Prospecting Friday and Saturday with Minny and friends

[QNCrazy]

Friday after work I met up with my digging partner. I coaxed him out there by telling him we would split the take. I wanted to see if Minny could handle two people feeding her. My partner was curious after 45 minutes so we did a cleanout. As I was panning, he started feeding Minny again. 1.1g was our take for 1.5 hours of work. We invited some friends out to our claims on Saturday. It was a great day. Everyone got gold. Here's a video. Enjoy!

 

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[fowledup]

Right on, very nice claim you've got . Looks like Minny is running great, did you run any test pans from the discharge? Guess the only thing left for you to do now is maybe fab up a grizzly rake and call it a done deal, or maybe add some decorative Sharpie pinstriping, lol! Can't wait to get mine out and get some dirt run thru it, gonna be another month at least, ugh. Keep the videos coming

 

[NeoTokyo]

Awesome video.
I agree with what fowledup suggested, make some grizzly bars so you don't have to shake that washed material out.

Lowes and Home Depot both have various sizes and lengths of round aluminum stock that you could make some grizzlies out of.

That way you can process more material with the time that you save.

 

[Rivers rat]

Cool video well done,love to participate to a session one day!


RR

 

[QNCrazy]

Fowled and Neo, I like your suggestions. I know I was having difficulty in the video removing the basket but that was because I didn't cut the sides of the basket short enough and the top edge of the basket was catching on the opening. I have already cut down the sides of the basket and installation and removal are easy now thus making it easier to dump. I am also considering adding some kind of metal trim across the top edge of the basket to ensure it never catches on the opening. I shouldn't need a rake but if I do, I have the perfect one in my garage. All I would have to do is cut the handle down. Thanks again.

 

[Jakel]

What is this blue pail thing that you're using. I don't really get how it works. Awesome video.

 

[QNCrazy]

What is this blue pail thing that you're using. I don't really get how it works. Awesome video.

It's a highbanker on top and a fluid bed trap in the bottom. As you can see in the video, I place material in the basket to be washed and classified to 1/2". I discard the larger material. The washed material is deflected to the side of the barrel opposite the drain hole. The tubes in the bottom have holes drilled in them to spray water into the material on the bottom to keep it fluidized. The material moves across the bottom allowing black sand and gold to settle on the bottom while the lighter material gets flushed out the drain hole. I can run all day without cleaning out. To do a clean out, I shut the water off, drain the excess water, place the barrel on a bucket, remove the knockout plug, and wash the concentrates into the bucket. I classify and pan out the black sands and bring them home to run through a blue bowl.

 

[fowledup]

Ya, I was thinking more like a grizzly squeege for cleaning off your basket. I like how you did the handle on the basket, gave me a good idea for adjusting angle and hingeing the bottom of the basket to the side. That way I can fold it up and clip it out of the way during transport covering the cut out in the side of the trashcan. I'm also making the deflector in such a manner that I can flip it downward and use it to cover the fluidbed plumbing and create a false bottom so I can use the highbanker itself to carry the pump and everything else I bring along.

 

[Jakel]

How cool is that! Awesome design!

 

[BurntBear]

Like the video! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Armchair prospector]

Great video. Camping is a must even this early in the year. Hard work and ingenuity is always a plus. Why does the government despise this? Do you ever use a metal detector on your claim?

 

[QNCrazy]

Great video. Camping is a must even this early in the year. Hard work and ingenuity is always a plus. Why does the government despise this? Do you ever use a metal detector on your claim?

A lot of people have accessed the area in the past for shooting. The grounds are littered with bullets and casings. If the gold doesn't pan out, I might have to start collecting brass, copper, and lead.

 

[NeoTokyo]

I am keeping an eye out for a 55gal bucket, I have everything else that I need to make that.

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Ever dig a test hole off to the side of the creek?

 

[QNCrazy]

Planning on it. Lots of creek and lots of low pressure zones within the creek. I plan on vacationing on the claim this summer and spend time working different areas of the claim.

 

[fowledup]

Neo- check Chico Craigslist, Farm and Garden. There is a place selling every shape and size barrel you can think of, pretty good pricing.

 

[Vance in AK]

Planning on it. Lots of creek and lots of low pressure zones within the creek. I plan on vacationing on the claim this summer and spend time working different areas of the claim.

Sounds like a dream vacation to me! Is this in the Quincy area somewhere? Spent a summer hauling logs in the country (From up Beardsly grade to SP in Quincy) & love the area. Miss that country...

 

[QNCrazy]

Southern mother lode area east of Columbia.