- it is practised by small mines in Perak
- most of them are run by a family without employees
- this is a simple method of extracting alluvial tin in streams by panning
- a dulang is a wooden pan of diameter 50cm
- tin bearing material from under the stream is scooped into a dulang and the dulang is twirled just below the water level
- the lighter sand particles are washed over the edge of the dulang, while tin ore remains at the bottom
- the dulang washers normally sell their products to larger mines
Underground
- it is established in area with promising ore deposits
- the shaft is the primary vertical channel through which people and ore transported in and out of the mine
- the miners' elevator is called a cage, and the ore reaches the surfaces via a car called a skip
- a ventilation system near the main shaft ensures that the mines receives fresh air and prevents the accumulation of dangerous gases
- a system of crosscuts connects the ore body to the main shaft at several levels, and these levels are in turn connected by openings called raises
- stopes are chambers where the ore is broken and mined'
Gravel Pump
- the most common method of extracting alluvial tin deposit in malaysia
- this method involves spraying high pressure jets of water on rocks containing tin ore and breaking them up
- tin bearing material is then washed down a depression called a sump
- a pump brings the material up a palong, a gently sloping wooden structured which separates tin tin from other materials
- as the tin bearing materials flow down the palong, wooden bars across the palong, called riffles traps the heavier iron ore, leaving the rest of the material to be dumped as tailing
Dredging
- common method of tin mining
- can be applied on low lying areas with alluvial tin deposits
- dredge is like platform which floats on an artificial lake
- dredging can used to mine deposits found near the surface in areas prone to flooding
- efficient method of mining alluvial tin and is very expensive