An Improved Amalgamating Apparatus, to be employed either Alone or in Combination with Concentrating Apparatus or Buddles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 29th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Mar., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Amalgamating Apparatus, to be employed either
Alone or in Combination with Concentrating Apparatus or
Buddles.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED GREEN, of Fern Villa, Llanbadarn Road, Aberystwyth,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved construction of that description of
amalgamating apparatus for extracting metals from their ores by amalgamation
with mercury, wherein the crushed ore and mercury are fed into a circular pan in
which is a revolving muller. Such amalgamators have heretofore been constructed
with an iron pan, and the crushed ore has been liable to creep between the surface
of the pan and the underside of the layer of mercury therein, thus escaping proper
amalgamation by the action of the muller. According to one of my present
improvements I obviate this defect by lining the pan with copper, to the surface of
which the mercury adheres so closely as effectually to prevent any ore or other
foreign substance from creeping beneath the mercury, so that the whole of the ore
is subjected to the action of the muller.
According to another improvement, instead of making the muller, which is
in form of a circular disc, with a flat surface for acting upon the ore and mercury,
I form such surface with a spiral rib, so that as the muller revolves it causes the ore,
which is fed in through a central opening of the muller, to be slowly advanced from
the centre to the outer circumference of the pan while at the same time it subjects
it to the amalgamating action, thus insuring the uniform treatment of the whole of
the ore before it is finally ejected over the edge of the pan.
The copper lining to the pan is by preference made detachable from the pan, so
that when a sufficient quantity of metal has been taken up by the mercury, the
copper lining containing the amalgam can be removed from the iron pan to
facilitate the removal of its contents.
I employ such improved construction of amalgamating apparatus either by itself
or by preference in combination with a concentrating apparatus or buddle of known
construction.
In the latter case the pan of the amalgamator is made to form the top of the
concentrator, which consists simply of a tapering cylinder or conical frustrum fixed
to a base plate in the centre of a shallow tank with inclined bottom, the ore being
made to pass over the outer periphery of the pan on to the conical surface, down
which it flows, the heavier particles of ore being deposited at the base while the
lighter portions of ore are washed by a supply of water down the inclined bottom of
the tank to the circumference thereof.
The vertical shaft by means of which the muller of the amalgamator is rotated
passes down through the centre of the cylinder of the concentrator and has a step
bearing on the base plate thereof.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Amalgamating Apparatus, to be employed either
Alone or in Combination with Concentrating Apparatus or
Buddles.
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 :-
My invention relates to an improved construction of that description of
amalgamating apparatus for extracting metals from their ores by amalgamation
with mercury, wherein the crushed ore and mercury are fed into a circular pan in
which is a revolving muller. Such amalgamators have heretofore been constructed
with an iron pan, and the crushed ore has been liable to creep between the surface
of the pan and the underside of the layer of mercury therein, thus escaping proper
amalgamation by the action of the muller. According to one of my present
improvements I obviate this defect by lining the pan with copper, to the surface of
which the mercury adheres so closely as effectually to prevent any ore or other
foreign substance from creeping beneath the mercury, so that the whole of the ore
is subjected to the action of the muller.
According to another improvement, instead of making the muller, which is in
form of a circular disc, with a flat surface for acting upon the ore and mercury,
1 form such surface with a spiral rib, so that as the muller revolves it causes the
ore, which is fed in through a central opening of the muller, to be slowly advanced
from the centre to the outer circumference of the pan while at the same time
it subjects it to the amalgamating action, thus insuring the uniform treatment of the
whole of the ore before it is finally ejected over the edge of the pan.
The copper lining to the pan is by preference made detachable from the pan, so
that when a sufficient quantity of metal has been taken up by the mercury the
copper lining containing the amalgam can be removed from the iron pan to
facilitate the removal of its contents. I employ such improved construction of
amalgamating apparatus either by itself or by preference in combination with a
concentrating apparatus or buddle of known construction.
In the latter case the pan of the amalgamator is made to form the top of the
concentrator, which consists simply of a tapering cylinder or conical frustrum fixed
to a base plate in the centre of a shallow tank with inclined bottom, the ore being
made to pass over the outer periphery of the pan on to the conical surface down
which it flows, the heavier particles of ore being deposited at the base while the
lighter portions of ore are washed by a supply of water down the inclined bottom of
the tank to the circumference thereof.
The vertical shaft by means of which the muller of the amalgamator is rotated
passes down through the centre of the cylinder of the concentrator and has a step
bearing on the base plate thereof.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a part elevation and part vertical
section, and Fig. 2 a plan of one arrangement of the above described amalgamating
apparatus.
A is a cast iron circular pan of the ordinary construction known as the Hungarian
pan, that is to say, with an inner annular space a constituting the amalgamating
pan, and an outer annular channel a'. The pan a is provided with the copper
lining B extending up the central boss of the pan and over the annular partition
that separates a from a'. C is the ring shaped muller, of wood or other suitable
material, suspended in the pan by arms D from a spindle E that is acted upon by a
weighted lever F supported by the framing G, so as to more or less balance the
weight of the muller. The boss D¹ of the arms D can slide vertically upon, but is

page_text: carried round by, the driving shaft H, being connected thereto by a feather and
groove.
The crushed ore and water are introduced into the narrow annular space I
between the inner circumference of the muller, and the vertical cylindrical part of
the lining B, and pass outward on the horizontal surface of the copper lining
beneath the muller, so that the copper lining being coated with mercury, the gold
or other metal in the ore will be taken up thereby as the ore passes through, and
the exhausted ore together with the water will pass over the partition into
the channel a', whence it will be conveyed by the scraper J, carried by the muller,
to the spout a².
When the mercury on the lining has amalgamated sufficient metal, the muller is
raised out of the pan (the top bar G of the frame being removed) and the lining B
is taken out of the latter for removing the amalgam therefrom.
Fig. 3 shews a sectional elevation of the improved amalgamating pan combined
with a concentrator, or buddle. The pan A, which, with its lining B, is of the same
construction as above described, forms the top of the concentrator K, consisting of
a coned cylinder, which is fixed to a base plate L centrally in the shallow circular
tank M with inclined bottom.
The muller C, instead of being flat on its underside, is formed with a spiral rib c,
according to another part of my invention as shewn in the underside plan at Fig. 4,
such rib having the effect, that on the rotation of the muller, the crushed ore is
caused thereby to travel slowly from the central annular space I to the outer
circumference, where it is made to pass over the edge of the pan on to the conical
surface of the concentrator K down which the exhausted ore and water descend, the
heavier material accumulating at the base of the cylinder while the lighter material
flows to the outer circumference of the tank M, in the well known manner of
ordinary concentrators.
The shaft N of the amalgamator carries a trough O supplied with water, which
flows through the pipe P on to the concentrator.
The ore is fed into the amalgamator from the trough Q.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In iron amalgamating pans of the kind herein referred to, the use of a copper
lining for receiving the mercury whereby the passage of ore below the layer of
mercury is prevented, substantially as described.
2. In amalgamating pans such as are referred to in the preceding claim, the use
of a revolving muller the under surface of which is formed with a spiral rib or
groove substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. A combined amalgamating pan and concentrator or buddle constructed and
operating substantially as described with reference to Fig. 3. of the drawings.
Dated this 29th day of January 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for Applicant.