Peter --
I would hazard a guess that the antimony in jamesonite ores would have been
separated from the lead in a smelter or pyrometallurgical treatment plant
by removing the antimony-rich component as a dross from the molten lead
bullion. The bullion can be agitated in kettles and is then cooled to
produce a dross. The dross often consists of such components as lead
oxide, antimony, copper, etc. and such other elements that are less dense
than the molten lead. The dross would typically be skimmed off and sent to
a dross furnace for recovery of non-lead metals.
Regards,
Noel Kirshenbaum
On Fri, Apr 5, 2013 at 11:42 AM, Peter Claughton <[log in to unmask]
> wrote:
> Historically very few mines in Britain produced antimony concentrates and
> they appear to have been confined to Cornwall, Cumbria and parts of
> Scotland. Stibnite, the antimony sulphide, was one (perhaps the major) ore
> source but there also appears to have been significant amounts of
> Jamesonite mined.
>
> Jamesonite was a lead/antimony sulphide and I would be interested to know
> what processes were in place to separate the lead and antimony components
> of mixed sulphide ores such as Jamestonite before the advent of froth
> flotation. There is plenty of information of preparing single sulphide ores
> such as Stibnite - but how were mixed sulphides such Jamesonite treated?
>
> Peter
>
> Dr Peter Claughton,
> Blaenpant Morfil, nr. Rosebush, Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE.
> Tel. +44 (0)1437 532578; Fax. +44 (0)1437 532921; Mobile +44 (0)7831
> 427599
>
> Hon. University Fellow - College of Humanities, University of Exeter
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