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I have classified, now what about that darn clay?
rubinscube
post Jun 30 2010, 09:19 PM
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So I classified my concentrates down to a par above flour gold, which we have a lot of here in Colorado. I still have a fine brown talcum clay powder material that seems to be as fine or finer than flour gold. The darn stuff is sticky and I can't see squat barely when I run my desert fox or even when I hand pan. Any advice would be much appreciated and thanks to all the help with my other posts.
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Coalbunny
post Jul 3 2010, 02:01 AM
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Go to your local hardware store and buy a 5 gallon bucket (specifically for the clays) and a 5 gallon paint stirrer. Get your cordless drill and hook up the paint stirrer to it. Then fill the bucket 1/2 to 2/3 full of clays and add water until it's about 1" below the lip of the bucket.

If you can manage it, make a clamp that will hold the drill in place without you having to hold it constantly.
Have water trickling in, and have the water trickling out go over the rubbed rubber mat.
While the water is removing the muddy water, the drill is in place to keep stirring and breaking up the clays, you can also add clay periodically.

Back when I was helping a friend on his claim-lease we tested the clays and found they dissolved in acidic water. So he helped break it up by adding enough muriatic acid to it to change the pH to at least 3.5-4.5. The water/clays were about 8-9.5. The change in pH helps a lot in breaking up the clays, and after breaking up the clays the pH reverts closer to 7. Upon contact with river water the pH reverts back to the alkali pH.


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