USRE675E - Improved amalgamator - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1..- L. SOLOMON.

AMALGAMATOR.

No. 675. Reissued Man-15, 1859.

lei.

2 sheets-sheet 2."

L. SOLOMON. AMALGAMATOR.

- No. 675.' vReissued Mar. 15, 1859.

PATENT OFFICE,

LEWIS SOLOMON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPFtOVED AMALGAMATOR.

Specification forming part ofLctters Patent No.y 22,245, dated December 7J 1858; Reissue No. 675, dated Marchv l5, 1859.

.ous ores, sweeps,itc., called an Amalgamator, and I do hereby declare that the following 1s a full, clear, and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, through letters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification, in Which-j Figure l represents a side elevation of my machine arranged in a heated apartment or closet, a portion of one side of the closet being broken away to show themachine more clearly. Fig. 2 is an edge view of th 'i machine re# moved from the closet; Fig. 3, im end elevation of the closet open, showing a vveraical transverse section of the machine, taken through the center; and Fig. 4, a horizontal section of the same, taken on the line a' .fr of Fig. 3, showing the steam-pipes for heating said closet uncovered. f

The same letters of reference occurring in the several figures indicate corresponding parts.A

The common principle of action in all amalgamators heretofore invented is that of a cylinder revolving on its axis, the objection to which is that the met cury used for am al gamation .flows along the lower sideof the cylinder almost, if not altogether, in advance ofthe ore,

lnever being separated into globules or searching the ore by filtering through it, the powdered ore .rolling over on the top or surface of the mercury, which therefore only takes up such metallic particles as may happen to come in contact with it.

My invention consists in constructing amachine in such form and manner as to remeiy this diiculty and insure a more thorough searching ofthe ore, sweeps, &c., bythe mer? cury, for the precious metals contained, and in other minor points, which will v,be fully set forth in this specication.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation.

A represents the apartment or closet in which the apparatus is erected, in the bottom of which is arranged a series of pipes, B,into

which steam is admitted to'heat the apa-rtment lduring the operation. Thersteam-enters through the cock c. The water which forms by condensation in the pipes passes otiat the cock d. Avcover, c, is made to lit closely over the series of pipes, to prevent the accumula-l tion ofdirt between them while charging and discharging the amalgamator with ore, 8vo. Transverscl y through the center of this closet is a shaft or axle, F, supported and rotating in bearings Gr, suitablyl constructed and arranged fcr-that purpose. On one end of this shaft, outside the heated chamber, isvhung a fast andloose pulley, lL'h/or other suitable mechanical device for rotating the saine, and on the vother end is a friction-pulley, 'Land band', u, for holding it in any desired position for charging or discharging. Within the closet, and o-n this shaft, is supported the amalgamator,\vl1ich consists of a series of cylindrical, conical, OvaLshaped, or other elongated chambers, I, attached enduise and radially to a hub, lc, keyed on the shaft F, and are braced to each other, at their' outer extremities by stays L. Each of these chambers I is pro` vided with a collar, m, screwed into or otherwise firmly attached to its outer end, through which is an opening sufficiently large to pnt in the ground ore. A plug or bung, n, is titted into this opening and held in its placeby-a cap, o, secured to the colla-r. -Through the center of this cap and bung is a smaller hole .for pouring in and discharging the mercury,

and is stopped by the plug p, which in'turn is secured by a bar, q, across its end, and about twelve shots (more or less) of six pounds' weight each are placed in each chamber.

In working this machine there are several distinct operations to 'be performed. Therefore, in order to preventany mistake inthe charging or discharging of the several chambers successively, a register, R, is affixed by each, by means of which each operation as it is performed is indicated.

For working gold the chambers may be made of iron; but for silver they should be made of wood or other material that will not be affected by the chloride of silver.

In describing the operation of this machine it will not be necessary to mention quantities or proportions of the diierent ingredients, as that is fully specified in my improved process ofy V-workingauriferous and argentiferous rites, and VI shall ltherefore simply describe the routine of operation. AThe ore is first crushed and'passcd lthrough a sieve of about' twenty-eight meshes to the inch. and then mixed and thoroughly incorporated with chloride of sodium, and afterward roasted 1uV a furnace, care being taken not to ralse the ltemperature above a dullred heat during the irstthree or'fou'r hours, after-Which, however,

'A proportion of soda-ashlis also added, and

about fty pounds 0i' bar-iron, in pieces of 1about one inch square by three inches long, to the contentsof :each chamber. The cham# bers are then closed and put in motionat the rate ot' eight or ten revolutions'per minute for about 0U@ 'imdb half or two hours,"or`

until the seyeral'ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. The machine is then 4stopped and the chambers brought successively into a vertical position, lplug upward, which' maythen be drawn, and about two vhundred pounds of mercury? poured into each chamber and again closed and revolved, as before, for about sixteen hours. Duripg the whole of this 'tiinej the apartment in which the amalgamator 'isd inclosed should bcheated by the steam-pipes to 1300er V1500 Fahrenheit. At the end ot' about sixteen hours a solution -of sulphate Aot' iron is added Ato the contents ot' each chamber, and rotated, as before, for about four hours l'onger,jafter which Water, whichhas been previously heated' in the -reservoir S on or lin the upperpart of the heated apartment A,is`added'-say from fifty to Vone hundred pounds in each chamber-and the machine again rotatedfor about one hour longer to thin the mass so that the globules of mer cury may collect in a body. f The amalgama! tion being new completed, each chamber is brought successively into a vertical position, plug downward. The mercury, being the heaviest, will immediately collect at the bottom, when it may be'tapp'ed off into a receiver placed 'underneath for its reception by drawing'the smalljplug p, which mus-t be again inserted as soon'as .the earthy matter begins' todischarge. The amalgam being thus drawn olf `from the variouschamber's, another re- .ceiver is lplaced under-each successively, and .the residuurr drawn orf-through the" larger opening in the collar a', and placed in suitable Avessels for washing out the remaining mercury.- The mercury is then pressed'through chamois-leather or canvas bags for the collectionot' thel amalgam and expulsion' ot' free ca'st'in 'the usual manner.-

-The various times above specified are not absolute, but maybe varied as found neces- -tical application.

V calagents above referred to may be omitted.

Patent', ifs-F# ner and forl the purposesspecied.. j

chambers. I within a heated chamber, A, for the purposes specicd.

In testimony whereof 'I have hereunto sub scribed my name before two Asubscribing Wtnesses. y

' LEWIS- SOLOMON. Witnesses:

DAN SEEXAs,

J osEPH SOLOMON.

mercury, after which the amalgamA maybe 'distilled and the gold melted in crucibles and sary for the. differentqualities of ores by prac- This machine 1s equally vvellA adapted to'l working-free'-gold ore, silver ore, or sweepsaasA the sulphurets-in which case the chemia Having. thus described my inventiomjwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 1. Theuse of elongated am'al gamating-cham'- bers'I, when arranged to operate in thcman 2. The-arrangement of the amalgam-ating'-

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