The Many Lost Treasures of Mariposa, CA (Photos Added)

[Lanny in AB]

What a great, great story. I've got something to warm my heart and dream about as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep tonight.

Thanks for that, and all the best,

Lanny

 

[EagleDown]

What a great, great story. I've got something to warm my heart and dream about as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep tonight.

Thanks for that, and all the best,

Lanny

Thank you Brother!! I sincerely hope that you did have nice dreams, and all of them were golden.

I seldom dream of gold, but when I do, it's a real "doozy".

Eagle

 

[Lanny in AB]

Eagle--I would be remiss in my writing duties if I didn't encourage you to gather a few pictures and then send off some of your excellent stories to magazines (ICMJ for instance) to have them published. Plus, you could use the fee they'll pay you to enhance your prospecting kitty.

All the best, and trust me--your stories are worthy,

Lanny

 

[nuggy]

Thanks for the great story Eagle, didn't find any anticlimax in it, that's how I would have wanted it to end. With references to thievery in a couple of places I was worried some #%@**^ed was going to steal it!
Gold was at a great price around 1979 - 80, I was dredging then too (my first season) and was making more in an average day than I had been getting for a weeks work!
I had a small underwater type box that was losing gold, so I directed this into a six foot long tom. There was a lot of black sand and fine gold so I spent hours every day panning concentrate. Nuggy

 

[EagleDown]

Eagle--I would be remiss in my writing duties if I didn't encourage you to gather a few pictures and then send off some of your excellent stories to magazines (ICMJ for instance) to have them published. Plus, you could use the fee they'll pay you to enhance your prospecting kitty.

All the best, and trust me--your stories are worthy,

Lanny

Thanks Lanny!!

I'll pm you later for some advice.

You'll have to realise though, when I was a young man, the women would tell me how handsome I was, but it took a long time before I started to believe them.

Maybe when I sell my first story.........

Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

Thanks for the great story Eagle, didn't find any anticlimax in it, that's how I would have wanted it to end. With references to thievery in a couple of places I was worried some #%@**^ed was going to steal it!
Gold was at a great price around 1979 - 80, I was dredging then too (my first season) and was making more in an average day than I had been getting for a weeks work!
I had a small underwater type box that was losing gold, so I directed this into a six foot long tom. There was a lot of black sand and fine gold so I spent hours every day panning concentrate. Nuggy

Thanks Nuggy!! I'm glad it didn't come to that, but there was a lot of equipment and even food stolen during Summer periods. My Miwok Brother told me that someone had gone into his big cooler and stolen a loaf of bread, then the next night, they stole a pound of bacon. Danny was hopping mad, until I searched around and found fresh cougar tracks leading out of his campsite.

I had a Keene Electrostatic concentrator. I would take my cons and spread them on a canvass to dry. Then the next evening, I would run them through the concentrator. Saved a lot of panning time.

I figure; if necessity is the mother of invention, then surely, laziness must be the father.

 

[nuggy]

Yes, you've got that right Eagle. Back then the only thing you could buy here was a gold pan, and I still don't know what an electrostatic concentrator looks like. We had to make everything except the motor and pump and hoses, trying to copy photos and a lot of guesswork went into it. My first dredge was a nightmare really, and if I had a good machine back then I would have done much better.
Did you think about penning that diamond story I mentioned in Lanny's thread? Nuggy

 

[EagleDown]

Yes, you've got that right Eagle. Back then the only thing you could buy here was a gold pan, and I still don't know what an electrostatic concentrator looks like. We had to make everything except the motor and pump and hoses, trying to copy photos and a lot of guesswork went into it. My first dredge was a nightmare really, and if I had a good machine back then I would have done much better.
Did you think about penning that diamond story I mentioned in Lanny's thread? Nuggy

Yep! It's in the mill.

It might be a rather short story, unless I some add some frills. You know, like the Golden Eagle that circled around above me, etc. Or, I might just have to make it a segue along with another story.

Aw heck, I think I'll probably make a story of it too. I guess I'll know when I finish it.

Eagle

 

[nuggy]

Best writing tip I can offer for this kind of thing is...... look back on some of your previous work!
Otherwise if you can tell us why you went there and how, what you saw, smelt, felt, heard and thought about while looking, and after finding, and what happened to the diamond after that, then we should all be well satisfied. Bit of a tall order but you have been doing pretty good at it so far.
All my best regards Nuggy

 

[Copperhead]

One of the most interesting threads I've read here....Enjoying the stories of your adventures...and looking forward to more...

 

[EagleDown]

One of the most interesting threads I've read here....Enjoying the stories of your adventures...and looking forward to more...

Copperhead, thanks for the words of encouragement. I have quite a bit more stories than I have time.

Thanks for reading!!

Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

Wet-suit Warmer​

Part #1;
It was one of my "Blinded by the Light" moments. I won’t go into detail about the time it took in experimenting to get it right. But, if anyone needs any clarification about this, all you need do is PM me, and I’ll answer to the best of my ability.

~~~\/~~~​

I had a friend who was a Railroad “Steam Engine” buff. One day I was looking through one of his books on old steam engines. It seems that the water was heated by convection rods. That is, heavy rods went from the firebox and through the sides of the boiler. When the rods were heated, they conveyed the heat from the fire into the boiler.

It suddenly occurred to me that if I had rods that were heated by the exhaust of the dredge engine, it could convey the heat into a canister that had water flowing through it. So, I got a piece of 3/4 inch EMT pipe and drilled holes in a *spiral (all the way through) from one end to the other. Then I stuck 12 penny nails through the EMT to where they projected out both sides. (You need to seal [braze] each nail individually as you put them in.) I found out the hard way, you can’t put them all in then braze them. Almost invariably, there will be some leaks. Small, but enough to damage your engine.

*I determined that the spiral would give me the most “rods” in any given length.

Once the convection tube was completed, I trimmed the ends of the nails to where it would slide inside of a 2 inch exhaust pipe, (new.) The next hard part was to cut 2 discs of 28 gauge steel with a hole *a little over ¾” dead center of both discs. (These discs are for closing the ends of the canister, so they need to be the same diameter as the canister.)

* This has to be done, so the ¾ inch EMT will fit through the holes. (I wasn’t thinking about the fit on the first one, so, I had to use a “half-round” file to enlarged them so it would fit.) It was about this time that I found; the “convection tube” needs to be about a ½ inch longer than the exhaust tube. (Canister jacket.) I also found that it was helpful if I brazed/welded a ¾ inch threaded pipe nipple onto one end of the “convection tube” before I began to assemble it. I needed the end threaded so it would screw into the exhaust port of the engine.

 

[SnakeEater]

~EagleDown~

Very ingenious but this must have been in the days before dry suits?

BTW as a diver, I don't recommend them for the simple reason that you have to come up to pee and when you're in pay dirt (be it gold or big fish swimming about) the LAST thing you wanna do is come up and unzip.

Also, I have an idea for unused 'energy' with surface-fed air via an electric motor/pump that is similar to how you found a way to utilize (otherwise) wasted energy. Until lithium batteries however, it didn't make sense pursuing it.

Ha, can you guess what either or both of the combined concepts are? Hint... air rising and paddle-boats.

 

[SushiDog]

EagleDown.....your post sounds good, but I can't wrap my brain around it....I can't get the visual that I need.....SnakeEater, I sure would like to know what you have up your wetsuit...er....sleeve....in order to stay warm while diving....gosh! my brain needs a vacation! (smile).....SushiDog

 

[nuggy]

Hi Eagle, thanks for sharing your design, that is a brilliant solution to the problem of cold water dredging!I don't know what EMT pipe is though?
I have tried to make heat exchangers using coiled copper tube inside 2" exhaust tube. Trouble is the tightly wound copper is weakened and it burns through too quickly. Some efforts only lasted a couple of weeks, bought ones weren't much better. Though I never did shell out for one of the big expensive ones, around $1,000 !
I'm thinking your design could work nearly as well made of stainless, and use a tig welder to do the joins, not quite as good a conductor of heat though.
Thanks again, Nuggy



Hi Snake Eater, I hear you but I just can't pee in my wet suit! I know no-one can see, probably it wont make it smell any worse than it already does, but I just can't make myself do it. So up I come, pull up the front of the 2 piece, undo shoulder Velcro, then struggle to get it all back together. Running water makes you go more often too. Also I haven't dredged much in the last ten or more years, and the prostate aint what it used to be. Could be I will have to get a suit with a fly arrangement! Nuggy

 

[Lanny in AB]

Eagle--you're one talented guy. I too have seen the bent copper tubing heaters Nuggy's referred to; however, yours sounds more intriguing and perhaps much more durable. As I've already PM'd you, I just wanted to say again how much I truly enjoy your helpful nature and your willingness to assist others within a wide range of prospecting endeavors.

Thanks again, and all the best,

Lanny

 

[EagleDown]

SnakeEater, I'm not sure how you entended to set it up, but it sounds similar to an idea I had a while back.

Due to some of the places I use to go, and the fact that it's a pain to get out to get gasoline, I got to thinking about gravity for water to power the jet on the dredge. Then I thought; why not electric?? So, I figured that if I used an auto alternator, all I would need do would be to build a wheel that I could put close to the dredge, (on floats,) and use the flow of the river/creek to turn it. Of course, I'd need a battery and a converter to get the needed 120v from the alternator. But, I never got around to trying it.

Recently, I discovered that motor out of a treadmill is run by permanent magnets. And, since they are easy to turn, they would put out more power than the alternator. Best of all, they are easy to find. I got one from a neighbor who was throwing the treadmill away. I hooked it up to a voltmeter and turned it by hand, it produced 3 or 4 volts. By putting a drill on it to turn it faster, it produced 14 to 16 volts. So, I'm sure it would work. Also, no diodes to burn out like the alternator is prone to do.

Sorry about such a long answer. One of the hazards of asking a touch typist.


Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

Incidently, EMT is the alloyed steel used to run electrical wiring through. It's light weight and strong enough for this application.

Before I start the rest of the instructions, I should clarify a couple of points; The convection tube was 6 and a half inches long, as I wanted to keep the size (and weight) down as much as possible.

Also, it’s mandatory that the “galvanizing” be sanded, filed or ground off of the EMT, otherwise, it will be hard to get a tight seal when brazing. And, use nails that have not been coated. If all you have available are coated nails, they should be sanded or wire brushed to remove the coating.

Segue:
I was in a hurry, so I just cleaned about three eights of an inch around the holes with a bench grinder. Later, I started getting requests for the suit warmer, and found that it took too long that way, so using the “fine” stone on the grinder, I just cleaned the whole EMT tube. You might be able to think of easier and/or quicker ways to do this.

O.K., now that the convection tube has all of the nails in and brazed, slip on of the discs on one end. Find a place to hold it steady, while you braze the threaded pipe nipple onto the convection tube. Once you have that done, and you’re sure there are no leaks, slide the convection tube into the canister jacket. Once it’s lined up properly, braze or weld the edge, all the way around.

Now, the next step would be to put the other disc (end cap) on, once it is brazed or welded on, it will keep it all aligned while you braze the convection tube to the end cap.

Sorry, I just had a customer come in. I’ll continue this later.

 

[EagleDown]

Lanny, believe it or not, I enjoy sharing and helping the ones who are truly trying to make a go of it. I know from experience how hard it can be when you're having to do everything alone.

As for my suit warmer, I used it a lot for over 3 years and never had any problems with it. But, as Nuggy said, it might have been better if I'd used stainless steel, but I didn't have the equipment to weld it. I was working on a shoestring, as always. Also, as Nuggy said; the copper gets brittle and litterally disintegrates. This method doesn't.

A short while before I developed my suit warmer, and the reason I was trying something new. I had a friend who ran out of gas. When he fired his dredge back up, he got a shot of "Live Steam" down his back. (2nd degree burns.) He didn't realise that the copper tends to hold and even build-up heat when the water quits flowing.

I found by trying it, that quite the opposite happens when mine shuts off. The water and rods immediately start cooling. I would usually have to wait a minute (or less) before I put the tube back into my wetsuit, otherwise, the water would be rather cold. But, once it was flowing warm, it was totally comfortable, even when the river water was about 34 degrees f.

 

[EagleDown]

Now, the suit-warmer is all assembled. Just a couple more items to take care of.

I could have told you about this first, but, I forgot about it myself until the canister was completed. And, I just now forgot it again. (lol)

Drill a hole near the end of the canister that will be closest to the exhaust port. Make it large enough to weld a steel tube in. It should be large enough for a 3/8th inch water line to fit snugly. (This will be for the input from the water pump.)

Then, drill a hole in the side of the canister at the discharge end, and weld a brass fitting that a small water “T”valve can screw on to. This “T” valve will slow down the water going to the wet-suit. Just a trickle of water is all that is needed. If you open the valve too much, the water will pass through the canister too fast to warm up.

When I first made the suit-warmer, my water pump had a fitting on it made for a “garden hose”. Or as they preferred calling it, a crevasse blaster. (lol)
It is possible to put a T fitting on this outlet. One side for the garden hose, and the other for the 3/8ths water line. Note: If your pump doesn’t have this outlet, you can drill and tap (thread) the pump for a 3/8ths fitting.

Now, you’re ready to put the suit-warmer on the engine.

Screw the exhaust nipple into the engine port, (where the muffler was.) Use caution here. Look at the threads on the muffler that was on the engine, and screw the suit-warmer in the same amount. If it is screwed in too far, it will interfere with the normal flow of exhaust and could possibly damage the engine. Also, if the muffler has a flanged “lock-nut”, use it with the suit-warmer to keep it from vibrating out of the port. If it doesn’t have a lock-nut, it would be a good idea to get one. The ones used with electrical conduit work well here.

After I installed mine, after I ran it for a day, I didn’t like the way the engine vibrated. When the suit-warmer is full of water, it is heavier than the muffler is. I became so concerned about it that I took some measurements, then took the suit-warmer back off, and took it home that night.

First thing the following morning, I found a heavy piece of strap-iron, about an inch wide and 1/8th of an inch thick. Going by my measurements, I bent the ends at an angle, then drilled holes in each end. Then I welded a ¼ inch bolt on the bottom of the outer end of the canister.

When I got back to the dredge, I put the suit-warmer back on as before, then I took the strap-iron brace and bolted it on the suit-warmer, then removed one of the mounting bolts on the base of the engine, and running it through the other end of the brace, bolted the engine back down firmly.

It must have worked pretty well, as I never had any problems with it in the following 3 years.

And, I hope you can understand this mish-mash of instructions. (lol)
Oh, almost forgot, you’ll need some ¼ inch hose to go from the suit-warmer to your wet-suit. I would recommend getting a length long enough to reach from the suit-warmer to just beyond the end of the suction nozzle, then add about 3 to 5 feet. You’ll need enough to stick about 2 feet of it down the back of the neck of your wet-suit.

Incidentally, since the question was asked earlier, yes, I owned a dry suit. Believe me, this was much warmer and way more comfortable. (lol)


Eagle