Testing Gold Smelting Fluxes For Best Precious Metals Recovery

Testing out 4 different fluxes to determine the best recovery of gold and silver, the results may surprise you! In this video we tested: Borax, Chapmans flux, Chapmans flux and roasting, and the soda iron method. We used a sample of sulfide concentrates off one of our MBMM shaker tables to simulate the "worst case" for sulfur and gold/sliver recovery. Our goal is to find the easiest, fastest, and most effective smelting technique so our customers and viewers can get the most gold in the easiest way possible.
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[@Askjeffwilliams]

great Job Jason on the comparison...... something me and Slim have wanted to experiment with..... we are testing a Flux that is sulfide ready just add a few iron nails in it and you are good to go ..... can't wait for more vids from ya sonny Jim.

[@MegaDankone]

Ask Jeff Williams , how’s this test coming along?? I need some flux for sulfide cons.

[@mbmmllc]

Thanks Jeff. Always good to hear from you! More cool vids coming soon!!

[@BullProspecting]

I just commented on this! I would love to see that video jeff! I have literally a ton of sulfides but I really want to skip the roasting process with this flux!

[@karimrazak3798]

Is silica necessary or can we dispense with it?

[@ChrisRalph]

Great work, makes me think as I know of a mine in Nevada where I could pick up a good 50 pounds or more of matte that was produced in smelting and pouring their gold. I wonder if it would be worth my while to pick it up next time I am down that way... They probably figured the small amount of gold lost in the matte was insignificant.

[@davideriksen2434]

do it

[@claytonmccormick7506]

one without a test batch you will never know and two a very small flail mill could grind it fine enough to run small batches across a small shaker table blue bowl or some other method of concentration to reduce the amount of matte that you would need to fire and waste oil burner are cheap to build and operate go have some fun even if you do not recover much.

[@mbmmllc]

If you get a sample I would be happy to run some tests for you. Maybe we could do a collaboration video together??

[@ChrisRalph]

Those are some amazingly rich sulfides. They run nearly 60 ounces per ton. That is a lot higher than average for sulfide cons which may average more in a range like 2 to 10 ounces per ton.

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for your comment and for watching our videos!

[@trevorwhat]

Very interesting, Jason. This is another video of yours I’ll be reviewing again and again. In terms of material cost, I’m curious how you’d rank these four tests.

[@mbmmllc]

Thanks for watching. I think the material cost is very low for any of these tests. Really splitting hairs IMO :)

[@professortrog7742]

Dan Hurd should see this !

[@mbmmllc]

Tell him to email me and we can do a collaboration!

[@richardrobertson1331]

Well done. I've been waiting for this important test. Thanks for posting.

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for your comment and for watching our videos!

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Thank you for the information. Not doing sulfides right now, but will be doing some small scale smelting in the near future.

[@mbmmllc]

Thanks for watching! Make sure to watch out for our next video!

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

@@mbmmllc I'm on notifications :=)

[@ivanespinoza9214]

Great job Jason ..this experiment claears me some doubts that i used to have about melting flux.. i'm You follower from México

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for your comment and for watching our videos!

[@Oidium45]

There was one test left out which I am sure someone has already mentioned at some point. That would be roasting and Borax. Would have been interesting to see. Enjoyed the vid either way though!

[@mbmmllc]

Thanks for watching! Make sure to watch out for our next video!

[@revbobmartin]

You should probably try the ion/soda method after roasting the sulfides first and see if it could be the best way.

[@payamkhalesi2587]

Hello, my friend, don't be tired. Thank you for your specialized training. Dear friend, I have a question. Please tell me the scientific name of Flax Chiman. Thank you.

[@claytonmccormick7506]

very interesting the only comment i have is if you take the sulfur dioxide generated by roasting or as a byproduct of smelting you can bubble that gas through water and you will get sulfuric acid and with that you can make most of the other acids . i am not saying you should , as you get but as you get bigger you should think about how to use as much as you can both to reduce waste and pollution but also to increase you profit margin you want to squeeze ever nickel out of your ore you can and from sulfuric acid you can make hydrochloric and nitric acid the other two you need for processing and purifying your metals so always look for that next step that will either save you or make you money while cleaning up your tailings. most mine tailings are acidic and cause problems with runoff and groundwater so make money by capturing that or any other resource as long as you do not need to spend a lot with no return. in other words be smart in how you mine so you can make the most money while doing the least damage.

[@seymourpro6097]

There were processes to turn SO2 into SO3 and then into Sulphuric acid but this used a platinum catalyst which was easily poisoned with other metal particles. Modern processes can use vanadium pentoxide which is more tolerant of contaminants. The lead chamber process would have been available at the time but hard work for the output. Remember that roasting sulphides was not known to be harmful in those days, just like mercury, lead etc

[@claytonmccormick7506]

@@seymourpro6097 thankyou and good point please feel free to add too or contradict anything i say. finding new ways to twist another nickel out of what i do is my version of fun maybe a forum for urban miners somewhere, we tend to small operations geared more to having fun than making money but we still like the shiny and spending less to get more is just part of the fun whether my oar is ic chips or sulfide bearing stone it is just fun to learn and if i have a few oz of gold silver and other precious metals then that is part of the fun to:-)

[@seymourpro6097]

SO2 dissolved in water makes sulphurous acid which is as useless and it is unheard of. SO2 off gasses need to pass over a V2O5 catalyst at 450C with air to make SO3 which does dissolve in water to make sulphuric acid, BUT it's difficult to control and can get much too hot much too quickly. V2O5 is hard to find because of all it's R and S phrases including may cause genetic harm.

[@claytonmccormick7506]

@@seymourpro6097 ok what would you do with the so2 rather than release it into the air where it will make acid rain for instans can i bubble o3 through the so2 in gas form or in the water ? i am not a chemist so you tell us.

[@mbmmllc]

Great, thanks for the tip!

[@iNerdier]

Presumably there would be issues with your 'roasting' process for larger batches, given the toxicity of SO2. Would you set up some kind of a scrubber if you did it on a bigger scale?

[@mbmmllc]

Yes, I have a few ideas about that. Thanks for commenting

[@montanaredsky6704]

@@mbmmllc I am facing the same issue. A friend tells me I will recover even more gold with a scrubber.

[@davidrussell8795]

Yrs ago 1974 I used to braze weld tin patch panel with a bronze welding rod,this rod came with a Flux coating, buy you could also buy a Flux coating in powder form,for bare bronze welding rods. So if this Flux removes impurities ,can it be used in gold melting? Using oxygen acetylene gas welding,I used to weld! I don't know what it's made of,but it's purpose was to push out impurities,and a hard greenish glass like coating would be on top ,after it cooled. Also can u just use some Borax and some lead in the mix for smelting?

[@downyourtube]

What flux and metal would you use to recover nano platinum from diesel suet? What flux recipe would you use or try?

[@pertinentparadigm1337]

Never get tired of watching that slag cool, keep 'em coming MacGyver.

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for your comment and for watching our videos!

[@pertinentparadigm1337]

@@mbmmllc Random thought... 3D printed mini shaker table for the hobbyist prospector? Wonder if something like that would be cost effective or even worth your time to make but it'd be pretty cool if you did. Obviously a miller table would be more affordable but I like tiny things scaled down.

[@user-ux5le4wx4s]

Hey Bud I Would Like To Ask Where Did You Get Those Gold Smelting Flux

[@brianclugston.hypnotist.B2]

Question: Maybe its been asked...maybe not....When using flux, what happens to the silver, copper, etc? Ive collected a small pile of pins, relay contacts, internal switch material etc.....will fire assay create more loss of gold in the process?

[@damxgopak457]

Very cool I have been struggling with this issue.you rock.

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for your comment and for watching our videos!

[@AtulKumar-mx1tk]

White gold per stadium kaise nikaalte hain kaun sa chemical provide kar dalne se white gold mitti se alag ho jata hai

[@tomsaunders383]

Really need the head grade of the ore to do proper mass balance calculations

[@mbmmllc]

This experiment is just comparing recovery amounts between the fluxes, not percent recovery of the total gold

[@wildwisdom56]

Keep up these interesting experiments please. Thank you

[@mbmmllc]

Thanks for watching! Make sure to watch out for our next video!

[@MrMoonFlame]

Nice demo

[@bobadalnoboj4312]

Nice job, I like soda-iron method, thnks.

[@BullProspecting]

Hello Jason! I been a subscriber for many years now and I have a question? Can you make a video on how to melt sulfides with Chapman flux in order to skip the roasting process? I have a bunch if sulfides but I dont want to spend all the time it takes to roast it. I was told I can use Chapman flux and a iron nail. I put my sulfides, Chapman flux & a iron nail into a melting dish and go for it. Have you ever done that?

[@abrahamparra4868]

Is about time you you start working with a lot more concentrate and make real gold lingots, you have 20,000 dollars shaker tables 30,000 dollars rock crushers and making 5 dollars little pieces of gold

[@dancoz5477]

It’s called R&D. You must be an engineer.

[@waiseatuicakau7440]

Hi Jason

[@davidrussell8795]

We're did you get your tongues,Amazon shows some crappy ones that come with a kit!

[@stuffnthingsb.c4043]

hey bud thanks for all the great videos..like the new one where you went to africa i believe.. are you from usa washington? or B.C

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for watching our videos! We are from Bellingham, WA.

[@armiyantomuhamad144]

Iv got fail metode with this that the concentrate can moving gold at all in processing because mixing between copper 1 0z, Silver 1.54oz n gold in 0.7oz from the botol

[@maxblay5308]

You should make artificial rubies for the fun of it chromium oxide and aluminum oxide use an arc welder

[@MalteseCross]

Can you use Chapman's flux as a replacement for the cupel?

[@razaliyusof8861]

Very good video.can copper be use instead of lead.

[@mitmathumper]

Nice job jason i like it😊👌👏👍

[@kennethkustren9381]

One day, Boss... You're gonna break out the REFRACTORY MIXTURE Recipes,... and build an awesome KILN/FORGE VIDEO.... OR TWO... OR THREE.

[@stuffnthingsb.c4043]

i have been trying to find some prospectors from around my area in Vancouver, cause i have an idea of a great place to look, but need help.. would love to just talk about ideas.. thanks

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for the comment. For questions about pricing or equipment please send us an email at [e-mail] or call [phone]. You can also visit our website at www.mbmmllc.com Thanks for all your encouraging comments, great ideas, safety concerns, environmental concerns, and cost questions. We prefer to communicate through email so for any specific questions that need a response please email us! Thanks again for watching all our videos!

[@adolfbirkholz3761]

If I am using an electric oven to bake how much iron rod must I add?

[@adolfbirkholz3761]

Another question is the iron rod a must with the soda ash method or will it work without it?

[@thaengkeopaseuth6421]

Nice video 👍🏻

[@waiseatuicakau7440]

Requesting your help. I want to smelt some grinding powder raw materials ore. What is the best Flux to be used

[@AtulKumar-mx1tk]

Your white gold in petroleum kaise nikaalte ho ni chemical you borax and kya hai

[@coryenglish4392]

Is the manganese dioxide from carbon batteries useable?

[@ConTheDon187]

dude this is so cool, you're a genius hahaha

[@CoinSilver800]

great video, could you zap the prills with an XRF and report back the findings? A+

[@mbmmllc]

Good idea! The prills are gone now, but I will try and get better results in the future

[@andreascentanne1073]

I like your videos...!!! I kept wondering if there was a way around bone ash cupola... Was looking for the link on that... I'm a mason... standard mortor mix... 1 part Portland... 3 parts sand? Soda ash...? that's just baking soda... sodium bicarbonate And presumably your just using silica sand from Home Depot... The iron pipe looked quite old... obviously it wasn't galvanized... but didn't quite see if it was rusty... Or if rust would even be a problem... considering the reaction.... Any way great job!!! 😁😁😁

[@mbmmllc]

Thanks for the comment. Rust doesn't matter. Use pure portland cement for the cupel, silica sand from Home Depot will work

[@seymourpro6097]

Would the Soda/Iron method work with a "spoonful" of iron filings or dust?

[@mbmmllc]

It would make the reaction go faster, but the iron rod can be easily taken out. If you have left over iron filings that would be a problem

[@dabsgacweng5863]

Hi im lie from phil.i have a lot of sufide high grade.but i dont know how to recover gold from it.

[@AtulKumar-mx1tk]

Who wide gold and petroleum chemical is wheat

[@khanjee4032]

Nice one

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for your comment and for watching our videos!

[@user-vr2eg2yq9s]

What is the scientific name for this substance .(chapman)?

[@alibalkc9245]

Jason, I would appreciate it if you would write me this mix, God bless you, thank you 

[@chrissaucier9386]

Great info as always. I hope to do business with you one day ! I love your turn keys

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for your comment and for watching our videos!

[@vindiesel9854]

Smart.....

[@nokanind]

So, for palladium ore..?

[@WayneEarls]

Do you use hardener on the wool? I'm afraid to fire mine until I get hardener because they say silica goes airborne when you fire it. And that could cause silicosis. I would wear a Mask anyway but just wondering.

[@mbmmllc]

Yes, I always wear a respirator. Everyone seems to comment on the glass fibers, but I think they are not the worst thing coming off a smelting furnace. There is also SOx that turns to sulfuric acid in your lungs, heavy metals (Pb, As, etc), caustic fumes from soda ash/NaOH. So yes the ceramic fibers are bad, but there is other stuff too that I am more worried about. Always wear a respirator, not just a dust mask.

[@jobrackett3237]

mbmmllc l

[@sessionmeditationclub-heal4153]

Hey dude, Nice Videos. May I ask you a Question about smelting? I have a lot of Gold dust really 0,010mm to 0,040mm tiny small gold dust, that can also float on water's surface, but is also mixed up with another kind of dust. The gold cannot be separated from that dust. can I smelt all together and the gold can sink to the bottom of my cone bar? Just asking before to do it at home

[@mbmmllc]

Yes, that should work. If you have a large volume a shaker table would be handy

[@fayadhashim3422]

hey how are you...ive been watching your videos and i was interested

[@fayadhashim3422]

on gold machines may i hav your whatsapp no..you can email me at [e-mail] i was mostly interested in the gold plant small jaw crusher...roller mill and shaker table.......thank you

[@mbmmllc]

Thanks for watching! Make sure to watch out for our next video!

[@damonfacio249]

Do you need the led

[@donizetecorreiadepaiva5616]

Boa tarde nessa mistura aí que eu quero que fazer uma fusão só aqui do Brasil e não entendo muito a tua língua não entendo nada né Na realidade da tua língua Mas eu posso só colocar o borax e a soda e o trigo só para unir os metais

[@user-xt2fr5xh7n]

عمل جميل شكرن لك

[@SabirSabir-kk3bg]

شكرا لك وليس شكرن لك

[@shusehuehehb9971]

كم مدت التحميص ايزا كان في حديد

[@GWPvR]

This is only profitable if you're having a few hundred kilos of this stuff. You must offset the costs of this procedure such as the gas against the expected amount of gold. Otherwise you won't break even.

[@mbmmllc]

Yep, agreed. Just showing the process

[@arelgr9407]

i will ask again about the features of the respirator mask to 10:19 min. maybe is with active carbon, but there is no answer. :(

[@euphoriccerebralextracts9933]

Hey I really need a cone mold like yours I have the money right now for one and I need one bad can you help me man I'm also buying a bunch more stuff and gonna be doing videos I'm gonna be sharing your videos to help the people I'm going to do classes for and we will he watching your videos to lurn in my classes I could use some help I'm doing this so people have something to do during covid I'm dumping almost all my money into this

[@sharoncerretani]

I thought the lead was toxic

[@mbmmllc]

Yes, when used carelessly.

[@BillMulholland1]

🍻👍

[@boomboombeach404]

cast iron pan cracked

[@mbmmllc]

Its been cracked the whole time :) when it gets hot the pan expands some and makes that popping sound :)

[@user-md6rg7ss4t]

Привет! Жаль нет субтитров на Русском, у тебя хорошие видосы.....

[@mbmmllc]

Thank you for your comment and for watching our videos!

[@user-md6rg7ss4t]

@@mbmmllc пожалуйста! Но Ваши видио были бы гораздо интересней с субтитрами на русском языке.....

[@juniocesar8576]

🇧🇷👍

[@thegermanguy-it3ek]

First

[@mbmmllc]

Nice!

[@davidrussell8795]

Yrs ago 1974 I used to braze weld tin patch panel with a bronze welding rod,this rod came with a Flux coating, buy you could also buy a Flux coating in powder form,for bare bronze welding rods. So if this Flux removes impurities ,can it be used in gold melting? Using oxygen acetylene gas welding,I used to weld! I don't know what it's made of,but it's purpose was to push out impurities,and a hard greenish glass like coating would be on top ,after it cooled. Also can u just use some Borax and some lead in the mix for smelting?

[@davidrussell8795]

Yrs ago 1974 I used to braze weld tin patch panel with a bronze welding rod,this rod came with a Flux coating, buy you could also buy a Flux coating in powder form,for bare bronze welding rods. So if this Flux removes impurities ,can it be used in gold melting? Using oxygen acetylene gas welding,I used to weld! I don't know what it's made of,but it's purpose was to push out impurities,and a hard greenish glass like coating would be on top ,after it cooled. Also can u just use some Borax and some lead in the mix for smelting?