US458823A - Amalgamator - Google Patents

Description

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H. (100K. AMALGAMATOB..

No*I 458,823. PatentedS-ept. l, 1891.

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H COOK ,AMALGAMATOIL Patented Sept l, 1891.

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H. COOK. AMALGAMATOR.

No. 458,823. @med sept. 1, 189:1...

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Ww GM/w `=NITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

HENRY COOK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ANIALGAMATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,823, dated September 1, 1891.

Application filed May 20, 1887. Serial No. 238,815. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, HENRY COOK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Amalgamators, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to so construct. an amalgamator that it will readily and thoroughly separate gold or like material from the earth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved amalgamator. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line l. 2, Fig. Fig. 3 isasection on the line 3 d, Fig. 2. Fig. el is a transverse section on the line 5 G, Fig. 2. ing a modification of my invention, and Figs. G and 7 are views illustrating special features of the same.

Referring in the first instance to Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4, A is a cylinder mounted, preferably, in a horizontal. position and provided with two annular rails a a, which rest on suitable supporting-wheels b l), having their bearings in brackets la on a frame B. This frame supports the whole structure and is mounted in the present instance on runners B', which allow the frame to be moved from one position to another, as required. The cylinder A is driven in the present instance by a shaft C, having a handled. arm c, this shaft being geared with a longitudinal shaft C by bevelgears c c2, and on the shaft C is a spur-pinion d, meshing with an annular rack D, secured to the cylinder, as shown in Figs. l and 2, so that when the shaft C is turned the cylinder will be rotated, the friction-rollers Z) h sustaining the weight of the cylinder. It will be understood, however, that when it is desired to drive the amalgamator by power the arm c can be removed and a suitable drivingpulley attached to the shaft C, or both may be used if found necessary.

In the present instanceI have provided the cylinder A with an outer casing E and an inner casing F, connected at the inlet end to a rounded head G and at the outlet end to a flanged ring l-l.

The cylinder is provided with an internal screw-iange I, which extends from the head G atthe inlet-opening to the flange Il at the outlet-opening, and is preferably made of the Fig. 5 is a view illustrat? same depth throughout, except at the outer end, where it tapers off, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, to allow a regular dow of water over the table S.

Situated centrally in the cylinder A is a screen-cylinder J, made in the present instance of wire-gauze. This cylinder is also provided with a screw-flange K, preferably of a pitch somewhat steeper than the pitch of the screw-flange I, this iiange K by preference extending from end to end of the cylinder J and being of about the same diameter as the opening g in the head G. The cylinder J, as well as the cylinder A, is open at both ends, and extending into it is a trough L, through which the material to be acted upon is fed. At the outlet end of the cylinder J is a trough or spout M, which guides the material to one side of the machine, where it falls into any suitable receptacle.

Extending through the upper portion of` the cylinder J is a pipe N, which communicates with a reservoirP through a pipe n,

provided with a regulating-valve n", the res-` ervoir being supported on suitable standards B2 above the cylinder A, as shown in Fig. 2. The trough M and the outer end of the pipe N are supported by bracket-bars N', which are attached at their lower ends to a spout Q, secured to the frame of the machine.

The pipe N has a series of nozzles m, proj ecting transversely to the length of the machine, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4f, the water which escapes from these nozzles passing through the meshes of the screen-cylinderJ and impinging against the inner periphery of the cylinder A, so that the jets will not only readily clean and dislodge` any foreign inatter that may cling to the cylinder J, but will also cleanse the inner surface of the cylinder A. The pipe N is also provided with a series of openings Zin its under side, in order that a constant spray of water may act upon and wash off any material or earthy matter that may be adhering to the stones and rocks passing through the cylinder J, as described hereinafter. rlhe bend or elbow 7o' of the pipe N is also provided with a series of perforations to permit jets of water to act upon the material in the trough L as it passesthrough into thev amalgamator. i

The cylinder J is secured to the cylinderA IOO at the inlet-end by straps jand by a spider 7" at the outlet end, so that both cylinders J and A will revolve at the same speed, the coutents ot the cylinder J, however, owing to the steeper pitch of the screw K,.being fed along faster than the contents of the cylinder A.

Located some distance below the outlet end of the cylinder A is a spout Q, having a iiat inclined plate q, provided at its outer end with a rib q', and below the plate q are in the present instance two plates s s in the form of steps, while below the plate s' is a receiving-pan R, containing mercury. The plate s is in such position in respect to the overflow-line of the pan R that the mercury in the pan will be level or nearly level with the plate, so that the gold and mercury on the plate will pass ott to the mercury in the pan. Above the plate s is a gate or dashboard t, which can be raised or lowered, as desired, a similar gate t being located above the plate s.

Extending from the receiving-pan R, preferably at an angle,'is an amalgamating-table S, having ribs u at intervals.

Extending from the outer end of the tube N and bent downward, as shown in Fig. 2, is a pipe N2, having a right-angled perforated tube n2 at its lower end, this tube extending from one side of the spout Q to the other between the two gates or dash-boards tt', in order to evenly spread and wash the material as it passes from the plate s to the plate s and under the lower gate t.

The table S is adj ustably connected to the spout Q by bolts w at each side of the apparatus, and the outer end of this table is supported by brace-rods W, which are pivoted at one end to the flanges of the table and adjustably secured to the frame B by set-screws V, which pass through slots w in the rods, so that the incline of the table may be regulated as desired.

rIhe operation of the apparatus is as follows: The reservoir P is filled with water or other suitable liquid and the cylinders are revolved by hand or driven by belting or gearing from any adjacent source of power. rlhe valve 'n' is turned so that a stream of water will pass through the tubes N and N2 and issue' Y from the openings in said tubes and their branches, the material-such as small stones and ea1th--carrying the gold or other metal to be separated being shoveled into the feedtrough L and directed thereby into the cylinder. The smaller particles will pass at once through the meshes ot the cylinder J into the cylinder A, and as the cylinders are revolved the fine material will be washed from the surface of the stones or rocks thatare too4 large to pass through the meshes of the screen J and will be carried through the same and into the cylinder A. The large stones are t'ed by means of conveyers K to the end of the cylinder J, from which they are delivered onto the trough M, which guides them to one side of the apparatus.

I make the inner casing F of the cylinder A of copper or other material, which has an aiiinity for mercury, and, where circumstances permit, I also make the conveying-screw I of copper or like material, so that when mercury is poured into the apparatus through the trough L the copper casing of the cylinder and its screw-liange will attract the mercury and will be completely coated thereby, so that it any particles of amalgamating metalssuch as gold, silver, daer-are in the earth treated they will amalgamate with this mercury and be taken up by it, the rest of the earth and lower grades of mineral matter passing on with the water and being delivered onto the plate q of the spout Q.

It will readily be seen that when the screwiiange I, as well as the inner casing F of the cylinder, is made of copperthe rolling motion ofv the dirt as it passes down the cylinder will, owing to the rotation of the latter, tend to force any grains of gold, dac., against the mercury-coated surfaces.

To obtain as much of the gold as possible, I make the plate q of the spout Q, as well as the plates S S', ot` copper, the water and earth falling from the cylinder onto the plate q, thence falling over the ledge q and onto the plate s, thence onto the plate s, the impact at each fall naturally causing some of the gold that may have escaped from the cylinder to adhere to the plate onto which it falls. The ore that is taken up by the plate passes oit into the receiverR, as the mercury in the receiver is on a level with the edges of the plates, as shown iuFig. 2.

The plates t t regulate and equalize thei passage of thematerial over the bath or receiver R and table S, and as said gates are made also of copper they will likewise attract the mercury and catch any small particles of gold that may touch them. There may be as many plates s s as required, said plates forming a series of steps, over which the material is passed, so as to separate as much gold as possible. The water that issues from the tube n2 rewashes the material in its passage.'

Directly under the plate s is the receivingpan R, containing a bath of mercury, the lighter particles passing off over the same and over the rib u, while any mercury (whether clean or in the form ot' amalgam) that has not been taken up by the copper of the cylinder, trough, or plates is caught by the receiver or bath R. Any particles that may pass the receiver, owing to the density of the material covering the bath, pass over the rib u and onto the table S, which is also of copper or other suitable material, the tiow down the table being obstructed by one or more ribs u. It Will be seen that in its passage through the amalgamator the earth will be thoroughly turned over, so that all amalgamating material which 1t may contain will come in contact with the IOO mercury-coated surfaces, which are continually kept clean, the rolling and tumbling motion preventing the gold from floating.

I have ,found by actual test that I can save considerably more gold in my machine than by any apparatus now in common use.

In some cases the machine may be used without the plates s s', receiver R, and table S, and in other cases only the cylinder and its trough, the plates, and receiver may be used; but I prefer, where practicable, to use the complete apparatus shown and described.

In some cases I prefer to make the cylinder A in sections, hinged together at c', and bolted together in any suitable manner at a2, so that by detaching the bolt the cylinder may be opened longitudinally, in order to permit the ready removal of the amalgam from the inner surface of the cylinder and its iiange.

The cylinders A and ,I may each be tapered and the cylinder A may be provided with a short screw-ange I at the delivery end, as Ashown in Fig. 5, so as to regulate the delivery from the cylinder, or the inner cylinder only may be tapered, and said inner cylinder may be driven at a different speed from the cylinder A or in a different direction, as circumstances may require. In some cases it may be advisable to make the screw-Hanges detachable for cleansing purposes orfor facilitating the manufacture and application of the same.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown two Ways of adopting this plan in connection with the flange I. In Fig. 0 the flange is made in one piece, connected to the cylinder at its opposite ends, the cylinder havingaseries of openings, to any of which the securing-bolts may be adapted, so that the iiange may be conlpressed or expanded to vary its pitch, while in Fig. 7 I have shown a ange consisting of a number of independent sections.

I claim as my invention- I. The combination of an amalgamatingcylinder, a screen contained therein, a screwiiange for feeding the material from the cylinder, with a series of steps and a mercurypan, and a water-pipe extending through the cylinder and having a branch connected with a sprinkler-pipe situated directly above one of the steps, said Water-pipe having a series of openings whereby jets ot' water are thrown through the meshes of the screen onto the cylinder, said water passing with the material over the series of steps, substantially as specified.

2. The combinatiomin an amalgamator, of the amalgamatingcylinder, of an even diameter throughout, a screen-cylinder inside the same, with an internal screw-ilange in each of said cylinders, an inlet for the mercury, the spout, plates, and mercury-pan, and table over which the material iows, and an independent spout for guiding the screened material away from the machine, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY COOK.

Witnesses:

HENRY HowsoN, HARRY SMITH.

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