Gold Recovery Below 100 Mesh

[desertgolddigger]

Hi All, After so many years away from digging for gold, I got back to it several months ago.

I did a lot of reading and viewing of videos online to educate myself about how I set up my dry washer.

Apparently I must be doing something correct now, as I am getting all kinds of sizes of gold. And I am seeing
a lot of fine gold that's much smaller than 100 mesh when I ran my Blue bowl for the first time in over 10 years.
Yes, I also read and watched videos about Blue Bowls.

The problem is that when I shined a very bright flashlight into the bowl to view how things were progressing,
I noticed that the gold just at the 100 mesh size was happily setting on the bottom, but stuff that was very tiny was
being washed up and over the cone, and into my catch bucket. Thank goodness for that bucket, as I can run the
material again.

I think that if I can find wire mesh in the say 125, 150 and smaller range, I may be able to classify the sizes down to where
I have fairly consistent sizes, that won't have the gold going up with the black sand and other little stuff.

From what I was viewing, there was just oodles of that super fine gold.

Now the question. What is the most efficient method of super fine gold recovery that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars.
I know a sluice is useless, except for refining the junk material out. Anyway, a sluice is something I, who lives in the high desert
would get any use of, unless I want to run some of those dry washing tailing piles. That's where I have been getting all my
gold, in those tailing piles that the previous people left. I can catch a lot of what they let go out of their machine, but finding
a way to get if recovered to just gold is just beyond me right now.

I hope someone can tell me a simple way that will work.

 

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[Assembler]

I can’t take anyone that uses the term “seed gold” seriously. They aren’t seeds. They won’t get bigger if you leave them in there longer.

Nature could take a very long time to take the "seed gold" into bigger materials. There is always going to be some losses just decide what you can live with for your particular find / deposits.

 

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[arizau]

AA

Hi All, After so many years away from digging for gold, I got back to it several months ago.

I did a lot of reading and viewing of videos online to educate myself about how I set up my dry washer.

Apparently I must be doing something correct now, as I am getting all kinds of sizes of gold. And I am seeing
a lot of fine gold that's much smaller than 100 mesh when I ran my Blue bowl for the first time in over 10 years.
Yes, I also read and watched videos about Blue Bowls.

The problem is that when I shined a very bright flashlight into the bowl to view how things were progressing,
I noticed that the gold just at the 100 mesh size was happily setting on the bottom, but stuff that was very tiny was
being washed up and over the cone, and into my catch bucket. Thank goodness for that bucket, as I can run the
material again.

I think that if I can find wire mesh in the say 125, 150 and smaller range, I may be able to classify the sizes down to where
I have fairly consistent sizes, that won't have the gold going up with the black sand and other little stuff.

From what I was viewing, there was just oodles of that super fine gold.

Now the question. What is the most efficient method of super fine gold recovery that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars.
I know a sluice is useless, except for refining the junk material out. Anyway, a sluice is something I, who lives in the high desert
would get any use of, unless I want to run some of those dry washing tailing piles. That's where I have been getting all my
gold, in those tailing piles that the previous people left. I can catch a lot of what they let go out of their machine, but finding
a way to get if recovered to just gold is just beyond me right now.

I hope someone can tell me a simple way that will work.

I think you are on right track by classifying to sizes smaller than 100 mesh and running them separate...I do that but just by panning.

Then there is this........I'm thinking of experimenting with pine oil/pure turpentine to collect minus 100 mesh gold in a crude flotation process.* My idea is to trickle the concentrates through a film of pine oil floating on water. Gold is oleophilic so easily attaches to oil. In this case the tiny gold particles should(?) float in the oil film while the non-oleopholic sands/particles just sink to the bottom. I can then pour the liquids through a coffee filter to separate out the collected solids/gold.
Last steps...burn filter and pan the ashes. Not tested yet so results still yet to be determined.

What ever you do, good luck.

* Pine oil was often used for milled gold flotation recovery in the early days.

 

[southfork]

I've been panning my crush that was soaking in muriatic. I took a macro photo but need a tripod this gold is real fine.

 

[desertgolddigger]

I've got a 50gallon bladder tank to haul water, but 50gallon drums work fine or those nice white 330gallon totes work great also.

330 Gallon Food Grade IBC | Drinking Water, Rainwater Harvesting Container – Xikers

Then for a nice small portable set up, this is how I do it -

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Reed's Travels Today we will be detecting at Carpinteria State Beach in Southern California just outside of Santa Barbara and we will be here until Friday morning in space 126. It's past time for me to have started my own thread on our travels, so here it is :)

www.treasurenet.com

But mosty, I enjoy working the material at home, where I have nice clean water straight from the tap that I use and run into the little dry stream bead in my back yard. Everything gets classified and sorted by size coming out of the Gold Fox and then piled for different uses as fill or gravel in my own or neighbors yards. I fill 22 or more 5 gallon buckets, put them in the truck, then work them out here in the mornings.
I also have a Gold Cube trommel set up that I have at my other house in California that I leave there to use at my mining claim there when I head up in the summer. That's another great little set up that runs recirculating water really nice.

Reed, I guess I need to make the big "DUH!!!" Why didn't I think of dragging stuff back with me. It sure would save a lot of time doing setup and teardown. And my backyard need fill dirt. Also need pea gravel here and there, and my neighbors probably wouldn't mind getting some of that gravel

 

[Assembler]

I've been panning my crush that was soaking in muriatic. I took a macro photo but need a tripod this gold is real fine.

yep it is not all big stuff out there for sure.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Anyone suggest a small recirculating sluice for home use, for processing those 5 gallon buckets of dirt. Don't require something fancy, just something that functions well.

 

[Assembler]

Reed, I guess I need to make the big "DUH!!!" Why didn't I think of dragging stuff back with me. It sure would save a lot of time doing setup and teardown. And my backyard need fill dirt. Also need pea gravel here and there, and my neighbors probably wouldn't mind getting some of that gravel

This gets old if you are trying to move 1,800 lbs or more. Most people give up.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Anyone have pictures of old mining tailings that you've crushed and found gold in. We have 5 locations on our claim that had hard rock mining done. I've thought about going through these piles, but not sure I would find anything.

 

[Assembler]

Anyone have pictures of old mining tailings that you've crushed and found gold in. We have 5 locations on our claim that had hard rock mining done. I've thought about going through these piles, but not sure I would find anything.

Breaking a lot of rock and testing is the best way to see what may be there. If you can start seeing it then crush and pan is best.

 

[RTR]

Anyone suggest a small recirculating sluice for home use, for processing those 5 gallon buckets of dirt. Don't require something fancy, just something that functions well.

This is the one I've been using for over 10 years(in the Pix.)

and it works great !....Yikes it was 55 bucks back then
>> https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/angus-mackirk-foreman-gold-trap-sluice-box

 

[Reed Lukens]

Anyone suggest a small recirculating sluice for home use, for processing those 5 gallon buckets of dirt. Don't require something fancy, just something that functions well.

I've got a couple sitting here, both Gold Hog with mats that I don't use. Then I've got my Gold Fox Extreme set up that I always use.
I'm in Congress Az if you feel like coming down. I can show you how I do it and then if you're interested, we could build you a set up from what I have extra.
This way you could see the solar set up and the battery system that I used when I took it traveling with me, and also see how I have it set up for home use.
If you want pumps, I have them also.
If interested, send me a pm.

 

[Assembler]

Most will not find much in a tailing piles unless you have some idea what rock it is in.
It could take a number of piles before you may start to find some thing. You will not know without trying.

 

[desertgolddigger]

I've got a couple sitting here, both Gold Hog with mats that I don't use. Then I've got my Gold Fox Extreme set up that I always use.
I'm in Congress Az if you feel like coming down. I can show you how I do it and then if you're interested, we could build you a set up from what I have extra.
This way you could see the solar set up and the battery system that I used when I took it traveling with me, and also see how I have it set up for home use.
If you want pumps, I have them also.
If interested, send me a pm.

With the cost of fuel so darn high, going out your way wouldn't leave me any cash to purchase some of you excess equipment. I really would love to see your setups, but just can't until something gets that fuel to get cheaper

 

[desertgolddigger]

Most will not find much in a tailing piles unless you have some idea what rock it is in.
It could take a number of piles before you may start to find some thing. You will not know without trying.

Assembler, the only way I can crush rock is with my little 2# sledge hammer on my 1/4 inch thick steel plate. I' have to figure a way of keeping the rock shards in place, while I strike them. Are those little 3 inch diameter manual rock crusher worth trying?

 

[arizau]

Assembler, the only way I can crush rock is with my little 2# sledge hammer on my 1/4 inch thick steel plate. I' have to figure a way of keeping the rock shards in place, while I strike them. Are those little 3 inch diameter manual rock crusher worth trying?

Put rocks inside a short section of pipe welded to a piece of plate steel. A piece of pipe with a steel cap that fits inside the stationary pipe works well to use as pounder. Rocks are fragile and can be pounded to powder with a little effort. Sceen off and reprocess the oversize.

 

[southfork]

We use a T-post driver turned upside down and a digging bar with a mushroomed end. Turns rock to powder with little effort.

 

[desertgolddigger]

We use a T-post driver turned upside down and a digging bar with a mushroomed end. Turns rock to powder with little effort.

Southfork, I did a cost analysis of you suggestion versus the premade manual rock crusher. I found the two items you listed costing nearly twice that of the crusher . The only drawback of the premade crushers that of leverage. I'd prefer standing to squatting. So the digging tool has that advantage. Wish I had someone who welded. I could then make the receiver the size I like. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I'll see if I can find something in the used department.

 

[southfork]

Southfork, I did a cost analysis of you suggestion versus the premade manual rock crusher. I found the two items you listed costing nearly twice that of the crusher . The only drawback of the premade crushers that of leverage. I'd prefer standing to squatting. So the digging tool has that advantage. Wish I had someone who welded. I could then make the receiver the size I like. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I'll see if I can find something in the used department.

We already have these tools they paid for themselves many times over. craigslist is a good place for cheap items.

 

[desertgolddigger]

I think I'm not going to worry about crushing rocks quite yet. I've decided that I'll concentrate on extracting as much gold from our claim as I can. This means I'll have to get a sluice for working the material I tote back to my property. I already know the brand I'll buy, "Royal". I know I said earlier I wanted a basic sluice, but reading up on things tells me that, in the long run, maybe paying a bit more on the "Royal Trommel Kit", might be the way to go, especially if I ever make it to a place where water actually flows.

I'm wondering what any here think of this contraption.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Royal stuff is ok. Their drywashers seem to be their hot seller. Their sluices are very basic.