Yes Charles, gold is magnetic. At least under induced conditions. This gets into sub-atomic nuclear pphysics. Too deep for me. But gold can be recovered using electrostatic and electro magnetic fields with a directional magnet. The magnetism is too weak for a piece of gold, so it is said to have no magnetism. A cluster is small and can have magnetism induced into it. Since it is so small, it will resopond to test parameters. I have tried this method to recover cluster gold with poor results. The concentrate I made was mostly magnetite iron. When I fired the sample, it melted the crucible like some kind of thermite device went off in the crucibles. Did damage to the furnace too. But I did get some gold recovered. Not a good method.
I don't understand your lead question. Lead comes in bars, bullion ingots, shot like stuff is used in guns, antimonial wet cell battery lead and I don't know what else. Is there gold in that stuff, I don't think so unless you can find a very old cache.
I have known a number of people that have used copper in the fire assay to collect gold. Copper has always given me fits in the assay. I wish them success. I prefer the old fashion lead method.
I have analyzed iron dore', usually it turned out to be iron only; tin dore, a real tough one to work with, the tin really likes gold; aluminum, bismuth, copper, and probably every thing that some one thought would be good to mix with gold. I prefer lead. With most of those metals I use lead to get the gold out of the trash metals. With any metal less noble than lead, just boil the metal in lead oxide. A lead button will be produced by ion exchange. Cupel the lead and there is the gold, if it is real gold.
Who is GPGI?
I don't understand your last question. Was magnetism attempted with desert dirts? If you mean use magnetics to get the gold from desert dirt. Well, one of the common tests in metallurgy is to collect the heavy media, separate that fraction into two or three fractions. They are magnetic, non-magnetic and paramagnetic. Assay the four products to see how the gold is distributed in the sample based on magnetic qualities. Certainly desert washes, the caliche and the sands have been tested, I have done so myself, many times.
Good night Charles. |
