Ask The Experts: Is there a safe DIY alternative to cyanide or mercury for extraction?

September 2016 by Chris Ralph

Q: With safety as a given, what can the average miner, or Joe-blow greenhorn do to identify and extract some metals or minerals with off-the-shelf products or natural ingredients?

Ask the Experts

January 2015
• How do I get mining claims appraised?

Fine Gold Panning Without Using Mercury

March 2012
The technique I will describe is a much safer alternative and it works. It’s a fine-gold panning technique that eliminates the need for mercury amalgamation of most placer samples.

Finding Gold with a VLF Detector—Part I

April 2014
The very first thing to find out...is if the detector has the ability to be ground balanced.

Proper Spacing of Placer Sample Sites

September 2013
The zone of influence of each sample must be carefully considered when deciding how far sample sites should be spaced from each other.

Ask The Experts

January 2016
Viewing details on Google Earth

Underground Mining: Getting the Ore Out

February 2017
Choosing the right method to move your ore and waste is all about making the right choices. Sometimes more than one method may be used during the life of a mine as an operation expands and grows.

Hard Rock Milling: A Matter of Scale

April 2013
Most prospectors understand placer mining a lot better than hard rock mining and don’t realize the amount of work that goes into processing different types of hard rock ore.

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