I designed it with the features I felt would be desired... like "Height" so you don't have to stoop down to use it". Like size, 14" diameter with walls a lot thicker than cheap sheet metal. Something that "I" could handle by myself. I put wheels on the front legs, so if you lift on the other end, IT ROLLS AROUND! How cool is that? I wanted something that, in order to open it up for cleaning or maintenance, I would not have to pull out a bunch of bolts! I used a single hinge system on the 10 gage door with a single hook latch!

Most all of the impact mills on the market are "chain flail" types. That is, they have a couple of links of chains bolted on the center axis and they spin around. I got to thinking... I chain "bends". I don't care how fast it's going, if it meets resistence it flexes. Think of being struck with a belt. Yeah it hurts like hell and stings! But the belt flexes. Now think of being struck by a baseball bat. You don't feel the sting because your arm is totally broken. I made my hammers using forged steel! They don't flex when they strike the incoming rocks.

Another feature I implemented that others don't is that I have "breakers" inside. Some IM's are round (to me that is not the best feature). The Crazycrusher IM is octagon shaped with a 5/8" breaker welded in at each of the 8 corners, so that pieces that are struck by the hammers will ALSO strike in to the breakers, thus making a single pass more effective.

Now, on to the "Bad"... There was a vibration on the frame. The frame I made is of 1-1/2" angle iron as well as the legs. I realized that this may be too "flexible" and will have to go with another base design which I already have on the drawing table.

Problem #2 was that the coupler between the two shafts kept coming loose and moving (on the impact mill side) until they seperated far enough that the IM would stop and the motor kept running. Using a keyed shaft with a key and set key, no matter how tight I got them, the IM side would always come loose. I equate it to the vibrations and perhaps a slight misalignment, which should be remidied with the new frame.

On to the "Good"... The crusher (when the coupler didn't loosen up) ran great! The rocks fed in shattered and the output was so fine that I think the 4 inch space between the bottom of the exit pipe and the top of the bucket, well the wind carried it away like it was smoke! About 1/2 just blew away! A shop vac could be attached to create a virturally dust free operation.

The door seal held tight with no leaks however the seal that exented in to the mill was chewed up, and the seal part beween the door and the mill sides were intact however I think maybe a harder rubber would be better.

From the ore that I did run, about 1/3 passed through a 100 mesh screen, and 1/2 passed through a 40 mesh screen. The remainder was over 40 mesh, only because I did not let it run and run, but swept out the inside of the mill when I was finished.

All in all, I think I will be ordering the new materials and begin to make them over the next couple of weeks. It works well, just have to fix the little things. I would not sell anything that I personally would not buy or own or use myself.

With the Crazycrusher hand operated model, I've built and sold over 300 of them, and only ONE asked for their money back. I want the Impact mill to carry the same solid construction and satisfaction that the hand operated one offers!

Cheers and happy hunting!

Morning miners.

While up at the mill last night getting my toys had a discussion with another investor. Its a changing sides proposition, and at this point I just want to build this mill for who ever wants to put up the money. 

We shall see.....

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Just a little history on why I do, what I do.

This aught to be interesting to put to paper, as it were. I am leaving a lot out, I'm no writer and this aint Gold Rush. 

I was introduced to Mining by a friend, Dan Hignite. Great landscaper, not so successful placer miner. Great guy, good friend. I have my own agenda as well for doing this and mining was my choice of a possible solution to a financial issue/for a retirement project. Not working out great so far, but still moving forward slowly.

Anyway,

This process is now over 40 years in existence and still has not made it to the mining industry. Pieces of this process have but not a 10o% CaCl2 system, this is the only one.

2005, I'm a construction foreman for a developer. Dan does work for us, we talk, I tell him my story and vice versa. He tells me to join a club and learn as much about gold as I can manage. Where it is where it came from and how to get it out of the earth. So pan/sluice in hand, family in tow, off to bedrock prospectors we went. I learned a lot the next few years from a great group of people. High-banking in the snow was the best.

Dan puts together an expedition to Mexico to do a little gravity separation mining, sluice boxes and screen trommel left by previous interests. And a golden boy reverse tromel on youtube. Search - Golden boy trommel = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnOSXKu6b-4

didn’t have a great clue what I was doing but I was doing it like I was told. That man panning over on the top is Mario, former mayor of the town where we were guests. The mud/water never let the gold settle no mater what they tried. I was there for 2 weeks, brought home no gold, lost a 6hp keen dredge pump that never made it home, got stung by a killer bee looking down a mine shaft, ouch stiffff uppper lip and allll.

While in Mexico, I met Phil and got to work with him. Before I came home He told me about a project he is working on in Washington for Arsenic abatement and precious metal recovery, mobile clean up units. He asked me if he got the project would I be interested in running it. I'm game for an adventure into the unknown. What the hell, nothing to lose.

Dredging is so much fun. I want a submarine for my dredge. I can dream.

Year and a half later, Phil calls and says he got the project and its a doosie. Also there is little money to make this work and scrapping will be involved. Oohky then. Many guest ions, much discussion, some planning, I decide to go for it and make it work, again.

The Existing original mill, Built By Joe C. in the early 70's, was in ruin do to lack of snow removal one winter a few years back by the care taker.

This is where the real journey started and continues today, 2009 to present.

So this first. My first rendition of this process Not knowing how the puzzle fit together.

Mill walk through. Old 2011 still in the Re-building stage. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isr6iY7hXPM&list=UU8uxwcAhdjKFvKmE1JHbYoA

Non of this equipment was in this room when we got started. It was lying all about the mill left to collect leaves. Pictures?, loads. Phil and I built this pilot mill based on a picture of the process Phil got from Joe on a walk through. AAron 44, Phil 69. We learned that any metal that was not titanium could not be used in the process where the brine came in contact with it. Needless to say everything is made of or lined with titanium. Technology is the key here. Steel tanks with a chemical resistant, chemically embedded/fused into the steel is much cheaper to use now days.

SO, here we were. A plan, old equipment (20+ years), very little money, a few patents and handwritten flow charts and logs of the process in its infancy.

Harry, I can't forget harry. At this point Harry was the engineer on the project. Harry liked to look, wright stuff down and think. All good qualities needed to figure things out. After 6 month of this with little forward motion I started putting the things I could see we needed into place with out Harry’s approval. This action put harry in to a state of shock. I was going to blow the facility up or catch it on fire. Harry decided it was time for him to collect as much lab equipment as he could before Phil blocked him from the facility. Harry's last visit to the mill he walked into the lab with large boxes. The boxes never left, but harry did, very pissed.

I tried several times to burn the building down, with my creations, with no success.

2 intelligent, edjummicated men, told Phil and I, we do not have the mental capacity to get this off the ground. This may be true to a point. I have learned one thing over the years of doing things beyond my capabilities. I ask questions and hire people smarter than me to compensate for my mental deficiencies. So far its working out great. I'm smarter than I let on for the most part.

The hunt for investors, and equipment that will hold up to this process for a full scale mill is a real chore and resting in Phil to find the money and me to build it.  

This is the reason for the process.

https://www.webelements.com/arsenic/

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Calcium chloride

Drug

Calcium chloride, CaCl2, is a salt of calcium and chlorine. It behaves as a typical ionic halide, and is solid at room temperature. Common applications include brine for refrigeration plants, ice and dust control on roads, and desiccation.

Formula: CaCl2

Boiling point: 3,515°F (1,935°C)

Molar mass: 110.98 g/mol

IUPAC ID: Calcium chloride

Melting point: 1,422°F (772°C)

Soluble in: Water, Acetic acid, Acetone

Drug classes: Calcium, Phosphate binder

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Student Dictionary

One entry found for calcium chloride.

Main Entry: calcium chloride

Function: noun: a salt that absorbs moisture from the air and is used to dry other substances

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When I have all the equipment in hand for the lab build or building the pilot mill, I will start posting the build. 

More to come.....

I finally completed the long awaited Crazycrusher Impact Mill. Finding the time to develop it was the main issue. This unit is the 2nd prototype. The first was just a mock up to test the functionality of it, and then went ahead with the perceived changes and built this second unit.

Now comes the task of finding the time to take it out and do test runs. Capacity needs to calculated, like how much it can handle (based in tonnage or yardage per hour). Looking for any “weak” spots that would need to be re-designed and implemented in to the 3rd unit, which will be the marketable unit... if it is taken to market at all. If not, at least I will have a nice impact mill to crush viable ores from old tailing piles.

But of course, I'll use the hand operated Crazycrusher for testing those piles. Since the Impact Mill weighs in at 120 pounds, (Mill, Stand and Engine) I don't see the need to haul it out in the field to do sampling, that's what the Hand Operated model is for... for “Prospecting”. The Impact Mill is for “Mining” production of ores, albeit on a small scale.

I'm excited with the features implemented in the design, and came with a lot of pre-thought of what “I” would want in a 14” impact mill with a 4” feed, easy open door, bottom output, easy change hammers, and more. I want the output powder to run directly in to the top of the Gold Cube. Crush a ton, take home a cup of cons!

Hopefully, if we go to market with it, it could be as early as this springtime!

Happy Crushing!