Dont know if this is gold or not, need help.

[ace4166]

I am needing all help possible trying to find out if this is gold or not. It is heavy like gold and stays back with the gold that I dredge, sluice and pan. Ran my cons thru the gold cube and it stayed. Ran it on my fine recovery table and it also stayed. Please help.

 

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[spillercanyon]

Looks like gold with mercury on it. Might check, there are many threads here on gold and mercury.

 

[arizau]

Check this thread. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/500055-oddball-nuggets-pics-couple-questions.html Ragnor is a fellow Washingtonian so if it looks similar......

 

[winners58]

some look like lead some look like silver some could have gold with mercury or mercury scum.
each stream is different maybe you could post the water body,
some of the Washington guys here might have run into this before.

 

[ace4166]

just west of Puget sound

 

[KevinInColorado]

Looks like lead.

 

[et1955]

just west of Puget sound

Could your narrow it done a little more, was it Olney creek, lead city there, years of target shooting there.

 

[et1955]

Thanks for letting me know the location, that area is all glacial till on ancient sea bed, I could not find any history of gold being found there. As for what you found it is probably lead and maybe some brass. If it was gold you would know it. If you need advise on other places you want to mine please ask.

 

[Terry Soloman]

The following is PERSONAL OPINION and is NOT meant to attack or offend the OP or any other member of this forum.

It ALWAYS BOTHERS ME when I see "Is this gold?" posts. What is the FIRST thing a prudent person does when they believe they have gold? Have it assayed / tested. In our modern world, we can actually walk in to ANY jeweler or pawn shop, and ask them to perform a "Scratch test." You can order gold test kits through the mail, or by this newfangled "Interweb" thing.

"Wait, I know, I'll post some bad photographs on the Interweb, and ask people I have never smelled to tell me!" Freaking Brilliant!

 

[weregolf]

Stones ..heavy stones?

 

[winners58]

Its hard to know sometimes if its lead or mercury coated gold or something else!
its even harder to tell the smaller pieces, I would suggest a jewelers loop at least 30X
a big enough piece you can do a rub test on an unfinished ceramic tile then look at the rub and the piece under magnification.

 

[johnedoe]

Are you sure you can't post crappier pictures?....

Put them in a pan, dry them off..... They aint gonna grow.

With what little I can see none of it looks golden...................

 

[et1955]

Its hard to know sometimes if its lead or mercury coated gold that is prevalent in western Washington.
its even harder to tell the smaller pieces, I would suggest a jewelers loop at least 30X
a big enough piece you can do a rub test on an unfinished ceramic tile then look at the rub and the piece under magnification.

Can you tell me where mercury is so prevalent here in Western Wa. I have mined out over 12 ozs. on the rivers this side of the Cascades and only found mercury coated gold once.

 

[winners58]

my bad. a lot of people I've talked to that came to Oregon to mine have said it was great to not have mercury coated gold
But I didn't ask where they were mining, I know Dan "Bonaro" gets a lot where he mines.

My personal opinion is educate and encourage so what if its annoying we were all once newbies
and we shouldn't discourage asking questions and passing on some knowledge.

 

[Terry Soloman]

...My personal opinion is educate and encourage so what if its annoying we were all once newbies
and we shouldn't discourage asking questions and passing on some knowledge.

I agree, but even when I was a "newbie," I could figure out some things by myself.