Proccessing "Loam" samples

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Joined
Jun 21, 2013
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Location
Townsville, QLD
Hi All
I thought I would do a post to show how I process my "loam" samples maybe someone may pick up a tip or 2.
This pic shows the classifier bucket I use, it has a series of 6mm holes drilled in it.


The next one shows the classifier placed inside a 20l bucket which is 3/4 full of water.


This one shows the cordless drill & mixing paddle I use.


Here is how I mix or agitate the soil in the bucket.


This shows the soil make up of the "Loam" samples.



This shows the size of the sample I take.


This one shows the finished product of the oversize left inside the classifier bucket, you can see how clean it gets.


This is the - 6mm in the bottom of the 20l bucket after mixing & pouring of the excess water.


I use this item to float off the silt from the -6mm, I let it overflow in my paddock run by a bore pump, this provides a bit of flood irrigation to provide pasture growth for my horses.


You can see how this device agitates the water then allows the silt to over flow.




This is the clean sample, which helps to speed up the panning process, I do 4 at a time which speeds up the whole thing which is good when you have 80 samples + to do.


How I do it: I 3/4 fill the 20l bucket, place the classifier bucket inside the 20l bucket, put the "Loam" sample into the classifier bucket ( I tie the plastic top of the sample bag with the number identifier on it to the handle of the 20l bucket) using the paddle on the cordless I mix the sample for less than 2 minutes, this lets all the - 6mm material drop into the main bucket, then I use the PVC item to float off the silt, doing this creates a vortex & gets rid off the majority of all silt which makes panning of the sample much quicker.
I hope this gives someone an idea on how to get the job done a bit quicker. .
cheers
Lee
 
love the idea,
how much water would i waste if i ran it through the garden hose?
don't have bore water here
is there a way to recycle the water, say through a dam or baby pool and a bilge pump?

thx for taking the time to go through it step by step
Kane
 
casper said:
that's one well thought though process - you've been at this game a while i'm thinkin'

thanks for the tips.

casper

Hi Casper
Mate I started out prospecting in 2008 & started sampling area's in 2011 so I am very much a newbie.
In a lot of things most people associate length of time with ability or experience, it is my view that experience can be gained in a relatively short time if you ?? things & research & apply your new found knowledge in a practical way trial & error you will learn if you see the mistakes you make as opportunities for improvement rather than defeats.
At this spot I am loaming I have identified an area about 250m along a slope that is shedding gold I am only 25m from the top of the ridge, it is there somewhere.
cheers
Lee
 
Hi All
Thanks for your comments, Kane yes there is a way to recycle the water, there is a way to most things & you have done the first thing in achieving that, you asked the question, if you send me a pm with your email on it I will provide you some info, I have got something cooking in my brain, you will need to keep it quiet.
cheers
Lee
 
rc62burke said:
Hi All
Thanks for your comments, Kane yes there is a way to recycle the water, there is a way to most things & you have done the first thing in achieving that, you asked the question, if you send me a pm with your email on it I will provide you some info, I have got something cooking in my brain, you will need to keep it quiet.cheers
Lee

Hi All
I have had a little think about this, stuff it I will let all know what I am working on, I thought I may make a few $ on it but I don't have the time to put into that.
I will do a separate post on this once I have drawn up a bit of a plan, it is a recycle unit that should filter out the sediment that gets suspended in the water, it is based on the principal of a grease trap used in the plumbing industry ( I am a Plumber by trade) if you google along these lines you may work out what I am doing.
cheers
Lee
 
Built one of these today but didn't have any pvc pipe to make a silt remover, so instead grabbed another bucket and an old funnel and made a sort of "blue bowl" segment, once it was classified down i grabbed a stick and stirred up the water to create a whirl pool for about a minute or so, once it settled i panned what was in the blue bowl bucket and found what remained contained very little dirt and rubbish and an awful lot of black sand, no gold but not surprising considering i was testing it with my own tailing pile ;)
anyway to be 100% sure it worked i proceeded to pan out the tailings from the test sample and ureka!no heavies in it at all :D
just thought id share that bit thanks for the original idea!
 
Well i only tested around a quarter of a bucket load which woulda taken about 45 minutes to pan properly and it cut that down to about 3 minutes, won't know for certain though till i test it in the field
 
garnethawkins said:
Built one of these today but didn't have any pvc pipe to make a silt remover, so instead grabbed another bucket and an old funnel and made a sort of "blue bowl" segment, once it was classified down i grabbed a stick and stirred up the water to create a whirl pool for about a minute or so, once it settled i panned what was in the blue bowl bucket and found what remained contained very little dirt and rubbish and an awful lot of black sand, no gold but not surprising considering i was testing it with my own tailing pile ;)
anyway to be 100% sure it worked i proceeded to pan out the tailings from the test sample and ureka!no heavies in it at all :D
just thought id share that bit thanks for the original idea!

I think we need some pic's of this setup garnthawkins.

Cheers
Mick
 
Yeah sorry Mick i forgot to tell ya, i took it out for a field test and broke it- shoulda waited for the glue to set properly :8
once i get it back together i will post some pics and some of my latest project, - a fluid reserviour bucketbanker
 
on the topic of making stuff out of plastic

has anyone used hot melt glue guns to weld plastic ?

i know you can get plastic welders ( $ 200 on ebay ) but i was hoping for something cheaper

cable ties and a soldering iron do work in an emergency but they are messy , slow and not consistant
 

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