Crap! Depending on the situation and accessibility, I think I’d be considering trucking the entire dump to an offsite location where it can be crushed and processed. I’d certainly be taking some random samples and crushing and panning to see if there is gold you are missing with the detector.
We have been crushing and panning some random oxidized samples from this dump. Its full of micro gold finely disseminated particles of gold. My son is taking some samples to the experts in town before we go too crazy. Overnight soak in muriatic doesn't touch it except for the rock. The last batch in the pan was 70 grams My son just called from town it's Gold and the samples are worth spot price.
Good news. Tell you what, the initial find may just pay for some processing equipment (jaw crusher, roller pulverized, table, water tanks) where you can continue tinkering around with hard rock for the rest of your life. Not to mention setting your grandkids up for a treasure hunting future. I’m sure you could set up a recirculating crusher system.
How is this not a Banner find? My gosh!!!!!
Once a prospector shop in Quartzsite. told me how they clean gold nuggets. A 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water put in a bottle. Then salt added for to shake bottle giving slight abrasive action. They said soaking overnight without shaking doesn't work very well. I substituted construction silica (as once used in plaster on walls) but might not be able to find it now, because of silica lung hazards. I would wear latex gloves and scrub with old toothbrush with vinegar solution (after soaking a while).
I asked same question about my gold quarzt drywashin hopper drop spy nugget
Give us a reference point for a picture for the find mentioned above GT. I, for one, don't recall seeing it.
I've posted massive nuggets through the years over 11 Oz's never a vote here's a metal detector find
Page 7 of my prospector journal, there's a blurry pic of it right where it fell off my drywasher.
Never seen them probably would of voted for banner, still got pics ?
Nice monster nugg, I'm doin that thread hijacking again seems like it's happening more often, Im gonna try keep my comments to myself..
I’m just happy someone is willing to share here. I’ll vote banner. It’s obvious it may be appreciated. I consider a father/son team a partnership.
Do you have a handle on the age of your diggings? Round nails vs. square..black powder vs. blasting caps?
No trash glass or tin one square nail so far.
Well usually I’ve found the depression era mines left lots of round nails. The nitroglycerin and dynamite seemed to be used from the 1880’s on and resulted in many pieces of blasting cap being found in the waste pile. The older black powder blasting methods would not leave a whole lot of indicators other than discarded powder cans down the hill. That’s my experience anyway. The older mines wasted more gold due to the lack of crushing equipment and a lack of water. It was a visual sorting by candlelight affair. It was also difficult to do controlled blasting, which resulting in the ore mixing with waste rock.
