Hello All,The one thing I forgot to mention in my last blog post on ultra fine Gold recovery and is something I have been experiementing with is the water and the additives I use to help soften the water with. My last blog post got a few members mentioning the fact that classifying is the key to successful recovery of the ultra fine Gold and I do agree to a point.Ultra soft water in a recirculator is also a big key to the recovery of ultra fine flour Gold. I started out using water softener salt and jet dry in combination and this does help to soften the water. I eventually added Lime to this mix and did very well but have run into some problems. These problems are minor but are there anyways. The Lime and water softener salt do leave residue behind on the equipment and will eventually plug up the plumbing if left for to long of a time.I have now come up with a new combination of additives and am now using Potassium Chloride Crystals that are also use in water softeners and Jet Dry. I have noticed that the water from my home tap does feel very soft. I am currently trying to use the potassium chloride at the rate of 1 pound per each 10 gallons of water in my holding tank. This might be able to be cut down to a rate of 1 pound per each 15 gallons of water. I am not sure at this point in time which will work better.I am going to ask a favor of this group and hope to get some feed back on this idea. If you use any kind of recirculator, would you please give the combination of the Jet Dry and Potassium Chloride a try and get back to me with your results. This includes people who use the Spiral Wheels, recirculating sluices and recirculating highbankers.Thanks, Bill Henderson
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Posted by scottnugget on August 5, 2009 at 10:44pm
08/05/20099th Circuit Court of Appeals Reinstates Clinton-era Roadless RuleThe US Appeals Court for the Ninth Circuit reinstated the 2001 Clinton-era Roadless Rule, barring development in "roadless" areas of national forests in many of the Western states.The ruling exempts Idaho and the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Idaho created its own roadless plan and the Tongass National Forest was exempt from the initial plan.The Ninth Circuit issued their ruling on Wednesday, August 5, 2009, but the ruling may only be temporary.US District Judge Clarence Brimmer in Wyoming ruled on August 12, 2008, that the Roadless Rule was illegal. He ruled the federal government did not follow National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) standards. Bremmer concluded the federal government did not adequately include effected states, did not offer alternatives unless they included a ban on roadbuilding, and the outcome was predetermined, among other problems.The Wyoming case is currently being appealed by environmental groups. Now there are two conflicting rulings on the same case in different parts of the country. The case may have to go all the way to the Supreme Court before it is completely settled.
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Hello to all.Bill and I have been idle for a few mos since are work sch. have been changed.When he gets back from vacation,we should be back on the same sch.,and let the madness begin.I have been working on the rock crusher.It will either work,or be a big joke.I will know more in a week or so..I am interested in how all of you are doing?I see quite a few people read the drip I write,but,I receive little feed back.So,how, are you all doing? getting gold? Waiting on the weather? etc,etc,.Soon,Bill and I will be back on sch to dig as normal.Lord knows I need the excersise
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Posted by Patti Lambert on August 2, 2009 at 11:27pm
Hello,My name is Patti, (ProspectorPatti) I live in Desert Hot Springs, CA., and fell in love with gold mining almost 4 years ago, and love it even more now, haven't found much lately, but my first nugget, was a beauty, and I had gold fever, digging in the dark by lanterns, and don't mind the hard work, as I have done my share, and always do my own work, I even have my very own dry washer, (present from my boyfriend one xmas) also with viles, pans, etc. :) Anyway, love to talk about gold, and of course, find it too.Patti
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Got out to the claim for a few hrs. today.I started following a large outcropping that goes into the stream.About a foot down, the outcropping flattened out and spread across the stream.Didn't clean the floor, just shoveled out some overburdon.Next time, I'll spend all weekend there.Oh ya, I did find color.Now I almost have enough so that you can see it. LOL
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Posted by scottnugget on August 2, 2009 at 11:09pm
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Yukon River smokehouses should be filled this summer with oil-rich strips of king salmon -- long used by Alaska Natives as a high-energy food to get through the long Alaska winters. But they're mostly empty.The kings failed to show up, and not just in the Yukon.One Alaska river after another has been closed to king fishing this summer because significant numbers of fish failed to return to spawn. The dismally weak return follows weak runs last summer and poor runs in 2007, which also resulted in emergency fishing closures."It is going to be a tough winter, no two ways about it," said Leslie Hunter, a 67-year-old store owner and commercial fisherman from the Yup'ik Eskimo village of Marshall in western Alaska.Federal and state fisheries biologists are looking into the mystery.King salmon spend years in the Bering Sea before returning as adults to rivers where they were born to spawn and die. Biologists speculate that the mostly likely cause was a shift in Pacific Ocean currents, but food availability, changing river conditions and predator-prey relationships could be affecting the fish.People living along the Yukon River think they know what is to blame -- pollock fishery. The fishery -- the nation's largest -- removes about 1 million metric tons of pollock each year from the eastern Bering Sea. Its wholesale value is nearly $1 billion.King salmon get caught in the huge pollock trawl nets, and the dead kings are counted and most are thrown back into the ocean. Some are donated to the needy."We do know for a fact that the pollock fishery is slaughtering wholesale and wiping out the king salmon stocks out there that are coming into all the major tributaries," said Nick Andrew Jr., executive director of the Ohagamuit Traditional Council. "The pollock fishery is taking away our way of living."Since 2000, the incidental number of king salmon caught has skyrocketed, reaching over 120,000 kings in 2007. A substantial portion of those fish were bound for western Alaska rivers. If those fish had lived, an estimated 78,000 adult fish would have returned to rivers from the Pacific Northwest to Western Alaska.Efforts to reduce bycatch are not new. In 2006, bycatch rules were adopted allowing the pollock fleet to move from areas where lots of kings were being inadvertently caught, thereby avoiding large-scale fishing closures. Then, 2007 happaned, and it was back to the drawing board.Last April, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, the organization that manages ocean fish, passed a hard cap on the pollock fishery. Beginning in 2011, the portion of the fleet that participates in the program is allowed 60,000 kings a year. If the cap is reached, the fishery shuts down. Those who don't participate have a lower cap -- 47,591 fish.The loss of the kings is devastating village economies. These are the same Yukon River villages where spring floods swept away homes, as well as boats, nets and smokehouses. There's no money to buy anything, Andrew said."It is crippling the economy in all of the rivers where we depend on commercial fishing for income," he said.Bycatch plays a role but is not the only reason for the vanishing kings, said Diana Stram, a fishery management plan coordinator at the council.Herman Savikko, an Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist, agreed. He pointed to changing ocean currents, plankton blooms and even the carnivorous nature of salmon. River conditions could be changing, too, he said.A lot isn't known about what happens to king salmon in the ocean, Savikko said. "Once the fish enter the marine environment it just is a big black box," he said.In a good year, Kwik'pak Fisheries L.L.C. in Emmonak on the lower Yukon employs between 200 and 300 people. This summer, only about 30 people have been hired. Kwik'pak is the largest employer in the region.General manager Jack Schultheis said when the king fishery was shut down, the summer chum salmon run was curtailed as well, even though a good number of chums were returning to the river.The lower Yukon villages are economically devastated, he said.Fishermen used to get between $5 million and $10 million from the fishery. Last year, it was $1.1 million.That means instead of making between $20,000 and $30,000 in the 1970s, fishermen are making just a few thousand dollars now, and that in villages where fuel costs $8 a gallon, milk is $15 a gallon and a T-bone steak costs $25, he said.It's hard to see the villages in such economic hardship but the Yukon should be managed conservatively until the problem of the disappearing kings is better understood, Schultheis said."For 50 years, it was an extremely stable fishery," he said.Buzz up! 5
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finally, I get to pursue my dreams...well im 30, its about time.....I am going to Dutch Harbour ,Alaska and try to get a job on a crab boat for King Crab season......if that doesnt happen I will take a job in a cannery or processing plant!!! anyways...hows the gold hunting business up there?? someone told me about the Yukon, any other places I should consider looking before returning home in Feb. Or March??? Should I try and bring back some gold laden soil for panning?? ANYONE own a crab boat?? Anyone have any friends or connections up there I could use to get a foot in the door?? I guess im asking for alot, but I have always been a hard worker and I guess thats what matters....Any advice? Thanks
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For those of you living near N.W. Pennsylvania, EGPA has opened a new club. I hear they are finding some nice stuff. You can get more information on my website by clicking on the link for EGPA.I go to the club meetings near York,PA because it is a lot closer to home.
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A Man NeedsWhat does man need—really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in----and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all---in a material sense. And we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert out attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade.The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it the tomb is sealed.Where, then lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life? What fallows is not a blueprint for the man entombed; not many people find themselves in a situation paying a hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year (as if any man is worth that much). But the struggle is relative: it’s a lot harder to walk away from an income like that then from a fraction thereof…….Many “retire” and enjoy himself as soon as he is too old to do so. This is more then just a system---- it is the credo. As Thoreau said in 1839: The majority of men lead lives of quit desperation.From the book the” Wanderer “By Sterling Hayden, 1963Live your life to the fullest.
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Hello All,I just wanted to mention the passing of a dear friend who had a major influence on me getting in to prospecting. Jerry Tracy of Midland, NC was a friend of mine for many years . He was a member of the GPAA and the LDMA also at one time I believe. His health wasn't good for the past few years so much so he was not able to get out and enjoy his favorite passtime of prospecting. We watched many a showon prospecting over the years and I surely wish we had a few more chances to go out and prospecttogether. We can only hope there is a gold laden stream for Jerry to enjoy upstairs......God's bless you Jerry you will be missed.
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Anybody have any good places to go out there. I might be out there for a week , with nothing to do all day long, so i was hoping to find some good places.thanks
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I just came back from NC prospecting and was talking to an old timer who told me about aledgely finding what he said was liquid gold i have never herd of this and was wondering if there was any truth to it any feedback from anyone would be helpfull i didnt want to call him a liar without some advice thanks for the adviceokey
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for every one who hasn't been there the thermal city gold and gem mine in nc is a great place to go for a day trip the folks there are verry nice and helpfull for the novice prospector there is fun for the entire family they also host gold digs and have another one scheduled in sep 5-6 any one interested in going mayby we may be able to meat up ad go
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Anyone out there that would like a great place to pan, dredge, highbank, or just hike around the old township of Langdon. We will be at our claim this weekend on Cow Creek. We have 140 acre placer claim. An old 1889 town called Langdon is in the middle of the claim and still has one building still standing (well, almost still standing) there are three old bottle dumps from the late 1800's to about 1930 when the town closed for good.Anyone who would like to come up and spend the day please email me for directions.There are also 4 smaller creeks that dump into Cow Creek in our claim. Skull Creek, Jack Rabbit, No-Name, and Snake Creek. We have 12 camping sites with four drives off the road into the claim, (one you have to have a 4 wheel drive to get out of 50% grade climb out) and across Cow Creek Road is a RV park with rest room.Come and join us for some fun.
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Matt is a great prospector, as well as a man of many talents. If you haven't watched every episode of his "Finding Gold" series on youtube, you are really missing a treat.You will learn about many aspects of prospecting and treasure hunting that may be new to you, but all are presented ny a very experienced man who graciously shares a lifetime of knowledge with us through these videos.Here's a link to the FIRST one, but be sure to see them all!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lPYg5U4P6s&feature=channel_pageHeavy Pans,faaus
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this last weekend i got the chance to meet some of the best peopls i have met in over 44 yeqrs of prospecting .these friends were some that i met on this site. we have chated on yahoo voice chat for a long time, i helped them to join a club so they could come to idaho and have some claims to work although its rained almost all the time they have been here they seem to be very eager to get to work prospecting i got to visit with stonewall gene and sweet lady jules who i found to be a great person along with gene her hubby gator jim lezak is one nice guy had a good time talking to him vern gene s buddy is a great person to had a great time getting wet in the rain with him stacy and tina were the camp cooks they put ouy some of the best food you could eat but the best suprise was ahen i got to meet someone i have talked to for better then a year and a half both in the chat room and in a voice chat cecil vance and his wife shirl are to of the nices people you would want to meet .even thought i only had 2 days with them it was a great experiance despite all the rain every one is eager to get their equipment in the water they should find a lot of gold as soon as they start dredgeing i wish i would of had more time to visit with them as it was one of the best times i have ever had just talking and listening to everone good things can come frome places like this web site i hope each and everyone of you members can find friends like i have from this site what i found in all these people this last weekend is a gift that cannot ever be replaced by anyone or any thing
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Well we got back from AGC and had a blast.I uploaded some pix of my cleanup I did after I got home. No big bonanza but I thought it was pretty good with a lot of weather interuptions.Spent most of my time talking down on the creek. Learning a lot from a guy I only know as Kentucky.He helped me with setting up the sluice that I got from Tim LeGrand. Once I got the flow right through the sluice it worked great. My wife and I are making plans to go back next year (or earlier) so I can try to get me some more of that pretty yeller stuff!!
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6.14.2009HELP I need help from someone who understands GeologyI am dredging in the South Muddy River about a mile from the LDMA Camp. This area of the creek has not been worked since 1909, when Hydraulic mining was shut down by a nieghboring county because the cows where dying from the silting. ..Noone in the area has been able to help me... Here is the quiz....I have a Clay (Battleship Grey) layer, 6-18 inches thick, that is void of any materiel; below the surface gravel and rocks, below that I have a nice pay layer under thatranging from 1" to 5" thick...Nice RED dirt with gravel mixed in.... then Saphorite (decomposing Bedrock) Most likely granite or kimberlite. I have gone thru the saphorite 3-4 foot and no end in site....1. Is it worth it to continue thru the Saphorite?2. Any guess-tamets how many years ago the Clay layer may have been laid down?3. Or should I just stop at the pay layer and move on?Sorry this is private Property that I had to interview for 5 hours and be checked out by the owner, so I Can NOT take on any partners. Hell I can not even take any one onto the property to look around, He's a Lawyer and I had to sign 5 different releases to get on the property.... But It is well Worth it
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Hello to all.been in hiding a bit trying to construct a gas engine powered clod buster.Basically,it has come to Bill and I,that,we spend all or most of our time classifying material.Basically we are building a small portable impact crusher ,with the theory being,that it will eliminate the need for classifying.So,off tomorrow I go to get some metal cut for the new toy.Come back home and start welding it up.Hopefully it will be finished within the week so the digging can commence.I will try and take some pics and save the measurements as I go so if anyone else wants to build one,the info will be available.of course,if the device fails miserably ,the pics and plans will probally fall into the file in fireplace catergory---LOL
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