I need someone to remind me

[Jim_Alaska]

I have some material I have screened down to one quarter inch. The problem is now I have a lot of quarter inch clay balls. I know this subject has been discussed before, but can't find the information. The question is how to deal with the clay. I remember that there is something that will dissolve it, but don't know what it is. Is there any common household stuff that will do it, or do I need to buy something special? I don't have a lot of this material, about one bucket full, so it's not a big deal, but trying to squash the clay balls by hand is tedious and I know they contain small gold.

[Geowizard]

Jim,

I have not tried this but the literature suggests using citric acid.

http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM56/AM56_1082.pdf

I have used a paint stirring rod that can be bought at most hardware stores to mix and disintegrate clay.

Good luck!

- Geowizard

[Joe S (AK)]

The 'formula' is supposed to have come from some college or university with an 'antiquities' department which excavated and subsequently cleaned ancient items covered in clay.

The very variable recipe is as follows:

"Some" (not a lot of) Hydrogen Peroxide.

"Some" Water

"Some" (a small squirt of) Inexpensive (meaning CHEAP) Floride Tooth Paste (MUST be Floride).

That's it! ----- The Fluoride in the tooth paste, in combination with the diluted Hydrogen Peroxide, does the breaking down (disassociation or 'dissolving') of the clay.

While this formula is very mild it seems that substantially more "robust" forms are being used in industry. Here is the industrial, (OMG!) heavy duty 'stuff' in action:

https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6620146-met ... lving-clay

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4056146A/en

Joe

[Jim_Alaska]

Thanks Joe. Might be a bit hard to do just a little of that stuff with a whole 5 gal bucket. But it seems from your articles that it is the type of acid produced that dissolves the clay without dissolving the sand. I'll mess with it a bit.

[Joe S (AK)]

As I understand it it's something like a quart of water, a healthy splash of Peroxide and an inch or two of gooie paste and then mix it all until smooth and minty smelling. Left over peroxide goes in the bathroom, tooth paste into the mining storage area for next time.

Also remember that Peroxide and Floride Tooth Paste - from the store - are both very, very mild compared with the OMG commercial strength chemicals used to make rock chewing, heavy duty "stuff".

Joe

[Jim_Alaska]

Update: It looks like stupidity still abounds. It turns out that what I had was not actually clay balls, it was just mud balls. But they still just roll through the sluice, carrying any gold they contain with them. I am digging this stuff out of an old hydraulic pit, so it is somewhat dry. In breaking up the balls in a classifying screen I finally noticed that they did not just mush when broken up,they sort of crumbled. Wish I had though of this before I asked about stuff to dissolve clay.

So, it turns out that simply giving the material a good soaking in lots of water dissolves the balls and leaves only very small rock and sand material. I guess it's better to find out for sure, even if it is later rather than sooner.

[Joe S (AK)]

There is no accounting for Good Luck. With the material coming out of a hydraulic pit it HAD to be washed thoroughly - meaning that it is just old, clay / sand / gravel balls that you're working with.

Just remember that the only people who never make mistakes are those who never, ever do anything.

Probably not the same hydraulic pit that was at the Rabbit Hole - right?

Best of fortune!

Joe

[Jim_Alaska]

No, not the same one joe. Remember, there was nothing there??? This one is about a mile down from my house. It was difficult getting in and out of there for me a couple of years ago. Guess what? It's even harder now. I'm down from five gal buckets to half that size. So unsteady that when coming back to the truck it' like this: Move the bucket two feet; walk forward two feet...repeat ad nauseum. Just too unstable to actually carry the bucket; it is not that it is too heavy, it jut makes me so off balance with these bad legs and feet that it is impossible.

[Geowizard]

Jim,

After all that work, I hope you got some color!

- Geowizard

[Jim_Alaska]

Well Chuck, I guess that's why it is called prospecting. I got five very small specks. Since this was a hydraulic pit and I got gold in crevices, I just thought I would try digging down to see if it was better under any overburden; now I know it isn't.

Lots of work involved, lots as in hours, probably five or six hours. So, did it pay? Yes,in anticipation and doing something I enjoy in spite of the difficulty.