Deep inside my 125-year-old gold mine, we open up a rich pocket in the vein and start carefully high-grading quartz loaded with visible gold and silver-gray gold telluride crystals. Some of the pieces show native gold right in the quartz, while others look like they may contain calaverite or krennerite — gold telluride minerals that can hide serious values in metallic-looking crystal faces.

Back at the shop, we test several ways to reveal and recover the gold: roasting telluride specimens in an electric furnace, experimenting with sodium hydroxide to dissolve quartz away from gold-bearing pieces, crushing and concentrating about three tons of run-of-mine ore, and finally smelting the concentrates with flux, collector metal, and cupellation.

The result is a massive precious metal button weighing 143 grams — nearly five troy ounces before accounting for the mine’s silver content. From underground pocket mining to specimen work, gravity concentration, smelting chemistry, and the final gold button, this one shows the full hard rock process from vein to metal.

Check out our Shopify, eBay, and Merch stores for ore, specimens, cabochons, hats, shirts, and more from our mines:
Shopify: https://mbmmllc.myshopify.com/
eBay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/mtbakerminin...
Merch: https://my-store-c2b497.creator-sprin...

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AFFILIATE LINKS
What's an affiliate link? If you use our link to buy something, MBMM gets a small percentage of the money you spend. This DOES NOT mean you will spend more money using our link, you will spend the SAME AMOUNT of money while also supporting a small business and channel.

UNDERGROUND MINING EQUIPMENT
Milwaukee Sawzall: https://amzn.to/4vUpwbV
Milwaukee Hammer Drill: https://amzn.to/3ORKSVi
Hammer Drill Bits: https://amzn.to/3MjLf8A
Milwaukee Driver: https://amzn.to/3OqKoDT
Milwaukee Grinder: https://amzn.to/3Qwro9C
Milwaukee Flood Light: https://amzn.to/3NmvYEc
Respirator: https://amzn.to/3RUR0Ah
Hard hat with light clip: https://amzn.to/3Iss7nL
Head lamp for hard hat: https://amzn.to/433G5US
Safety glasses: https://amzn.to/439w8Fo
Gloves: https://amzn.to/45ceXoF
Feather and wedge set: https://amzn.to/4c5l6aW
Masonry Hammer: https://amzn.to/4fE0hEH
Rock Hammer: https://amzn.to/4hxXak7
Sledge Hammer: https://amzn.to/4yFZBHy
Yellow Pry Bar: https://amzn.to/4fCkkTM

SMELTING SUPPLIES
Respirator: https://amzn.to/3RUR0Ah
Complete Smelting Kits: https://amzn.to/4vTTAV0
Cupelling furnace: https://amzn.to/42ZOWXV
Chapman’s flux: https://amzn.to/3Of4JO0
Anhydrous borax: 1lb https://amzn.to/4h1lYRw
Silica sand: https://amzn.to/3Mv0TiG
Soda ash: 1lb https://amzn.to/41Ctg2N
Soda ash 5lbs https://amzn.to/3BtrhDg 50lbs https://amzn.to/3oaI6Qf
Lye: https://amzn.to/3Mx8OvD
Litharge: https://amzn.to/3OhtHwi
Lead: https://amzn.to/3MARq9t
Bismuth: https://amzn.to/4q2u9zz
Electric furnace: https://amzn.to/430C6cd
#4 Crucible: https://amzn.to/3M92QQk  
#10 Crucible: https://amzn.to/42XIsIY  
Cupel: https://amzn.to/437F8L6
Tongs: https://amzn.to/3BB2dKp
Heat safe gloves: https://amzn.to/41MxMeQ
Gold pans: https://amzn.to/3pRIzra
Gold screens: https://amzn.to/3pTjo7j
Scales: 0.01 https://amzn.to/3BB2FZ7 0.001 https://amzn.to/438NrXh
Magnets: https://amzn.to/42MFLde
Pan for roasting sulfides: https://amzn.to/3pNGQTN
Microscope for phone: https://amzn.to/4x4RhiX

FURNACE BUILDING SUPPLIES
Kaowool 2” x 12.5’: https://amzn.to/3BB9IRO
Kaowool 1” x 25”: https://amzn.to/3Wd7ktO
Fire bricks: https://amzn.to/4pMByCP
Shop vac: https://amzn.to/434rOXV
Water glass (sealant): https://amzn.to/45desuv
Refractory cement: https://amzn.to/4vSIqQs
Propane: https://amzn.to/3pTj60d
Propane regulator and burner: https://amzn.to/3RZCibd

REFINING SUPPLIES:
Hot Plate: https://amzn.to/3OTVjbk
Beakers: https://amzn.to/3WPtMcF
Buchner Funnel Kit: https://amzn.to/43wJ4W6
Watch Glass: https://amzn.to/43F24BP

FILMING EQUIPMENT
GoPro Hero 13 Black: https://amzn.to/4wy6cm8
Long tripod: https://amzn.to/3WpKWgW
Short tripod: https://amzn.to/3IVYdZl

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