Finally got the Provisional Patent Application in...

Jim in Idaho

Silver Member
Jul 21, 2012
3,349
4,750
Blackfoot, Idaho
Detector(s) used
White's GM2, GM3, DFX, Coinmaster, TDI-SL, GM24K, Falcon MD20, old Garrett Masterhunter BFO
'Way Too Cool' dual 18 Watt UV light
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Back in August, I came up with an idea for a dry gem recovery machine. I've been working on this for 3 years. Finally gave it up as impossible a year ago. Then the idea in August. Testing revealed that it worked. Then I took it down to Bonanza Bar on the Snake, and recovered 4,000 flakes of micron gold, running wet. That from about 1/2 yard of bank-run material. All I did was remove the rocks bigger that 2". I decided then I was going to try and patent it. So far, I've found nothing like it in my "Prior Art" searches. I started doing some of the drawings in October, then got sidetracked by nice weather, and didn't get back at it until Middle of November. 250 hours later, I have the entire Utility Patent Application done, except the Abstract. I decided to go ahead and file the Provisional App, so I could spend more time reviewing the Utility filing before sending it in. Got the Prov in tonight....what a relief. Finally have a locked-in filing date, and time, and can put "Patent Pending" on any of the units I sell, or demonstrate. I'm going to delay publicizing the videos until I've got 20 of the units for sale. Nobody will want them in the winter anyway. I'm just so tickled to have the Provisional done, I had to tell my friends on T-Net. You guys that have nothing but real flour gold in your area are going to love this machine. P9140002.JPG
Yee Haa!!
Jim
 

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Congrats will it out perform a 4" dredge that holds onto-200?

This thing holds onto gold so small it can't be seen with the naked eye. Most people who claim their unit will hold flour gold, don't really have flour gold. You want to see real flour, try the Snake, or the Green, or the Big Lost, or the Fraser in Canada. I've seen so many videos of guys showing gold in their pans, and calling it "flour", and I dream of gold that coarse around here. Most of the gold in the Snake goes through a 100 mesh screen like water...LOL. Also, I've never seen a dredge that would work dry...ha! Seriously, this machine works either wet, or dry. The water, when running wet, has no impact on the recovery, other than making a slurry of damp, or sticky material. This unit recovers gems, wet or dry. Coarse gold is easy...specific gravity 7.5x denser than the background material...12X denser in water. Gems are much more difficult...only .5X denser....2.25X censer in water. Show me a unit that can recover gems dry.
Jim
 

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Can't wait to see it in action. Could be a real product for Wash. beach gold. It's almost all -200.

What amount of material input would you estimate for straight black sand per hr or min.
 

Awesome! Cant wait to see it!
 

Well, Jim when you have the Best,, all the rest in that field are "Lesser". ...

Sounds like you are going to do very well in the near future.
 

...and recovered 4,000 flakes of micron gold, running wet. That from about 1/2 yard of bank-run material.

The only question I have is: How much did the 4000 flakes weigh?
 

I have no idea, but back in the old days, they said it took 100,000 colors of Snake flour to equal an ounce. If that is still the case, it would weigh a bit over a gram. Or about $45.00 worth. I shoveled for about 2 hours to get that. I was walking down the bank, trying to stay out of the water, and just digging what I could reach, then taking out the really large rocks that wouldn't go through the 3" opening on the feed funnel. Then walking back to my machine with it. I probably averaged about a shovel/minute, or a little faster, and the shovelfuls were only about half full. I estimated I ran about 1/2 yard.
I've also seen reports that claimed 1,500 colors to a pennyweight, which I think are way off.
That little vial in the pic is only 1 7/8" long and 5/8" in diameter.
Jim
 

Cool, Jim. Congrats. Look forward to seeing it in action.
 

That sounds great Jim. I kinda lost interest in the recreational placer mining activity, because I wished there was something that could recover flour gold from the sand and gravel more effectively. What's the size and weight of the apparatus your working on?
 

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I would like to recover an alluvial diamond some day... just to have the experience.
Your machine sounds very promising. I wonder how much interest you will get from those interested in fine gold recovery vs. those interested in gem stone recovery.
 

Sound interesting. Look forward to maybe pictures. Thanks
 

That sounds great Jim. I kinda lost interest in the recreational placer mining activity, because I wished there was something that could recover flour gold from the sand and gravel more effectively. What's the size and weight of the apparatus your working on?

Grant, the prototype is too big to pack anywhere, and made of steel. I purchased the material to make myself an aluminum version that is also smaller. I don't have a problem getting the prototype out of the truck, but I wouldn't want to carry it more than a 100' or so. It wouldn't be too bad made of aluminum. I've been too busy to make my aluminum unit. Now that the patent is in, I can get after it. Won't do me much good, though, until spring, other than doing dry testing in the shop. I'm send the prototype to a friend in Ontario, Canada for further testing, so will need the new one. I'm going to get in contact with some members on here that I feel are serious guys, and make them a special deal on a few of these so they can get more testing done. I want guys that have the time, and the will, to get out and use them, and guys with the experience to make a fair comparison to other types of devices. And, guys that can keep their mouths shut...LOL
Jim
 

I would like to recover an alluvial diamond some day... just to have the experience.
Your machine sounds very promising. I wonder how much interest you will get from those interested in fine gold recovery vs. those interested in gem stone recovery.
I sell plans for my small, prospector-sized mineral jigs on Ebay. I also have plans for a gold shaker table. The shaker table definitely outsells the jig plans, though I have jig plans in Israel, Madagascar, Australia, and Canada, and, of course the USA. But I haven't sold any jig plans in 6 months.
Jim
 

Really looking forward to your invention....... Fine gold is all I deal with here on the Oregon coast.



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2 Thumbs Up for you Jim on your patent. A miner who treats the smallest of gold as a nugget. My kinda guy.
 

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