An Improved Amalgamating Machine.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 29th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Amalgamating Machine.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED GREEN, Fern Villa, Llanbadarn Road, Aberystwyth,
Mining Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
According to my present invention I construct an amalgamating machine as
follows. A rectangular casing contains a number of superposed slightly inclined
copper trays projecting alternately from opposite sides of the casing and extending
to near the other side, thus forming a zigzag passage for the ground ore between
the plates, so that, these being coated with mercury and the ground ore being
introduced through a hopper together with water on to the top plate, the ore will
flow in a thin layer consecutively over all the plates until it arrives at the bottom
one, where it flows off through a discharge opening in the casing. For accelerating
the amalgamating action and motion of the ore, the casing is arranged to slide
vertically between guides, and has a jigging motion imparted to it by revolving cams,
tappets or other appliances arranged either below or at any other convenient part-
of the casing.
For removing the mercury from the trays after it has taken up by amalgamation
a sufficient quantity of gold or other metal, either the trays are arranged to be
withdrawn from the casing, or the sides of the casing may be provided with doors
for gaining access to the trays.
Dated the 16th day of May 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Amalgamating Machine.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED GREEN, of Fern Villa, Llanbadarn Road, Aberystwyth,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
According to my present invention I construct an amalgamating machine as
follows. A rectangular casing contains one or more slightly inclined copper trays
projecting alternately from opposite sides of the casing and extending to near the
other side, thus forming a zigzag passage for the ground ore between the plates, so
that, these being coated with mercury and the ground ore being introduced through
a hopper together with water on to the top plate, the ore will flow in a thin layer
consecutively over all the plates until it arrives at the bottom one, where it flows off
through a discharge opening in the casing. For accelerating the amalgamating
action and motion of the ore, the casing is arranged to slide vertically between
guides, and has a jigging motion imparted to it by revolving cams, tappets or other
appliances arranged either below or at any other convenient part of the casing.
For removing the mercury from the trays after it has taken up by amalgamation
a sufficient quantity of gold or other metal, either the trays are arranged to be
withdrawn from the casing through slots at the ends, or the sides of the casing may
be provided with doors for gaining access to the trays.

page_text: My improved construction of amalgamating machine is shown on the accompanying
drawing in which Fig. 1 shews a side elevation, Fig. 2 a vertical section, Fig. 3 an
end view and Fig. 4 a plan.
The apparatus consists of a rectangular casing A that can slide vertically between
guides on a framing B. In this casing are a number of copper trays C¹ C² &c.
which project at a slight inclination alternately from opposite ends of the casing A,
leaving a small space c between their ends and the opposite end wall of the casing.
These plates may be arranged to be slid into position through slots a in the ends of
the casing, and to fit with their side edges in correspondingly formed grooves in
the sides of the casing.
The lowest plate C7 projects out through an opening in the casing to a point over
a trough D.
Below the casing A is a shaft E, carrying a cam wheel F and driven
by any convenient motor; at the bottom of the casing A. is provided a projecting
rail H that rests upon the cam wheel.
Thus on the rotation of the shaft, the cams on the cam wheel impart a slight
rapid up and down percussive or jigging motion to the casing with its trays.
The latter having been coated with mercury, crushed ore and water are fed
on to the uppermost one from the hopper I, and the ore in flowing down in a zigzag
direction over all the trays while these have the above described jigging motion
imparted to them, the gold or other metal is effectually taken up from the ore by
the mercury, the exhausted ore eventually running off from the last tray in a more
or less perfectly exhausted condition into the trough D which conveys it
elsewhere.
:
When the mercury on the trays has taken up a sufficient quantity of metal, the
trays are taken out and the amalgam is removed therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An amalgamating machine consisting of a casing having a vertical up and
down percussive or jigging motion imparted to it and containing an inclined copper
tray or series of superposed oppositely inclined copper trays, so that these trays
being coated with mercury, the crushed ore fed on to the top plate in passing down
in a zigzag manner successively over all the plates will have the metal extracted
from it, substantially as described.
2. The use, in amalgamating machines, of one or more copper trays coated with
mercury to which a vertical up and down percussive or jigging motion is imparted
while the crushed ore is made to pass over it or them.
Dated this 29th day of January 1894.
ABEL & IMKAY,
Agents for the Applicant.