Hi Folks,
Went out for a days detecting along a mountain stream. My mate got four nice little bits of gold and I found my usual supply of rubbish. I did get one nice signal in a narrow crevice under about 6 inches of water. We just didn?t have the gear to dig it out as the crevice was tightly packed with gravel. We tried for about 20 minutes but could not get the target out. We had to walk away. That was the hard bit. We will head back today with a bar and a scraper to attempt to remove it. Gold fever makes you do weird things. We will drive for a couple of hours and then walk for half an hour to uncover what will probably be a piece of rusty steel. Can?t wait to hit the road in an hours time. I reckon beekeepers and prospectors must be all mad lol.
Back home again after the day out. Filmed the adventure as we were in pretty country. Here?s what we ended up with.
Cheers
Les
https://youtu.be/AV2MzUG2GMQ
This is super cool, Les! That stream looks very similar to the streams here in the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, although your vegetation and birds are different. I know that people prospect around here in our streams, although I've never done it myself. I have that exact same portable scale, and it always comes out of calibration for me too. I actually just found the scale by the side of the road one day when I was walking the dog. I'm pretty sure someone was using it for drugs and chucked it out their car window. :shocked:
Thanks Member. We had a couple of memorable days out in the bush. Good company and outstanding scenery were the standouts of the trip.
Cheers
Les
That sounds fun Les! I am posting a short clip for your entertainment. I hope you find something similar as the nugget that Buggs found!
https://youtu.be/lXZk_wSzUKc
I think I could get excited about a Nugget like that.
Actually I was excited about the nugget that you found! Not knowing the first thing about prospecting, I have wondered, "if there is gold in the creeks and such, shouldn't there also be gold found in the areas/soil bordering the creeks?" Might take a little digging? How deep in the soil/rock will your machine detect and identify gold?
Phillip
Hi Phillip,
The old timers dug the banks around the creeks looking for gold that was deposited millions of years ago. Detecting for gold is just an enjoyable pastime (like beekeeping) The nugget that I found was about 12? down below the waterline. That would be close to the limit for my machines if that nugget was in the ground. Detectors can pick up a signal deeper than that but it depends on the size of th gold.
We had to go back to the same spot on the weekend as my mate picked up another signal just below a rock bar. We could not see or recover what it was as it was again under water. This time a mask and snorkel was taken to the spot to help out. This is what we found.
Rock Bar Gold
https://youtu.be/D_zE5MsQUaM
Cheers
Les
That is a beautiful location Les. Congrats on the find!
Phillip
After two weeks of solid rain, it was nice to get out into the bush for a play. You would need to have good eyesight to see what I came home with. The detector is outstanding on the really small gold.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
No matter the size, you found gold! Good job Les!
Phillip
Quote from: Ben Framed on March 16, 2022, 05:40:18 AM
No matter the size, you found gold! Good job Les!
Phillip
I agree! .117 grams of gold is better than no gold! :grin:
With winter approaching, the time spent with the bees reduces so other activities take priority (for a couple of months) Its just nice to get out in the bush and have a play.
It?s been cold and wet for a few days. Had to get out and do something so I decided to melt down some of my small gold nuggets into a button of gold. (The things we do when we get bored)
Cheers
Les
https://youtu.be/Uj9_W1HNgHs
Quote from: Lesgold on April 02, 2022, 02:19:23 AM
It?s been cold and wet for a few days. Had to get out and do something so I decided to melt down some of my small gold nuggets into a button of gold. (The things we do when we get bored)
Cheers
Les
https://youtu.be/Uj9_W1HNgHs
I enjoyed the video Les. Thanks for posting it.
Phillip
Les,
I had no idea that you could use a potato as a crushable. If it is 98% gold, what is that in carats?
Jim Altmiller
Quote from: BeeMaster2 on April 02, 2022, 09:33:39 AM
Les,
I had no idea that you could use a potato as a crushable. If it is 98% gold, what is that in carats?
Jim Altmiller
I would like to know as well Jim. Not only did I not know that a potato could be used as a melting mold, neither did I know that borax is used as a flux.
It seems borax is a product of multi assets. Cleaning clothes, some aspects of taxidermy, and a melting flux. Wonder what else?
Phillip
Hi Jim. At 98% gold content, it would be just under 24 karats. (18karat gold has 75% gold content) The old timers in the gold rush years used potatoes for the same purpose. The starch burns to carbon and the rest of the potato acts as a good insulator. The underside of the potato does not heat up at all during the process. You are correct Phillip. Borax has a lot of uses apart from the obvious. When I was a kid, mum used to put borax around a large container that stored sugar. It would kill the ants. I will be placing borax around my citrus trees shortly. I think it contains the trace element boron which is lacking in my soils. Adding borax reduces the thickness of the skins of the fruit (especially lemons).
Quote from: Lesgold on April 02, 2022, 02:19:23 AM
It?s been cold and wet for a few days. Had to get out and do something so I decided to melt down some of my small gold nuggets into a button of gold. (The things we do when we get bored)
Cheers
Les
Wow! So neat! I love watching these videos, Les. I don't know anything about this sort of thing, prospecting, amateur metallurgy, whatever it is you call this hobby, and I'm finding it super interesting. I'm not understanding what's going on with the borax. What exactly is it doing to the gold? How does it work?
Hi Member. The borax melts to a sort of liquid glass and acts as a flux. It dissolves impurities in the gold and therefore makes the gold quite clean. The molten gold nuggets can then join each other and form into one solid piece. The molten borax containing the impurities, floats on top of the gold and cracks when the button of gold is tipped into water. It can then be chipped away or dissolved in acid.
Quote from: Lesgold on April 02, 2022, 08:07:10 PM
Hi Member. The borax melts to a sort of liquid glass and acts as a flux. It dissolves impurities in the gold and therefore makes the gold quite clean. The molten gold nuggets can then join each other and form into one solid piece. The molten borax containing the impurities, floats on top of the gold and cracks when the button of gold is tipped into water. It can then be chipped away or dissolved in acid.
Oh, I understand now. Thanks for explaining it. This whole thing is just so interesting.
Les,
If I melt down 14 carat gold, does the borax help remove some of the impurities and raise the percentage of gold?
Jim Altmiller
Hi Jim. No it doesn?t. Borax is purely a flux or cleaning agent. The goLd that you are talking about would have some silver alloyed with it. This will make the gold a little harder and more suitable for jewellery. Pure gold is very soft.
I folks.
I just melted down four of those little buttons of gold and made a 40 gram ingot. The gold could have been a little hotter and the mold a bit warmer but it turned out OK. It will look better once it has been cleaned in acid.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
Quote from: Lesgold on April 05, 2022, 09:35:02 PM
I folks.
I just melted down four of those little buttons of gold and made a 40 gram ingot. The gold could have been a little hotter and the mold a bit warmer but it turned out OK. It will look better once it has been cleaned in acid.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
It's beautiful! Would you mind taking a picture of it with something so we can have a size reference for how big it is?
Quote from: Lesgold on April 02, 2022, 11:37:29 PM
Hi Jim. No it doesn?t. Borax is purely a flux or cleaning agent. The goLd that you are talking about would have some silver alloyed with it. This will make the gold a little harder and more suitable for jewellery. Pure gold is very soft.
I do not know much about gold. This conversation has stimulated more interest. Considering the newer, bigger piece of 98% pure gold weighing 40 grams and 40 grams is close to one and one half ounces; How much silver by weight would need to be added to bring it to 14 carat jewelers gold?
Phillip
Quote from: Ben Framed on April 05, 2022, 10:22:00 PM
I do not know much about gold. This conversation has stimulated more interest. Considering the newer, bigger piece of 98% pure gold weighing 40 grams and 40 grams is close to one and one half ounces; How much silver by weight would need to be added to bring it to 14 carat jewelers gold?
Phillip
According to my research and personal knowledge from purchasing and owning jewelry, most gold jewelry isn't only alloyed with silver. 14 karat gold is usually 58.5% gold and roughly 25% silver and 17% copper. Other metals/different amounts of metals can also be added to make different colors of gold, like rose gold or white gold. I'm struggling a little with the math, but those are your known values. It's one of those percentage word problems that I was never good at in school. :oops: With the help of a white board, I think it'd be 17.2g/.61 oz. of silver, and 11.7g/.41 oz. of copper, but someone should probably check my work. :wink: I also did all that assuming the gold was pure, so it's not totally accurate even if my math is right, but it should give you some idea anyway.
Jewelry is also commonly made from 18kt gold, which is 75% gold, 12.5% silver, and 12.5% copper.
Thanks Reagan ✔️
My question sort of stemmed from your question of the size of Les new gold piece and I was wondering how much bigger it would be in size if it was converted into jewelers gold. (Back in the Eighties Gold nugget necklace jewelry was sort of in fashion). Mr Tee! lol
Your reply has shined more light of education, as I have wondered where rose colored gold came from.
As I said earlier I know little about gold. I really thought that rose color gold was found in nature! lol :cheesy:
Phillip
In 2019, one of my daughters got married. I gave them some of my gold nuggets so they could get wedding rings made. They took the gold nuggets to a jeweller who alloyed the gold with silver, copper a d palladium in the appropriate proportions to make 18 karat rings. My daughters ring was rose gold (a higher copper content) and my son in laws ring was white gold (palladium added).
[attachment=0][/attachment]
I?ll post a pic of the gold ingot next to a coin later today. I just want to recast the gold and clean it up a bit in acid.
Cheers
Les
Thanks Les and Reagan, for the educational comments. Les the use of your gold for their rings, I feel sure, hold a much more higher sentimental value for your kids rings than bought ones! Good job!
Phillip
Quote from: Lesgold on April 05, 2022, 11:11:17 PM
In 2019, one of my daughters got married. I gave them some of my gold nuggets so they could get wedding rings made. They took the gold nuggets to a jeweller who alloyed the gold with silver, copper a d palladium in the appropriate proportions to make 18 karat rings. My daughters ring was rose gold (a higher copper content) and my son in laws ring was white gold (palladium added).
[attachment=0][/attachment]
I?ll post a pic of the gold ingot next to a coin later today. I just want to recast the gold and clean it up a bit in acid.
Cheers
Les
That is amazing!! That twisted ring is so beautiful!
Here is an updated photo of the ingot next to an Aussie 5 cent piece (just slightly larger than a dime)
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
Quote from: Lesgold on April 06, 2022, 02:05:31 AM
Here is an updated photo of the ingot next to an Aussie 5 cent piece (just slightly larger than a dime)
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
Wow, it's so shiny now! This whole thing is just so ultra cool. I know I keep saying that, but I just can't get over it. :cool:
Les is that dime solid silver? Our dimes use to be solid silver but now there is copper between the two surfaces.
Quote from: Ben Framed on April 18, 2022, 10:51:52 PM
Les is that dime solid silver? Our dimes use to be solid silver but now there is copper between the two surfaces.
According to my sources (Wikipedia), Australian 5 cent pieces are 75% copper and 25% nickel, and they always have been (although they've only been in circulation since 1966). They also have an echidna on the reverse side, which is super awesome.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
According to the same sources, US dimes were never solid silver, but were 90% silver and 10% copper, and are now 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel.
QuoteOur dimes use to be solid silver but now there is copper between the two surfaces.
QuoteAccording to the same sources, US dimes were never solid silver, but were 90% silver and 10% copper, and are now 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel.
Reagan, I was very careful to choose the word
'solid' as a description of what I perceived would be understood; A 'solid' piece no matter the actual percentage of silver, which was in fact a remarkable 90 percent in our old American dimes. A 'solid' piece from nine-tenths silver mix. The American 'silver dime' was considered and accepted to be 'a silver dime' during the time they were minted for circulation in America through 1964. Though these dimes were not
'pure' silver, nor were they
'100' percent silver, they were a '90' 'percent' silver minted
'solid piece' from that 90 percent silver mixture.
Our silver dimes, 'were' that 'solid' piece of 90 percent silver though 1964, and accepted by all 'as silver coins', described by our government as being silver coins. In 1965 this forever changed, Copper was added to the 'center' of the dime between the two outer silver surfaces which was distinctly visible. After 1971 Im not sure that any silver is contained even in a dime. Wikipedia states there is no silver in United States half dollars after 1971 and I had no interest in digging futher. lol
Phillip
Wikipedia,
United States
Silver coin"US dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollars were minted in 90% silver until 1964. Produced to save nickel for the war effort, war nickels 1942-1945 are 35% silver (silver nickel production started part way into 1942). Half-dollar coins minted between 1965 and 1970 are 40% silver, but from 1971 on, contain no silver."
"After silver was removed from US circulating coins the US Mint made special commemorative coins minted for sale to coin collectors and, starting in 1986, bullion coins primarily sold to investors. Both types, although legal tender, are not expected to circulate for commerce."
Considering the above, I will rephrase the question;
Les I am 'still' curious. Are your Australian dimes made of a 'solid' piece of mostly silver, any silver? Or do they have copper visibly seen form the edge with copper in the middle? :wink:
lol :grin:
Phillip
Hi guys. The coins are just an alloy of copper and nickel. Some of our earlier coins were either copper or contained a high silver content. Obviously cost prevents this from occurring with modern coils.
Here?s a pic of a one cent piece that I found on the beach this afternoon with a detector. Pretty ?toasty? with nothing much left. These coins are no longer in circulation. The first of these coins was made in 1966. Just a bit of fun late in the afternoon.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
Quote from: Ben Framed on April 19, 2022, 12:37:07 AM
QuoteOur dimes use to be solid silver but now there is copper between the two surfaces.
QuoteAccording to the same sources, US dimes were never solid silver, but were 90% silver and 10% copper, and are now 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel.
Reagan, I was very careful to choose the word 'solid' as a description of what I perceived would be understood; A 'solid' piece no matter the actual percentage of silver, which was in fact a remarkable 90 percent in our old American dimes. A 'solid' piece from nine-tenths silver mix. The American 'silver dime' was considered and accepted to be 'a silver dime' during the time they were minted for circulation in America through 1964. Though these dimes were not 'pure' silver, nor were they '100' percent silver, they were a '90' 'percent' silver minted 'solid piece' from that 90 percent silver mixture.
Our silver dimes, 'were' that 'solid' piece of 90 percent silver though 1964, and accepted by all 'as silver coins', described by our government as being silver coins. In 1965 this forever changed, Copper was added to the 'center' of the dime between the two outer silver surfaces which was distinctly visible. After 1971 Im not sure that any silver is contained even in a dime. Wikipedia states there is no silver in United States half dollars after 1971 and I had no interest in digging futher. lol
Phillip
Wikipedia,
United States
Silver coin
"US dimes, quarters, half dollars and dollars were minted in 90% silver until 1964. Produced to save nickel for the war effort, war nickels 1942-1945 are 35% silver (silver nickel production started part way into 1942). Half-dollar coins minted between 1965 and 1970 are 40% silver, but from 1971 on, contain no silver."
"After silver was removed from US circulating coins the US Mint made special commemorative coins minted for sale to coin collectors and, starting in 1986, bullion coins primarily sold to investors. Both types, although legal tender, are not expected to circulate for commerce."
Oh, I didn't know that "solid" and "pure" were not interchangeable when discussing precious metals. People often (incorrectly) use the terms interchangeably. That's good to know.
sol?id
/ˈs?ləd/
Learn to pronounce
See definitions in:
All
Chemistry
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adjective
1.
firm and stable in shape; not liquid or fluid.
pure
/pyo͝or/
Learn to pronounce
See definitions in:
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Phonetics
adjective
not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material.
Quote from: Lesgold on April 19, 2022, 04:33:26 AM
Here?s a pic of a one cent piece that I found on the beach this afternoon with a detector. Pretty ?toasty? with nothing much left. These coins are no longer in circulation. The first of these coins was made in 1966. Just a bit of fun late in the afternoon.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
Les I am enjoying your updates of your gold findings and prospecting.
What are your old Australian one cent pieces made of?
Phillip
Hi Phillip. 1 and 2 cent coins were 97% copper. They came into circulation in 1966 and ceased to be used as currency in 1992. I went for a beach detecting session this morning to a quiet location and found some of these coins. Will post a pic when I clean them up in a mild acid solution. The copper coins are eaten away but a few silvers may come up OK. Just a bit of fun for an hour on a quiet local beach.
Yesterdays finds on a quiet beach.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Quote from: Lesgold on April 20, 2022, 06:15:51 PM
Yesterdays finds on a quiet beach.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
That's so cool! What's that spherical thing in the middle? Also, my mom wants to know: What is the best thing you've ever found? Either the most interesting thing, or something with great monetary value.
Les you found a Hot Spot! 👍🏻
Hi guys. The spherical band is actually a copper band that a lot of old timers wear as they think the copper is good for arthritis. I haven?t found much of value as I don?t do this very often. I can?t get out into the bush at the moment as the ground is very wet. I just did some beach detecting for a bit of fun with my daughter and the grandkids over Easter. I went out again this morning and had some more fun. I found enough to buy a cup of coffee. (It?s just the thrill of the hunt) Next time I?m out, I?ll take some shots of the beach that I?m detecting.
QuoteHi guys. The spherical band is actually a copper band that a lot of old timers wear as they think the copper is good for arthritis.
When I was small we had an old country store owner which wore a copper band for the same reason.
I often wonder if there was anything to it or was it just a placebo effect?
Good Question Les. I wonder too...
Phillip
Quote from: Lesgold on April 21, 2022, 01:25:41 AM
I often wonder if there was anything to it or was it just a placebo effect?
Quote from: Ben Framed on April 21, 2022, 06:14:30 AM
Good Question Les. I wonder too...
Phillip
I don't believe science has ever established any link between arthritis relief and copper bands.
Quote from: The15thMember on April 21, 2022, 11:09:40 AM
Quote from: Lesgold on April 21, 2022, 01:25:41 AM
I often wonder if there was anything to it or was it just a placebo effect?
Quote from: Ben Framed on April 21, 2022, 06:14:30 AM
Good Question Les. I wonder too...
Phillip
I don't believe science has ever established any link between arthritis relief and copper bands.
Thanks Reagan, Not intended to dispute you but add more information. I don't believe science has established their is not a link between arthritis and copper bands either? Actually (Maybe) more so than not?
Since copper bands and bracelets have been in use for many many years and handed down as help from generation to generation world wide, I chose to dig a little deeper. It seems science does not totally agree on this matter. As we know Copper as well as Zinc are added to some modern vitamins as well as varying minerals for reasons established as needed for the betterment of the human body. (what these needs are, I confess I do not know lol) I suppose we really do not know for sure either way concerning copper bands used as a gateway through the skin, entering our body for the aid of arthritis. If we look at both sides of the science open mindedly, we will find scientific study has something positive to offer about this matter.
For example..
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/961545/
My son Wesley used to wear them. He read it would reduce his pain. It worked for a couple of days, physically, and it then it didn?t help. He doesn?t wear them anymore.
Jim Altmiller
Quote from: BeeMaster2 on April 21, 2022, 07:24:36 PM
My son Wesley used to wear them. He read it would reduce his pain. It worked for a couple of days, physically, and it then it didn?t help. He doesn?t wear them anymore.
Jim Altmiller
Strike One per Beemaster our family experience... :grin:
Quote from: Ben Framed on April 21, 2022, 04:07:10 PM
Thanks Reagan, Not intended to dispute you but add more information. I don't believe science has established their is not a link between arthritis and copper bands either? Actually (Maybe) more so than not?
Since copper bands and bracelets have been in use for many many years and handed down as help from generation to generation world wide, I chose to dig a little deeper. It seems science does not totally agree on this matter. As we know Copper as well as Zinc are added to some modern vitamins as well as varying minerals for reasons established as needed for the betterment of the human body. (what these needs are, I confess I do not know lol) I suppose we really do not know for sure either way concerning copper bands used as a gateway through the skin, entering our body for the aid of arthritis. If we look at both sides of the science open mindedly, we will find scientific study has something positive to offer about this matter.
For example..
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/961545/
That's an interesting find, Phillip, but I did notice that study is from 1976, and more recent studies have failed to generate similar results. If it does have benefits for some people, I'd guess it to be placebo effect, or perhaps it only benefits people with certain skin chemistry, or something like that.
QuoteI'd guess it to be placebo effect, or perhaps it only benefits people with certain skin chemistry, or something like that.
The study did specify that some in the study was given placebo bracelets and others copper. Ones given the real copper bracelets were the benefactors of progress.
The study also pointed out sweat as being a factor in results shown. Folks seemed to be more activate back in the 1970s and sweating was common. lol But really, who knows? 🤷♂️ By your report it does not look good for copper.😊
Phillip
Les when I first started watching this fellow Jeff Williams, his channel was called old ghost towns or something similar. He would hunt for gold and come up with flakes similar to yours. But he has gradually evolved to this place where he is actually mining. It has been an interesting journey watching him through the past few years and see his success as shown in this video. He is a real cut up and a hoot! Maybe you will enjoy the video and the results made.
Phillip
https://youtu.be/JtDIzXSd4EU
I?ve watched a few of his clips. He?s a bit of a character who finds some nice gold.
Went to a quiet beach yesterday and did quite well. No older coins but quite a good haul of loose change. Snagged heaps of fishing sinkers as well. I will Melt them down and cast deep water sinkers for my fishing trips.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Went out to another beach this morning for a bit of a detect. Not one of the pretty beaches but it still looks quiet good.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
[attachment=1][/attachment]
Heaps of fishing sinkers and only a few coins. Was pleased to pick up a 1963 penny. (The larger one on the left)
[attachment=2][/attachment]
I?m quite fortunate to have over 20 beaches within a 20 minute drive from home.
Quote from: Lesgold on April 24, 2022, 01:09:59 AM
I?m quite fortunate to have over 20 beaches within a 20 minute drive from home.
I bet that is amazing! I haven't been to the beach since 2011. Sometimes I miss it.
Just finished making a coin tumbler to clean up dirty coins. Used an old printer that I was about to throw out. The tumbler container was made from some PVC water fittings. It works a treat.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Quote from: Lesgold on April 26, 2022, 07:42:16 PM
Just finished making a coin tumbler to clean up dirty coins. Used an old printer that I was about to throw out. The tumbler container was made from some PVC water fittings. It works a treat.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
That's amazing! Let's see some before and after.
Here?s a few spendable coins that I found over the past two days. I?ll pop them in the tumbler with some gravel, water and a bit of soap to clean off some of the worst of the rubbish.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Will show progress photos later as they clean up.
Tumbled the coins for half an hour to clean most of the dirt off. Kept two of the coins out of the tumbler as they were older pre decimal coins. This is how they currently look.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
A little bit cleaner but still badly stained. They will now go back into the tumbler with gravel, water, detergent, vinegar, salt and a little CLR. They should take about an hour to clean up.
Im interested in seeing them when they come out.
The end result after an hour.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Wow! Nice!
That's incredible!
Went out for a play on the beach this morning. Walked 2km for some coins, a junk ring and a gold pendant. It was a beautiful day in the sun.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
Les you are really good at finding things. What metal detector setup do you have (and or) prefer?
Phillip
Hi Phillip.
For the relic/ coin hunting I use a Minelab Equinox 800. If I?m looking for gold I use Minelab gear as well. (GPZ 7000, GPX 6000 and an SDC 2300) It?s a bit like beekeeping in that it?s an addictive hobby. Just did a bit of research on a foreign coin that I found today. It actually comes from Peru. It?s amazing what you can find when you are out detecting.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
[attachment=1][/attachment]
Thanks Les for the information. It is amazing to me that you actually found a coin form Peru in Australia! Good find! Copper? 👍🏻
Phillip
Not sure. May have to get some advice on how to clean it up. I think it may be a silver/ nickel type of coin.
Try cleaning it with salt and vinegar. If it cleans up it is copper. Use a lot of salt and just enough vinegar to wet it.
Jim Altmiller
Thanks Jim.
I currently use salt and vinegar on spendable coins but am not sure if I should use an acidic solution on an unknown coin.
Went out for a swing this afternoon for a few hours. Came home with some coffee money and a nice little silver ring.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
[attachment=1][/attachment]
This is an example of the silly things I do for a bit of fun.
Cheers
Les
Do you have any idea of what type of stone is in it?
Jim Altmiller
Hi Jim,
That was the same question my wife asked me this morning. My reply was a shrug of the shoulders. I would like to know the answer to that myself. Hopefully there could be someone out there who could help with that. I am guessing that it is a cheap stone as it is quite large. I cleaned the ring last night. Placed it in a small container lined with aluminium foil, placed the ring on the foil followed by some carb soda and boiling water. Left it to soak for about 10 minutes and pulled out the ring. It was nice and clean after a rinse and wipe over with a tissue. Will post a photo in a few minutes.
Here it is.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Quote from: Lesgold on May 14, 2022, 06:17:08 PM
Here it is.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
So shiny! :cool:
Les even if the stone is not real, It looks good. Congratulation on the find. I would expect rings are a prize for metal detector folks as yourself! You did it. Now my I encourage you to go and find another! :grin:
Phillip
Hi Phillip,
In the last month I have been lucky enough to find 3 gold rings and one gold pendant as well. Just looking for the people who may have lost it so that it can be returned. No luck as yet.
Went away for a few days in the caravan and stayed on the coast. Had a bit of fun detecting a beach in the rain. Here?s the results of a couple of sessions.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Day one included this coin which many of you would recognise
[attachment=1][/attachment]
Day two was also a good day out.
[attachment=2][/attachment]
An interesting coin was also found.
[attachment=3][/attachment]
It is a 2 Toea coin from Papua New Guinea. I?ve never seen one before. Back home again now and just waiting for things to dry out before getting back into the bees.
Cheers
Les
Awesome Les!
What is the date on the American Quarter?
[attachment=0][/attachment]
1967
I was hoping 1964 or previous. (Silver) But, still a good find!
Had a interesting morning on the beach. Not much was found but I was lucky enough to almost step onto a 7 foot diamond python sunning itself on the sand. Wish I had my phone with me to snap a shot. About 20 minutes later I was looking at a storm brewing out to sea. A water spout formed as I was watching. Raced back to the car to grab the phone but it had diminished considerably before I could take the shot.
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It died and reformed about 15 minutes later. What an amazing thing to see.
Wow! Do you have water spouts there often Les? Nice picture by the way. Clouds in the background with the water spout, beautiful waves, greenery scenery, and clean Ocean water.... Beautiful spot with the contrasting scenery! This place would make a naturally good set up for professional pictures in my opinion. Except for the snakes! lol
Phillip
Hi Phillip.
Haven?t seen a water spout for quite a few years. They do occur from time to time. Yes, it is a beautiful part of the coastline. Haven?t been to this beach in years. Pretty lucky to have this type of country close to home.
Quote from: Lesgold on May 23, 2022, 06:43:36 PM
Day one included this coin which many of you would recognise
[attachment=1][/attachment]
Mr. Washington!! What are you doing on the other side of the world?! :grin:
Quote from: Lesgold on May 24, 2022, 01:12:18 AM
Had a interesting morning on the beach. Not much was found but I was lucky enough to almost step onto a 7 foot diamond python sunning itself on the sand. Wish I had my phone with me to snap a shot. About 20 minutes later I was looking at a storm brewing out to sea. A water spout formed as I was watching. Raced back to the car to grab the phone but it had diminished considerably before I could take the shot.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
It died and reformed about 15 minutes later. What an amazing thing to see.
Wow! Amazing! I guess there are many different kinds of treasures to be found at the beach. :happy:
QuoteMr. Washington!! What are you doing on the other side of the world?! :grin:
Good question!
Went away for a few weeks towing the caravan. Stopped for 7 days in a location that was once mined for small gold. Was lucky enough to find a few pieces with the detector. This is what I found on the first day.
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The sunsets in the dry country are spectacular. Sitting outside with a glass of red wine as the sun goes down is a tough job but some one has to do it.
[attachment=1][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
Nice. How much did it weigh?
Jim Altmiller
Hi Jim,
Not much at all. I didn?t have scales with me. I would expect those little pieces would be less than one gram.
Cheers
Les
Quote from: Lesgold on July 03, 2022, 04:13:42 AM
Went away for a few weeks towing the caravan. Stopped for 7 days in a location that was once mined for small gold. Was lucky enough to find a few pieces with the detector. This is what I found on the first day.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
The sunsets in the dry country are spectacular. Sitting outside with a glass of red wine as the sun goes down is a tough job but some one has to do it.
[attachment=1][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
Sounds like a great time! That is an amazing sunset! :grin:
Yes it was. Most afternoons produced beautiful sunsets. I put together a bit of a clip showing what I was chasing and the country that was being prospected. Hope you enjoy it.
https://youtu.be/ReDf9JKrr4w
Cheers
Les
Great video! That's amazing country!
Back on the beach again. Was lucky enough to find an old silver florin that was caught in a rock crevice. It?s a bit worn (as you would expect) as it has been in the water for a long time. It?s always good to find old coins.
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Wow! Great find Les!! For a 1947 coin, the wear looks minimal to me! It being silver, what is the value (though irrelevant) if you don't mind me asking?
Phillip
Not a lot of value Phillip. This particular coin will have a 50% silver content.
Back out chasing a bit of gold close to home. The nuggets seem to be shrinking in size.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Even so, it was still a lot of fun.
It was a cold, overcast day today which meant the bees were safe for 24 hours. Decided to grab the detector and see if I could find a few little bits of gold.
https://youtu.be/xBMLRlR1G2A
Cheers
Les
Thanks for posting that video. I like the way you test the scoop on the 6000. Looks like it makes it much faster to find the gold.
I noticed you often times throw away dirt without checking it when you detected a tone in the other pile. I just wonder if there may bee two pieces of gold in the same spot that could bee missed.
Jim Altmiller
Hi Jim,
Occasionally, there maybe more than one nugget that is removed from a hole. The detector is always run over the spot again after the hole is back filled just to make sure.
😊 Thanks.
I sure do wish I would have known all this when we were doing our alaska excursions I might have been able to recover some of the fuel cost running through canada.
It was a windy day yesterday so I wasn?t able to rob any honey from the bees. Went out into the bush instead for a play with the detector. I think there is more money in selling honey than finding gold lol. Had a lot of fun anyway.
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Cheers
Les
Another day out for just a few more little pieces. The bigger one are hiding at the moment.
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Went for a swing to a spot that I?ve never detected before. The bush was really overgrown but a couple of small pieces still emerged.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
At least the size is increasing.
Les sooner or later you are going to come up on a lunker! In the mean time I bet you are having fun!
Phillip
Thanks Phillip. It?s always amazing to be out in the bush. It?s a good hobby that makes the cooler winter months a time to look forward to.
Went out for another play a couple of days ago. The weather is starting to warm up and the gold is growing just a little lol.
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Quote from: Lesgold on August 21, 2022, 11:05:58 PM
Went out for another play a couple of days ago. The weather is starting to warm up and the gold is growing just a little lol.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Les your finds should be adding up!
Phillip
Back out on the beach again after some rough seas. Went to a spot that produced in the past and was surprised as to how the movement of sand and water allowed a build up of goodies for me to find.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
[attachment=1][/attachment]
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The last two were predecimal coins. Can?t read the date on the last one. Will see if I can clean it up in some lemon juice.
Hi folks,
Took the detector out to a location that has been worked well by prospectors over the years. Managed to uncover a little bit of the yellow stuff to top off a good morning out. Hope you enjoy the clip.
Cheers
Les
https://youtu.be/00t60VaYvRo
Hi Folks,
Went out for a detect in the bush two days ago. Came back with one small piece locked in a piece of rock. Can you see it?
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Yes I can. Isn't there two?
Phillip
No unfortunately. Just the one.
Went out for another play in the forest. Worked quite hard find a few small pieces. The gold is shrinking in size again.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Les,
I?m waiting to see you come home with a large nugget. 😊
Jim Altmiller
Quote from: BeeMaster2 on October 19, 2022, 08:02:43 PM
Les,
I?m waiting to see you come home with a large nugget. 😊
Jim Altmiller
It is possible! The old saying is "Gold is where you find it". If he does he might need to change his name form Lesgold to Moregold.. :grin:
I enjoy reading and viewing the pictures of your finds as well as the beautiful scenery you sometime display. I hope you find the bonanza Les!
Phillip
Quote from: Ben Framed on October 19, 2022, 08:14:16 PM
Quote from: BeeMaster2 on October 19, 2022, 08:02:43 PM
Les,
I?m waiting to see you come home with a large nugget. 😊
Jim Altmiller
It is possible! The old saying is "Gold is where you find it". If he does he might need to change his name form Lesgold to Moregold.. :grin:
I hope you find the bonanza Les!
Phillip
:cheesy: That reminds me of an old song I like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFarJc8aGSE
Always looking to find ?more gold? This is another hobby that is just as addictive as beekeeping.
I always look forward to reading your gold posting. Very interesting.
Phillip
Went out for a detect around some old workings with a mate this afternoon. Found most of these pieces in an old classifying pile. (Where the soil and gravel was run through a sieve to remove the rocks and larger pieces of gravel). Most pieces of gold were attached to some of the conglomerate gravel and were missed by the old timer miners.
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Went out for a swing with the detector a couple of days ago. We were in a deep gully that was worked by the old timers. Got a screaming signal on a vertical gravel wall. When I looked to see where I could start digging, I spotted the piece on the surface. This is what I saw.
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Just picked it out with my fingers. It was beautiful and yellow in colour. Unfortunately, it was very small.
That is awesome! How big is is next to a quarter? (What weight) If there was gold in my area I would be searching too!
Phillip
Hi Phillip. It was pretty small. Just like the rest of the pieces that I?ve been finding lately.
Yesterday was another adventure out in the bush with a mate. We had a good day out with 16 small pieces making it to the rattle jars. Not big but still heaps of fun with some exercise and a good walk helping to make the day.
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Les,
With all of the pieces that you have found, are you close to an ounce yet.
Jim Altmiller
No where near that Jim. That little collection on the coin weighed about .84 grams. Still a long way to go to get 31 and a bit grams.
Another good fun day out prospecting. Very small pieces but a heap of fun.
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I need to fertilise this gold so that it can grow a bit.
Gold is where you and how you find it; It's gold and you found it!
Phillip
Wow. We do a bit of panning on a couple of pieces of property and in the rivers in CA close to my parents, but get mostly flour gold. I have never found anything other than coins and trash with the metal detector. Your pics might have lit the fire again though :cheesy:
Go for it Kathyp. Once you have the gold fever, it never leaves you.
Here is a bit of a clip I put together on my day out in the bush. I hope you enjoy it.
Cheers
Les
https://youtu.be/4CpXe1T6hxY
That's very cool. Thanks. I don't have a metal detector that is that fancy, so my gold would have to be bigger. I think I have better luck in the rivers or with the dirt we collect and bring home to fool with.
A few hours out in the bush yesterday doing some research for a YouTube clip. Couldn?t help myself. Had to dig a bit of gold.
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Tomorrow I?ll be hopefully filming a comparison video on a couple of different coils that we use on the detector.
Thanks Les you have my attention. I Look forward to the coil comparison video.
Phillip
Went out to do some filming today with a mate. We had a ball digging the small pieces of gold. Here?s my share of the finds.
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Wish every day was like today. Should be able to post the video in a day or so.
Cheers
Les
Here is the clip that my mate and I put together on yesterdays outing.
https://youtu.be/s0VeSh0h-10
Hope you enjoy it.
Cheers
Les
Thanks for the video. I subscribed to your channel so that I can watch it and other things later.
Thanks Kathyp.
I?ve got a few beekeeping videos on my channel that may also interest you.
Cheers
Les
Les both coils do a good job. Wonder how much gold is below ground? Y?all may sitting on a gold mine! Literally! There may be tons just waiting to be had! 😊😊
Whoops, I might have just experienced a bit of gold fever! :shocked: :grin:
Phillip
You are right Phillip. Both coils do work well. There is still a lot of gold in the areas that I prospect. Unfortunately it is 30 to 40 feet below ground level. You could have a lot of fun with a big excavator. (We are all allowed to dream) Just got back from a morning out in the bush. I'll post a pick of the small pieces in a few minutes.
Cheers
Les
Todays little bits come from the same area that the video clip was shot a couple of days ago
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Cheers
Les
Every little bit adds up!Quote from: Lesgold on November 24, 2022, 01:19:42 AM
Todays little bits come from the same area that the video clip was shot a couple of days ago
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Cheers
Les
Quote from: Lesgold on November 24, 2022, 12:16:19 AM
You are right Phillip. Both coils do work well. There is still a lot of gold in the areas that I prospect. Unfortunately it is 30 to 40 feet below ground level. You could have a lot of fun with a big excavator. (We are all allowed to dream) Just got back from a morning out in the bush. I'll post a pick of the small pieces in a few minutes.
Cheers
Les
:grin: :grin: :grin:
Worked hard in overgrown scrub for a few pieces. It was good to come home with something in the rattle jar.
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Les, I already have enough hobbies mate will you please stop nudging me? :wink:
And showing your little treasures on a lyrebird gives me a smile every time.
I have enough hobbies too Skeggley, but his 'nudging' makes me want to give it a go,
and there is no gold known to be had in my area! :wink: lol
Phillip
If that?s the case, here?s a few more from yesterday to get the juices flowing.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Struggled to find much on my last outing. The bush was really overgrown in this area. Still, it all adds up.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
It?s been a while but I finally got the OK to get on with things after my injury. It was great to get out and about for a couple of hours. Was pleasantly surprised when a few small bits found their way to the rattle jar.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
The thirst for gold continues. Had to get back out today.
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Decided to take some of the small gold that I?ve been finding and melt it down into a button. Just over 10 grams of gold was cleaned, dried and weighed. I wanted a button that would end up weighing 10 grams after the melt.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
The gold was placed into a hollowed out potato with some borax to act as a flux.
[attachment=1][/attachment]
The gold was then heated with an oxy until the molten button formed.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
The hot button was then dropped into cold water. The glassy flux shattered and a solid button of gold was produced.
[attachment=1][/attachment]
The weight of the gold button was 10.253 grams. The losses were due to impurities in the nuggets and minute pieces of gold being trapped within the glassy flux. I was actually expecting the losses to be a bit greater than that.
Wow....worth about $600 US dollars..... a nice hobby.
Quote from: NigelP on February 14, 2023, 04:27:23 AM
Wow....worth about $600 US dollars..... a nice hobby.
Thumbs up Les!
Phillip
That's amazing, Les!
Thanks Reagan. It was a bit of fun one afternoon when I had nothing better to do. I?ll put this aside so that it can be made into jewellery in the future.
Another day out in the bush with a mate. After detecting for most of the day and walking for hours, we ended up finding four pieces of gold within four steps of the car.
[attachment=0][/attachment]
Hi Folks,
Anybody posted this here yet?
A gold digger from Australia recently hit gold (no pun intended) when his budget metal detector found a rock weighing 4.6kg, which had a gold valuation of A$240,000 ($162k USD). The man- who didn't want to be named for obvious reasons- made this incredible discovery in the goldfields of Victoria.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/amateur-gold-digger-finds-massive-nugget-worth-over-160-000/ar-AA19trwN?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=cec8b5941b284c2bbb68a9d491c107ed&ei=12
Sal
:shocked: First I've heard of it Sal. Good post and congratulation to the fellow who found it! :wink: And His Wife
Phillip
Quote from: salvo on April 05, 2023, 12:05:52 PM
Hi Folks,
Anybody posted this here yet?
A gold digger from Australia recently hit gold (no pun intended) when his budget metal detector found a rock weighing 4.6kg, which had a gold valuation of A$240,000 ($162k USD). The man- who didn't want to be named for obvious reasons- made this incredible discovery in the goldfields of Victoria.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/amateur-gold-digger-finds-massive-nugget-worth-over-160-000/ar-AA19trwN?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=cec8b5941b284c2bbb68a9d491c107ed&ei=12
Sal
To Lesgold,
I can not think of anyone I would like to see, find such a thing as you Les! Who knows, keep looking and perhaps the same good thing, or even something better will happen for you!
Phillip
Hey Ben.
I think it was Les who found that nugget!
He's layin' low. Keepin' the site secret.
Sal
Quote from: salvo on April 11, 2023, 02:52:28 PM
Hey Ben.
I think it was Les who found that nugget!
He's layin' low. Keepin' the site secret.
Sal
Stranger things have happened! You can never tell! 😁
Would have been nice but my gold has been limited to the small pieces left behind by others. Had a pleasant day out about a week ago and added to my small scrap pile.
Hi Les,
What you found beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, and you had a good day to boot!
Sal
No complaints here Sal. Beekeeping and prospecting are a golden combination.
Good find Les.. I enjoy viewing your finds and hearing of the adventures. :-)
Phillip
It?s been a while since I?ve been out for a play with the detector. Our trip took us to Marble Bar in Western Australia which was an old mining town. Got the machine cranked up yesterday and was lucky enough to find a few pieces. Today I focussed on an area that contained a few quartz outcrops. You may be able to see it in the first photo. The area was worked thoroughly by the old times and recently by people with detectors. I was lucky enough to have some fun and find a few pieces for my effort. Would have liked to have explored the area in more detail but the trip must continue.
Mabye you should change your handle from "lesgold" to "morgold"...
Needed a break from weeding gardens and preparing honey stuff for the markets so a mate and I went bush for the morning. It?s good to still be able to find a bit of gold close to home.
Next month I'm going up in the mountains to a known gold area. I hope to do a bit of panning. I really hope to be able to post pictures like yours!! :grin:
What do you do with your bits? Are they worth selling or do you do it just for fun?
Good luck Kathy. Make sure that you post what you find. Panning is a lot of fun (and hard work) I have sold some gold in the past but I keep most of it as a long term investment. As an example, the gold on the coin in that last photo has a value of around $100 Australian.
Adds up...
My detecting buddy and I hit a spot where the old timers mined over a hundred years ago. We worked hard for quite a few pieces of junk and a few little pickers. The larger one was hidden in a small rock. It was obvious why it was missed in the past. A bit of a soak in acid over night and the nugget started to reveal its beautiful shine.
Ok, officially jealous. I went panning while in CA and spent so much time in the river my feet were numb. I found ONE flake. :grin:
Granted, I took the easy route to the river and that area was probably well panned out. People had dug up the dry bank so I went out into the river for the big rocks hoping others had not been so bold (stupid).
ONE FLAKE after the winter they had.
It's amazing how little gold was left behind in the old days by the old timers, even though they did not have the modern metal detecting equipment and devices of today.
Quoting
reply #4 Quote from: Ben Framed on February 12, 2022, 05:10:25 PM
That sounds fun Les! I am posting a short clip for your entertainment. I hope you find something similar as the nugget that Buggs found!
https://youtu.be/lXZk_wSzUKc
Quote from: Kathyp on September 24, 2023, 10:55:35 AM
Ok, officially jealous. I went panning while in CA and spent so much time in the river my feet were numb. I found ONE flake. :grin:
Granted, I took the easy route to the river and that area was probably well panned out. People had dug up the dry bank so I went out into the river for the big rocks hoping others had not been so bold (stupid).
ONE FLAKE after the winter they had.
Well at least you gave it a try kathy.
Don?t give up Kathy. Gold will eventually turn up if you put in the time. At least you got one flake. I still remember the first piece that I found in a pan. From that point on I was hooked. We are now finding that the gold is harder to find and the pieces are getting smaller. The best part about the hobby is the bush itself. A good walk, some great company and the very odd small piece of gold makes for a removable day out.
QuoteDon?t give up Kathy. Gold will eventually turn up if you put in the time.
I won't. I grew up in gold country but never appreciated it. Now I have two properties that are in areas with potential so it's a fun thing to do. You are correct that the adventure is as worthwhile as the finding! Although...I need to find my husbands phone and see what pictures he took of me scrounging around in the river :cheesy:
I had not appreciated what the gold rush in California (and many others) were actually like until I bought my current house and in the process of researching it's history found the diary of the builder/owner in the Library of Congress. I didn't realize that there was gold everywhere around where they were prospecting and it was more a matter of effort than luck. They could stake a claim and make between $100 and $200 a day on most any claim until it petered out. You just had to dig the ditches to get the water there to sluice it and then dig and process the dirt. The guy who built my house was from Vermont and he and his friends sailed down to the isthmus of Panama and walked across and took a boat up to San Francisco. They were a bunch of good farm kids and he was 21 and I assume his friends were also in that ballpark. They worked hard and saved their money for six years as well as investing in some of the ditch companies and then went home (there was a train across Panama by then). Not much of a life during that time, but they had a good stake and he and his best friend moved to Nebraska and bought land, panted orchards, opened a bank etc.
That is interesting...
I like that story Michael. Both our countries have a strong gold mining background and the hardship that many people went through trying to make their fortunes is hard to comprehend. My father recently told me about his grandfather who prospected for gold in the late 1800?s. To my amazement, he was working in some of the same areas that I?m currently visiting. It?s a funny feeling knowing that there is some family history in the area.
I imagine the forty niners could have picked better claims if they had a metal detector...
Needed a break from beekeeping stuff so I grabbed the detector and went out for a play. Picked up a few small bits and then later in the morning, I got a signal on one end of a large rock. It would have been about 2 feet in diameter and was too heavy to lift. The rock was a conglomerate containing small pebbles cemented together with a fine silty material. It was extremely hard and took about 5 minutes to break off a piece that contained the signal. Eventually the gold was exposed. You may be able to see it on the end of the small piece of rock that I?m holding. As you can see, I have the hands of a prospector. A mate and I have often found gold in conglomerate in this particular location. There were quite a few large rocks in that area that I checked but no other pieces turned up. I gave up turning rocks over when a small brown snake was uncovered. That was the signal to go home as the day was starting to warm up and the ?wriggle sticks? would be coming out to sun themselves.
It's a fun hobby. I can't imagine leaving everything behind on the promise of finding enough to make a living though. :grin:
I'm laughing so hard about "wriggle sticks"! :cheesy: I'm going to call snakes only that from now on!
I agree Kathy, it would have been hard times for most. A mate and I often talk about what it would have been like for prospectors 150 years ago. We also laugh about being back in those times with metal detectors. We would have made a fortune.
Most wriggle sticks are OK as they follow the description and move out of the way. The one snake that I?m a little concerned about is the death adder that tends to sit still and strikes if you step on them. They blend into their environment really well and can be difficult to spot. During spring and summer I wear snake gaters over long pants to provide some extra protection.
Quotesnake gaters over long pants to provide some extra protection.
A lot of the riders around her wear shorter riding boots. I always wore the tall boots. I am from rattlesnake country and tall leather boots were always the way to go.
We really don't have deadly snakes here. Most people bit by rattlers, or copperheads or cottonmouths live through it. Rattlers give the best warning. I always wear thick boots. All the time, everywhere. It's not that I'm afraid of rattlers, but how do you get anything done otherwise? You can kick something pretty hard with good boots on. Otherwise you have to go find a tool for whatever the job is... Boots have also saved me from dog bites that would have penetrated. My calf was still bruised pretty badly, but no holes in my me and no missing pieces...
Unfortunately Australia has a reputation for having a bunch of snakes that can do a bit of damage if they bite you. The eastern brown, death adder and tiger snakes are all common in my area and it would not be a good finish to the day if they got hold of you.
Quote from: Lesgold on October 24, 2023, 07:04:05 AM
Unfortunately Australia has a reputation for having a bunch of snakes that can do a bit of damage if they bite you. The eastern brown, death adder and tiger snakes are all common in my area and it would not be a good finish to the day if they got hold of you.
There are several things that I don't have to deal with where I live and venomous snakes are much one of them. We do have copperheads and I think there's a rattler or two upstate in the woods but I can pretty much go anywhere around here without worrying about them. Never having to deal with them, just the thought of them scares me. Besides, I just don't like getting close to snakes.
A nice cool day today so it was a good time to try a spot that is normally over run with snakes, ticks and leaches. With the weather being particularly dry, it was a good chance to see if some yellow could be added to the rattle jar without the problem beasts that tend to bite.. The initial intention was to walk a long way through dense scrub, over a steep hill and then follow a stream bed for about 1km before detecting. The plan was spoilt when I turned on the detector at the car. The battery was only partially charged so I thought it was best to stay close to the ute and detect some terrain that had been worked regularly by quite a few people recently. A lot of grass and weeds had died due to the dry, hot weather and this uncovered more ground that the coil could swing over. Quite a few lead shot were detected and uncovered which got me excited as it meant that other people hadn?t worked this area well. It was great to be able to bring home a nice little haul of gold. Not large but a lot of fun to find.
A mate and I went back to the spot that I detected some gold just over a week ago. We found 10 pieces each and had a great day out in the bush. It was nice to find a piece with a bit of size to it. These days, most of the treasure is very small but that doesn?t diminish the fun.
As Buggs Bunny might say "There's Gold in tem-ter hills!" Good for y'all Les. Nice piece! Did y'all see any of those poison snakes?
https://beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=55153.msg502857#msg502857
No Phillip. We had a cool day yesterday which is why we went out for a walk. As the temperatures continue to rise, the opportunities to get out reduce. As we tend to walk reasonable distances and work a bit to dig targets, cool days are also more comfortable. We always wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, snake gaters, a hat and boots in the bush.
Another day out in the bush with a mate. We worked up a gully and my mate found a couple of beautiful nuggets. I was left to find the small pieces. Saw one wriggle stick today. He looked to be about 5 feet long and didn?t hang around to say hello. It was hard work in the heat but we did have an enjoyable day. Looks like I dropped one piece. Don?t know where it?s gone.
Still a nice find Les... Glad mr snake left the scene!
It would be nice to find an area where no one has searched, considering how well you two do in an area that has... Keep up the good work!!
Phillip
I am generally not a jealous person and am usually capable of getting what I want and need but I am jealous of your gold adventures. I have always wanted my own little pocket full of gold. I did collect some quartz with gold embedded in it when I was in AK but it's only plaster flakes and I doubt that I'd get much out of it if I went through the process to separate it. I don't know if it's legal for you to sell it, but I would give you the going price plus shipping for some of that, if it is and you're interested.
Thanks guys.
My mate and I were talking about how lucky we are to be close to gold fields. Although a lot of the larger ?easy? gold has been found, there are still little bits available if you are prepared to work for it. As you can see from the photos, the gold in this area is very pure. In general it is supposed to have a purity of over 98%. Many people do sell their gold but I?m happy just to keep it at this stage. Thanks for the offer. The gold on the coin weighed about 1.1 grams. That?s not much really. When you look at it in your hand it is only a few tiny specs. In saying that, it would have a gold value of $100 Australian. Nuggets of gold generally attract a small premium above spot price. The larger and more attractive pieces can sell for ridiculous prices.
A great hobby Les....
It is a good hobby Phillip. Especially when the right colour shows up. Another good day in the bush with a few pieces to bring home. Only a red belly black wriggle stick to deal with today. He needed a bit of encouragement to move along but meant no harm to anyone. Wishing now that I photographed the snake. It had a beautiful sheen to its skin.
Mostly around my house I find nails. Lots and lots of nails. An occasional flip top.
Quote from: Michael Bush on November 14, 2023, 07:24:20 AM
Mostly around my house I find nails. Lots and lots of nails. An occasional flip top.
Was there a barn or something there that is now gone? Having a lot of nails hanging around sounds odd.
Quote from: Lesgold on November 14, 2023, 07:02:24 AM
It is a good hobby Phillip. Especially when the right colour shows up. Another good day in the bush with a few pieces to bring home. Only a red belly black wriggle stick to deal with today. He needed a bit of encouragement to move along but meant no harm to anyone. Wishing now that I photographed the snake. It had a beautiful sheen to its skin.
Love it!!!
Construction on the house started in 1856. No telling how many times the roof has been torn off. There used to be a lot of outbuildings that are gone now.
Quote from: Michael Bush on November 14, 2023, 10:02:05 AM
Construction on the house started in 1856. No telling how many times the roof has been torn off. There used to be a lot of outbuildings that are gone now.
Got it! My grandfather bought a functioning dairy farm in eastern panhandle of WV in 1962 and true to form, he left it fall apart so I can envision all of that. It sounds interesting to me, as I like seeing and hearing about the history of our country. I've lived in PA all my life and PA was a state from the beginning of statehood and those to the west came in later. Those out west are all new to me and history was less than my strong point. Our frontier and yours are incredible different, as are the construction materials and styles. Our 1700s and 1800s houses were mostly built of stone and all built long before any indoor amenities came about. As time passed and amenities were invented, they all got them at different phases of progress, depending on how wealthy the owners were.
When Isaac Pollard (who built my house) arrived in Nebraska there was no railroad here. He had to make the bricks to build the house and slake the lime for the mortar and sawed the wood. He build a saw mill on the creek in back of my house and sawed lumber for himself and others. When it washed away, he rebuilt it. When it washed away again he gave up on the sawmill. My house may not be the oldest in Nebraska, but if it's not, it's close.
Detecting around your house for relics would be a lot of fun, especially considering it?s age. Belt buckles, horse harness fittings and old coins come to mind. The bits and pieces that you could find, add to the history of the area.
Quote from: Michael Bush on November 14, 2023, 12:00:38 PM
When Isaac Pollard (who built my house) arrived in Nebraska there was no railroad here. He had to make the bricks to build the house and slake the lime for the mortar and sawed the wood. He build a saw mill on the creek in back of my house and sawed lumber for himself and others. When it washed away, he rebuilt it. When it washed away again he gave up on the sawmill. My house may not be the oldest in Nebraska, but if it's not, it's close.
The thought of all that is nostalgic and sounds glorious but I expect that it's not as glorious as it sounds, having lost the mill twice and all. How much land do you have yet?
Quote from: Lesgold on November 14, 2023, 03:13:26 PM
Detecting around your house for relics would be a lot of fun, especially considering it?s age. Belt buckles, horse harness fittings and old coins come to mind. The bits and pieces that you could find, add to the history of the area.
Good point. Many old coins were made of Silver.
With a treasure detecting machine, iron and steel can be discriminated out and therefore, most signals could be copper, brass, aluminium, SILVER or GOLD
30 seconds
https://youtu.be/rY-XDQN6ipE?si=4e6_gR0IsGWoCVpF
8 seconds
https://youtu.be/tFxzohbXLSo?si=_j9hnSm7Cv7erG64
:wink: :cheesy:
Les the more your post the more I am interested in purchasing one of those better machines myself. There is no gold in my area but there are old, forgotten home sites. What is the treasure detecting machine set up that you would recommend?
Phillip
Quote from: Ben Framed on November 15, 2023, 12:09:14 AM
30 seconds
https://youtu.be/rY-XDQN6ipE?si=4e6_gR0IsGWoCVpF
:wink: :cheesy:
That sounds like Burl Ives singing that. I wore one of his records out when I was a little nipper. That video brings back old memories of much better days.
Hi Phillip
There are plenty of good machines out there that will do a good job. I use Minelab machines as they make the best gold detectors for Australian conditions and they are very good in relation to warranty and service. For treasure detecting I also use the same brand. I currently have A Manticore and an Equinox 800. They both do a good job. I have not used the Manticore all that often yet as I only just purchased it. From all reports, it is an excellent machine. Having access to good areas to detect is the biggest problem. If you can get to old house sites etc, you could find some very interesting relics.
As always, thanks Les and keep the good gold post coming! !
Been kinda lurking on this thread because I thought it was a cool activity .. get some exercise with a bonus of a little bit of glitter :cool:
Just looked up your 10 cent coin , Lesgold
Our dime (10 cents) is 17.9 mm ... about the same as Aus 1 cent at 17.65 mm (our penny is 19.05mm)
Aus 10 cent coin is 23.6mm ... about the same as our quarter at 24.26 mm
So ... to uninformed Americans like me, imagine that coin as being a quarter .... looks like a lot more fun hobby to me now :cheesy:
It is good fun but it?s quite expensive to buy a good detector to start with. Most days, the gold found covers the fuel cost, plus a bit (if you look at it from that perspective) but I don?t sell much at this stage. If you live close to gold bearing areas, it?s a real advantage. I started with a gold pan and still use one from time to time as it?s a lot of fun and can give plenty of information about the country that you are prospecting.
I was thinking it would be cool to collect over the years until enough was accumulated to make something. I've done a fair amount of casting as a hobby and it's got a strangely relaxing quality to the work. It's similar to running a metal lathe or mill, but without the need for focused detail, almost hypnotic. That probably sounds nuts to most people, but that's as close as I can describe the feeling. I've never cast gold, for obvious reasons. Silver, bronze, brass, copper:yes, but mostly lead alloys for bullets and several different pewter or related alloys (mostly for high detail "tin soldiers"
Each metal has it's own "feel" and seems to stir different "feelings" at different stages of the process. Pretty sure that sounds nuts too :cheesy:
Anyway, You may want to try it, if you haven't. Pewter is super cheap, low enough temp to make molds from rubber or straight Plaster of Paris (and without a furnace)... a super-cheap way to learn lot about how to make good molds. .. but bronze is wonderful... the glow, the radiant heat, it's reaction when it first hits the mold, will make you feel like you're working magic.
Quote from: animal on November 17, 2023, 12:46:22 AM
I was thinking it would be cool to collect over the years until enough was accumulated to make something. I've done a fair amount of casting as a hobby and it's got a strangely relaxing quality to the work. It's similar to running a metal lathe or mill, but without the need for focused detail, almost hypnotic. That probably sounds nuts to most people, but that's as close as I can describe the feeling. I've never cast gold, for obvious reasons. Silver, bronze, brass, copper:yes, but mostly lead alloys for bullets and several different pewter or related alloys (mostly for high detail "tin soldiers"
Each metal has it's own "feel" and seems to stir different "feelings" at different stages of the process. Pretty sure that sounds nuts too :cheesy:
Anyway, You may want to try it, if you haven't. Pewter is super cheap, low enough temp to make molds from rubber or straight Plaster of Paris (and without a furnace)... a super-cheap way to learn lot about how to make good molds. .. but bronze is wonderful... the glow, the radiant heat, it's reaction when it first hits the mold, will make you feel like you're working magic.
What are you using it to melt the metals and how hot will it get? I have thought of collecting scrap copper and making ingots out of it. Could do the same with brass, and take it to the scrap yard when prices are right.
What I'm doing wouldn't be cost effective for making ingots when it comes to the hot stuff.
Large amounts of lead? ... sure, that's fairly cold ... melting scrap would need 900F or so, or a little less than 700 for clean lead (if I remember correctly pure lead melts at 620 or so (alloys are almost always at lower temp) ... so, a good propane fish cooker and a cast iron pot (that you never use for anything else ever again), regular old wax for flux, and molds of cast iron or aluminum.
For the hotter stuff, never actually measured temperature. I've mostly done small stuff ... like sometimes just a ladle and acetylene torch.
For big hot stuff : Fuel is a choice between money and labor. You can make your own charcoal and bellows for cheap and a lot of work (both building and working) , graduate to using dried air out of a compressor, or all the way up to expensive gasses and oxygen. No matter the fuel, a blast furnace is needed, but easy to make. Mine is currently a stack of bricks, asbestos pipe, and steel pipe in the corner of the basement. I set it up in the back yard when needed.
Cost in time/work/fuel isn't worth the difference in price at the scrap yard to me. Doing it on a large enough scale to be "worth it" would also make it hard to control the pollution it can generate. Casting art pieces, you could make good money, but "art" is all about marketing rather than objective value.
I cast my own lead sinkers for fishing. It is good fun and saves a lot of money. About 20 years ago I made heaps and still haven?t used them all. I have cast aluminium in casting sand and really enjoyed that process. It was part of my teacher training a long time ago. Melting gold is also a rewarding experience. Watching small scraps of gold become molten and flow together to form a button of gold is amazing to watch. I have had some of my gold nuggets converted to jewellery over the years. I?ll see if my wife and daughters can drag some pieces out and I?ll photograph them. Would love to have the skills to do this myself but sometimes it is better to leave it to the experts.
That's cool ...
but if you leave it to the experts, you never gain the skills :smile:
and the more of yourself you put into something, the more your loved ones see you in it.
So true but where does it all stop? More equipment to buy, more time to spend on another hobby and the time taken to build and refine skills. There just doesn?t seem to be enough hours in the day.
stop ? NEVER !
Whoever dies with the most tools wins ! :cheesy:
seriously, tho .. yeah, you're right ... we can't do it all ... darn it.
Here is a shot of a gold nugget that a jeweller attached a jump ring and chain to. It was given to my daughter for here 30th birthday about 5 years ago.
That is so beautiful!
quite nice ! Natural forms have their own beauty. I'd bet she is incredibly happy with it !
It?s unique which is what my daughter likes. When I get home tomorrow, I will post a couple of pieces that were made for my wife.
We had a cool day so a mate and I went for a trip to some old gold workings for a bit of a play. You can see from the photos that the old timers turned over a fair bit of ground. The gold was small but we had a lot of fun. Lost two pieces down the kitchen sink while I was cleaning it which was a bit of a shame.
Les,
Looks like Christmas came early for you.
Take the kitchen sink trap off and retrieve that gold.
Jim Altmiller
Nice find Les. The gold might be found in the trap as Jim says..
Phillip
That is definitely neat and I'm with Jim, don't your drains have traps on them down under?
I won?t worry about it. The gold was weighed before cleaning and then again after. The pieces that were lost were very small so it was no great loss. I also washed a honey bucket last night and the sink was filled with water to get the job done. The gold would most likely have been pushed through the S bend. When I was out in the bush I did have an interesting find which has never happened before. Normally when a target is detected, a pick is used to dig it out and then a plastic scoop is utilised to recover the target. The scoop which is filled with soil from the pile of dirt and is then passed over the detector coil. If you hear a sound from the detector, you know that the metallic target is in the scoop. If you hear no sound, the target is obviously still in the pile of dirt and the process is repeated. To find the piece of gold(or junk), half of the material in the scoop is tipped into your hand. The scoop is again passed over the coil. If the detector makes a noise, the gold is still in the scoop. If it doesn?t, you know that it is in your hand. Either way, the material that you have left has reduced by half. This method of dividing is used until the gold is spotted. Quite often you can get down to a few grains of gravel before you spot what you are after. I was going through this process at one stage yesterday and as I halved the spoils, I noticed a small piece of gold in my hand. I tested the material that was in the scoop and the machine still made a noise. I therefore had two pieces of gold at that point. When I carefully checked all of the soil, three small pieces of gold resulted. That is the first time that situation has arisen for me while detecting.
A mate and I walked into a steep gully to detect for a bit of gold. My mate found a rock bar that held some gold so we dug it out and detected as we went. We ended up with 6 pieces each for the day. It was drizzling with rain for most of the day but it was cool only reaching about 20degrees C which made it very pleasant. The gold was a nice bonus.
Thumbs up!
Today was a choice between mowing the lawn or heading out into the bush prospecting. After serious consideration a choice was made. It was a good day out apart from being attacked by a few hungry leaches.
There have been really big storms where my parents live so we will hit the rivers there in early summer and do some digging and panning. Found a tiny bit last year but we were in to popular a spot. We need to do better.
Congrats on your bits. when do you put it all together and cash in? :grin:
Three of the bits were picked up in a dry creek bed. We have had a couple of floods in the last couple of months and they moved a lot of gravel and rocks. The small bits of gold will be combined and melted down into ingots to be sold to a gold buyer.
Quote from: Lesgold on February 08, 2024, 01:53:37 AM
Three of the bits were picked up in a dry creek bed. We have had a couple of floods in the last couple of months and they moved a lot of gravel and rocks. The small bits of gold will be combined and melted down into ingots to be sold to a gold buyer.
Do you melt it yourself? I occasionally think about melting my brass and copper scrap into ingots.
Have a look at reply #24 on this thread. Easier to get rid of the small bits that way. Larger nuggets tend to have more value as a collectors piece rather than being melted down and sold as scrap.
OK, nice! I'll have to snoop around and see what I can find on what it takes to do that. I do have an acetylene/oxygen setup.
Took a guy I know out for a swing today. It was cool and overcast which made the day quite pleasant. The pieces were small but the number was good. I feel lucky to be able to find gold locally.
My mate and I had a good day out today picking up 30 pieces between us for just under 6 grams. Wish it was always that good.
We went out for a look up the same gully that produced some nice pieces a couple of weeks ago. My mate and I decided to work together to get some of the hard work done and then share the gold at the end of the day. We had an amazing day with 47 pieces found between us. I?ll post a picture of my share after I clean it.
Very nice. I don't suffer from jealousy often but right now I am feeling it.
Awesome!! Y'all have found a good spot!
My share of the gold. Looks good when it?s clean.
How do you clean it? I have a couple of small rocks that I gathered off the ground in Alaska that are quartz with plaster gold embedded in it. If I put it in my pocket and let it roll around for about a week, the gold cleans up pretty good. Without it being cleaned, it just looks like a white rock with black specks in it.
Quote from: Lesgold on March 05, 2024, 06:11:13 AM
My share of the gold. Looks good when it?s clean.
Thumbs Up!
Phillip
Quote from: Terri Yaki on March 04, 2024, 08:50:52 AM
Very nice. I don't suffer from jealousy often but right now I am feeling it.
Gold seems to have that effect on some! :cheesy: :wink:
North To Alaska
Johnny Hortonhttps://youtu.be/BLONWy46gIE?si=1gcsBkve3prOH7oT
I roughly clean the gold in an ultrasonic cleaner. That?s the result of the cleaning in the last photo. Eventually I will soak the gold in a mild acid and leave it for a few weeks to remove some of the persistent stains and dissolve some of the ironstone or quartz that may be present in the nuggets. After such a good day out we decided to follow up yesterday. We worked the same area and moved further upstream. The gold was generally smaller and we worked hard all day. The result was still good and we were very happy with what we found. I managed to film some of the finds to show what we do. A YouTube video should follow at some point.
https://youtu.be/Tz7A3UbUBT4?si=GZPfdv4fVjh11GD5
Here?s a link to a clip that a mate and I put together yesterday. It?s raw and unrefined and should give you some idea of what we have been doing.
Thanks for the video Les. Makes me want to fly down and enjoy a day with you!
Phillip
You would be welcome any time Phillip.
Three reasons it won't be just a day.
1) it takes too long to only spend a day
2) it costs too much to only spend a day
3) it is far to beautiful and the weather too nice to only spend a day
Quote from: Lesgold on March 06, 2024, 02:46:35 AM
You would be welcome any time Phillip.
Quote from: Michael Bush on March 06, 2024, 06:03:45 AM
Three reasons it won't be just a day.
1) it takes too long to only spend a day
2) it costs too much to only spend a day
3) it is far to beautiful and the weather too nice to only spend a day
Mr Bush; A 'day' was used as a 'figure of speech'... Many from the South were taught certain manners. One was 'never invite yourself to someone else's gathering'. Even so, Les' video was so interesting; I broke that rule and 'timidly invited myself' to Les' gathering using the term 'for a day' hoping to communicate I would like to tag along in a non-intruding manner, while acknowledging even 'a day' would be very appreciated... Thanks for the invite Les!!!
Phillip
Les I think you and others might like this short clip!
https://youtube.com/shorts/3Bn5G0LfHHo?si=nnoLanTv56J62XtP
I always laugh at these set up clips. If it was that easy, gold would be worthless.
Quote from: Lesgold on March 09, 2024, 07:02:28 PM
I always laugh at these set up clips. If it was that easy, gold would be worthless.
Do you mean that you don't find big nuggets like that just laying around all the time? Why...I'm shocked.
Worked hard all day for a bunch of small pieces. Not a lot of weight but it sure helps when the price of gold is high.
Quote from: Terri Yaki on March 09, 2024, 08:26:51 PM
Quote from: Lesgold on March 09, 2024, 07:02:28 PM
I always laugh at these set up clips. If it was that easy, gold would be worthless.
Do you mean that you don't find big nuggets like that just laying around all the time? Why...I'm shocked.
Food for thought and just for fun:
Is it possible, there are areas in the world where gold can still be found as shown in the video? Such observations were described during the hay-day of the California Gold Rush, as well as The Alaskan Gold Rush. I (suspect) Antarctica may be one of those places.
Could there (still be gold), left waiting in other parts of the world above sea level even today?
Such a find and its location would be a grand happening if stumbled upon! lol :grin: :cheesy: :wink:
Wouldn?t it be wise to keep such a find a hush hush secret IF the prospector has learned anything from the history of such discoveries? lol :wink: :grin:
Quote from: Lesgold on March 13, 2024, 06:21:27 AM
Worked hard all day for a bunch of small pieces. Not a lot of weight but it sure helps when the price of gold is high.
Never the less, good find Les!
Phillip
Quote from: Ben Framed on March 13, 2024, 07:58:37 AM
Food for thought and just for fun:
Is it possible, there are areas in the world where gold can still be found as shown in the video? Such observations were described during the hay-day of the California Gold Rush, as well as The Alaskan Gold Rush. I (suspect) Antarctica may be one of those places.
Could there (still be gold), left waiting in other parts of the world above sea level even today?
Such a find and its location would be a grand happening if stumbled upon! lol :grin: :cheesy: :wink:
Wouldn?t it be wise to keep such a find a hush hush secret IF the prospector has learned anything from the history of such discoveries? lol :wink: :grin:
This reminds me of a song from my yute by an obscure band named New Riders of the Purple Sage. I always had an odd taste in music and this was one of the first bands I got into back then. Little known fact about them is that Gerry Garcia was playing with them and The Dead early in his career and made the right choice to go with The Dead. I was never a big Dead fan but most of my buddies were. Anyhow...There is a live version of this song that I was unable to find where he starts out by talking about how one guy discovered Sutter's Mill and told someone, who told someone else, who told someone else...and you know how that goes.
Here's the tune, hope ya like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PARdbpFUa3U
It's geology, but a lot of locations have small amounts of gold if you pan them. I had a friend who hung out with a prospector who had a lot of his fellow prospectors over for supper while my friend was their. They went and got a pan full of gravel from the river and dumped it on the table and the prospectors all sorted it out. There were garnets, gold, etc. The results were worth a few dollars, but the amount of work vs the value was such that you could make a little money every day if you wanted to do the work, but you could find a job and make more. One of the prospectors had a silver mine with a vein in it and he was following the vein through hard rock and would go work in it whenever he needed a little cash. Places with gold will probably ALWAYS have some gold there. It's just less and less as people work them. But sometimes the amount gets refreshed by more soil getting washed out by a good rain. Very few have enough to make a living, but some do. My location there really isn't any because of the geology again. What you find here is a lot of limestone and some very nice flint nodules. The American Indians were quarrying the flint for the last few millennia. The guy who built my house was in California during the gold rush and he and his friends were making about $200 a day sluicing all the dirt in the area. Most of the work was digging ditches to move the water and shoveling dirt. They never completely ran out of gold in any given spot, but it would reach the point where it was more profitable to move somewhere else.
I am a loyal follower of the Gold Rush series on Discovery and I find everything about it interesting. The geology, the finding of Wooly Mammoth tusks in the perma-frost, the diligence of the gold miner, all of it. The size of the mines seems larger than what they portray in the show, maybe for the optics of the process to those who oppose it. I find it amazing at how much dirt they process to get such a small amount of gold and what those old timers did to get the gold out in primitive conditions.
As Michael said earlier, floods turn over gravel and move material around. Banks get eroded and more material is washed into replenish the system. Much of the gold found recently was due to the two floods that occurred late last year.
I am hoping this will be a fun year in CA after all the rain and the many feet of snow. I once had a friend who panned regularly that few places don't have gold. It's just a matter of whether or not there is enough to bother with.
Last year when I went to the Bear River to pan and found my one flake, there were several guys out there working upriver. I noticed that ever bolder along the shore had been dug out by people hunting for gold after the high water of the winter before.
Les is my inspiration, but reality tells me that I'll be lucky to find just a bit when I go :grin:
The way I see it, panning for gold is the same addiction and the same dopamine rush as gambling except instead of getting poorer, you get to spend time outdoors and occasionally you get a little richer. Or like fishing. Again, that dopamine rush, but you're not giving your money away to get it.
Quoteyou get to spend time outdoors and occasionally you get a little richer. Or like fishing.
I do better fishing! But you are right. There may have been people out there trying to get rich, but I just enjoyed bruising my knees kneeling on boulders and trying not to fall into the river :grin:
That sounds about right. I do a lot of fishing off the beach or out of my boat. If you could imagine the rush of hooking and fighting a big fish and multiply the feeling by 100, that would get you close to how you feel when you find a nice piece of gold. Gold fever is an incurable disease.
If gold was in my area I would probably give searching for it a go..
What do you all think about the information in this short clip? Legitimate?
https://youtube.com/shorts/Ky7PU6QnGp8?si=qDbCVjfQJenrwnVC
Could be. I?ve seen the results of reefs and outcrops that have produced considerable amounts of gold but I have not found anything like that. (Unfortunately)
Quote from: Lesgold on March 16, 2024, 04:08:06 AM
Could be. I?ve seen the results of reefs and outcrops that have produced considerable amounts of gold but I have not found anything like that. (Unfortunately)
It sounds like your username needs another 's'. :cool:
😀😀😀
Here?s a short that I posted two days ago. It?s a clip from a trip last week.
https://youtube.com/shorts/KteNIxeYAHc?si=OC8MnUrxs-Vdfkzz
My detecting mate and I did a long walk today for only a modest return. Lots of fun but the gold hid itself well.
It's interesting how you find it and track it down. I envisioned it more like just pinging it and digging a little straight down into the dirt or stones.
Lucky find in UK recently. 64.8g nugget
(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article32399440.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200d/0_Metal-detectorist-unearths-largest-gold-nugget-ever-found-in-England-worth-%C2%A330000.jpg)
Full story here.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/man-unearths-englands-largest-gold-32395263
An interesting story and a nice piece of gold. Haven?t heard of much gold being found in the UK. Thanks for posting Nigel.
Good post NigelP. Thanks!
My detecting mate and I went out for a swing with our big detectors to try and get some deeper gold. The area had been giving is a reduction in our take home of yellow stuff so we decided a different approach was required. I found one larger piece in an area that we had detected many times before. It was deeper than our normal detectors would reach and was a real bonus. Here is our tally for the day.
Nice haul, Les. When I look at that, it looks like it was molten when it was formed. Similar to drops of solder that drop off when I'm doing the soldering. Do you know where it came from and how it got to the surface like that?
Quote from: Terri Yaki on March 26, 2024, 07:37:42 AM
Nice haul, Les. When I look at that, it looks like it was molten when it was formed. Similar to drops of solder that drop off when I'm doing the soldering. Do you know where it came from and how it got to the surface like that?
Good points. I?m interested as well.
The gold in this area is apparently hydrothermal. I think it forms from heated, mineral rich water that flows through cracks in the earths surface. The minerals, when concentrated, precipitate into what we see as gold (in this case) I?m not a geologist so I can?t really speak to it with any authority or understanding. When the gold moves into streams, it wears and sharp edges smooth over and become polished.
Interesting. Thanks Les....
Wow!
Solder a loop on that one and it would make a cool looking pendant.
It?s a good size for a pendant. I have a jeweller who has done quite a bit of work for me in the past and he does very good work for a reasonable price.
It is a nice piece for sure!!!
Phillip
It is quite a pretty piece. It?s a shame it wasn?t a bit bigger??🤩🤩🤩
Just uploaded a short clip on one of the little pieces we found yesterday. We just got so involved in the prospecting and forgot to take much footage.
https://youtu.be/_BgMfmWv5qU?si=aqOK6bt-c-zz4V3h
Thanks for taking us along Les! It was almost like being there. I was cheering for you!
Phillip
My mate Joe and I decided to go for a long walk up the stream we had been detecting to see if there was any gold in the higher reaches. After walking for 1 1/2 hours we stopped and started detecting. The area was extremely pretty with pools and rock bars located close together. It was a really remote area and there was no evidence of human activity at all. Unfortunately, there was no gold in the area which was a real shame. We eventually made it back by early afternoon to spend some time in the region that we knew was gold bearing.
That was a nice, interesting clip, Les. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Terri Yakki. Yesterday was a quiet one as we wasted the morning with a long walk. We did find a few pieces between us on the way back so it wasn?t a total failure.
👍🏻
Thumbs up!
Heading out shortly with my eldest daughter and my grandson for a play. Hopefully they can find a piece or two. A report will follow tonight.
The total of three pans of gravel. We also found some small gold with the detector.
My grandson shot some footage of how we panned out some of the small gold left after detecting. You could be quick and quite rough with the process as the gold was quite chunky and did not want to leave the bottom of the pan.
https://youtu.be/8Bh_61B8dKo?si=jnN4QsXdP02xsvg4
My grandson?s first trip out into the bush prospecting.
https://youtu.be/MeXmT0mFG3E?si=RAyAxy10zSxpB6xq
I think it's impressive how small a piece that detector will pick up.
That's so cool and he will remember doing this with you forever. Your accent gave me the sniffles though. I do miss Geoff and his phone calls :cry:
Hi Folks,
I hope this works. It's a link to a *slideshow* of the largest nuggets ever found. I just happened onto it on my opening page.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/check-out-the-largest-gold-nuggets-ever-recorded/ss-AA1mVs6j#image=1
Looks like it works. click forward to see all 30 +- slides.
Sal
Sal,
You are a real tease. One of those nuggets would be every prospectors dream. Now for a reality check. My detecting mate and I went out for one more hunt before big rains potentially cause issues for the next week or so. We used the ?big guns? to try to find deeper gold with a bit more size. It?s pleasing when a plan comes together.
Quote from: Lesgold on April 03, 2024, 07:27:59 AM
Sal,
You are a real tease.
Look who's talking. :cool:
😁
Good find Les!
Wow! Those are impressive! :shocked:
Les when you say > big guns< what do you mean in particular? Do you have videos that teach how to operate metal detectors for gold or can you recommend videos that do?
Hi Folks,
I've wanted to get a metal detector for a number of years, just haven't. BUT! I couple of years ago I *took a spill* (that's what old codgers in the USA say when the fall down) while I was gathering wood after felling a dead tree. I LOST MY KNIFE!!!!!! OMG!!!!! Had that knife for years and years, an old modified Forgecraft.
My local library had recently started a *Sharebrary* where a patron could borrow anything on hand, from a label maker to a ,,, METAL DETECTOR!
I got it, scanned the area, and detected it before it even started to rust over (it took a few rainy days to get back out, and two visits).
I'd go to beaches in the area. Maybe this summer. BONUS: Girls in skimpy bathing suits!
Sal
Hi Phillip,
I was referring to my most powerful detector, the Minelab GPZ 7000. It is a fantastic machine but it is quite heavy and I only have large coils (the discs on the bottom of the machine that scan the ground). In a rocky area like what I?m detecting at the moment, smaller coils are in order. They allow you to manoeuvre between the rocks to find the targets that are hidden away. Most of the time I use a Minelab GPX 6000 which is light and I have a small elliptical coil fitted which makes it easy to use. It doesn?t have the depth capabilities of the bigger machine but is excellent on small gold. The area that has been producing gold for me lately has now been covered reasonably well with both machines. I?m pleased that we decided to do this as the gold we have found at deeper depths has made this venture an exciting and rewarding undertaking. If you use either of these terms in a YouTube search, thousands of videos will pop up.
Sal, I would be impressed if you could detect girls in skimpy bathing suits with a detector. If you are able to, could you please send me your machine settings.😉😉😉😉
With bad weather coming in over the next few days, there is a good chance that the beaches will cop a battering with large waves. This may cause the sand to wash away in certain places and put coins and jewellery within detecting range. Happy days.
Thanks for the explanation//educational difference of equipment Les. This has been an interesting topic from the very beginning!
Phillip
weirdly a lot of Oregon beaches are posted 'no metal detecting'. I was kicking around the idea of going to FL this summer and doing some beaches just for fun. My grandson is in school in the state, but he just got orders and leaves in a couple of weeks. Doesn't mean I can't go though. Les has me wanting to get out there again! :grin:
Last week we had a minor flood which we hoped would move some rocks and gravel around in the area that we had been working. My detecting mate and I went back today for a bit of a look. We worked hard for a few pieces but luckily, one of them was a nice piece that was found in a rock pool.
Les, that looks great from here. Do you guys split the bounty or does each keep what they get?
Nice piece Les..
Hi Folks, Les,
Here in the States we have a *big box store*, Costco, selling one-ounce bars for pretty much a spot price of about $2,400 USD today. They won't, however, give refunds.
Also: Here is a good diversionary read:
https://www.assayofficelondon.co.uk/
Sal
Lately we have been sharing what we find as we often help each other with the recovery of the nuggets (especially in water) When we go out prospecting, we often come home with similar amounts of gold anyway. It seems to balance out over time. Today, I only found two pieces and my mate Joe ended up with six. Weight wise, I ended up with over 4 grams and Joe had just over one gram. The trip before, I had seven nuggets and he had three. The last few trips have been lucky for me as I have been able to uncover some good pieces. Joe is very good at finding gold and often comes home with larger chunks. We value the experience more than anything else. Having time together in the bush and sharing the moment when a piece of gold is uncovered for the first time is priceless.
Thanks for posting that information Salvo. Hallmarking of gold is an interesting topic. The gold that we find is not pure and contains some contamination usually in the form of silver and copper. In saying that, I have been told that our local gold is some of the purest in the country and averages above 98% in its gold content.
Quote from: Salvo on April 11, 2024, 11:39:39 AM
Hi Folks, Les,
Here in the States we have a *big box store*, Costco, selling one-ounce bars for pretty much a spot price of about $2,400 USD today. They won't, however, give refunds.
Also: Here is a good diversionary read:
https://www.assayofficelondon.co.uk/
Sal
So far I only have one, one ounce gold coin and I can't complain except that I should have bought two that day. Before I bought, I rooted around and came to the conclusion that US troy ounce coins are best for me. Gold bars can be faked, shaved and otherwise spindled and mutilated whereas coins are more difficult to counterfeit and mutilate. Additionally one friend told me that bars constitute an investment, subject to capital gains tax but coins are not. I did not verify that claim but overall, coins just made more sense.
Hi Folks,
When I was very young, in grammar school, I was told that the lines around the coin were "evidence of a whole, untampered with coin". Filing around the coin would grind off the lines. Don't take it.
Also, in movies you see old codgers biting the gold coin. That would put their teeth marks on it in case it was stolen, OR, like truckers thump their tires to test pressure, The softness of the gold is indicative of its purity.
Nuns were pretty smart.
Sal
US Gold coins are considered legal tender so they are protected from counterfeiting by the Secret Service (the Treasury Department). Gold bars are not. You could charge someone selling fake gold bars with fraud. You can charge someone selling fake gold US coins with counterfeiting and fraud.
Another good day out in the bush with my detecting mate. We wore waders and made the effort to check areas that were difficult to detect using our standard attire. The two bigger pieces were found in large pools of water. The size and number of nuggets is dropping away. This is to be expected and won?t change unless we have a large flood come through. We are still extremely happy with the gold that we are finding. Days like this will soon become a rarity.
Took my daughter out to a new spot yesterday. We ended up with four pieces with this one being the largest. Just under 3 grams all up. It was a faint signal in a rock bar. The crack was only about 6mm wide. We had to break the rock to get the nugget out. We were pleasantly surprised at the size of it. The only down side was that I dropped my phone somewhere. Will have to make another quick trip back tomorrow to pick it up. Hopefully it was not lost in water.
Hi Les,
Take a metal detector. :wink:
Sal
Losing a phone is a big deal today but I remember when we didn't even have them, except for the one on the leash on the kitchen wall. However, party lines were before my phone using days.
I didn?t own a mobile phone until I retired. People at work used to give me a hard time about it and that was a bit like a red rag to a bull. I didn?t get one just to annoy them. I used to say that none of them were worth talking to anyway, so why purchase one.
The sad part about dropping the phone is that I had to go back and look for it. Thought it would be where we took off our waders and detecting gear so I picked up my detecting buddy and headed back to where the ute was parked. Joe got out of the car and saw it straight away. What a relief. It would have taken quite a bit of gold to cover the replacement cost. We decided while we were there to put in a few hours detecting. Joe found a beautiful nugget and between us we ended up with a dozen pieces and just over 3 grams for our effort. We decided that the phone should be dropped on a regular basis.
Nice bit of Gold!
Maybe the mobile phone attracted it?
I'm 76 this year and still don't own a mobile phone!
I can remember party lines - you knew everybody in the village , and their business.
I also remember the time when I would carry around a heavy 6 x 6 camera and develop my own photos.
I remember milking by hand, extracting honey by hand...
Slower times but good times.
I don't have a personal phone either. I do have an iPod touch though, so it can technically do everything a smartphone can do except make a call, it's just so old that not a lot is compatible with my iOS anymore. We did finally get a smartphone for the whole household to use though because we got a great deal on one from our mobile carrier, and I have to say, it has made our lives a lot easier.
Quote from: max2 on April 28, 2024, 01:33:12 AM
I remember milking by hand, extracting honey by hand...
I still do both of these things though! :happy:
LOL at not worth talking to :cheesy:
I've always hated phones, then pagers, now smartphones. I "lose" the smartphone a lot when I'm doing something I enjoy. Usually in the truck or at home. At work I destroy them. On my second this year, about time to get rid of it because now I have to rotate the screen to be able to clear the calculator(irritating) and the pictures are now a gray blur no matter what I take them of . Cracks in the glass are usually fine, but the powdered areas just don't work for some reason ... but have 2 more "in stock" :cool:
... cheap androids synced to a laptop are my thing.
For our home phone, I have a MagicJack and I have to say, I love it. I don't use it but the Mrs. does but there is a MagicJack app that allows it to work anywhere I have an internet connection. I don't know how many devices you can use at once but I do know that you can use two. I have it connected on my iPhone and my primary iPad. Cost is about $30/year all inclusive. It does also work when I have cell service w/o internet connection.
Terri was does a magic jack do?
Holy cow, now it's up to $50/year. It's a phone that works through your internet connection. I think they call it voice over internet protocol. It's about the size of a small USB charger and plugs into a USB charger on one end and has two ports in the other end. One connects to your WIFI router and the other to your phone. I have a cordless phone connected to it and it operates just like a phone. I have used it to fax stuff as well. And with the app on the smart phone or tablet, it's just like a smart phone interface.
https://www.magicjack.com/account/mjLandingpages.do?page=index
I forgot about MagicJack. We used to have one of those.
got one too. but don't use the actual "jack". converted a 40 year old number that used to be Bell systems to a magic jack number.. anyone calls it and I get a message in my email .. use the number for whenever a phone # is required for something so telemarketers call it and get nowhere. Any old friends that might want to get in touch, the number's still good for them to leave message/contact info.
I was thinking it was 20 or so a year. I paid several years in advance to start it and kinda forgot about it.. I guess I need to check the bill to see if it's worth it.
The results of the past two days out haven?t been as good recently. Thankfully Joe has had a turn of luck and has found a couple of nice pieces to improve the tally weight. Can?t complain though. We enjoy each others company and always have fun in the bush. The new spots that we have been trying tend to get hit hard by other prospectors. That gives us a challenge and we have to walk further and work harder for a few pieces of yellow.
Joe and I went for a walk up a dry stream bed yesterday. I had just purchased a new coil for one of my detectors and wanted to try it out. The gold was hard to find but we managed to bring home a few pieces including one sunbaker.
The creek that we had been working for the past couple of months had stopped giving us much gold so we decided that it was time to move on. Last week we had about 10 inches of rain and the creeks flooded so we decided to go back and give it one more try. When we arrived, we noticed that the water in that creek hadn?t risen as much as we?d hoped and the gravels and rocks didn?t move around to the extent that we wanted. We decided to work the creek anyway and struggled for 9 pieces between us. Every piece came as a result of flood movement so we were pleased that there is still potential for the area in the future. We just need a big flood before we come back. We have found some new areas to explore and can?t wait to get there in the coming weeks.
Les,
Have you thought about picking a fast moving area and digging a hole in the bottom of the creek so that it would naturally collect the gold nuggets? I would pick a spot just down stream of a big flat rock. Might bee worth trying.
Jim Altmiller
The theory is good Jim. That would work as we often find gold in depressions like that. A 20 ton excavator would be just what we need.🥴🥴🥴 Dig a deep hole down to bedrock, wait for the next flood and then come back to find that someone else has reaped the rewards of your effort. 😂😂😂😂 If you we?re prepared to fly out and dig the hole, I?d be more than happy to go 50/50 :cheesy: :cheesy:
Couldn?t you just put a traffic cone in it and claim it? :cheesy:
Les,
I thought you were working in a small creek not a river. 😆
I figured if you found the right rock and with a shovel you dig a hole under the down stream side it would tend to catch heavy material. Just how many gold prospectors do you have working your area?
Jim Altmiller
Hi Jim,
I have attached a photo of the creek about a mile or so upstream from where we were working. This may give you some idea of the size and scope of the area we are prospecting in. Unfortunately there was no gold to be found in this section. The beautiful rock bars make superb gold traps. Prospecting is a popular hobby in Australia. Many thousands of people participate in this activity which is great to see but as a consequence, gold is becoming harder to find. I wish I started 30 years ago. It?s even more addictive than beekeeping.
It?s been a while between prospecting trips. Bad weather and family stuff has kept us away from the bush for too long. Joe and I went to a spot that we have never detected before. It?s been on the to do list for quite a while and it was good to finally make it. We walked up the creek for half a day and found nothing but pieces of rusty steel and lead shot. It was beginning to get quite depressing as the country looked promising. After turning for home, Joe finally got a nice signal and I helped him retrieve a nice piece from about 6? of water. We were finally on the board. As it was getting late, we decided to move quickly and get back to the ute. Joe and I picked up a small nugget each and we finally made it to a thin quartz reef that had given a nice signal early in the day. The 1? wide quartz vein ran across most of the creek and was under about 6? of water. I decided to walk away from it as it was going to take a bit of work to smash the quartz with a pick. The first picture shows what the vein looks like. Unfortunately the afternoon light produced a frustrating reflection that spoilt the photo. Joe started smashing the quartz with the sharp end of the pick until a piece of gold popped out. I took a pic of the piece sitting on top of the coil. I didn?t realise at the time but another piece of gold was also removed by the pick. If you zoom into the photo, you may be able to see it about two inches to the right of the word ?Coiltek?. The detector quickly found that piece and we recovered it just after the photo was taken. Two more signals were detected in the vein but we had to walk away due to the fading light. A cold chisel and hammer will be needed to recover these pieces in a few days time. Hopefully this little vein will produce some more pieces when we take the time to chip away at it.
Joe and I went back to he quartz reef today armed with cold chisels and hammers to extract the gold from the reef. After about 20 minutes of chiselling, the first piece came out. The quartz was hard and most of it broke into small particles which was then removed from the cold water using our fingers. The first shot is an underwater picture taken with the GoPro. Getting a picture in focus was impossible due to the shallow water. The tightly packed the quartz was difficult to break up and progress was very slow. The second shot shows a couple of pieces of gold mixed with the quartz that was removed from the newly chiselled crevice. After a couple of hours of chiselling we gave up as our gold return was poor in relation to the effort put in. I think the remaining gold will be left for someone with a bit more patience.
Hi Les, How deep underwater was the quartz?
Hi Phillip,
It was only about 4? but it was cold. You would need some heavy duty equipment to bust up the quartz and host rock. It?s just not worth the effort. The other issue is that it is on private property and I?m not interested in upsetting the land owner by making a mess. We had some fun and that?s what it?s all about.
You were preceptive in what I was going to suggest. :grin: Its very nice of the landowner to allow y'all the privilege of searching on his property.
Keep having fun!
Joe and I have been really struggling to find any gold worthy of posting lately. Today was no exception. We have been working a new area that has provided very little for out time and effort time but we have still had enjoyable outings. We went up a new creek that looked good but it was barren and did not give us any gold. It was a beautiful pace with magnificent rock bars and waterfalls. We walked upstream for about 1km but failed to detect anything of interest. We ended up spending the second half of the day on some old workings that produced a few scraps for out effort.
Joe and I went for a look in a creek that was famous for its gold 170 years ago. Some pretty country was encountered as we started to move upstream.
As the creek narrowed, the scenery improved and the potential for gold increased. Unfortunately, targets were scarce and we only found one small piece which was a little disappointing. At least the eye candy made the day a pleasant experience.
Beautiful Les. Thanks!
That's beautiful. Nice to look at when it has been so dry here!
It?s been a while since Joe and I have hit the bush for a detect. We decided to go back to a creek that had given some good results in the past and work a bit harder. There was a hole that in the creek bed that gave us some good pieces in the past and we wanted to revisit this spot as the weather has been quite dry for a month or so and the water level had dropped considerably. We dug over much of this hole and removed quite a few rocks and gravel to exposed the treasure hidden below. We managed to score 20 small pieces for our effort. Nothing of any real size but we had a great day out.
Joe and I went back to the same spot today and started moving some rocks and gravel and detected as we went. It was one small piece after another throughout the day. We had a ball. Found a few slightly better pieces but most nuggets were small. This was one of those days that we will always remember. We ended up with 74 pieces of gold that came in well over 10 grams.
That sounds like a great day. Congratulations.
Current gold prices of 60 UK pounds per gram that was a lucrative day out!
Quote from: Terri Yaki on September 10, 2024, 07:58:56 AM
That sounds like a great day. Congratulations.
Congratulations! Great find Les!!! Looks like another wonderful vacation may be in the works!? :grin:
Les,
How deep are you able to detect gold?
I wonder what would happen if you found a farmer and worked a newly plowed field. My New Ground Plow can turn over 18 inches of dirt. I?ll bet that would make a big difference as to what is available.
Jim Altmiller
18"? I believe you'd be getting into clay up here in my neck of the woods. And our farmers no longer plow, they just put the seeds into the ground. It seems they found no benefit to plowing.
It was a good day out Nigel. I should be jarring up honey today and making labels for sundays markets but I think Joe and I will be back to the spot again today. Beekeeping work will be put on hold for a couple of days until the gold fever subsides. It is a horrible disease lol. Joe and I have often spoken about how much gold we actually walk over. We always laugh about what we could find if we had a 20 ton excavator. This would be illegal but we are allowed to fantasise. Detectors can find gold at depths well over a foot in ideal conditions but often very small pieces are on.y found at depths of less than 4?. By moving large rocks and scraping off an inch or so of gravel, gold can be detected that could not be heard from the surface. We have taken much of the easily detected gold and we now need to work harder to find our treasure. Yesterday was just one of those lucky days where a plan came together and we reaped the rewards. Today will be a day where we just finish picking up a few leftover scraps as the run of gold is just about finished.
Nigel, I just checked the price of gold here in Australia. It?s pretty high at the moment at $121 per gram. That?s for pure gold and of course, gold nuggets generally contain impurities such as silver and copper and may also contain bits of quartz, dirt etc. I cleaned the gold in an ultrasonic cleaner to remove most of the dirt and there was very
little quartz attached. The gold in our area is some of the purest gold in Australia and normally comes in at around 98% purity. If the gold we found yesterday was melted into a small ingot, I would expect to get over 10 grams in total. We have a shop in town that is going to buy gold and will pay 90% of spot price for it. They melt the nuggets down, weigh the resulting block of gold and then test it in an XRF machine for its purity. They will then calculate the real quantity of gold and pay accordingly. If we wanted to sell it, we could expect to get just over $100 per gram. If we wanted to sell the gold privately as gold nuggets we would be able to attract a premium and get a bit more than spot price for it. A guy I know in Western Australia recently found a 58 gram nugget on top of the ground. (What we call a sun baker) It was a pretty piece and would sell for a good price to a collector. The biggest nugget that I?ve actually seen and held was one that a local guy found in Western Australia a couple of years ago. It weighed well over 600 grams. It was a thrill to be able to hold it.
Joe and I went back to the spot just to finish things up. We moved some gravel and detected as we went. The further we moved away from the pool we were detecting around, the deeper the ground became. Eventually the gold ran out and we came home exhausted. We scored a nice 2.2 gram nugget at depth and picked up a few nice pieces that helped to get our total weight to a respectable 6 grams. This was another great day out in the bush. It is now time to focus on some beekeeping stuff for a few day.
Joe and I made it back to the creek yesterday to see if we could dig a few more pieces out. We found a few but they were small. WeWent for a long walk upstream and eventually Joe picked up a beautiful 2.5 gram nugget in some flood gravel. That piece really made the day for us and helped the tally mount up.
QuoteJoe picked up a beautiful 2.5 gram nugget in some flood gravel. That piece really made the day for us and helped the tally mount up.
Now that would add to my gold fever if I were in gold country!
Joe and I went back to the gully for another look around to see if we could find a few more scraps of gold. Joe found a small patch and ended up pulling 5 small pieces from it. Apart from that, we only added a few more pieces to the tally. It was still a good day out with the pieces being a little larger than the small nuggets that we usually find. We put that down to the machines that we were swinging. The GPZ 7000 was used to try to find some deeper gold and cover more ground due to its larger coil size. It doesn?t find the tiny scraps that the 6000 picks up but we were interested in the larger chunks buried at depth. I picked up a piece in a vertical wall. As I was digging it out, it showed itself and a photo was taken while it was still partially buried.
Just put up a clip made from footage that I took about 3 months ago. Was never happy with the quality of the audio and the commentary was also pretty ordinary but the day held good memories for Joe and I. We worked hard that day for very little return.
https://youtu.be/_jFxFWqM5Xs?si=U-7sqH47dFFyHDlu
Your video popped up on my phone this AM. It looked like a fun day even if the return was not so great. It's the adventure that counts, right :grin:
It was an adventure for sure. Lots of fun in a really pretty environment.
QuoteLots of fun in a really pretty environment.
I don't have as fancy a metal detector, but it's mid-range. I have a problem tuning it so that it isn't going nuts on iron rich ground and rocks, but still picks up good stuff. I don't really expect to find gold, although it's possible. I do like finding coins and stuff. I think I'm just not so good at recognizing the sounds. How sensitive is the tuning for your detectors or do you just have enough experience to know what to ignore?
The detector in the video is a specific gold detector that is designed to handle the noisy ground. It still does go nuts in some areas and sends us a bit crazy but that?s OK. It?s all part of the challenge. Treasure detectors will find gold but it?s a bit harder when the gold is small and the area is mineralised. Hunting for coins and treasure is good fun.
QuoteTreasure detectors will find gold but it?s a bit harder when the gold is small and the area is mineralised. Hunting for coins and treasure is good fun.
It is fun. One of my best finds was a 1925 silver quarter and it might have been worth a couple of dollars except someone shot a hole right through the middle! Good shot :grin:
The rest is mostly old farm stuff, and a few low value bits of jewelry, but I have not spent the time at it that I'd like.
Would love to see a picture of the quarter. I reckon the bullet hole would add value(if not character). When I get time, I work the beaches. On a good day enough money can be found to buy a coffee lol. I have found a few old gold rings but I don?t do it often enough. We have to wait for things like your hurricane to stir the ocean up and move sand around. Lead fishing sinkers are a common find these days. Credit cards killed it for the beach prospector.
Helene should have stirred up the water off West FL. With all the wrecks in the Gulf and Atlantic, many around FL, there are plenty of treasures and treasure hunters!
Hope the bad weather didn?t cause too many issue for you guys.
Quote from: Lesgold on September 30, 2024, 01:18:37 AM
Hope the bad weather didn?t cause too many issue for you guys.
In some places it's pretty bad but where i am, we're usually safe, as was the case this round. Beemaster2 might be in a pickle, though I haven't seen that he posted to that effect. Some of those along the inland route got hit really, really bad. Like in Tennessee and North Carolina. Houses washed away, unbelievable accumulations of debris in the waterways and such. I hope all here are safe and sound (as well as all others, flooding is a terrible experience).
We fared pretty well here. Highest wind speed was 90 MPH. I had very little damage around the house. A metal roof section was ripped off of my old barn and small branches were falling off the trees, very few considering. We only received one inch of rain. It was only here for about 12 hours. I was up all night listening to the fire calls and responding to power lines down and trees blocking the roads. I went out on one call for a tree on the road real close to the farm. Didn?t find it and on the way back home, there was a 70 foot, 16 inch diameter tree that was blocking the road completely. In the past I would have cut it up myself and cleared it myself but after the tornado that went through here in May, We, Baker County Fire Rescue, removed so many trees that this time they had the road crew staged up here in my area with track hoes and bulldozers and all I had to do was call them on the radio and tell them where to go. I had more damage over on my brothers side of my property, lots of branches and trees down. He and my sister in law cleaned up most of it. We still have trees on a workshop and a empty building that we have to remove still from the Tornado back in May. My main tractor broke down days before it and it is still in the shop for repairs. When I get it back we will remove the trees. The workshop was in destroyed and we will have to tear it down.
Jim Altmiller
Sorry to hear that Jim. Hope the recovery is speedy and relatively pain free.
Went for a play down to the usual spot. The gold is getting harder to find and the nuggets are getting smaller. Still managed a collection of small pieces.
My eldest daughter and grandson went with me to a local haunt for a days prospecting. It was hard work but we came home with a bit of yellow for our trouble.
That sounds like a really fun family day. The gold probably doesn't matter much!
It was. My daughter has gold fever in a big way. She is very determined and would have liked to unearth that elusive, large nugget but it was not to be. My grandson was getting a bit bored towards the end but he did find a piece with the detector and dug out a few of the other pieces.
I get great joy in reading your thread and watching your videos. Thank you for keeping it going! I can't do it myself anymore so you showing your adventures is so much fun to me as the only mining I can do now a days is window shopping in coin and bullion shops!
Hi Ray,
I read your post with delight. It?s good to see you post again after 10 years. Isn?t it good that Beemaster has different topics to offer our beekeepers which we may have a mutual interest! Some subjects that are not even related to bees, such as this one!
I also enjoy Lesgolds prospecting post and updates as well! Here in Mississippi we do not have the opportunity to prospect because of the lack of gold. But it?s fun reading Les post while cheering him on!
Kind regards,
Phillip
Hi Ray,
I?m pleased that you enjoy the thread. Beekeeping is a lot of fun but there are also other things in life that bring us joy. As you know, prospecting is a hobby that can be exciting at times and is made up of research, trial and error and a lot of hard work. There are days of disappointment but the beautiful country and companionship of friends and family make for wonderful days and long lived memories. Hope to share a few more of our adventures as they arise.
Cheers
Les
Thank you Ben and Les both for your kind words and welcome. Bees are not so interesting to me any more since it's gotten easier to grow mites than bees. But thanks for this gold mining thread it helps get me out of the house at least in my imaginations.
Here?s a bit of eye candy for you Ray. With rain due tonight, I had to get out for a play to bring the gold fever down. With my detecting mate off on his own gold prospecting holiday, I decide to go solo to the usual spot. Picked up a couple of pieces on a cliff face caught up in moss. Had to climb up about 10 feet to reach a rock face that was completely covered in moss. It acts as a perfect gold trap and the specs would have been caught there in the big floods we had this time last year. I then moved up the creek and started digging a trench on the down stream side of a dry hole in the creek bed that had given up some nuggets a few months ago. It was hard work but I was lucky enough to find a few small pieces.
Very Nice Les, thanks for sharing that for me!
I used to do some panning back in the 1990's but now I spend time once in awhile in a gold bullion shop or 2 in town here. I never found very much but it was always a good time going out for a day and getting wet in a river, and once in awhile finding a flake or two.
Les,
How much did it weigh?
Jim Altmiller
A few years ago, the government surveyed Odisha and found a gold reserve in Keonjhar district. Interestingly, with the Apis mellifera migration season starting in the last week of October in my part of India, I plan to migrate my hives to the Keonjhar district this year. The location where the gold was discovered is quite close to where I'll be setting up my hives.
As a child, I remember hearing stories about gold prospecting in this same locality, and now I?m curious to explore it myself while there. If anyone has any recommendations for gold prospecting gear and tips for beginners or any manual method with household items, I?d love to hear them!
Hi Jim,
The gold weighed a bit over 1.3 grams. Not a lot really but with todays high prices, that equates to about $160. Crazy when you think about it, as there was only a small quantity sitting in my hand.
Hi BigBees,
Gold prospecting is a bit like beekeeping. It?s a lot of research and it takes time to learn where to go and how to find the gold. If there is gold in the streams or rivers, I?d start with a gold pan as it is an inexpensive way to get into the hobby. Make sure that you look into any regulations in relation to searching for gold ie. areas that you can legally explore and methods that you are allowed to use etc. Goodl luck. Hope you find a big nugget.
QuoteI?m curious to explore it myself while there. If anyone has any recommendations for gold prospecting gear and tips for beginners or any manual method with household items, I?d love to hear them!
I second Lesgolds advice on panning. You can also do something called dry panning and you can take dirt home and pan it out in a bucket of water if you think that dirt may have gold in it.
YouTube has tons of videos on different ways to pan and the pans are pretty cheap.
first thing to do is research the area you are going and find out where the gold was found and in what kind of material. Then post your treasure pictures! :grin:
Les I could have placed this in the comedy section, but I decided to place it here instead. lol Maybe most will like what they find.
https://youtu.be/pgAbrhpve5Y?si=lf8Hmn7NRQNqz5ZU
Jeff Williams is a funny guy. It would be great to have your own gold mine and recover buried treasure when ever you needed some extra cash. With the current price of gold, even small quantities are worth a lot of money.
Quote from: Lesgold on October 17, 2024, 03:12:35 PM
Hi BigBees,
Gold prospecting is a bit like beekeeping. It?s a lot of research and it takes time to learn where to go and how to find the gold. If there is gold in the streams or rivers, I?d start with a gold pan as it is an inexpensive way to get into the hobby. Make sure that you look into any regulations in relation to searching for gold ie. areas that you can legally explore and methods that you are allowed to use etc. Goodl luck. Hope you find a big nugget.
Thank you for your advice and guidance. Here in India, a law allows native tribes to use natural resources as they need, whether it is panning gold from the river or collecting gemstones, including diamonds. You can check the story in the link below. When the dam releases water diamond chunks also come from the dam and flow downstream.
https://www.peepultree.world/livehistoryindia/story/art-history/hirakud-diamonds-under-a-dam
Quote from: Kathyp on October 17, 2024, 05:47:21 PM
I second Lesgolds advice on panning. You can also do something called dry panning and you can take dirt home and pan it out in a bucket of water if you think that dirt may have gold in it.
YouTube has tons of videos on different ways to pan and the pans are pretty cheap.
first thing to do is research the area you are going and find out where the gold was found and in what kind of material. Then post your treasure pictures! :grin:
I think dry panning will be a good idea for a newbie like me :). Thank you for your advice.
let us know how you do. The idea of diamond chunks flowing down the river is like something out of a movie :grin: Who knows, maybe gold flows down too!
Quote from: Kathyp on October 21, 2024, 10:58:26 AM
let us know how you do. The idea of diamond chunks flowing down the river is like something out of a movie :grin: Who knows, maybe gold flows down too!
From what I've seen on Gold Rush, it does. But being heavy, it would take some heavy flows to move big chunks, flakes would get moved around more easily.
That was an interesting article Biggbees. Thanks for posting the link. Looks like most of the remaining diamonds will always underwater now. Good luck with your adventure.
Joe and I went for a longer walk today looking for that large nugget. It was one of those days where targets were scarce and no matter what we did, nothing abut a few pieces of lead shot turned up. Eventually Joe managed to score a small piece under a plant that was growing on the edge of the creek. A couple of hours later I had a screaming signal on a cliff face about 10 feet up from the dry creek bed. I thought it was definitely rubbish but it turned out to be a nice, chunky little nugget. Towards the end of the day, I decided to dig some gravel away to expose a rock bar that was pushing its way into the creek bed. I thought it was the perfect gold trap and was pleasantly surprised to get a broad but subtle signal indicating a metallic object that was reasonably deep. I dug out some more gravel and this is what appeared as I dragged some material out of the hole.
It was a nice little chunk that helped to make the day. When we got back to the ute, I noticed that Joes long pants were covered in blood on both legs. Some leaches took a liking to him and had a merry time munching away and getting quite fat. He is on blood thinners and tends to bleed well when the little suckers latch on.
Joe and I went for a play up a well known gold bearing creek. We had never detected there before and were surprised at the amount of rubbish in the stream. There were pieces of old, large diameter pipe strewn along the length of the creek. It would have been used in the old days to run water down stream to hydraulically sluice the banks in order to capture the gold. Unfortunately, access to the creek was simple which meant the area had copped a lot of attention over the years. I managed to squeeze a couple of small bits out of the banks as well as quite a few lead shot and pieces of rusted steel.
Haven?t had a chance to get out prospecting over the past few months so I decided to photograph 2024?s finds and lock it away. There were a couple of nice little chunks in the pile.
The pile itself was a good chunk! Thanks Les for keeping this topic moving. I Have really enjoyed reading of your prospecting while viewing your pictures. So interesting and appreciated! PS are you planning another cross country trip? That series was awesome!
Phillip
I'm jealous of that pile, Les. If I was you, I'd be inclined to hang out at the cruise ship dock, selling them to tourists.
The pile would have been better if it was much higher lol. The main thing is the memories that the hunts generated. Not sure about about a trip this year Phillip. Family stuff may be the focus for the immediate future. Will be back to the usual haunts when the weather cools down a bit. That?s funny Terri Y. Selling gold nuggets is quite easy. It?s surprising how popular an investment they are.