An Improved Amalgamator.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1890-Accepted, 28th June, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by DIE ACTIEN GESELLSCHAFT GRUSONWERK, of
Magdeburg, Buchau, in the Empire of Germany.]
An Improved Amalgamator.
I, HENRY HARRIS Lake, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 :-
This invention relates to an improved amalgamating machine of simple construction
and of great efficiency.
Certain forms of amalgamators heretofore constructed have the disadvantage of
unduly or excessively disturbing or agitating the mercury the latter being in some
cases ground by a kind of mill-stone, while in others it is caused to rise and tall by
virtue of centrifugal force. In each of these cases the mercury is apt to foam and
become useless, thus necessitating the use of a considerable quantity of mercury and
entailing a great loss of gold.
An important feature of the present invention consists in disposing the mercury in
several separate compartments, so that it is preserved as far as practicable from
disturbance or agitation.
A further important feature of the said invention consists in causing the slime to.
rise and fall gently and continuously in its passage through the machine so as to effect
a separation of the heavy from the light particles.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a vertical central section and
Figure 2 a horizontal section, on the line x, x Figure 1 showing a convenient and
advantageous form of the improved amalgamating apparatus.
A is a stationary pan of circular form for the reception of the mercury. In this
pan are secured, in any convenient manner, concentric sheet iron rings a, a¹. B is
a rotary disc secured upon a vertical shaf B'. Upon the under surface of this disc
are fixed concentric rings 6, 61, 611. The inner surface of these rings and the circum-
ference of the outer ring are provided with projecting pieces or floats c formed
of angle-iron, which, when the disc B is revolved, will set in motion the material
under treatment.
The pan A is supplied with mercury until the latter rises nearly to the aforesaid
angle-irons c, care being taken that these angle-irons shall not come in contact with
the surface of the mercury at any part of their revolution. In order to maintain the
mercury, at the same level in each of the compartments of the pan, small apertures
are formed in the lower part of the rings a, a¹.
The material to be treated is fed continuously or otherwise in the form of slime
through the funnel or hopper d into the pan A, thence it passes under the ring b,
over the ring a and continues to follow a tortuous passage under b₁ and under 6"
to the circumference of the pan A, circular motion being imparted to it by the rotary
disc B as above stated.
Under these conditions, the motion or agitation of the mercury is not so violent as
to be injurious thereto or to impair its action. A certain amount of disturbance will
be caused within the ring a by the descent of the slime from the funnel or hopper d.
In the other compartments of the pan, however, the surface of the mercury is not
disturbed except perhaps to a very small extent by small particles of gold_floating
on the mercury and being carried a short distance by the angle-irons c.
The improved amalgamator is very effective by reason of the fact that the slime
is always compelled to rise slowly over the concentric rings a, a¹ and to fall slowly
on the other side thereof. The particles of gold being of higher specifio gravity

page_text: offer greater resistance to this upward movement than the lighter particles of the
crushed ore; the particles of gold therefore sink or descend to the surface of the
mercury. On the other hand the motion of any particles of gold of higher specific
gravity, which inay rise with the slime, is accelerated in the descent of the slime, the
probable result of which is that they pass to the surface of the mercury.
To remove the amalgam from the pan A the rotary disc B is taken off, which, as
will be seen from the drawing, can be effected in a very simple manner.
In view of the desirability of being able to dismount or separate the parts of the
amalgamator, it is expedient to make the latter of small diameter and to pass the
slime if necessary successively through two or more amalgamators. Moreover when
the pan is of small diameter, the centrifugal motion imparted to the slime is not great
enough to prevent the deposit of the particles of gold.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to mo
by my foreign correspondent I wish it understood that I claim :—
.
First. An amalgamator comprising a pan in which two or more compartments
designed for the reception of the mercury are formed by concentric rings, and a
rotary disc also provided with concentric rings which, in conjunction with those of
the pan, compel the slime in its passage through the machine to alternately rise and
fall, for the purpose of causing a deposit of particles of the precious metal on the
mercury.
.
Second. The improved amalgamating apparatus constructed substantially as
described with reference to the accompanying drawing, for the purposes above
specified.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.