Sheet in stream to catch gold

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reptwar1

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Anyone ever heard the stories about old timers stretching sheets across streams to catch fine gold dust? I have read it on several sites but now cant find any of them. Reason Im asking....just got off the phone with a guy that did something similar and caught just over an ounce of gold in 2 weeks. The guy then told me that his contact with USGS informed him that every 24 hours, $16,000 in suspended flour gold flows past the town that we live in. That price was in the 60's when gold was $30 an ounce. Allow me to adjust for current gold prices... Ready?...$541,560 EVERY 24 HOURS!! Now you see why I'm interested lol
 

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chlsbrns

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From a study of gold particle sizes. Gold starts to suspend in water at about 74 microns and is not visible at about 50 microns.
 

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chlsbrns

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....
 

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chlsbrns

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....
 

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Apr 17, 2014
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That's funny. I just recovered micron gold using Jet Dry today. The only reason I know it's there was by using a loupe. And BTW...

I was looking for explanations, not insults. I try to keep an open mind but most of this doesn't add up at all. Congrats, you're the first person I've permanently ignored here.

Do you mean one micron?
 

Goldwasher

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Problem with a static catch sheet be it 4x8 or across the stream river or in a pond is it will hit FULL LOAD at some point and from then on the amount of time in contact with the solution will have no affect.
oleophilic adhesion relies on gold being oleophilic adhesion relies on the fact that gold, diamonds or whatever is oleophilic and hydrophobic will stick and the other things like silica sand magnetite and other materials are "oleophobic" and hydrophilic and will not stick.
Guess what things tend to be oleophilic other than gold and diamonds......DIRT.....mud.... sediment.. All of these things are much larger particle wise when in suspension vs. gold. And that is what will lead to loading.... No gold will stick when the sheet is covered with sediment as the oleophilic properties no longer win out.
This method which has proven to be less effective than froth floatation used to be called "contact method of ore concentration" In the page I attached you can read some of this same info. And you cans search and see there have been a few studies and patents. Yet in an industry that bases digging on a very fine margin and improves recovery in hopes of opening that margin up a bit....oleophilic adhesion is not in common use. diamonds are another story. Interesting in the mentioned method a wetting agent is used. So,as my buddy Aufisher mentioned and he does know what he's talking about and has the papers to back it.... "flocculants are no joke"

This is an interesting thread. It is unfortunate that some guys are gonna be at home imagining buckets sitting in water, gaining value! Wondering how the heck to keep a burlap sheet suspended in a river.....and what is the best way to scrub rust off of a rust bucket. When they could be out actually finding some color.
The Army Core of Engineers has access to thousands of miles of waterway...We have great engineers...if this was so simple it would be industry standard. ESPECIALLY if it was viable in the "non-gold bearing" areas mentioned. Or maybe they are doing it in secret so when they open Fort Knox they have proof it isn't empty?
http://www.google.com/patents/US4511461 http://www.mine.mn/Robin_Grayson_gold_recovery_method33.pdf
 

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chlsbrns

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Problem with a static catch sheet be it 4x8 or across the stream river or in a pond is it will hit FULL LOAD at some point and from then on the amount of time in contact with the solution will have no affect.
oleophilic adhesion relies on gold being oleophilic adhesion relies on the fact that gold, diamonds or whatever is oleophilic and hydrophobic will stick and the other things like silica sand magnetite and other materials are "oleophobic" and hydrophilic and will not stick.
Guess what things tend to be oleophilic other than gold and diamonds......DIRT.....mud.... sediment.. All of these things are much larger particle wise when in suspension vs. gold. And that is what will lead to loading.... No gold will stick when the sheet is covered with sediment as the oleophilic properties no longer win out.
This method which has proven to be less effective than froth floatation used to be called "contact method of ore concentration" In the page I attached you can read some of this same info. And you cans search and see there have been a few studies and patents. Yet in an industry that bases digging on a very fine margin and improves recovery in hopes of opening that margin up a bit....oleophilic adhesion is not in common use. diamonds are another story. Interesting in the mentioned method a wetting agent is used. So,as my buddy Aufisher mentioned and he does know what he's talking about and has the papers to back it.... "flocculants are no joke"

This is an interesting thread. It is unfortunate that some guys are gonna be at home imagining buckets sitting in water, gaining value! Wondering how the heck to keep a burlap sheet suspended in a river.....and what is the best way to scrub rust off of a rust bucket. When they could be out actually finding some color.
The Army Core of Engineers has access to thousands of miles of waterway...We have great engineers...if this was so simple it would be industry standard. ESPECIALLY if it was viable in the "non-gold bearing" areas mentioned. Or maybe they are doing it in secret so when they open Fort Knox they have proof it isn't empty?
Patent US4511461 - Process for recovering minerals and metals by oleophilic adhesion - Google Patents http://www.mine.mn/Robin_Grayson_gold_recovery_method33.pdf

One false statement after another...

Sorry but dirt, mud and sediment did not stick to the oil on the burlap nor does it stick to wet grease.

You cant use froth flotation unattended in a river or pond.

This method has been proven to catch gold that was missed by a sluice multiple times. 9+ oz so far from three 4'x6' burlap sheets. Surely the other three sheets will collect more than 9oz.

Flocculants are not a wetting agent and can not be used unattended in a river or pond. Ive used them to drop gold particles in a tank where they can be collected. Flocculants would coagulate metals in a river and then flow downstream. No way to collect them.

It was easy to keep the burlap sheets suspended in the pond and would be easy to do in a river or stream.

The army corps of engineer's does not mine gold.

What non gold bearing areas are you referring too?

The fact is: Over 80% - 90% of the liberated, particle, (placer), gold on the earth is smaller than the human eye can see. You can see by the numerous screen shots (reports/studies) that I posted above that most gold particles are to small to be captured by a sluice or other gravity methods. oleophilic adhesion is just another method that can be easily used by recreational miners to easily capture gold in waterways and ponds. Gold that is otherwise unattainable.

We are talking about massive amounts of micron sized gold that actually blows in the wind, runs down the muddy rivers in floods, and accumulates in small temporary layers during flood water rescission.

The vast majority of this micron gold cannot be panned or extracted in river or stream water because of the viscosity index of the water itself. The micron gold particles will go into suspension and drift right out of the pan during agitation. Therefore, the visible gold particles that you may capture when you are sampling an area, only represent a small fraction of the gold that you actually put right back into the river or stream. This is especially true in areas where the viscosity of the water is increased by seasonal changes in the water itself. Things like bacteria, algae, and other organic products that make the water less suitable for affective panning.
 

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Duckwalk

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i for one would like to see some photos of the burlap sheets and maybe a video of the process of cleaning said sheets. it would be quite beneficial for those who do not understand how to suspend them in the stream or understand the cleaning process.
 

Goldwasher

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One false statement after another...

Sorry but dirt, mud and sediment did not stick to the oil on the burlap nor does it stick to wet grease.

You cant use froth flotation unattended in a river or pond.

This method has been proven to catch gold that was missed by a sluice multiple times. 9+ oz so far from three 4'x6' burlap sheets. Surely the other three sheets will collect more than 9oz.

Flocculants are not a wetting agent and can not be used unattended in a river or pond. Ive used them to drop gold particles in a tank where they can be collected. Flocculants would coagulate metals in a river and then flow downstream. No way to collect them.

It was easy to keep the burlap sheets suspended in the pond and would be easy to do in a river or stream.

The army corps of engineer's does not mine gold.

What non gold bearing areas are you referring too?

The fact is: Over 80% - 90% of the liberated, particle, (placer), gold on the earth is smaller than the human eye can see. You can see by the numerous screen shots (reports/studies) that I posted above that most gold particles are to small to be captured by a sluice or other gravity methods. oleophilic adhesion is just another method that can be easily used by recreational miners to easily capture gold in waterways and ponds. Gold that is otherwise unattainable.

We are talking about massive amounts of micron sized gold that actually blows in the wind, runs down the muddy rivers in floods, and accumulates in small temporary layers during flood water rescission.

The vast majority of this micron gold cannot be panned or extracted in river or stream water because of the viscosity index of the water itself. The micron gold particles will go into suspension and drift right out of the pan during agitation. Therefore, the visible gold particles that you may capture when you are sampling an area, only represent a small fraction of the gold that you actually put right back into the river or stream. This is especially true in areas where the viscosity of the water is increased by seasonal changes in the water itself. Things like bacteria, algae, and other organic products that make the water less suitable for affective panning.

Um ok...Those are not my statements I am merely passing proven science:dontknow: You are correct a wetting agent is not a flocculent. Though I mentioned it because they both will help sediment drop out of suspension. And everything I said about organics and oleophilic adhesion is true. That is why mediums used to hold the oil are organic (there are synthetics they mimic organics on the molecular level) so the oil can adhere....and thusly any oleophilic particle that can make contact... and a great majority of sediment falls in that category. Also microscopic gold that is suspended in flowing water is not "placer" gold. And yes please by all means show us your process in action but, make sure you patent it as you are the first person to ever do this and the industry needs you! I do apologize that all of my points were over your head as far as everything else goes!
 

chlsbrns

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Um ok...Those are not my statements I am merely passing proven science:dontknow: You are correct a wetting agent is not a flocculent. Though I mentioned it because they both will help sediment drop out of suspension. And everything I said about organics and oleophilic adhesion is true. That is why mediums used to hold the oil are organic (there are synthetics they mimic organics on the molecular level) so the oil can adhere....and thusly any oleophilic particle that can make contact... and a great majority of sediment falls in that category. Also microscopic gold that is suspended in flowing water is not "placer" gold. And yes please by all means show us your process in action but, make sure you patent it as you are the first person to ever do this and the industry needs you! I do apologize that all of my points were over your head as far as everything else goes!

Nothing that you said went over my head as I know that most of what you said is false!

Gold repels water and sticks to grease. Most sediments ect absorb water. Do I need to explain in greater detail?

The part that I posted about placer gold was a copy/paste from an article but if it isnt placer gold what is it?

https://www.google.com/search?q=pla...ndroid-google&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

https://www.google.com/search?q=all...eid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#q=alluvial+deposit
 

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Clay Diggins

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This whole thread is hilarious. I thought at first that the original poster and chlsbrns were pulling a huge joke on the readers here. It appears ignorance rather than a sense of humor is the real cause of all this so called "science".

I hope the original poster hasn't really gone to the trouble to grease up plastic bags in the hopes of getting rich. It just ain't gonna happen.

Carry on as you wish. It's an open forum and as long as no one gets hurt doing these stupid pet tricks all is good. I just hope the casual reader here doesn't take any of this nonsense seriously.

It's a joke folks - if you could really put a greased sheet, plastic bag or burlap in water and get ounces of gold no one would waste their time actually digging tons of rock. Gold would be worth less than tin or iron.

Have fun. So far no animals (or humans) have been injured but please don't try this stunt at home - you will be seriously disappointed. :laughing7:

Heavy Pans
 

Goldwasher

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Clay I know I shouldn't get involved but, that is exactly why I tried to tactfully chime in!!!!
 

Goldwasher

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I should just let people find out for themselves.....nah ;).....sometimes I need a coffee shunt........
 

Goldwasher

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Reptar please read what I posted and the links.. and research a little more and good luck!
 

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Apr 17, 2014
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When you say 'micron' what actual sizes or range do you refer to, certainly this is not all about only 'one micron' Thanks
One false statement after another...

Sorry but dirt, mud and sediment did not stick to the oil on the burlap nor does it stick to wet grease.

You cant use froth flotation unattended in a river or pond.

This method has been proven to catch gold that was missed by a sluice multiple times. 9+ oz so far from three 4'x6' burlap sheets. Surely the other three sheets will collect more than 9oz.

Flocculants are not a wetting agent and can not be used unattended in a river or pond. Ive used them to drop gold particles in a tank where they can be collected. Flocculants would coagulate metals in a river and then flow downstream. No way to collect them.

It was easy to keep the burlap sheets suspended in the pond and would be easy to do in a river or stream.

The army corps of engineer's does not mine gold.

What non gold bearing areas are you referring too?

The fact is: Over 80% - 90% of the liberated, particle, (placer), gold on the earth is smaller than the human eye can see. You can see by the numerous screen shots (reports/studies) that I posted above that most gold particles are to small to be captured by a sluice or other gravity methods. oleophilic adhesion is just another method that can be easily used by recreational miners to easily capture gold in waterways and ponds. Gold that is otherwise unattainable.

We are talking about massive amounts of micron sized gold that actually blows in the wind, runs down the muddy rivers in floods, and accumulates in small temporary layers during flood water rescission.

The vast majority of this micron gold cannot be panned or extracted in river or stream water because of the viscosity index of the water itself. The micron gold particles will go into suspension and drift right out of the pan during agitation. Therefore, the visible gold particles that you may capture when you are sampling an area, only represent a small fraction of the gold that you actually put right back into the river or stream. This is especially true in areas where the viscosity of the water is increased by seasonal changes in the water itself. Things like bacteria, algae, and other organic products that make the water less suitable for affective panning.
 

chlsbrns

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This whole thread is hilarious. I thought at first that the original poster and chlsbrns were pulling a huge joke on the readers here. It appears ignorance rather than a sense of humor is the real cause of all this so called "science".

I hope the original poster hasn't really gone to the trouble to grease up plastic bags in the hopes of getting rich. It just ain't gonna happen.

Carry on as you wish. It's an open forum and as long as no one gets hurt doing these stupid pet tricks all is good. I just hope the casual reader here doesn't take any of this nonsense seriously.

It's a joke folks - if you could really put a greased sheet, plastic bag or burlap in water and get ounces of gold no one would waste their time actually digging tons of rock. Gold would be worth less than tin or iron.

Have fun. So far no animals (or humans) have been injured but please don't try this stunt at home - you will be seriously disappointed. :laughing7:

Heavy Pans

Yes it's such a joke that people do studies and write articles about it!

Recovering Fine Gold with Oleophilic Adhesion - ICMJ's Prospecting and Mining Journal

www.scirp.org/journal/PaperDownload.aspx?paperID=5201

https://www.google.com/url?url=http...N+gold&usg=AFQjCNFbCRhd9yRbcD_NYpU0dLfrvGsIgA
 

Clay Diggins

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Clay I know I shouldn't get involved but, that is exactly why I tried to tactfully chime in!!!!

All you can do is offer them the facts and hope they catch on Goldwasher.

I appreciate your efforts to bring this thread to reality but folks will do whatever they think is best no matter what the reality is.

Heavy Pans
 

Apr 17, 2014
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If the sediments actually contained all that gold to begin with, why not just process the sediments rather than stir them up and try to recover it that way? Have you ever assayed the sediments?

We did it in a pond so there was no need to anchor the sheets. In a river or deep stream a simple cement anchor, kayak anchor, a piece of scrap iron pipe, ect could be used to hold it in place.

We used pool noodes because they were suitable to roll and attach an end of burlap.

https://www.google.com/search?q=poo...VChMI8NTK0f_xxwIVCRg-Ch2Q9Ay1&biw=960&bih=600

Burlap: https://www.google.com/search?q=Bur...AUQ_AUoAGoVChMI1ISjuYHyxwIVhhk-Ch2ySgMh&dpr=2

And a piece of 2" pvc rolled onto the other end of the burlap sheet to keep the burlap tight/open.

Go to a feed store and try it with a burlap bag. Or attach something to the end of your sluice or highbanker or dredge sluice. Whatever will make contact with the water leaving your equipment.

What we used to get the gold off of the burlap could be dangerous if it is not done correctly so I wont post the process. We havent burned or incinerated but it should work.

Im no expert at this! Repwar posted I replied and then wanted to try it. It worked great in a tailing pond where lots of paydirt was washed with the same water over and over again. I looked up reports on gold particle sizes. There is lots of superfine micron gold out there. It certainly cant hurt to try something different!
 

Goldwasher

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This happens to be sitting on my bench right now....I'm sure you guys can find a similar online link.
 

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