US481683A - Method of and apparatus for extracting gold and silver from their ores - Google Patents

Description

A 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. W. AYLSWORTH 87 A. G. PAYNE. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BXTRAGTING GOLD AND SILVER FROM THEIR ORES.

No. 481,683. Patented Aug. 30, 1892.

(No Model.)

' 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J. W. AYLSWORTH & A. c. PAYNE. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRAGTING GOLD AND SILVER FROM THEIR ORBS.

No. 481,683. Patented Aug. 30. 1892.

' (No Model.)

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JONAS \V. AYLSWVORTH, OE ORANGE, AND ARTHUR O. PAYNE, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING GOLD AND SILVER FROM THEIR ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,683, dated August 30, 1892.

Application filed July 3, 1891. Serial No. 398,444. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: receives a hopper d, by means of which cer- Beitknownthatwe, J ONASW. AYLSWORTH, tain gaugue which has passed through an residing at Orange, in the county of Essex, amalgamating process, described inacontemand ARTHUR G. PAYNE, residing at Elizabeth, poraneous application, Serial No. 398,443, filed 5 5 in the county of Union, State of New Jersey, July 3,1891, and which will be again referred citizens of the United States, have invented to hereinafter, is led into the pan from the certain new and useful Improvements in the amalgamator A or other supply mechanism Method of and Apparatus for Extracting Gold or storage-chamber prior to being forced over and Silver from their Ores; and we do hereby the mercury in said pan, as hereinafter de- 60 IO declare the following to be afull, clear, and scribed. At the same end of the pan at the exact description of the invention, such as extremity the said pan is connected with a will enable others skilled in the art to which blower, by means of which the fine gangue it appertains to make and use the same, referis forced over the mercury in close conence beinghad to the accompanying drawings, tiguity with the surface thereof. At the opr 5 and to letters of reference marked thereon, posite end of the pan the same is provided which form a part of this specification. with a chute e, by means of which the dust The object of this invention is to secure and gangue from which the metal has been the extraction of the precious metals from extracted is carried to a distance from the their ground ores or and more particularly machine. 70 to save from the gangue what might otherwise The process of separation is conducted subpass off therewith after the amalgamating stantiallyasfollows: The comminutedgangue process is effected. carrying the auriferous particles is first The invention consists in the process of passed through a body of magnetic amalgam extracting precious metal from its ore and in or an amalgam of iron and mercury in rela- 75 the arrangements and combinations of parts, tivelysmall quantities and the gold or precious substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, metal is extracted therefrom, but a small perand finally embodied in the clauses of the centage of the said magnetic amalgam is claim. taken up by the gangue, because of the ra- Referring to the accompanying drawings, pidity of the operations of the process or oth- 8o in which like letters indicate corresponding erwise, and is carried therewith into the departs in each of the several figures, Figure 1 vice herein described more particularly. is a plan of the improved device. Fig. 2 is a To prepare the magnetic amalgam, mercury side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a secis placed in a suitable vessel, and over this is tional view taken on line 00, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 poured a concentrated solution of ferrous snl- 85 is another section taken at right angles to the phatesay one pound of mercury to two first on line y, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a sectional quarts of the solution. An iron electrode is view showing the relation of the magnetic then placed into the sulphate solution, and separator to an amalgamator, from which itis both the mercury and the iron are connected adapted to receive the comminuted ore. by wires to a convenient source of electricity 0 o In the drawings, a indicates a strong elecof from two to twenty volts potential, so that fro-magnet. ct are the wires connecting with the currentshall pass from the iron through means for generating an electric currentin any the solution to the mercury and thereby cause ordinary manner, and C62 are the pole-pieces, a deposit of iron, which is absorbed and comwhich extend up into a shallow pan or recepbined with said mercury. The operation is 5 tacle b and are there provided with knifecontinued until themercury hasbecome thick edges a as shown in Fig. 4. The said pan is or pasty, in which condition it will contain inclosed at the top, as at b, and within the about ten parts of iron to one hundred of merpan the projecting pole-pieces and end pieces cury. The mass thus obtained is diluted with 0 form a shallow chamber for the mercury or mercury to make it perfectly fluid; but it still mo amalgamating composition, hereinafter reretains a proper degree of magnetic susceptiferred to. At one end of the pan the same bility. The comminuted gangue carrying the globules of magnetic amalgam is received from the amalgamator into the hopper d, and from thence it is fed to the pan to a point therein over the body of quicksilver or mercury lying between the pole-pieces of the magnet,which extend longitudinally from end to end of the pan. As the gangue strikes this mercury it encounters the blast from the blower entering at f, and is carried by said blast through the inclosing box over the surface of mercury and between the polepieces and out at c. From the point where the gangue encounters .the blast to the magnet the action is simply one of distribution. The blast scatters the gangue and the larger globules of amalgam tend to remain on the surface of the mercury; but on account of the dust covering the surface of these globules they will not enterinto the body of the mercury until they accumulate in some weight, when they sink and are absorbed. The dust and finer particles are carried by the blast ,through the low passage in the box or pan b, over the surface of the mercury and between the pole-pieces. Here the globules of magnetic amalgam are attracted to the poles and are drawn down into the mercury, because the line of greatest magnetic force is below the surface, as will be understood upon examination of Fig. 4, where 41. indicates the upper surface of the body of mercury.

While we have described a dry method of forcing the gangue containing magnetic amalgam into contignity to the electro-magnet we may employ a method in which water is the motive force without departing from the invention. Nevertheless the process is more especially adapted to the extraction of precious metals from the dry ores, and by means of the amalgamating-machine in the said contemporaneous application, by means of which the comminuted ore is conveyed to the machine particularly described herein in small quantities but continuously. Again, we may vary the relation of the magnet and receptacle for the mercury and change the construction of both from that shown without departing from the invention, the essential feature of the process being the passing of the gangue carrying the fine globules of precious amalgam through a strong magnetic field, thereby attractin g the amalgam and separating the particles susceptible to magnetic influence and allowing the non-magnetic portions to pass ofi from the machine.

In the use of an amalgam of iron and mercury the iron is found to play an important part in the operation of amalgamation, with the precious metal itself increasing the amalgamating power of the mercury, and it is found to be desirable to add iron amalgam to the body of the amalgamating fluid from time to time, in order to secure the desired degree of magnetic susceptibility in the fine particles of amalgam that are carried into the machine to be separated from the gangue when passing through the magnetic field. The nonmagnetic dust is not attracted and passeson out at the opening e. The mercury as it be comes charged with magnetic amalgam is removed and fresh metal is supplied. While it is found that the wedge-shaped pole-pieces are preferable, yet we do not wish to limit ourselves to that construction and the mechanisms may be otherwise varied without departing from the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new is 1. The process of extracting precious metal from its ore, which consists in subjecting the ore to the amalgamatingaction of a magnetic mercurial amalgam, and then passing said ore through a magnetic field and extracting 'he fiemaining amalgam, substantially as set ort 2. The process of extracting precious metal from its ore, which consists in passing the ore containing said precious metal into close association with a magnetic composition and combining the said precious metal therewith, and then forcing the particles of precious metal combined with said composition through a magnetic field and attracting the magnetic particles therefrom,substanti ally as set forth.

3. The process of extracting precious metal from its ore, which consists in subjecting the ore to the action of an amalgam of mercury and iron, and after separating said ore from the body of said amalgam subjecting the same to the action of a magnet and attracting the remaining particles of said amalgam, substantially as set forth.

4. The process of separating magnetic amalgam from comminuted gangue, which consists in forcing said gangue through a magnetic field and over a surface of mercury, substantially as set forth.

5. The process of separating magnetic amalgam from comminuted gangue, which consists in forcing the dry gangue by pneumatic power over a surface of mercury arranged in a magnetic field, substantially as set forth.

6. The process of separating magnetic amalgam from its gangue, which consists in attracting said magnetic amalgam toward a body of fluid metal,substantiallyas set forth.

7. The process of separating precious metal from its ore, which consists in passing said ore into a magnetic bodyof mercury amalgam, the ore being relatively smaller in quantity than the said mercury, and allowing said ore to rise to the surface of said amalgam, then passing said ore over a magnetic field adjacent to a body of liquid metal and attracting particles of amalgam toward and into said body of liquid metal, substantially as set forth.

8. The process of extracting precious metal from comminuted ore, which consists in subj ecting said ore to the action of an amalgam containing particles in suspension, such as iron, susceptible to magnetic attraction, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with a magnet and a pan or receptacle for mercury, of a blower or other means for forcing the ore over said mer cury and through the field of said magnet, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination, with a pan or receptacle for mercury, of a magnethavin g its polepieces in said pan, and means for supplying the pan with comminuted ore, and pneumatic means for forcing said ore in a drystate over said mercury, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination, with a closed pan having the longitudinal edges of the pole-pieces a Within the same, of a body of mercury within said pan covering the line of greatest magnetic force and means for forcing the dry ore through said pan, substantially as set forth.

J. W.v AYLSWORTH. ARTHUR C. PAYNE.

Witnesses:

OLIVER DRAKE, OSCAR A. MICHEL.

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