glot
Gold Digger
Posts: 75
|
Post by glot on Jan 2, 2015 19:12:43 GMT 10
Can anyone point me to a thread about tin and silver ores in the form of black sand? How do I recognise them? How do I deal with them in a positive way? After I remove the magnetics, what am I left with? Rutile is in this area.
|
|
|
Post by Flying Scott on Jan 2, 2015 20:40:19 GMT 10
Tin would be more common than silver the specific gravity of silver is about 10.5 as opposed to tin which has a specific gravity of aprox. 7.30
When I was studying I came across an article where it stated the in the 1920s native miner / fossickers in New Guinea were plagued by black sands which they discarded. A Scotsman who worked in the mines offered the natives one 1/2 penny for every pound of sand they give to him. That was a big bonus to the natives. However, the Scotsman made a huge fortune out of it.. It was Platinum, more valuable than gold. Flying Scott.
|
|
|
Post by shivan on Jan 2, 2015 20:46:07 GMT 10
The only ore of tin I can think of is cassiterite, though it may appear in other rocks in trace amounts. Silver is more commonly alloyed with other metals such as gold but can be found in other ores such as galena (ore of lead). As for recognising them, depending on the size of the sand. Specific gravity could help..., streak test if grains large enough. If you know the minerals in the area it can help to narrow things down too. Maybe someone else has a better idea, ill dig through some of my notes tomorrow.
|
|
glot
Gold Digger
Posts: 75
|
Post by glot on Jan 3, 2015 17:40:51 GMT 10
Galena is local in small amounts but easy to recognise under a lens. In the general area around Rockhampton. most metals have been found at some time. I am talking very fine heavy sands. The magnetics are easy to remove. Going way back, there used to be a bloke that lived in the bush in Gippsland that panned for tin for a living. It was a black sand I believe.
|
|
|
Post by rc62burke on Jan 6, 2015 18:51:20 GMT 10
|
|
|
Post by donnybrook on Jan 21, 2015 13:43:39 GMT 10
If you know of someone local with a furnace you can smelt the materials down. As both tin and silver could be oxides flour is added to your flux mix as it is a carbon. Carbon pinches(the oxygen) or reduces the oxide to metal. Cassiterite or party stone is a form of tin. Often mistaken for gems by the newbie. donnybrook
|
|