Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1900-03-30
A PRACTICAL MAN ON
PRACTICAL CONCEN
TRAllON.

EDITOR ADVOCATE:
There are scientific principles
which, il properly applied IN dry
concentration, are destined to super
sede all wet concentrators. al
though there have been many fail
ares up to the present time on that
line. 1t will be abont as easy to
clean ore with air as the buoy yant
force, as IL to clean the cereals, II
we will only learn to control and
graduate it to suit the many con-
dtions thHt We tiud ore in, after il
has been crushed tiue enough to
libcrate the metallic PARTICLES from
the gangue. These conditions are
unavoidable IN thie, that in the
crushed material there are many
degrees Of hnenras and many dif-
sprent shapes The flat or scale
form oi ore ia tho m ost difficult to
save hy mechanical concentration
Other shapes may be, end are,
made 80 fine in crushing that the
particles are practically all surface,
Notwithstanding the coarsasf pnr-
ticlrs may pass through q \ mesh
screen, yet the specific gravity has
not been changed The foregoing
conditions are nnavoiiable, and
have been partly met Ivy s'zeing
the ore before it goes to he differ
ent separators. though this s,zeing
hae not been extended far enough.
1t should be almost infinite, and
the buoyant ioroes shnnld be 40
vnried ns to meet these different
sizas. Ore should be- si2ed and
concentrated in one operation.
WanL PARTICLES are below certain
size, il matters not what their spe
cilic gravity may be they will not
settle in wGter while in motion.
Air being lighter than water, wien
used ~ a hnoyaut force, cnn sepa'
ra,e 6uer particles nf near the same
size and Of different spfciiic grnvl
ty thar water can. Nature can not
be changed bui it may be aided in
the concentration Of ores. by the
use of mir "s the bloyent force,
to a finer degree than wnter can
Starting at the lowest poiut still
air its force can be increased to
almost equal the weight Of the At
mosphere, which is alb . lbs
to the squire inch ut seA level
or courue no such force is re
Qulrrd in concentrating ores
" i,b mir a. the hnoyant force 1t
can be ~. lie to- pirate PARTICLES
Of near the same size. bnt IT dlif4r
ent specllic gravitiea, that viii
readily settle IN air when AZ rest
Water can be made to separate par
tlcIea Of nenr the anne eizr md oi
different specific graviiies, that will
readily settle in water when the
water in ut rest excepting the Ar
fins or bubbles that form around
the PARTICLES when concentrating
with water. This difficulty does
not exist in air concentfatlnn. IL
ia true in any process of concen
trgt;on cublchl and spherical pgrli
ces Of gangue may be saved aud
Hal or scsle PARTICLES Of ore may be
lost. The process that saves the
least Of the former and the most oi
the latter, and at the least rxpensr
other advantages being considered,
10 The best.
I, 4 AIN S. caigcrsa!'y 'ha cHee
that the richer ores are softer and
eas.es to slime. IN crushing. than
tue low grade oree aud some OF the
gangnes fAis has created the
greatest trouble in wet concentra
tration. and has caused tho iuyen
ton Of many kinds Of slime tables,
all meeting with about the same
1egree OF success. that is to save
the granulated PARTICLES aud lHse
the slime, It sometimes occurs,
In wet ncpntrniioD, that after re-
iucinQ several tons To one, the one
il not as rich AS the several were
before concentration.
There ia such q strong prejudice