Today I traded a 7.5 hp single phase electric motor for 5 hp to replace the 3 phase motor that came with the quincy compressor, told Rob that owns a large farm nearby of my plans to open a small engine repair shop from my garage when he offered me space in their large heated shop with a full compliment of tools and equipment.
If this offer had come my way 10 or 15 years ago would have jumped in both feet, then probably not was busy scrapping back then having so much fun.
Anyhow Rob is one cool dude, been in a wheel chair for 20 years, has a van with a chair lift and still runs a 12,000 acre grain farm, they let me use the shop any time day or night which makes having sold my wire feed welder and metal lathe bearable.
I'm happy to be back in Manitoba.
My almost completed centrifuge was loaned to another prospector in Hope who is going to make a lid for the unit and use it on his claim during the summer and fall, he has agreed to post on the prospecting forum the pros and cons of my home made machine for others to learn from it.
I did manage to bring back a truck load of gold bearing quartz that I have already started processing by roasting some crushed ore with salt , this helps turn tramp metals into oxides.
The little jaw crusher I believe called the chipmunk gobbled up 400 pounds of quartz in a very short time turning it into 3/4 minus with a lot of fine powders liberated at the same time. It is these powders that I am currently roasting.
For those of you that have never roasted ore using salt, the salt is mixed in with the ore during the heat the salt evaporates and tramp ( base ) metals that are not of a precious or noble nature once oxidized will not go into your leach once oxidized.
I'm going to pan out the oxides which will leave me with the heavies to smelt out the precious metals using flux then poured into a cone mold to recover the precious metals as dore, not into using chemicals any more hard to get and hard on me.
Still have my 15 kw induction furnace which will be used to smelt small lots.
Plenty to keep me occupied in my retirement years.
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