Free mill gold or not free mill? - Gold Prospectors Association

Last Post 03 Oct 2016 12:11 PM by ADAM ANDREWS

Free mill gold or not free mill?

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SEAN ASHLEY

Greenhorn
Posts:

06 Apr 2016 10:26 AM
On my uncles ranch down here in Kearny AZ he has a couple of old patented mines. (to which he's given me all access) all the old reports from azgs indicate .23 to .7 ozt however, there is nothing to indicate whether is was free mill or Sulfides or Telurides. there was a mill on site back in the day. closed down in 1943. so in general terms Is there any indicators in the geology of an area that might give clues as to the type of gold you might find? I know its a broad question but I'm always looking for a learning opportunity to increase the odds in my favor. I'll certainly take more samples and maybe have some assayed. hopefully I asked the right questions any tips would help. thanks so much!

Ronald Peterson

New Member
Posts:97

06 Apr 2016 05:44 PM
Sean, free mill is gold in it's free or elemental ( Native ) form and placer gold was once free mill lode ore before it was released by natural forces from the host rock. Non free mill is gold in chemical combination with other elements that does not look like native gold and requires leaching or smelting to separate the gold. Ore can also contain free gold to small to be seen with the naked eye or a magnifier glass, which may require crushing the ore to a very fine powder and panning to find out. I do not know why it is called " Free Mill " because it takes time, labor, and equipment costs to free the native gold from the host rock, nothing free about that to me. An assay is your best bet to find out what you are dealing with. Best of Luck, Ron

KEVIN HOAGLAND

Basic Member
Posts:360

07 Apr 2016 11:12 AM
Ron, Thanks for jumping in on this one. My travel schedule has me only occasionally being able to log on. I'll toss in a little bit of an expansion on this as well. Free milling gold can also be considered (as we do when working some areas) any gold that can be gravity processed from the host rock by crushing only. NOT by any chemical means of recovery. Sean,In your case, given the area that the lode mines are located most will be free milling to a certain point then turn to sulfides. Many of the lode mines in your area were worked until the sulfides became an issue and then the miners walked away leaving it for others to work that were better at working the more complex materials. If you can find the names of the original claims there should be some information available that will indicate the production methods of recovery. Good Luck and keep us informed on how the recovery goes. Kevin

SEAN ASHLEY

Greenhorn
Posts:

09 Apr 2016 08:08 AM
thanks guys for the input. I guess I had a feeling that was going to be thecae for that area. I was hoping i just missed something obvious there. Im planning on getting some good samples from the mines and the tailings. and for sure have an assay done. getting up there is always the hard part and getting someone to come along (safety buddy). hope to see you out there on one of the events I'm shooting for the next stanton dig. Again thanks a million. happy diggin' and swingin' Sean

ADAM ANDREWS

Greenhorn
Posts:

03 Oct 2016 12:11 PM
E-bay can be a good lesson for this...Under Gold in Quartz, the (free mill) specimens are very expensive. And then there's the cheap (Sulfides) Gold Ore with sparkly Pyrites. I think I learned my lesson. I have a nice jar of sulfide Gold.

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