I noticed since I showed up here that there is an ongoing problem for people, pro as well as the new folks with getting all the visible gold (10x) out of their black sands.
Some states only have the smallest extra fine gold. People spend hundreds of dollars on equipment and in the end always have gold in the black sand they cant get loose. Almost everyone can recover a 2mm flake. but 1,.5 and smaller seem to drive most folks to buy a kiln or retort or burn torch fuel and end up spending far more than they recover.
So the question is this. Since so many old timers left us without passing on their skills and I dont have many but I do have this one. Would people be interested in me producing a DVD that shows exactly how to finish pan down to empty sand?
Not my ugly mug or a bunch of BS stories about dad or grandpa getting 200 oz out of a crack but just the nuts and bolts of how to get the gold with only a finish pan and a couple small cheap tools?
I dont have a movie camera so I would have to come up with the money for a pro to shoot and edit about an hour and produce a semi-pro instructional DVD. I was thinking it could be sold two ways.
1. A full set, with the pan and all the little tools as well as some test bags of black sand prepared with certain sizes and numbers of gold particles that people could test themselves with and then reveal the number in each test in the DVD. No clue what rounding up the stuff and making the test bags would run.
or
2.Just the single disk in the mail and provide all your own things. Cheapest option.
Im not interested in getting rich off it, but i want to know if there is enough interest to even out from what i would have to pay to get it made. I dont mind putting in the work and effort to pass on the skills but I also dont want to blow a couple hundred to get the project done and get fifty bucks back in the end.
There would need to be significant interest so I didn't go way in the hole.
What do you think?
Which way would you want it? a little set of things you actually use or just the facts?
If everyone thinks its a stupid idea and I would lose money, i will forget it.
Replies
Hey Flour (Indy Jones) Mike,
I am not sure what you are going to offer that is not already out there. There are several You-Tube (Free) videos that show various ways to get the flour gold and even the Gold Prospecting channel shows how to do it.
I am a panner who can get down to -200 mesh. However, it is a slow and exacting process, so I explored and eventually got a Gold Lab ($1000). I found 25% more gold in my black sand tailings, so it was worth it to me. My return on investment with 8: 1-2 day trips per year is three years. My ROI counting the time saved by not having to meticulously pan or pan at all is one year. I don't recommend that everyone get one of these things, but if you have lots of black sand to go through, it is probably worth it.
If the technique you have to share it significantly different than what is out there, you may have a market. It is certainly better for you to film and edit it yourself to keep the costs down. A simple Flip camera could do it. Invest your money in the lighting. Bright, but soft light will make it easy to shoot and look better.
If you want to discuss the details of your technique and how to film it, feel free to email me.
Kgphoto@pacbell.net
Being a newbie myself I would be interested in a video. I know this has been done before but I also know your results from your pictures on here. I am terrible at panning and have a vile of gold at home with a little black sand I just can’t seem to get out. The funny thing is I have told my wife that when I get enough gold to pay for a kiln/furnace I am getting one. This panning it clean stinks for me, or I mean I stink at it. Heck I have black sand from my Alaska trip that I brought home rather than throwing out. I would have to agree with Dusty. Check out some of the schools in your area. Maybe even a high school and talk to the yearbook staff. Someone there might be interested. Heck I bet you could come up with a stellar video.
Your probably too young to know what these are but back in the 80s we solved the kiln problem with a big screen tv and a piece of broken graphite cup. In the olden days, long long ago, back when TV sets had just changed from round to square picture tubes they sold 2'x3' Fresnel lenses and metal stands. You built the stand and it stuck out 2' into the room in front of your giant console TV and you had a 'Big Screen' tv. Everyone would come over to your house for state of the union, football or just the usual black and white shows that hadnt been filmed in color yet even though there were color TVs. That was my $2 kiln when the sun would come out in Washington. rotflmao btw the graphite shard came after we melted the gold into the sidewalk.
I think you been in the sun to much LMAO. I remember our protable big screen tv. Had a handel on the top of the tv and that is why they called it portable. Never mind it weighed in at 100 pounds or more
Personally, I would not purchase this. I feel I do an adequate job in recovering flour, even <100 mesh. However, I think there is a market for this. The real question is how much it would cost to produce this. Realistically I see something like this going for around $10. Many prospectors I know love to learn, but are always a bit strapped for cash. Now here is an idea that would work out here. There are many film students at my school, and I know some that would just LOVE to make a bit of extra cash and would appreciate adding something professional to their portfolio. This may be a considerably cheaper option that hiring an established pro to film and edit for you.
To sum it up, there is a definite market for a DVD like this, but it would have to be made at a very reasonable price to turn some profit. I really think at around $10 it would sell like hotcakes both at prospecting shops and on popular auction websites.
Thanks for the idea Dusty. I think im over the selling all the stuff together. people have too many personal preferences, and I have never been impressed myself with any of the "everything you need" sets. $10 is definitely the limit. I was also thinking of having a site, or this one doing a file host. Would drive the price right down. I just cant picture myself sticking them in envelopes every day. I have digging to do lol.
Back when I started I had 3 kids to finish high school and get through college. I worked nights as a journey grocer and cut firewood in the daytime. My prospecting trips were on the way from cutting firewood once i had the load, because I couldn't afford gas to make a special trip. I know the money thing from both ends.