Heat the plate over an open fire, to drive off the mercury; after which, let it cool, and saturate with dilute sulphuric acid for three hours, or longer; then sprinkle over the surface a mixture of equal parts of common salt and sal ammoniac, and heat to redness; then cool, and the gold scale comes off freely; the scale is then boiled in nitric or sulphuric acid, to remove the copper, previous to melting.  Plates may be scaled about once in six months, and will under ordinary circumstances produce about one ounce of clean gold for each superficial foot of copper surface employed.  I always paint the back of the plate with a mixture of boiled oil and turpentine, or beeswax dissolved in turpentine, to prevent the acid attacking the copper.

HOW TO SUPPLY MERCURY TO MORTAR BOXES

I am indebted for the following to Mr. J. M. Drake, who, speaking of his experience on the Wentworth Mine, N.S.W., says: 

“Fully 90 per cent of the gold is saved on the outside plates, only a small quantity remaining in the mortar.  The plates have a slope of 2 in. to 1 ft.  No wells are used, the amalgam traps saving any quicksilver which may leach off the plates.  The quicksilver is added every hour in the mortar.  The quantity is regulated by the mill manager in the following manner:  Three pieces of wood, 8 in. wide by 12 in. long by 2 in. thick, have 32 holes 1 in. deep bored in each of them.  These holes will just take a small 2 oz. phial.  The mill manager puts the required quantity of quicksilver in each bottle and the batteryman empties one bottle in each mortar every hour; and puts it back in the hole upside down.  Each block of wood lasts eight hours, the duration of one man’s shift.”  This of course is for a 20-head mill with four mortars or “boxes.”

I commend this as an excellent mode of supplying the mercury to the boxes or mortars.  The quantity to be added depends on circumstances.  A careless battery attendant will often put in too much or too little when working without the automatic feeder.  I have known an attendant on suddenly awaking to the fact half through his shift, that he had forgotten to put in any mercury, to then empty into the stamper box two or three pounds weight; with what effect may be easily surmised.

HOW WATER SHOULD ENTER STAMPER BOXES

The following extract which relates to Californian Gold Mill practices is from Bulletin No. 6 of the California State Mining Bureau.  I quite agree with the practice.

“The battery water should enter both sides of the mortar in an even quantity, and should be sufficient to keep a fairly thick pulp which will discharge freely through the grating or screen.  About 120 cubic feet of water per ton of crushed ore may be considered an average, or 8 to 10 cubic feet per stamp per hour.