Cement mix my clay.

Howdy. Just a quick question. I am working with very compacted silt thats rock hard.
if i was to shovel it into a cement mixer, obviously it would break up the clay and silt with a few bigger rocks in the tub.
My question is, if i set up a spray bar to continually add water, and keep feeding the mixer when its overflowing, will the gold stay in it?
Theroetically it should, but has anyone done this and still does this technique?
Its taking hours to break up the balls of silt, and one i neally threw out of the sluice grizly thinking it was a rock had about 1 gram nug smiling at me, luckily i saw it before i threw it.
If i could continually overfill a mixer for a few hours and sluice or pan the concentrates i would be hours ahead ....
I am thinking of using one above my sluice like a trommel set up, but it just stays in the mixer for far longer getting smashed up...

get a small dolly , would probably be quicker

Not a bad idea. But i am trying to make it easier physically. I dont really want to dolly a few cubes of clay per day.
I have been pre soaking it 4 buckets at a time before i sluice it, but still have to physically break up every little bit down to 10mm ( my grizly holes). And then resluice the balls that still roll out.
If i can get a mini mixer petrol powered to do it all for me, my back will be much happier... Even if it only holds about 6 shovels at a time..
I was toying with the idea in my mind today , and on the way home saw a long sluice in a paddock, with a mixer mounted on the top... I will stop next time i go past for a photo.
If thats whats it was made for i dont know,, everything looks gold related after a while, its probably a seed mixer or something....

maybe a small roller set up , 2 steel rollers together that roll inwards , could be motor or hand driven . drop the stuff in the top and the rollers will break it up.
just another idea

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I learn something new every day. I've never heard of this before, using a cement mixer with clay but would small pieces of scrap metal in the mixer, say bits of angle iron cut thru quicker ?
I'm thinking sharp edges in the mix.

Hi every one
you can try this, if you have a old mixer cut the bars out of inside the drum. pick up an old bowling ball or two and put in to the drum. you have just made a home made ball mill, read it on a US site some time ago but I have lost the link. itis ment to work well for clay
Allan

monkey wrote:Hi every one
you can try this, if you have a old mixer cut the bars out of inside the drum. pick up an old bowling ball or two and put in to the drum. you have just made a home made ball mill, read it on a US site some time ago but I have lost the link. itis ment to work well for clay
Allan

Good idea and the best bit is no water needed

Rustydog wrote:

monkey wrote:Hi every one
you can try this, if you have a old mixer cut the bars out of inside the drum. pick up an old bowling ball or two and put in to the drum. you have just made a home made ball mill, read it on a US site some time ago but I have lost the link. itis ment to work well for clay
Allan

Good idea and the best bit is no water needed

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Monkey,

good call, a ball mill is a good way to go.

Just go down to a scrap metal yard and get one or two or as many as u like really. Those big old round iron balls about the size of a coffee cup and put them in the cemet mixer. Works like the small washine machine plastic balls you can use to clean your clothes better. ie more agitation but with the iron balls more crushing and vibration movement to break up the clay. Or all the washed bit that are still in lumps put in a a old potato sack and then drive over it numerous times in the four wheel drive and then put it back in the mixer again.

Many ways of doing it. If the cemet mixer is angled right the gold should stay in if in loose form but will escape if still in clay and is over filled.

Hope that helps a bit.

Gday Maka,
Another suggestion is to get an oil drum , cut it in half longways and add a screen to it six inches from the top. Then fill the drum with water to the top, then chuck your clay into it. Then sit back with 2 cans of VB (or equivalent). When correct amount of VB is consumed (and you must pace yourself) you will find that the clay has softened enough to be scrubbed through the screen in to the drum. Keep repeating this process until the drum (and you) are full . Then simply put it through your sluice.

Remember Maka's way of doing it may take a number of days or weeks to complete...... Hic...Hic

redneck rock tumbler



treadmill, ( found at most trash dumps) and a used truck tire, if your a good scrounger all parts can be had free at the dump

mount the tire on the treadmill add dirt water and gravel.

saw a youtube a while back of one


https://youtu.be/PvGYfmbBYyg

I new 4 blokes, years ago that use to use a petrol driven cement mixer up at Blackwood to process their wash straight out of the creek and found enough gold to buy 2 slabs for the week and pay for all fuel costs. What a great way to spend a boys get away weekend
Wombat

well dont do it today in Vic!! I return you guys to NO MANIACAL means to process wash dirt !!

this also happened to some guys at Tiboburra some years ago while i was beside them --they were using a small Rotavator ,you all know the ones , they were breaking up the old dry blower heaps and using a modern keen dry blower and doing very well in the bargain!! but the Ranger appeared and gave them a right bollixing !!

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fencejumper wrote:

Murachu wrote:well dont do it today in Vic!! I return you guys to NO MANIACAL means to process wash dirt !!

this also happened to some guys at Tiboburra some years ago while i was beside them --they were using a small Rotavator ,you all know the ones , they were breaking up the old dry blower heaps and using a modern keen dry blower and doing very well in the bargain!! but the Ranger appeared and gave them a right bollixing !!

sorry mate but you can use a cement mixer or/and petrol driven water pump(in vic) to wash your dirt as long as you only use HAND TOOLS TO DIG the wash.

i know this as the rangers tried to shut me down saying the same thing you just said...but i showed them i was only using hand tools to dig and
they ended up agreeing it was ok and let me continue.

may be differant at tiboburra (nsw) but in vic all good

if no mechanical in vic..then no pumps for sluice's as the pump is machanical..

I stand corrected fencejumper I have checked and you are right you can hand load the cement mixer and use it to break down the clay -- the one in NSW was because they were deemed to be digging with a machine .

pumping in vic is legal as long as you dont have sand or gravel being shifted with the pump water as in a Venturi or gravel pump

i take it a trommel is legal as well ?

Awsome . Thanks guys. Thats going to make life so much easier. And knowing at actually works is better still. I could combine the VB'S and the mixer and it should be all good.
I could mentally seeing it work, but was unsure if it actually did. Now to find myself the smallest petrol mixer i can find.
I like the idea on the steel balls to help the process, thats a great tip. Cheers.

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Hi Maka
Only thing with the steel balls,you may need a good magnet . as the balls wear, you will have small bits of steel coming off into the mix. witch you may need to get out before panning
Allan

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/27-Cubic-Foot-Concrete-Mixer-/220869072634?pt=AU_Business_Industrial_Farming_Agriculture_Farming_Agriculture_Equipment&hash=item336cd296fa
looks like i found one...PMSl,, I have spare shovels if u guys are interested...

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