Dredging 2 metal detecting

[principedeleon]

Hello fellow prospectors
I am new to the forum but i have read lots of treads and learned a lot through people expirence . So i want to share mines , i have been dredging for about 8 months with a 4" dredge i built homemade . I have recovered about 3 ounces of gold in about 2 different gold deposit here in the dominican republic. But i have started to believe i would be better off metal detecting since is all season machine, less costly to operate, lighter in weight and a one person operating machine. Now in fully aware of the fact they are totally different to each other and are different tools but im looking for what might be more effective in recoverying gold . I have had once a safari minelab once which i bought to look for gold coins which here in DR are known to have but i sold it to get in prospecting. Now i havent found nothingy speaking on this subject yes i read on some guy name steve selling his dredge 2 get in metal detecting , but thats about it .

Can you people who might have experience nugget shooting around gold deposit around rivers and creeks . Tell me how effective is this method and what is better . I have recently bought a F75se which i havent recieved it yet which is what i would be learning the curve with to this whole different field.

Mark

 

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[Steve Herschbach]

I think I am that Steve guy.

Suction dredging is the most cost effective way one or two people can attempt to make decent money gold mining. In a decent area gold can be produced on a daily basis forming a somewhat reliable income. One stretch of creek can produce gold for many, many years.

Metal detecting is a much less reliable way to find gold. The gold must be large and basically on the surface. The deposits when found are easily and rapidly cleaned out, making it important to constantly be finding new locations. More time is spent NOT finding gold than finding it.

if I had to do it to feed the family I would be dredging instead of metal detecting. But dredging is work, and if I do very much it turns into a job. You see the same hole in the creek every day. I enjoy detecting more as I get to see and explore more ground. The bottom line is go metal detecting and see how you can do, but I suspect you will overall find dredging to be more reliably productive.

 

[Rawhide]

Owning the F75 I will say I have found no nuggets yet in two years with it. I dont dredge but would try it if I had things lined up right. I am not a very good prospector so I stick to parks finding new drops and surface finds. I have found more gold and silver in the city park than I ever found out in the mountains. Of course it is rings and necklaces. I do see the guys on the beaches posting on how they clean up with their excal's. I dont know your area, but would say depends on how much time you got and what you consider break even.

 

[principedeleon]

Okay thanks steve for what you have known to be dredging but i have had different experience around here dredging . Here i find the gold by pockets in the stream and all together by part and 1 deposit here and another one maybe 2-3 miles apart. Here the biggest rivers have deep pools , shollow enough you cant drag the dredge more then 20 feet before you start carring . Also Finding these places wouldnt be easy accomplish by panning since you are looking to dig to bedrock or looking for expose bedrock cracks . Snipping is another way which i couldnt find myself to adapt to and looking for deposits with the dredge almost got me bankrupt lol . I plannef to look for lost gold bearing dirt that by the old timer who have made lots of holes from 6'-30' and detecting around the walls or around those places where you can tell they found gold there. There places here which were mine from river to the top of the hill and made a creek hand made but im told they were getting to deep so they left it . I know most if the gold is buried in the hills and the old times said when they found a place in the benches they would go far recoverying gold. Now is almost they same thing in both cases but i want to use the metal detector as a sampling device which can let me move cover more ground and able to do it more often with out the back breaking technique. I love dredging im very well prepared with winch,suit& air . But river here are very shallow and carrying a dredge all together is a 4 man job which with gold being found aint enough to fund. This is my situation . I have also found a creek that doesnt pay enough for the dredge but when it complete dries i believe i can pick out all shollow nuggets since i have found a lot less then a foot deep but ranging from 0.6 down spread tru about a mile.

 

[principedeleon]

Owning the F75 I will say I have found no nuggets yet in two years with it. I dont dredge but would try it if I had things lined up right. I am not a very good prospector so I stick to parks finding new drops and surface finds. I have found more gold and silver in the city park than I ever found out in the mountains. Of course it is rings and necklaces. I do see the guys on the beaches posting on how they clean up with their excal's. I dont know your area, but would say depends on how much time you got and what you consider break even.

Yeah here they are parks but people just go to sit and drink couple of beer with people . And the beaches around here are like 2 hours away.
So my best bet is hitting the mountains since im very close to the nacional park where the highest mountain here is located . I know deep water pools that people have lost their gold chains there but on its deepest spot is 30 feet deep. "/

 

[principedeleon]

I think I am that Steve guy. Suction dredging is the most cost effective way one or two people can attempt to make decent money gold mining. In a decent area gold can be produced on a daily basis forming a somewhat reliable income. One stretch of creek can produce gold for many, many years. Metal detecting is a much less reliable way to find gold. The gold must be large and basically on the surface. The deposits when found are easily and rapidly cleaned out, making it important to constantly be finding new locations. More time is spent NOT finding gold than finding it. if I had to do it to feed the family I would be dredging instead of metal detecting. But dredging is work, and if I do very much it turns into a job. You see the same hole in the creek every day. I enjoy detecting more as I get to see and explore more ground. The bottom line is go metal detecting and see how you can do, but I suspect you will overall find dredging to be more reliably productive.

By the way steve i bought the F75 since your review on it . do you you think it can be used for what im planning on doing with it ?

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Absolutely although it is probably more money than you need have spent since the Gold Bug pro is basically as good or better for prospecting and costs less. But the F75 is a fine detector for prospecting. I found a lot of gold with mine.

 

[principedeleon]

Absolutely although it is probably more money than you need have spent since the Gold Bug pro is basically as good or better for prospecting and costs less. But the F75 is a fine detector for prospecting. I found a lot of gold with mine.

Okay i went with F75 since the boost mode and discrimination ability .and it looks like it could work good for anything else i would need it for . Just for $675 with headphones and two coils thought it was the best way to go.

I was thinking a infinum could probably be used to locate paystreak.
I know dredging is worth it while having paydirt to eat . I have heard of people using the GMT to locate heavy concetrate of black sand to dredge.

 

[Hoser John]

DR is a toughie as once ya find ya gotta live to profit. Kudos on your tenacity to rise above it all. Never heard of a 4" that took 4 men to move so lighten it up and get back to gravel suckn'. What type a box,pump,jet ya using?? Improvements might double/triple your recovery % of materials run ,then forget beans and get some steak man-lotza luck-John

 

[principedeleon]

DR is a toughie as once ya find ya gotta live to profit. Kudos on your tenacity to rise above it all. Never heard of a 4" that took 4 men to move so lighten it up and get back to gravel suckn'. What type a box,pump,jet ya using?? Improvements might double/triple your recovery % of materials run ,then forget beans and get some steak man-lotza luck-John

I post up some pics for you can see what is what we are carring we dont have aluminum. Is a 8hp motor with a ke 201 pump. The sluice box is homemade with a 3 stage with drop riffles made of fiberglass in the botton section, as well as for the flare is made with fiberglass . I know the box have extra weight to it. Im going to get that cover when i go out to fix everything.The check valve is heavy also; it is made of solid brass . Im about to try to get a newer pump for i can run it with a 6.5hp engine. And maybe set it up on truck tubes. But dont think it will take what those gallons went tru wish i was'nt them lol .

 

[Rawhide]

Your gonna love the F75, if you can stand running it a little noisy. Steve what coil do you use for prospecting on the F75. Could you share a setting or two, and how you set it up? I usually run in JE or all metal, 3 tones, sens low at 35, and disc at 18 or below. Any help would be appreciated Steve. I work in a very dry environment here.

 

[principedeleon]

Your gonna love the F75, if you can stand running it a little noisy. Steve what coil do you use for prospecting on the F75. Could you share a setting or two, and how you set it up? I usually run in JE or all metal, 3 tones, sens low at 35, and disc at 18 or below. Any help would be appreciated Steve. I work in a very dry environment here.

Thanks i hope so. Because i know lots of gold that when the creek dries i will have the best advantage over them.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

I almost alway run Boost All Metal with the stock coil or the 13" Ultimate. Details at Fisher F75 Special Edition & Gold Nugget Detecting

 

[Hoser John]

The angle of the induction jet log is a HUGE problem I see right off the start. It should be 11 degrees and your about 40 or so in the pic. You will TRIPLE your suction even with a lousy 5 hp with a p-180 and weigh 40 less pounds with a properjet. To save cash just buy a precast jetlog from keene-on net-and replace as then you'll run that monster 8hp at half throttle and still run many times the volume. Do you have a flair on jet as pic shows a box with nuttn' else. Whats that white thang hangn' offa the end? Man alive that fiberglass is sure heavy but a fellas gotta use whats available. I see the pump is soooo old there is no hose bib molded into the castings. You MUST have a blaster nozzle to triple your production,blast/clean out cracks,melt that ungodly clay,cut through impacted gravels and feather your flow for much better gold retention. Your in a semi virgin country for dredging so many MANY pounds await you as first at the feast gets the riches. Kudos young man ,tons a au 2 u 2 -John

 

[63bkpkr]

principedeleon/Mark,
You've gotten some good advice from some of the best in the business of dredging/detecting. The pictures of your equipment were a big help to understanding your needs and the modifications John has suggested for the dredge should be given a try as anything that will improve your system that much is worth the expense. The detector you've purchased will work well for you as long as you practice with it and learn it but it is likely the dredge IS the way to locate more gold. The best of success to you with both methods of prospecting and please share your adventures with us when you can........................63bkpkr

 

[principedeleon]

The angle of the induction jet log is a HUGE problem I see right off the start. It should be 11 degrees and your about 40 or so in the pic. You will TRIPLE your suction even with a lousy 5 hp with a p-180 and weigh 40 less pounds with a properjet. To save cash just buy a precast jetlog from keene-on net-and replace as then you'll run that monster 8hp at half throttle and still run many times the volume. Do you have a flair on jet as pic shows a box with nuttn' else. Whats that white thang hangn' offa the end? Man alive that fiberglass is sure heavy but a fellas gotta use whats available. I see the pump is soooo old there is no hose bib molded into the castings. You MUST have a blaster nozzle to triple your production,blast/clean out cracks,melt that ungodly clay,cut through impacted gravels and feather your flow for much better gold retention. Your in a semi virgin country for dredging so many MANY pounds await you as first at the feast gets the riches. Kudos young man ,tons a au 2 u 2 -John

Okay i dont know if you got to take a closer look but i spoke with the person who built the dredge and he told me the jet dont even have a 10 degree angle. I know i gave it a good angle on the jet for the water can enter as straight as possible. The jet tube at the bottom turns and the angle is on the end of the curve.

I was looking at powerjets made from keene and the price in me buying the jet and a flare would almost cost the same as me building my own complete dredge.

If someone can give me better detail on building my own i might be better interested since if you calculate the cost you might end up with 5 pounds of weight less and a little more suction which i think not be worth paying the price.

Now i know i can reach maybe 40 pounds less with a 6.5 engine and a p180 pump but i will have my other pump collecting dust. While who know if it even work better.

I was thinking of getting the lighter pump to bulld a 6" but the two engines should weight the same to spread an equal weight through out the dredge.
So i believe another 8hp ke201 would have to be my setup for a combo 6" dredge. i waste in about 7 hours like 2 gallons of gas maybe less with my normal setup is that normal?

 

[Hoser John]

Jet info is 100% bs-go to internet and each and look as every mfg has ALWAYS been 11 degrees. You have listening to insipid stupidity and have a ball as ya can't help someone who refuses to help himself. Yes the whole world is wrong and your mired in ignorance and I hope it brings you bliss cause ya ain't a gonna find squat with that crappola-peace-outta here-John

 

[Armchair prospector]

Use an ounce or two of what you found and buy a decent rig.

 

[principedeleon]

Jet info is 100% bs-go to internet and each and look as every mfg has ALWAYS been 11 degrees. You have listening to insipid stupidity and have a ball as ya can't help someone who refuses to help himself. Yes the whole world is wrong and your mired in ignorance and I hope it brings you bliss cause ya ain't a gonna find squat with that crappola-peace-outta here-John

Sorry if ii seemed ignorant the problem is i dont have the money right now to buy one. I know you are trully trying to help me but i believe the advice would had been great before i went abd payed for the new metal detector i bought but
in a future im going to try to sell it to build me a new one or build one with atleast a aftermarket power jet & a more newer dredge pump that could allow me use a smaller motor. For a lighter equiment.

I respect your knowledge in dealing with dredges but i dont see the need of you trying to call my current dredge names. I have been succesful in actually making it and flipping my investment in less then a year. Lets act more mature.

 

[Oakview2]

John has a lot of hose time, and he is telling you the truth, if you are offended or thin skinned, try and overlook the manor in which he told you and take the advice and get a lot more gold.