Prospector

[Hard Prospector]

Heard the Chinese have dumped their placer claims in the district and split..........God bless America

 

[gold tramp]

Heard the Chinese have dumped their placer claims in the district and split..........God bless America

That doesn't change the fact Americans were the ones high graded my placer gold up the school teacher, surprised they didn't just put up a placer claim, thats how i see it's done here, placer over hardrock. God bless america.

 

[gold tramp]

School teacher gold gone can't change how it happened, can't apologize for accusations of highrgradins it is what it is.
Anyways back to the millins.
Been running off n on for about three hours on the new stones will get a pic of the break-in, progress today one thing for sure there's no hopping.

Have to bolt the shaker table down hook up plumbing reinstall my drain system to the pond and it's ready to do the finish of the break-in grind.

The grind will be ready today I believe ? Actually have to buy some buckets mine are all dry rotted, lesson learned, pulp settling in a rotted bucket bad idea they bulge n break.

So the pulp stays in the pan till I get up to home depot, safer that way. Been windy here the ore is drying out fast, should be back to crushing in a day or so.
Today we start getting our stuff in order to do a memorial dig, hardrock.
Going to try gets 6 ft deeper before I call it.
Last chapter in the school teacher mine story, lot of memories from the old days fair bit of gold won, fair bit lost.
Maybe we gets one more pinch for the road!

I'm getting to old for all this diggin stuff.
Gt....

 

[arizau]

School teacher gold gone can't change how it happened, can't apologize for accusations of highrgradins it is what it is.
Anyways back to the millins.
Been running off n on for about three hours on the new stones will get a pic of the break-in, progress today one thing for sure there's no hopping.

Have to bolt the shaker table down hook up plumbing reinstall my drain system to the pond and it's ready to do the finish of the break-in grind.

The grind will be ready today I believe ? Actually have to buy some buckets mine are all dry rotted, lesson learned, pulp settling in a rotted bucket bad idea they bulge n break.

So the pulp stays in the pan till I get up to home depot, safer that way. Been windy here the ore is drying out fast, should be back to crushing in a day or so.
Today we start getting our stuff in order to do a memorial dig, hardrock.
Going to try gets 6 ft deeper before I call it.
Last chapter in the school teacher mine story, lot of memories from the old days fair bit of gold won, fair bit lost.
Maybe we gets one more pinch for the road!

I'm getting to old for all this diggin stuff.
Gt....

You might look into getting food grade buckets. I think they are more durable than the regular buckets.

 

[gold tramp]

Break-in done, I used much water in the mix, kept my ore gritty, so I have a load that is a little chunky as the lighter stuff stayed on top.
Give it another hour or so it's done ready to table.

Maybe I can get my second riffle cons from my rocker box panned today, we where playing around rocking the box back when it was wet, alittle always gets past that first riffle, also it's not as exciting as the first riffle so I save to pan another day.
See if I can get a gold pic today, I'm Gettin a few Gettin crumbs.

Sick day today, its really nice out for prospecting.
Couple more mill pics
Gt......


The wine glass test, she's a smooth runnin machine.

Not even a ripple on the water.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

Let's see the gold Herb!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Can only imagine how hot it is getting down there now. Stay hydrated Herb!

 

[gold tramp]

I think summer hits today, upper 90s,
I'm riding the pine for a bit unless I can find willing help ! About 3 weeks back I was moving my equipment, had the drywasher sitin up on a boulder. On the way back to pick it up. i spyed a short cut, had set the machine up on a water fall of sorts.
Anyways make a long story short I decided just stand on some boulders reach up pull it down save the 50 ft walk around.
About the time I grabbed my machine foot slipped on some weeds, down I went into a pile of Boulder's drywasher coming down on my head. Minor injury's little blood. The dadgum elbow just wont get better lifting buckets n pitching rocks has aggravated it to the point I can hardly use it. And the gold shes not cooperating, did manage a small nugget it gave me a little boost dug another week, but pain has its way of slowing one down!

So hauled the equipment off the mnt and takin a break from placer for a bit. got some repair to do to the dadgum screen on my hopper, bad install at the factory see pic.

We may start back at millin I think my arm can handle the job, gotta keep the yeller coming in no matter how little it is. The ore is all dry now, stones are broke in so we can move the power plant back over to the crusher start the process over again. I think we are working on the last run at Claudette mill.

Anyways here's a couple pics, got enough yeller gets me a little grubstake, keep me in food n fuel for the next prospecting trip.
Maybe this time I find one Dowie hasn't beat me to the dig.
Hope all are enjoying spring and a little gold.
Gt........


Fasteners missed there mark ?

Managed a bit of yeller.

 

[gold tramp]

Back at the crusher again, got the power plant moved over n hooked up, lubed the crusher up good, started crushing for a few, the old arm won't take to much it's still heavy work, I have to use a pike to keep the rock flowing in the jaw or you get a jam up so it's aggravating the wound.
Beings I'm wounded I can afford some time on the computer to annoy youall with my minin geberish

Got pretty warm today, between my elbow and the 90 degrees i was able to manage half a day crushing, only have a few weeks crushing left before everything is finaly gone, unless I can find another source of ore worthy of minin, my memorial dig for Joey will be the last hard rock dig, we are done.


I got some placer I can do but its all heavy diggin, probably poke around bleepin a bit, I only got so much ground I have permissions to work that has bleepable gold.
Im still gonna put an honest effort into finding a meteorite there's a lot of area close by for me to search.

Will still do my thing on here till the smelting is done don't want to leave youall hanging on the last bit from the Ramblings of a desert gold tramp.

While I'm thinkin about it,
Keep forgetting to thank Mine Lab Dukes for the jaw crusher thanks buddy.
Can't forget the Texans that supplied my eye protection for the last few years my eyes appreciated it much thanks..


Anyways here's some more pics for you armchair prospectors, it's mill stuff but still gets the mining juices flowing in some folks.
Hope you enjoy.
Gt....

Lube points on jaw I know it's messy !!!


Unit moved over ready to make the connection.

Close up of the connection.


Give an idea of how far it is to move the power to the crusher, 12 ft.


Power plant, 1941 dodge made in USA

 

[gold tramp]

Same old stuff at the mill kinda boring, culling n crushing is the daily grind, get the last of this ore crushed we can start working on the actuall grind

I like to get the crushed ore stockpiled for grinding that way when I get my first arrastra run in the buckets we can also be grinding again as we finish ( table ) our ore, it's more productive.

When I get pulp tabled off and start building up our cons, I can get the amalgamator running also.
Just make amalgam buckets.
That way I can handle all the cons at once, makes it easy on a tramp.
One cleanup one smelt.

Had my stock pile out in the back it's been there long enough that its now partially covered with blow sand, stuffs a pain to deal with, it really diluted the pile and is most likely going to be hard to table, hope it grinds in the arrastra but I have my doubts.
Anyways it's a tabling thing something else to try to hang on to your values, pyrites are bad enough to deal with.

So with my injury I gets the smart end of the jaw crusher to work, no heavy stuff just keep the ore flowing into the bucket, on the look out for the occasional grease nugget, anyways here's a couple more mill shots, some might be repeats but I do a lot of that, dig ,crush ,sift it's the same in hardrock as placer.

If my arm keeps feeling this good I can get back out for a trial run at drywashin here soon maybe this week coming up, I like millin but dadgum the best weather is right now. soon it will be so bloody hot that nothing is going to be very fun. Heat has its way of making it just work, add some bees into the mix it really gets interesting.

Will be holding off on any drilling or jackhammer work for at least a month, i know my arm won't handle the vibration, so my memorial dig is just a vision right now, wanted to use it as my last chapter. Have to wait n see till then we got millin to do.

Gt......


Jam ups happen small pike does the trick.

The smart end of the Burford !

 

[gold tramp]

Ended up getting out for a day placerin, the arm lasted about 20 buckets, wasn't the drywashins that did me in but the rock throwout.
Did some bleepin, those black rocks drive me nuts after an hour or so I have to quit, managed some lead, I have now been on a skunk detecting 5 months !
Had my bleeper with me n spyed a piece, found a wee bit washin dirt with my old rocker box back when it was to wet for the dry workins.
My drywashins has been most productive for me, not alot of weight but this is the Dale, for those that havnt been here you have to work to find any gold, or overgraze with your bleeper, even that's hard these days.

Did the switch up at camp, it's warm enough for me I don't need a tent to keep my old bones warmed up. so just a bed roll in the dirt open heavens to gaze upon, moon is really bright makes it hard to sleep, everything thing wild is mating and night time is alive in the desert here.
Don't have much but rocks out here so wildlife is much enjoyed.

Back here at the mill I cleaned up my panning station next to the crusher it's where I do my placer cons and test pans,
when im crushing I grab a small pan sample from each bucket going to the stock pile, kinda gives me an idea of what I'm lookin at size and amount of values.

Anyways when I placer pan I don't do any classifying other than the grizzly on my drywasher, so I'm fast panning I save all the throw out tales till it's heaped up, then I can run across the table grab the stuff I missed, you panners know what I'm talking about.

Here's a couple pics for you armchair chair guys, pan of lead n crumbs, also classifying screen from bucket of crushed material. My tail cons pile is from the season since Nov, it's about to over flow same for the hardrock tails in the round pan heck I'm runnin out of containers.

Still crushing n culling ore, the classifiers get used here, it kinda slows down my old crusher if I run a lot of fine stuff in the crush so I run across the screen take it down 1/8, just makes it easier, also gives one more chance to pick out any thing that will dilute my final take. Let's face it we are down to the skinny on this ore. and the gold shes mighty fine.

Gt...


Panning station half clean !


Cull n classify

 

[DizzyDigger]

Some nice looking pickers in that pan....

 

[gold tramp]

Not much to update.
Just been bleepin n prospectin with my drywasher nothin big. still gettin some crumbs.
I said it before you got to work at it to get the yellow in hand out here in my district.

No real gold story more work than anything else. Throwin out rocks n washin the dirt with my little keene handcrank drywasher also moved some small boulders.

Got some hardface to do on the crusher so we shut down till i can geter done. The field work of hikin n diggin takes alot out of a guy so im not in a real hurry to do the extra stuff here at the mill.

Seems like i just did the hardface. time flys when your havin fun and we crushed a heck of alot hard rock last run. That and im not real good at the metal burning. Probably used the wrong rod but it goter done.

When i do the jaw removal i think it will be time to check on the shaft bearing. Its babbit material. So we see if it needs a redo. Im thinkin its going to be kinda fun try my hand at makin a bearing.

Anyways will get pics of the bearing n shaft for you armchair guys to chk out And a couple pics of work in the field. maybe a riffle tray shot with yellow in it. If it happens.

Today we have to take off from the minin and work in the garden nice change but still diggin and bendin over oh the back pain.

Thks Dizz for fixin the pan pic wish it was more gold in it.

Gt.....


Buggin

 

[gold tramp]

Just no fun left in talkin about the minin adventure.
Even showin gold has lost its luster.



Must be a sign of the times.

The End.
Gt............

 

[DizzyDigger]

Why no fun left in it? I'm always watching for you to update
this thread..

Seriously, I do get how you can get tired of doin' the work without
much reward. Ya sure got my respect, 'cause I know how freakin' hot it
is down there, and how hard the work is.

Hang in there Capt!

 

[1637]

i would get the 12volt motor kit,you will move allot more dirt.more dirt,more gold,more fun and they are pretty quiet.
good luck brad

 

[gold tramp]

Chapter 2
Shake n bake.

Crushin ore. Runnin the table washin pulp.
Yeah you got to babysit my op but heck somebodys gotta doit !
More ramblins later.

Gt.....


Loading the table.






Clean n ready for next load.


Hot off the table mostly pyrite with a bit of yellow.


Loading the mill

 

[gold tramp]

So yesterday when i said shake n bake, i was talkin about runnin my shaker table not the earth movin.

Anyways heres an update.
Done with the placer for now, was much work for not alot in return didnt even break the oz mark. My last two trips out were bad karma. Went overnight without my dog or shotgun and had an incident with a wild cat at night he got within a few feet of my face let out a couple good growls. Then left off to take big poo at my trail head which i found in the mornin when i was loadin my tools.

Scared me half to death just layed under my cover thinkin if he jumps on me id do my best to wrapp him in my sleep gear and beat him with a rock. I layed for the longest watin on the worst.
Soon the rats were back to eatin the labels off my dinner cans and i fell asleep. I suppose it was the rats that the cat might have been after in the first place just glad it wasnt me.

My last trip was to much heat. I got the heat sickness, guess it was 110 and i had stayed away from camp till 1 o clock or so. By the time i gots back to the shade tarp and my truck i was gettin a headache.
Thankfull i made in time, got much water on me and in me, sat in the shade of the tarp through the heat of the day tryin not to puke. My dog was lookin at me like really man do we have to endure this misery, wasnt till 6 or so that the heat broke. Spent the night under the stars enjoyin the dark coolnes. Come first light i broke camp drove out.
That finished my placer season.

Back at Claudette mill.
Got all my containers full of crushed ore, no more storage space so we moved the power plant back over to the mill.

Hydrated that breakin run from last month it was hard as concrete. Got it back into pulp and are runnin it across the shaker makin cons.

Time is right to go ahead and hardface the jaw and inspect the babbet bearing, hope i dont have to do this job of makin a new bearing as it seems complicated. Although it might be fun it has to be done right and i have never done this before.

So we procrastinate a little on the job maybe in the fall when it starts cooling down one doesnt have to worry about his tools being to hot to hold.
Draw back of outdoor shop life in the desert.

The new grindstones are workin great i already finished the run i loaded yesterday before the big shake. i stopped workin after the initial shock so i could watch Dr Lucy at USGS.

These stones were a little bit heavier than the last. i think they are about 300 lbs each. so 600 lbs crushin weights. Grinds the 1/4 in ore down quick, i didnt time it but it seemed to grind much faster. So new stones were an improvement im happy.

Havnt been hard rock prospectin in a bit tryin to get all the buckets and piles of ore lying around run off. Prospectin the mill area you might call it. What ever it is im seein the ground for the first time in years. Even found some surprises in the form of high grade ore.

Had the guys unloadin the truck back in the day, was always wonderin what was happening to the ore. One recognizes his work as he crushin, i new something was missin.
Turned out to be a good thing it sweetened up those cob piles that were very low grade and had been picked over a few times in the last 10 years or so..

Heres some pics of table workins for you armchair prospectors hope you enjoy the show.
Gt.....


Last months run hard as rock

Table belts n Mercury press.

Bearing and magnets there are 3 mag sets.

Next load ready to table

 

[gold tramp]

Update Claudette mill.
My son J and his friend Cam left out of here to simply haul jboys car to be repaired. They made it about 5 miles on the hwy from our dirt rd and got hit head on at Very high speed.
The driver of the other vehicle died at the scene. The boys were criticaly injured and were airlifted out of here.


This was about 5 days ago ive kinda lost track of time. Actually been in a living night mare

the guys as far as i know at this moment are out of critical condition.
They are broken young men both had good jobs. Miner age 22 just had his first child a son 5 weeks ago.
Cameron age 18 our long time family friend was just helpin out doin a good deed for a buddy.

Please pray for these young men and the family of the man who lost his life.
the guys have a long road ahead much healing and pain.
Thank you for your prayers.


Since its many miles down to the hospital and miners salary only affords one parental unit to be there. Jeannie pulls rank shes momma and has been bed side since it happened.
Tryin to get her to come home would be impossible.

Anyways im stuck at the mill so we just keep on millin. Got the last 2 mill runs concentrated and ready for amalgamation. I ran some cons back across the table so i could get a gold shot for youall.

I usally dont like to run the super fine across the table more than once as it just gets everywhere. Its much easier to deal with if you scalp heavy on the black side.
Meanin not tryin to get pure yellow off the table but keepin the gold locked up with the other heavys. You would have to run this stuff to really understand tablin.

Got the jaws out of the crusher ready to hard face. Have to make new wear plates that are on the sides of crusher main body. It is cast so it requires protection.
They are 3/16 piece of steel easy to replace but wear out qiuck.

The arrastra is loaded again and ready to start the next run. Probably 2 more runs after this one and we can crush the last bit of ore lyin about.
Will try to get some pics together of amalgamation process.
Hope you enjoy the show
Gt......

Brutha you didnt stop by on your way back through to vegas. I wasnt going to ask for money just needed a shoulder to cry on.
My son almost died.
Another sign of the times were in i guess........




Little yellow


Wear plate oops


Line of yellow

 

[delnorter]

I’m sure sorry for the boys accident GT. They are all in my prayers. Please send me an address. I’d like to help.

Mike