Blogs

"New project, (New Device) when done it should be able to handle more material than a back-pack dredge and without the permit hassle."

What if i told you about a new drywasher..It takes no motor no mixed gas and no hoses. Lightweight and very portable from 10 years of age to the most experienced prospector. And is totally self classifying...did i peake your interest..Good..like to hear what you think about what you know now.

SWIFTWATER

Me and Allen Cravens went to Snake River in Spencer, Indiana, with the N.E Illinois Gold Prospectors and panned some gold. Found some specks, but we just wanted to see where the group was meeting and what is was all about. Overall, fun! Hope to go back soon.

Had a fun time at our local Gold Prospectors Association of America Chapter meeting last night in Grovetown, GA. 

We brought in a gas powered rock crusher and everyone brought some rocks to crush. Then each person ran their paydirt through a Multi-Sluice and panned it out. 
Several folks had some small gold in the pan. 

However, I couldn't help pranking one of the newbies who dutifully brought his small bucket of crushed rock to run through the multi-Sluice. 

While he wasn't looking, I slipped in a small bottle of rich concentrates with some nice gold in it just to see his reaction. 

It was priceless, he was so excited when he saw the beautiful gold in the Washer Mat of the Multi-Sluice! 

After a minute or so I had to tell him what I had done. We all had a good laugh and I let him keep the gold, but the excitement was still there...seeing gold in the pan for the first time is pretty cool because it comes as such a surprise. 

Have you been surprised lately? Have your Eureka moment with paydirt from our fine sponsors...:-)

http://www.ipan4gold.com/1916-2/ ;

OK, so we bought a gold mine in Arizona. As we were cleaning out an adit, we found 3000 pounds of already crushed ore!!! We ran it through our Gold Cube, and sure enough, we have gold. We will be out here mining until Friday afternoon, then we have to go back to the frozen north until June when my kids get out of school. Any help anyone wishes to offer will be greatly appreciated now and in June.

Thanks all for the welcomes. For those wondering, me and Allen Cravens usually go around Central Illinois and getting our dirt from local gravel pits and creeks. It isn't much, but it is fun! Again, thanks for all the welcomes. I will mainly be on the podcast if you want to talk with me. 

After I get my fine gold recovery bowl completed I will be posting my own version of the plans and materials list

I’m Bill Rhinehart. I live in Riverside. I am a member of GPAA and Route66 Gold Miners here in Southern California.

 My sincere thanks go out to Mark Keene and Keene Engineering. His help took my 1960’s homemade dry washer and took it into the 21^st century using today’s modern technology.

 I have an old wood dry washer that was given to me about 9 years ago by a very old prospector who has since passed away. For years it sat unused. Recently I noticed it in the very back of one of my sheds and pulled it out. I decided to get it back into the game. I was cleaning it up and I was looking for ideas on how to make it work better. What better place to get mining equipment help than at a Gold Show?

I went to GPAA’s Gold Show in Pomona, Ca. in February of 2016.

I met Mark Keene there. I showed him a few pictures of the old girl and he fell in love with her. He presented me with some awesome design ideas. I was all ears.

 The next week he sent me a “care package” that included a board-rubber-cloth-carpet assembly from a discontinued Dry Washer they once produced. He also sent me a Lexan piece and a silk screen cloth in a bag.

On the phone we discussed the design and engineering of the changes that he had in mind. After some time it finally hit me. The design of the Keene Dry Washer is pure genius.!!

I went right to work.

This project was a struggle because there were several things that I had not initially noticed.

Designing a way to slide the riffle tray in and out of the shaker box was a kick. Cutting the Lexan was a challenge. The fan assembly had frozen up.

One question I had was the use of the flat punch plate underneath the carpet. It held the tray up off of the carpet. Was it necessary?
I also wondered if more screws would do better job holding the tray assemble tightly together.
I had a lot questions along the way and Mark graciously and patiently stayed with me until I finally got it.

.
I immediately noticed that because the original design of the riffle tray was so that the tray just lifted up, but not out, that there would be a huge gap between the first riffle and the area where the hopper feeds the tray. The old tray would have had an opening if I had attached the cloth directly to the first riffle like planned. So I got a piece of aluminum, cut it and bent it to size then drilled and pop-riveted it to the tray so there would be something to attach the silkscreen too.

I cut slots in the riffle tray so it can slide in and out of the shaker box itself. I cut the slots at an angle so when the tray is inserted it’s pressed down into the box. I worked the box to allow smooth installation and an air tight fit.

I cut and glued the silkscreen to the bottom of the riffle tray and let the cement dry. I then cut the rubber under piece and set it on the silkscreen. I then took the Lexan piece, marked where it needed to be cut and used a Jig saw to cut out the rectangular holes under the riffles themselves. I utilized Mark’s recommendations and created a “Dead Space” under two of the six riffles.

After sanding and smoothing the edges of the cut Lexan bottom piece I drilled then screwed it to the riffle tray. The tray itself was now a complete and removable assembly with the riffle, the silkscreen, the rubber tool box liner and then the Lexan.

The tray is now 21^st century technology that with the vibration and air movement will create a static charge on the cloth screen. The Lexan base creates a “Dead space” under a couple of the riffles to attract the gold. The tool box rubber works with the vibration thus creating a “Balloon Effect” where the silk screen will become charged with static electricity just like rubbing a balloon.

 As I said I asked Mark if that base punch plate set under the riffle tray was necessary or if it was just there for support of the carpet under the tray. I was wondering if I could use the ¼” metal hardware cloth instead. When I used the punch plate the entire assembly would sit up too high. (IMO)
Mark told me the ¼” H/W Cloth would work just fine.
This carpet is for easy underside cleanup and helps to more evenly distribute the air under the riffles.
The riffle tray was now complete and removable for instant cleanup.

I disassembled and rebuilt the fan/offset weight unit. One of the bearings was frozen solid. It is totally custom fan unit made by using two ball bearings with a bolt in the middle.  The bolt is the shaft. The fan is 7 ¼” in diameter and sits 1” over the air inlet.
After I made more modifications I can now add and remove offset weights to increase or decrease tray wobble as necessary.

I installed 9 “Scrubbing Pins” to help the hopper material enter the riffle tray more evenly.

I made the shaker box hangers so they allow the chains to drop straight down from a hanger assembly to the box itself. There is NOTHING in the way of the tray now. The hanger holds the chains apart so cleanup is more like the fantastic Keene models. It also makes it VERY easy for me to change the riffle box angle. By adding or subtracting links of Jack Chain to the spring on top of the bar that holds the two chain hangers apart I can make a very fast tray angle change.

Now it’s a snap to take the tray out for cleanup, put it into a five gallon bucket and Tap-Tap…Done

I set the box for an 11 degree drop angle without any added chain. By adding 2 links to the center holding point it sets it to 14 degrees drop, add two more and its 17 degrees and two more to 20 degrees.

I can make the change in seconds and do it without shutting down the blower.

All the wood is treated, the riffle box fits tight and I got rid of the springs holding the rear to the grizzly. I made the offset weight system easy to modify on the fly. I can make changes and level the riffle tray now too. All I need is my torpedo level and my phone which has an Angle Meter installed.

I don’t have any way to check the Echo’s engine speed.  Mark wants me to set it at above 750 rpm but not over 1750 rpm.  The Echo also needed repair as the Primer Bulb had cracked. The throttle cable was set incorrectly so it only reached ¾ throttle. I fixed both and it’s running like a champ.

Now for the fine tuning…

After sending Mark a video of the system running, he said he thought the vibration looked “Soft”.  I removed the smaller weight and put on that large one. It is heavier but I do not know how it will work. I suspect that to get the fan spinning now I will need to increase the throttle but the added weight should make the vibration stronger. We’ll see.

How do I make the vibration more pronounced? Should I lower the air intake speed or add more offset weight? These are questions like the drop angle of the riffle box that will need to be answered out in the field.

In conclusion:

This old Oak wood dry washer looks very good. In fact it’s downright gorgeous. This is Modern day technology with Las Vegas Elegance.

I’ll get the opportunity to try it out soon.

I’ll report.

Bill

At least that's what they say.

Well...Mother nature struck. She struck with a fury.

Just the day before our outing into the Desert to go drywashing and detecting she let loose with rain, and wind, and flash flooding. Bummer.
I guess I'll just go tomorrow to the Route 66 Gold Miners monthly meeting.

My newly rebuilt Oak Dry Washer will have to wait for testing.
BUMMER

At least Southern California GOT SOME RAIN!!!

http://www.goldprospectors.org/News/News-Details/artmid/636/articleid/144/Make-Mining-Great-Again?utm_source=Gold+Prospectors+Association+of+America+and+Lost+Dutchman%27s+Mining+Association&utm_campaign=571b7e4de6-GPAA_Nugget_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_41b4b39251-571b7e4de6-126511469&ct=t(GPAA_Nugget_23)&goal=0_41b4b39251-571b7e4de6-126511469&mc_cid=571b7e4de6&mc_eid=31e160fdd0

Hi all.

As some of you know I have an old dry washer I was in the process of getting back into the game. I have a couple pictures posted because it's so good looking. I had taken it out of storage and was cleaning it up. I was looking for ideas on how to make it work better. What better place for help than a Gold Show?

I met Mark Keene at GPAA’s Gold Show in Pomona, Ca. in February of 2016.

I showed him a few pictures of the old girl and he fell in love her. He presented me with some awesome ideas. I was all ears.

Since then I've been working with Mark. He has been helping me with modifying my old wood Dry washer to turn it into a 21st Century Gold magnet.

I'm doing a write up that I will share with you all as soon as I get approvals from Keene . I want to have their approval because I don't want to write anything untold.

Those guys are great.

I am getting their help and I haven't spent any money on their equipment.

Can you say "Fantastic Customer Service?"

Developing

Bill

Hi all.

I just wanted to drop in, say HI and let you know what I've been up too.

I took in The GPAA's Gold Show last weekend in Pomona, California. I yacked it up with "Andrea" at Valley Prospectors, (what a delightful lady she is) and many old friends. I parked my butt at The Route 66 Gold Miners booth and saw “Rusty" from Rusty's Gold. I truly haven't had that much fun in years. I spent a lot of time just chatting it up with everyone. Even though I had planned on taking in a seminar or two, I never made it.

(I was one of the first 100 at the door so I got a gold vial but the gold panning exhibit was a real hoot. I got in line, took my turn and recovered a real nice amount of fine Gold that they let me have. NICE - (Did I say "I can pan"? LOL)

What was the best part at the show for me? I met Mark Keene. WHAT A great guy he is. Fellas...he's a prince of a man. He’s a kind, honest and talented engineer. His company is really trying to provide the very best products at the very best prices. It's all family owned and run.

He looked at some of the pictures of my old wooden Dry Washer (The one I'm attempting to restore from the dilapidated Ghost town style) and he LOVED it. He then spent considerable time helping tutor me and helping me to re-design this "Old Boy" into a modern 21st century prospecting machine.

This week he sent me a "Care Package" with the parts I need to make this thing a Gold Magnet ! The design is based on Keene's 151 Dry Washer.

I plan on writing something up with real world test results so I can share it with you. (And Keene Engineering/Research) I'll outline what I tried (WE TRIED) and how it turned out.

If you get bored…. figured I’d share before we ran the test.  Just a sneak peek into the mindset we have to get into for these things weeks in advance.  Every time we launch a new unit I require this test be run.

It’s also similar to what we do for commercial ops around the world, when configuring / specking out their systems.  

Over the past 5 years we’ve literally run 100’s of controlled tests.  But these controlled tests under field conditions are a real pain. LOTS of work.  Hours and hours of planning, prep, loading, and worrying about what can go WRONG… and impact or ruin the testing.  Basically we have to have two of everything on hand in case something fails or breaks.   It’s a TON of work.  Just prepping the pay to run will often take 1.5 hours with 4 people.

We’ll be running in on the new Raptor Flare 2.0
If you want to see that unit it’s at www.GoldHighbanker.com
We also break down the unit at clean up to see what gold got caught where.
Failed to mention that in the layout sheet.

Doc

Simple short video for our website, but shows the basic setup. 

After reading thru Tony Nolan's book on the Coromandel Gold fields again, I'm out in the Coro trying out some new spots and locations. The original idea was to see if I can find an access point to the DOC land on the left upper tributary of the Tapu River. As I was driving up, I found a couple of easily accessible spots with a spot to park and some great looking bedrock. So I jumped down the bank and had a scratch...nothing...

O'well, onwards...

Then I reached the area where I thought I'd have walking access (checked http://wams.org.nz), alas "NO ENTRY" sign in big, bold and RED letters. So, there goes that idea. I'm not willing to take a chance and getting pump'd full of bird shot...

Ok, what now... Then I thought, why not go check out the 309. You've identified the great looking target in that area, maybe the geological report from 1870 has missed something and there is gold higher up towards Castle Rock end. So I headed up that way and found this great little area on the Castle Rock road by the ford. Looked fantastic, beautiful big bedrock with nice crevises and small blow holes with tightly packed material.

So I set to work, while the missus where relaxing on the bank reading a book. I cleaned out the blow holes first, nudda... Then the crevises...nudda.

After about two hours of scraping and scratching, I was standing there perplexed. Maybe James Hector M.D. who compiled the Geological Explorations in 1870 actually had it completely correct when he stated that the gold found in the lower Waiau River's origin was from the northern tributary flowing from the Tiki gold fields and that no gold was found in the Waiau above the tributary. He explained that the rock formations is completely different and that the tributary stream's path is created by the fault running thru the area.

So, then I decided I wanted to go check out Eagan's Park, after which I'll head home. I didn't expect to find anything at Eagan's park, which I didn't.

Anyways, had a great day out in the Coromandel. Better than any day in this awful city :(

I might not have a new spot to go to next time, that's ok. Just have to do more research young man and hopefully next time you'll get that golden smile again... :)

2/16/16

Ashlie Fahrer - User Support Specialist

Who collects and maintains the statistical data on LR 2000 server uptime and

where can I get that data?

Christapher Hasher

Response:

Hi Christapher,

Let me look into that and I'll get back to you.

Best regards,

Ashlie Fahrer

LR2000 User Support Specialist, Applications Support Section

Division of IRM, Branch of Mission Applications

Bureau of Land Management, National Operations Center

307-775-6184 (o)

307-775-6132(f)

Just a last minute invite if anyone's interested.  Small informal dig this Friday.  Post up info on our FaceBook page.   http://www.facebook.com/goldhog ;

Doc