Whats your process - cradle to grave

[outwardjourney]

What's your process - cradle to grave

Okay... so I have finally gotten a bunch of pay dirt sitting around the house. Well, really it's just a few 5 gallon buckets of raw pay dirt. There is a bunch of larger rocks, gem stones, etc.. Lastnight being so cold outside I decided to move the operation in the garage. I have a good work area now, but I lack the larger tools like a wash plant, trommel, even a sluice large enough to wash the larger cobble rocks off with. So I am employing my 7yr old to help me out.

However, I tend to find myself getting off track easily with her helping out. But most importantly, I need a streamlined process on how to get this done quicker.

How do you guys recommend washing the material? It's freezing outside so I need to be able to do this indoors. I was thinking it's going to be more labor intensive, but here's what I was thinking.

1) Classify starting with 1/4", taking the larger stones an then hand panning them (to wash them), and then dumping those washed stones into a discard/tailings bucket.
2) Classify the dirt to 1/8" and repeating the process. I do NOT expect anything to be found until I get to -30 mesh as most of the gold is flakes larger than -30 mesh. I have yet to find anything smaller than -30.
3) Classify -30 and -50 and running those cons in the blue bowl.

I also lack the ability to classify the material with a running source of water, so I am classifying this damp material 'dry' and it seems to be much more difficult as it sticks more than anything!

Any ideas on how to better streamline this operation. Remember, I am trying to make this enjoyable for my 7yr old too! She can spot gold in the pan much quicker than I can, that's for sure!

Thanks!

 

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[kazcoro]

Use a classifier. I use the strainer for my reloading equipment. It has 1/4" holes. Classify it dry. Then, get a big tub and a seat. Pan it down to the black sand and gold. Dump the concentrated material in a bucket. Pan it all this way. When you are done panning it all, dump the water from your panning tug. I use a large plastic laundry tub for this. Dig all your panning waste out of the tub, and put it back in buckets. Remember to not fill the buckets all the way, wet material is HEAVY. Re-fill your tub with water and slowly pan your concentrates down. If there is a lot of gold, you may want to wash your rocks, and/or re-pan your panning waste material until you get the hang of panning. You should do this method for quite a while until you are really good at panning. Even with the best equipment on the planet, you will still need to ba able to pan. Get practice!!!

 

[fowledup]

Tub, pitcher, pan, classifiers, and buckets. Put empty bucket in tub. Fill with water. Fill tub with a couple inches of water. Wet classify your paystreak buckets into bucket in tub. Use pitcher to keep classifying bucket topped off. Repeat until your ready to pan. Remove bucket with "panable" material, and pan it into tub.

 

[outwardjourney]

See, I knew I was over thinking all this! Thanks! This will definitely be something the kiddo can help with.

 

[goldenIrishman]

LOl.... Have fun with the Munchkin! We have our 7yo grand daughter and she loves to pan. She' also knows how to run a gold wheel and read a stream as well. ROFLMAO.... She's a better miner than Todd Hoffman from Gold Rush! She doesn't run a dozer though so I guess that also makes her safer.

 

[fowledup]

I know what you guys mean. I take out my two granddaughters and they are mining fools. Their catch percentage ain't all that great yet but their working on it. Funny story as we are hiking in one day, the oldest one whose 8 keeps handing me chunks of quartz. Papa can you carry this, papa can you carry this? So after about the tenth chunck I tell her it's not fair that papa carries all her loot. She then puts the next one in her little backpack and away we go. Had a wonderful day getting dirty and hanging out. We hike out to the truck and go to load our junk. I help her get her pack off - thump to the ground it goes, she had filled that pack to the rim and hiked it all the way out and never complained or said a word. The force/fever is strong in this one!

 

[KevinInColorado]

LOl.... Have fun with the Munchkin! We have our 7yo grand daughter and she loves to pan. She' also knows how to run a gold wheel and read a stream as well. ROFLMAO.... She's a better miner than Todd Hoffman from Gold Rush! She doesn't run a dozer though so I guess that also makes her safer.

...as soon as her feet can reach the pedals!

 

[goldenIrishman]

...as soon as her feet can reach the pedals!

PLEASE Kevin... DON'T remind me!!!! Actually she's a pretty good kid most of the time and she will be learning from me which means she'll be safe. I'll start her on the loader/hoe out on our claim (when we get it and she can reach the peddles). Of course if she's helping us work the claim she's going to want a percentage of the finds........ Well there goes the profits! It does have a bright side though. Maybe it will keep her from going "boy crazy" if she's got a good case of "The Fever". That or we require that any potential boy friends prove themselves out at the claim. They've got to fit into this gold diggin family.

 

[KevinInColorado]

PLEASE Kevin... DON'T remind me!!!! Actually she's a pretty good kid most of the time and she will be learning from me which means she'll be safe. I'll start her on the loader/hoe out on our claim (when we get it and she can reach the peddles). Of course if she's helping us work the claim she's going to want a percentage of the finds........ Well there goes the profits! It does have a bright side though. Maybe it will keep her from going "boy crazy" if she's got a good case of "The Fever". That or we require that any potential boy friends prove themselves out at the claim. They've got to fit into this gold diggin family.

If she has the fever, you won't have to require anything from her boyfriends, because SHE will!

 

[mrlindeman]

With that much material. My sudgestion, and this is just sudgestion... Classify to half inch. Check tailings for neat stones to tumble. Then classify to eighth inch, or 12/8 mesh; either work great. Check tailings again over a cup of coffee or tea for more neat gems and stones. Now you can if ya want run the rest through a gold cube. if ya dont have one take a sluice and line it with low profile v rib and run it through that on a recirc pump. or ya can pan it all with the youngin. If you dont have running water just use a pitcher to pour over the classifyer and reuse that water. it works awesome. Crap i pretty much didnt help lol. My idea is more complex than what you were already dealing with. Sorry man.

 

[FeetPlentySore]

There is something on the net called the Pyramid pan and it looked to me that it would work faster than a sluice or regular pan. See FOSSICKERS.COM - Gold Pans for Prospecting & Production Gold Panning. Haven't bought one yet but want to. Seems like it would get through muck quick. No, I am not the owner of the thing.

 

[kazcoro]

Nevermind. I thought that was the pan I use. This is the one I use. It works great. Can't use it in the field, though. It doesn't fit in a 5 gallon bucket. It stratifys the material RIGHT NOW!http://store.myprogold.com/index.php/equipment/goldpans/hex-gold-pan.html

 

[outwardjourney]

Thanks guys, I had a pump I sitting in the garage so I took a rubbermaid tote and filled it with water. I then used the pump with some tubing attached to recirculate the water. I am able to wash and classify the material much easier now. Got the kiddo working it quite well.

Speaking of GEM stones, anyone an expert? I am finding the usual garnets and non-gem stones, but I am also finding some more unique material that I hadn't seen before. This dirt is out of Alaska, and I am finding pieces that look like Jade. Is Jade a stone to look for?

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

Thank you men, that include us "girls" in your lives and endeavors.
I am my fathers only son. LOL! He taught me things, my mother maybe could have, but she was undertaking a different familial role.
Us girls need you good strong men, how else are we going to know, how to pick a good mate, if we have never seen examples of "good men".
Again, Thank You all!

Post your gem stones under the rocks thread, when you get them cleaned and sorted. Someone will id them quick, I'm sure.

 

[loco oro]

Thanks guys, I had a pump I sitting in the garage so I took a rubbermaid tote and filled it with water. I then used the pump with some tubing attached to recirculate the water. I am able to wash and classify the material much easier now. Got the kiddo working it quite well.

Speaking of GEM stones, anyone an expert? I am finding the usual garnets and non-gem stones, but I am also finding some more unique material that I hadn't seen before. This dirt is out of Alaska, and I am finding pieces that look like Jade. Is Jade a stone to look for?

if you post some pics of your finds,somone will i.d them for ya,just a note here if you know where your material came from,there is jade in alaska,in the KOBUK RIVER DISTRICT,there is (jade mountian,and jade hills)it has been found in area river gravels there.