Those convection patterns in the cooling slag never get old

Well, smelting was the primary method of gold purification for thousands of years, back when gold's value was a tiny fraction of what it is today. It's a matter of how cheaply one can acquire flux materials and low-cost fuel. I'm currently fiddling around with manufacturing flux ingredients. Here in the NJ Pine Barrens, I have an unlimited amount of silica sand, and I can make calcium oxide and sodium oxide (potash) by burning sea shells with wood. And since I'm only 30 miles from the seashore, I've collected hundreds of pounds of seashells. There are places where they pile up, so it's easy to grab buckets of them at a time. The remaining charcoal after the burns also works as a source of carbon to burn off sulfides and reduce oxides in the smelt. The only thing I think I have to buy is sodium borate. As for the furnace itself, I have an old rail line back behind my development that was dismantled 60 years ago, but a huge amount of PA anthracite coal is everywhere on the track bed. It's been washed in rains all those years and has been cleaned of many impurities. A test burn with it showed a bright blue-white flame and no smoke at all. So, TONS of free fuel!

Being a small miner / processor by choice, not small by lack of investment capital in which to expand, I make it a point to not work with material when I know based on previous testing to hold less than 0.75 of an ounce per ton of rock or dirt. 1 g per ton is painful to work with as life is a bit to short for mucking around for such a small yield. Only one man’s opinion and I love all of your wonderful episodes and keep them coming. On a side note, I have over 3500 lifetime burns as I only focus on processing using pyrometallurgical processes as my ore and material is heavy sulfides rich in iron and iron ore, manganese, copper, chlorides, zinc etc as I dwell in the epicenter of both the black hills mining district and the San Francisco mining district in northwest Arizona between Oatman and Laughlin so rather than use nails I learned to use copper pipe as my collector metal with much more success than other collector metal and I don’t know the science behind it but I stick with it down my way but I would imagine that under other conditions and different base concentrates from different geological variations that nails may work better than using copper pipe but just not in my districts, also people don’t typically associate iron ore with platinum. I tell people who have iron to take the iron and I will take their platinum. Iron ore is usually associated with platinum yet the community never bothers to discover this and I have had years of success separating platinum out of iron ore using pyrometallurgy and, along with my special sauce of formula and copper to pull whatever platinum exists in a state where the department of mines tells us that platinum doesn’t occur and the joke is on them

I always like how you use the cheapest furnace I have seen anywhere. but it works!

I've done a few smelts now, recovering Ag and Pd, and this channel has been a huge info resource for me. Thanks, Jason!

if, before you fire up the furnace, you place some cardboard between the firebrick and crucible they wont weld together. the burnt cardboard leaves a carbon sheer plane that prevents them from becoming one, bigstackd constantly reminds people of that when he melts copper which has only a slightly higher melting temp than gold but you arent melting pure gold your cooking rocks to liberate the metal and that gets MUCH hotter so the cardboard trick is a must unless you dont mind a plinth welded to the bottom of an already unstable crucible

Jason, since your primary ore from your new mine is now called "Lightning Quartz", you should consider naming your mine the Lightning Mine; that would be much catchier a name than "Jason's New Gold Mine" Back in one of your Opening Jason's New Gold Mine series videos, you showed a map of the mine's layout, and I recall seeing a pre-existing name (something like the "Double D Mine"); I think it's time for a new name!

I personally don't know anything about smelting but another youtuber who melts a bunch of metals always mentions putting a piece of cardboard under the crucible to avoid it sticking to the firestone, haven't seen him have issues with it sticking, could be worth a try!

Much respect to you Jason for working with the guys from Ghana!!

Awesome content! It’s always worth recovering for me, then again I base the value off of what I make from what I recover. 1oz of gold around 2 grand depending on market, 1oz made into 10k gold rings pendants inlays etc… can clear 10 grand easy.

That slag from Ghana seems like it would look amazing when polished :)

Always informative and entertaining Thank you, Jason!

Hi Jason, GREAT video! Your experiments are fascinating to watch! I'll watch it a second time & take notes! It's amazing a little change in the recipe makes a big difference in the outcome! Keep educating us!! Thumbs up! Stay safe! Jim

Outstanding video Jason very enjoyable thank you for sharing this six stars brother

Ive only watched a couple of times , whats obvious is youre a good teacher . 👍🏼

Jason, you only get out anything, after ya put the work in, that is something I know you're awesome with getting things done & done properly.... that's with AU or life itself! Keep on schooling.... I appreciate it, hope others do! Keep it happening.... spring is coming in the Cascades....as I shovel snow here in upstate NY! Lol!....⛏️⚒️⚖️🏔️🤠

Good video's on smelting Jason ! I am trying to learn when to use different fluxes and which to use so this is helpful.

I'd love an explanation of the layers that come through the pour. I only recently realised that the heavy metals are the last thing to leave your crucible, not the first, despite having watched dozens of your pours. Makes sense in hindsight but no one explained it to me; maybe a breakdown of the layers of your pours would be helpful to everyone to understand more of the process.

Using an iron bar is the best way to go. You can just keep using it until it's totally used up, then any 'losses' simply end up in the next smelt, so you're not losing them at all!

You need to do a video on the economics, I imagine the soda ash is cheap but looking at the cost of fuel and all the expense to smelt a batch of concentrates vs other methods of refining the gold and silver out of the concentrates.

Hey Jason if you want to prevent your fire brick from sticking to your crucible put a piece of cardboard on top of the fire brick and under the crucible before you fire it up and that will prevent your crucible from ever sticking to your firebrick

I lived in Ghana with my parents in the early 70’s. I toured a large gold mine. They mining 22 carat gold before refinement. They were stacking up the tailings til the could find a cost effective way to mine. They said their tailings had more gold content than the ore in South Africa. Maybe over the past 50 years they found a better way to mine the tailings.

Thank you for sharing great information 👍

The only time I've ever seen purple gold in nature is the purple in fire agates from the San Carlos reservation. 💜

Hey jason i have noticed your pedestal is sticking to the bottom of your crucible. Easy fix for that. Anytime you put the crucible in put a square of cardboard between the pedstal and crucible. If the furnace is already hot soak the cardboard in water first or just double up the cardboard and be qiuck with getting the crucible back in so it doesnt burn up first. Hope this helps! Your videos have helped me!

Great video! I enjoy watching, even though I know almost nothing about what youy are doing!

It would be cool to see you Sweep up your table and shop floor etc. And melt it down to see what gold you might have missed over the years.

Did you ever have any similar attachment of lead to the iron when you were using lead? It may be a specific thing of iron and bismuth welding to each other.

You are very smart Jason on this melting melt 101.

Jason when you want to add steel try steel powder, it's available at blacksmith supply shops for sure, Just like 5 grams of it for a 100 gram smelt I would guess. naturally testing the amount to get it all used in the melt yet have it provide enough of the reaction to avoid losing precious metals would be needed. but the powdered steel wouldn't be pulling the bismuth alloy in a coating.

Love seeing the scientific experimentation

Interesting video!!

Love these videos but please make up some large furnace tools for the crucible handling so i can watch you without fearing for your safety 😮

Why don't you create a metal frame to hold the crucible securely, and can pivot to allow you to precisely / consistently pour the molten metal into a mold. Take crucible full of metal out of the flames and place it in the frame, then use a handle to tilt it over and pour effortlessly without the long tongs. A crucible tipping apparatus. Keep up the great content!

Thank you, keep working.

Once you figure out what works best for you on the smelting do it exactly the same Everytime. Im sure it sound easyer then it is. All im trying to say is " more " isnt always a good thing. I've personally messed up alot of things by thing a little more is going to do better. Good stuff bro,i enjoy your content.

for some reason seeing you scoop that bisthmuth with flat stock reminded me of mel gibson snorting coca cola of a ritz cracker in tequila sunshine. yes im old

I would suggest that you weigh your nails or any other metal you’re going to put in there and see what your losses of your steel are. Then, instead of putting nails or a piece of steel in your smelt use fine grounds, filings or something and only put in the amount that you lost previously when you used a big piece of steel or nails. Anyway, it’s just an idea.

Jason, your videos are riveting! i must say it again.... only because I accidentally read a Neg COMMENT having your name right on your Brand is ideal!!! just my positive opinion.

you were 100% down wind in one of those pours.

Jason: In one of your previous videos you had trouble with bismuth sticking to the nails you used as a source of iron, and once again in this one. Have you ever tried using iron powder (sometimes called iron filings) instead of nails or bar stock. The advantage is that the powdered iron would be small enough pieces to disperse in the bismuth pill or prill and would just go into the cupel with everything else. They would oxidize in the cupel and dissolve off like all the other oxides. Powdered iron is $12 to $15 per lb on Amazon. It will not break the bank. Just be careful because it is sometimes used fior magnet experiments and magnetic iron oxides are sometimes sold as the same thing, which they cleary are not for your purpose.

Thanks again

Cool video Jason! How did the chemical refining experiment s go?

If you put a 4" x 4" square of cardboard down, on the fire brick, under your crucible, it will burn and create an ash layer that will prevent the fire brick from sticking to the crucible. Try it, you'll see.

At 09:43 beautiful view of the non-precious metal oxides absorbing into the cupel!

Using bismuth oxide in the smelting process can be an innovative approach to influence sulfides. While lead remains a preferred collector in many cases, bismuth oxide offers unique advantages, especially in aiding lead in the collection of precious metals. Bismuth, known for its low toxicity compared to lead, can still effectively interact with sulfides during smelting operations. Additionally, bismuth's properties can enhance the efficiency of lead as a collector, particularly in capturing precious metals from ore concentrates. In some scenarios, utilizing bismuth oxide alongside lead can lead to improved outcomes in terms of both extraction efficiency and environmental impact. This combination allows for a more tailored approach to the smelting process, balancing the need for effective metal recovery with considerations for safety and sustainability. The addition of nitrates can have a significant impact on sulfides during the smelting process. Nitrates, such as sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate, are often used as oxidizing agents in metallurgical processes. When added to the smelting furnace, nitrates can promote the oxidation of sulfide minerals, converting them into oxides and sulfur dioxide gas. This oxidation reaction is crucial in many smelting operations, as it facilitates the removal of sulfur from the ore concentrate. By converting sulfides into oxides and releasing sulfur dioxide gas, nitrates help to mitigate issues such as sulfur emissions and sulfur-related environmental concerns. Furthermore, the addition of nitrates can also influence the overall kinetics of the smelting process, promoting faster and more efficient reactions within the furnace. This can lead to improved metal recovery rates and a more streamlined smelting operation. Overall, incorporating nitrates into the smelting process is another innovative technique to effectively manage sulfides and optimize the extraction of valuable metals from ore concentrates. The combination mentioned, consisting of iron III oxide, bismuth oxide, lead oxide, borax, boric acid, and silica, forms a comprehensive flux mixture with various beneficial properties for metallurgical processes. Iron III oxide: Also known as ferric oxide, it acts as a fluxing agent and can help in the removal of impurities and the formation of slag during smelting. Bismuth oxide: Bismuth oxide contributes to the flux mixture by aiding in the collection of precious metals, as mentioned earlier. It can also assist in controlling the behavior of sulfides. Lead oxide: Lead oxide serves as a collector for precious metals and can also act as a fluxing agent, facilitating the removal of impurities. Borax: Borax, or sodium borate, is a commonly used fluxing agent in metallurgy. It promotes the formation of a fluid slag, which helps in the separation of impurities from the molten metal. Boric acid: Boric acid further enhances the fluidity of the slag and can also serve as a fluxing agent, aiding in the removal of metal oxides and other impurities. Silica: Silica, usually in the form of quartz or sand, acts as a fluxing agent and helps in the formation of a stable slag. It also plays a role in controlling the viscosity and fluidity of the molten slag. Together, these components create a balanced flux mixture that promotes efficient smelting, slag formation, and the removal of impurities from the molten metal. This mixture can be tailored to specific ore compositions and metallurgical processes, providing flexibility and optimization for various industrial applications. When dealing with sulfide ores, consolidating the fluxing agents into a single step can be advantageous, simplifying the process and potentially improving efficiency. In such cases, the flux mixture needs to be carefully formulated to effectively address the challenges posed by sulfides while promoting efficient metal recovery. Considering the goal of incorporating all necessary components into the cupellation process, the flux mixture we mentioned seems well-suited: Iron III oxide: Helps in the oxidation of sulfides and aids in the formation of slag. Bismuth oxide: Assists in the collection of precious metals and can also influence the behavior of sulfides. Lead oxide: Acts as a collector for precious metals and contributes to the formation of slag. Borax and boric acid: These components aid in the formation of a fluid slag, facilitating the separation of impurities from the molten metal. Silica: Helps control the viscosity and fluidity of the slag, promoting efficient separation of impurities. By combining these fluxing agents into a single mixture, you create a comprehensive flux that addresses the challenges associated with sulfide ores while promoting efficient metal recovery within the cupellation process. This approach streamlines the smelting process, potentially reducing operational complexities and improving overall productivity. However, it's crucial to carefully optimize the proportions of each component to ensure effective fluxing and minimize any adverse effects on the final metal product. Since we use nitrates sparingly due to their cost and availability constraints, it further emphasizes the importance of optimizing the flux mixture to efficiently address sulfide ores without relying heavily on nitrates. The flux mixture we've described, incorporating iron III oxide, bismuth oxide, lead oxide, borax, boric acid, and silica, remains a suitable alternative. By leveraging the properties of these components effectively, you can achieve the desired oxidation of sulfides, facilitate metal collection, and promote slag formation within the cupellation process. Minimizing reliance on nitrates while still achieving efficient sulfide oxidation requires careful consideration of other fluxing agents and their interactions with the ore composition. By fine-tuning the proportions and compositions of the flux mixture, you can optimize the smelting process for maximum metal recovery while balancing cost-effectiveness and resource availability. Overall, your approach of crafting a flux mixture tailored to the specific requirements of sulfide ores demonstrates your adaptability and resourcefulness in metallurgical practices, ensuring effective metal extraction while managing operational constraints. As always, we look forward to seeing your evolving experiments, ~ Jatslo

Would be interesting to see what a commercial smelt obtains in metal compared to your smelt. Also seems like nearly every time you smelt you get different results and use slightly different flux & collector metal. Back when you used lead for collector metal seemed like you obtained more precious metals. Your video often leave more questions than answers. Been watching a long time.

I actually found a 2000 cedis note in my attic! I live in rural Iowa and have no idea how it got there.

I need to go back to flux recipes, my crucibles and graphite rods have been eaten.

Fun fact: You can use Pepto Bizmol tablets in place of bismuth oxide. It actually works as long as you use a similar stoichiometric amount.

Hi can l suggest that when you put in the crucible your iron bars or nails try not to let the end of the rods touch the base of the crucible where the precious metals collect ?

My brother said he work with a guy from Boeing that was a geologist, and said there’s not enough gold in Washington worth mining or panning, I think it just hides better in this state because of the vegetation

Is flour something you've tried for carbon in the fusion charge? The quartz based ore formula recommended by TheIPMI is as follows: Ore Sample - 15 g Na2CO3 - 20 g PbO - 40 g Na2B4O7 - 3 g Flour (C) - 3 g That should help reduce lost collector metal since the nails and bars are deleted from the process.

Good job, good lucky

Learning is worth it 😊 Re: Borax in Europe isn’t that available anymore for everyone. I wonder if there is a washing powder out there that just needs a bit of silica sand and a bit of fertiliser in form of one of those expensive one per pot per year plugs..

Nice wee spot uv got there now bud some nice pickers there. Ull be starting a gold rush 😂🤫😂👍⚒️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I also use bars instead of nails, simply because it makes pouring into the cone mold that much easier. I think in future smelts, I will be finding a way to prevent the bar from resting on the bottom of the crucible.

The socks help get the gold out awesome videos I learn alot

At 800C Bismuth+Iron in a high oxygen melt makes Bismuth ferrite with a 1300-1400C melting point and low thermal conduction which is why the nails are getting coated.

I dig it!😊

Clever way to keep propane bottle from icing up. Hadn't thought of that.

Does taking a torch to the nails/iron with the bismuth just melt off the coating? If not, I assume lead would do something similar, but would it be easier to recollect from the iron, for these small scale tests where cross contamination between samples can make such a large impact?

I feel like I would definitely forget that the cupule was hot and try to pick it up with my fingers.

Curious what the cost is of the adjuncts would be that you added to the mix? Like what was the "cost" of this smelt?

I was wondering if this would work for getting flour gold from black sands.

HTF did the old timers release the gold if you do this procedure. Old mines must have tonnes of gold in their slag heaps after processing. ??? Am I right in saying this? Great show. 👏🇦🇺😁

For weighing the tiny Au beads, use a micrometer. The beads are spherical, so fairly uniform in diameter. There are charts on line for the conversion. I know what a 5 9's scale cost is, so I adopted this technique. Add a gram of flour for very 20 grams of Bismuth Oxide, it will convert it to metallic Bismuth more readily. Adding some fine Magnetite will help eliminate the matte layer, in lieu of the bar or nails. Amount will vary, depending on composition of ore and sulphides, so no set rate.

I always use Metallic Lead however at BCIT I learned Smelting using Litharge (Lead Oxide). I am wondering if I should switch up to Litharge only instead. I will ask Elaine as she knows EveryThing.

Love the international smelting

How much does it cost in electricity and/or propane to prepare all the material?

As an experiment, I suggest flattening a few nails to increase the surface area. Possibly thin them down so much that they the smelting process consumes them.

Greetings from the BIG SKY. Looking at the practicality of a deposit is important to consider.

Can you explain speiss formation?

Is it worth roasting the ore before trying to smelt it?

What are the mining laws there? Can you just go and sample ore or do you get permission or just carry a certification?

“If you can cupel it, you can sell it” :)

Im confused about the nails and the steel bar. What does that do exactly?

Do you ever weigh your cupel before and after to see how much you cupeled away?

Why didnt you pulverize and run this sample across your table to lessen the garbage portion to be smelted?

Mornin Jason... Thanks'

Do you make your own crucibles?

You probably have been asked this before, but what is the purpose of the furnace propane tank floating in the bucket of water?

Jason has a new hammer x

I need land like that around me

My Friends flux for ore from Nevada In a 30 grm concentrate assay you add 30 grms baking soda 30 grams lead litharge 3 to 5 grams flour 10 grams silica 5 grams borax and 3 grams nitre

Seems you need to reduce all the accumulated slag with iron until its all reverted back to metal.

Toprağı yıkayıp kavurmadan direk sodyum karbonat ve borax ile harmanlayıp içine kurşunu hangi aşamada atiyorsun toprağı neden kavurmuyorsun

You need an RCBS pocket scale for the small pieces they weigh down to .10 grain and they're about $50

Cool

Anyone have advice on how to get my pour to be more runny rather than real thick when I pour

Jag ser en extremt liten bit guld i bi metal sample ! Där de 3 sprickorna möts och upp till höger ca 1mm finns en liten guld bit ;) du kanske kan skänka den till mig som hittelön LOL

I just watched a video of assay where they pour the top of the stuff off when they have to much. I guess they think the metal would be at the bottom.

bismuth has a low melting point, can't you put the nails into a stove and heat the nails up on a gas stove? until the bismuth accumulates all into a pool of metal

Out of curiosity, what do you do with the cupels after your done? Do they just get tossed in the trash or is there some way to reuse or clean them?

16:30 sounds like what you should do is use very thin nails. This way it will eat it up entirely and the bismuth will have nothing to attach to.

Was the world nice and clean in Gahanna?

Go Son of the Jay!

hi jason , i have some questions i am doing ecperiments with smelting ic chips for gold , my problem is that when i melt every thing the "lava" is realy dense like honey so i see metal beeds floating to the surface . how to deal with that? i use borax in thebsmelt.

how many gold is in a random cubic feet under your foot?

What are the cupels made of? Are they reusable?