This is a great photo which unfortunately we will never see the likes of again. In 1884 there were 29 stream works on the Red River (a.k.a. the industrial drain) and now there are virtually no remains.
🔗Tolvaddon-circa-1971-Archive-Album-Image-001[linkphoto]Tolvaddon-circa-1971-Archive-Album-Image-001[/linkphoto][/link]

The works at Brea have been renovated but we had better move on from that subject before some go into orbit. Some time ago I mentioned it to Allen Buckley and he overtook the shuttle. I had to alter the title of one of the pics as I incorrectly called them buddles. Spitfire kindly put me right and pointed out that they were in fact Linkenbach Stationary slime tables.

🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-054[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-054[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-053[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-053[/linkphoto][/link]

There are some interesting remains at Reskadinnick on private property but I suspect most are buried.

🔗Reskadinnick-User-Album-Image-008[linkphoto]Reskadinnick-User-Album-Image-008[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Reskadinnick-User-Album-Image-004[linkphoto]Reskadinnick-User-Album-Image-004[/linkphoto][/link]

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What's the difference between a buddle and slime table?
Is it to do with particle size?
Please, can you explain in a bit more detail?

I spent a lot of time in the '70's (nineteen not eighteen) driving from London where I lived and worked to Cornwall, innocently photographing remains such as these - not realising that within 10 or so years the decline would be well under way and destruction of these "priceless" historical would have begun in earnest.
Glad you appreciated the photo - it was taken while on honeymoon and has lasted longer than the marriage!

Manxman.

What's the difference between a buddle and slime table?
Is it to do with particle size?
Please, can you explain in a bit more detail?

I just knew someone was going to ask that and Spitfire isn't around when you need him. This might help Gwyn.

http://www.onemine.org/search/summary.cfm/Boston-Paper--The-Linkenbach-Buddle?d=437CB9A99F82D29A6792995DC00C35AF4B59F2EF073BB6DB4396F82E88641EB810812&fullText=Spitzkasten%20Iron%20Ore 

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Glad you appreciated the photo - it was taken while on honeymoon and has lasted longer than the marriage!

Manxman.

Just as well because the tin stream works probably didn't.

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What's the difference between a buddle and slime table?
Is it to do with particle size?
Please, can you explain in a bit more detail?

I just knew someone was going to ask that and Spitfire isn't around when you need him. This might help Gwyn.

http://www.onemine.org/search/summary.cfm/Boston-Paper--The-Linkenbach-Buddle?d=437CB9A99F82D29A6792995DC00C35AF4B59F2EF073BB6DB4396F82E88641EB810812&fullText=Spitzkasten%20Iron%20Ore 

I looked at the link and what it appeared to describe was a typical Cornish buddle, since they were stationary and had revolving arms. Maybe I misread it but the Linkenbach buddle looks like it was designed to replace the revolving table.

Also, the date of the Linkenbach predates the vast majority of Cornish buddles which have survived. So am I correct in assuming that the Linkenbach buddle is the same as a Cornish buddle, or is there another difference?

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It’s very annoying as I’ve just been in the Cornwall studies centre and could have looked at Truscott’s “Text Book on Ore Dressing”. Particularly as I’m no expert on buddles.
I take your point that there seems a certain similarity with Cornish convex buddles. The ones at West Wheal Basset consist of a circular pit; their diameter varies from 4.6 to 6.2 and their depth is 0.5 metres with a raised conical centre. Crushed tinstone in suspension in water was conveyed to the centre of the buddle in a wooden launder; it then flowed down the centre head which was inclined at about 16 degrees to the horizontal. Black tin being heavier, was deposited immediately around the centre head and the lighter materials towards the outer rim. Even distribution within the buddle was ensured by rotating sweeps. Surplus water flowed out of the buddle through a vertical slot in the outer rim containing a button hole launder.

There is a much fuller description of the Linchenbach Buddle here if I can get the link right. It does, to my uneducated eye, appear to be a variation on the Cornish Buddle. Spitfire has a DVD of one working.

http://www.aimehq.org/search/docs/Volume%20011/011-45.pdf 

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A cross section and desciption of the Basset Mines buddles can be found here page 59 onwards. Be warned it's quite a large file.

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/documents/Wheal-Basset-Tin-Mine/The-Basset-Mines.pdf 

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Thanks for the links. I can see the difference between the Linkenbach and Cornish buddles now. It looks to me like the Linkenbach would have been effective in recovering very low grade ores, something that most Cornish mines didn't seem too concerned about (otherwise there wouldn't have been so many stream works downstream from larger mines). However, some Cornish mines did try experimental buddles: Poldice tried one which was lined with glass! Apparently it wasn't too successful.

Incidentally, I've got output figures allegedly compiled by South Crofty in the 1920s which state that the combined output of black tin by the Red River stream works between 1881-1909 was 31,500 tons, which, if they're accurate, shows just how much wastage was coming off dressing floors upstream.

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Thanks for those figures. Very interesting. And your thinking would probably explain why the Linkenbachs were installed at Brea.

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Ref slime tables at Brea.
Gus Horsley will persist on calling these tables buddles, they bear no relation to a buddle whatsoever. he also states that Poldice installed glass lined buddles, utter rubbish. what was installed at Poldice was glass decked round frames again no relation to a buddle. He also waffles on about the grade of tin,grade has nothing to do with it, what we are dealing with is very fine tin so fine in some cases it cannot be felt between the fingers.
The reason so many tin streams existed along the red river and elsewhere was because of the limited space any given mine had at surface, you can only install so many roundframes, buddles or ragframes into a small area and anything that could not be captured on these floors had to be surrendered to the river. It had nothing to do with a mines technical inability, it is a credit to the skill of the tin dresser that this fine tin was recovered at all.
Gwyn has asked how these slime tables worked, it's a little complicated Gwyn but I'll do my best.
Above the base of the table that you see in the photo' were four revolving arms two of these carried rags that swept the surface of the table to ensure an even distribution over the surface. The other two arms carried two jets of water one working at a slightly higher pressure and volume than the other. Also attached to these arms were two plates that revolved at the base of the table, one being longer than the other. These two plates overlapped two circular troughs that surrounded the table. The tin concentrate was fed to the top of the table and allowed to flow over the surface, this had the consistancy of double cream. The low pressure jet washed off the waste and this fell onto the longer of the plates which in turn emptied into the outside trough and was returned to the river, the high pressure jet then washed off the tin onto the short plate which emptied into the inside trough. From there it went into a tank which was emtied by a dipper wheel onto a shakeing table or buddle for futher upgrade.
The advantage of these tables was that they were continuous in their operation and did not have to be stopped as a buddle would be.
They were not only installed at Brea but the whole length of the red river valley and elsewhere. I hope this answers your question Gwyn.

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Hi guys,

Seems I've opened up a can of wriggly things - does my photo show round frames or buddles. I may have been a tad hasty in identification although I do appreciate the difference.

Manxman.

Thanks very much. I've got the idea.
Palmer and Neaverson is good reading, thank you.
I read that the particulate size for slime, by convention, is less than 0.0635mm. mesh no.200.
What's the water quality like in the Red River these days?

Two questions to answer
First to manxman. The subject of your very good photo' are Cornish round frames.
Now to Gwyn.
The water quality seems quite good, to the eye that is

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I obviously don't know my convex from my concave. :confused:

What's the water quality like in the Red River these days?

As spitfire points out it looks very good to the eye.

🔗Personal-Album-272-Image-137[linkphoto]Personal-Album-272-Image-137[/linkphoto][/link]

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Spitfire, please, what are glass decked, round frames?

In answer to your question Gwyn.
The photo' of roundframes at Tolvaddon posted by Manxman have wooden decks. Those installed at Poldice had ribbed glass.
There was only two of them and they were a complete failure.

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Ref slime tables at Brea.
Gus Horsley will persist on calling these tables buddles, they bear no relation to a buddle whatsoever. he also states that Poldice installed glass lined buddles, utter rubbish. what was installed at Poldice was glass decked round frames again no relation to a buddle. He also waffles on about the grade of tin,grade has nothing to do with it, what we are dealing with is very fine tin so fine in some cases it cannot be felt between the fingers.

A few points - I don't think I've actually referred to "these tables as buddles". There's at least one reference to Poldice as having a glass buddle. I was questioning that the Linkenbach would have been suitable for lower grade ores. And finally I don't have a problem with being corrected if I may have misinterpreted some information, but I resent it being in the form of what I consider to be a personal attack.

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I am sorryn if you regarded my comments as a personal attack on yourself, it was not intended as such. It was however a warning to that creature that roams our county today namely "the instant expert". You say you don't recall refering to these tables as buddles, just read what you have posted. You say that you have read of glass buddles at Poldice, I have no doubt whatsoever that you have my friend and that hammers home my point about the junk that is wriitten about Cornish mining today surely common sense must kick in. Can you really imagine a tin dresser with hob nailed boots on digging out a buddle with a inclined plane made of glass? of course not.
I am sure that you will agree that at Redruth we have a library that must be the envy of the country, everything is there from the Mining Journal to the works of noteable mining men there is no need to revert to myth and legend.
We that live in the county have a duty to those that use this site to provide them with information that is as correct and concise as possible simply because that is what we would expect when one makes an enqirey about a mine outside the county. I hope this has made my feelings clear on this subject

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