From: null@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   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)