Small Mining Operations
Cyanide-Free Gold Separation
February 2011 by Chris Ralph
Some ores—mostly those with a high free gold content—are very amenable to gravity concentration. Well oxidized ores containing coarse gold are usually best for non-cyanide processes. Ores with significant sulfide content may require the...
Guinea Africa: Gold, Ebola, and a Monkey Barbecue
With great relief, the equipment I chose worked well, and after shoving into three days what should have been ten days of set-up and testing, we were up and running.
Resurrecting An Old Hard Rock Mine—A Series of Small Victories
…we cheered and high-fived each other as the ore cart slowly crested the top of the headframe, then picked up a bit of speed on the short downhill section and came to an abrupt halt, ejecting its contents of ore…
A Model Mining Operation
After he excavates the ore down to bedrock, he goes over the bedrock with a metal detector to ensure he didn't leave any gold behind before he backfills the area.
Putting Together A Small Free Gold Mill—Part II
There are many smaller old hard rock mines out there—more than you might think. There are some small hard rock properties that are even open to be claimed if one does the right amount of research to find them.
Wyoming's Billion Dollar Nugget—The Trilogy Ends
Our testing over the past 15 years was to confirm or deny the USGS report completed in 1978. Besides the half acre test dig, we completed many additional test digs by hand and with the backhoe.
Ask the Experts
Ore testing and other advice for starting up a mining operation.
The Basics of Crushing and Milling Operations
In processing gold, silver and other valuable ores, the minerals containing the values, such as metallic gold, silver-bearing sulfides or other minerals, must be freed from the surrounding host rock before those valuable minerals can be captured.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• Our Readers Say
• The Basics of Crushing and Milling Operations
• Ask The Experts—What minerals are magnetic? Can rare earth magnets capture platinum?
• Ask The Experts—Jet nozzle or suction nozzle? Which is best for my highbanker?
• Ask The Experts—Precious metals in water?
• Rediscovering Placerville, California
• Eastern Arizona: Gold and Base Metal Deposits—Part I
• Over The Divide—Daryl J. Nelson
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Mining Stock Quotes & Mineral and Metal Prices
• Melman on Gold & Silver







