Re: rod-mill project - "mains" electric motor advice

"Richard Smith"  wrote in message news:m1qzza96vi.fsf@void.com...
For what it's worth...
Yesterday we (this local "consortium") managed to extract metallic lead.
So we've gone all the way from "rocks" in the landscape to metal in the
hand.
Pasting-in a technical note:
Smelting of galena achieved by
cupelling.
Process steps:
* collect ore
* break-up with lump-hammer
* crush in a "laboratory-sized" jaw-crusher
* rod-mill grind to a "sand" in my rod-mill
* separate galena (with siderite) on a shaking-table
* pan-out and discard siderite, the ivory-white iron mineral
* cupel in a gas-fired furnace
Remarkably for this very crude first attempt, we recovered about 66%
of the lead.
["model" basis of calculation : concentrate is 100% galena (PbS);
therefore 87% of mass would be lead; obtained lead with 57% off mass
of concentrate - therefore the 66% calculated recovery of lead]
Impurities in the concentrate would mean our actual recovery of lead
is better than the "model" calculation.
I am very happy with having achieved this first breakthrough.
The entire landscape of aspirations seems more achievable.
Best wishes,
Rich Smith
-----------------------------------
How did you/they determine the amount of lead?
In first year chemistry we learned qualitative but not quantitative analysis.
Some of the most useful chemicals for analysis are now restricted as hazardous.