Hello from Oregon

[Terrible - One]

My name is Isaac. I'm 31, and live in Corvallis with my girlfriend Sara, and her 6yo boy Aiden. I'm a metal fabricator, carpenter, machine operator, etc.. at a local manufacturing business. I started mining as a child. My grandparents had a 600 acre mining claim in the Idaho mountains out near McCall. They had an old log cabin up there, and a few highbankers that I vividly remember using when I was about Aiden's age. I remember panning gold out of concentrates. Rubies were so plentiful up there that we didn't even keep em. There was some really bad forest fires up there a few years later. This caused the forest service to crack down on conditions up there. So my grandparents were forced to tear their cabin down. I have always had a huge interest in mining, but for some reason I was under the impression that you needed to have your own claim in order to even consider mining. For most of my teens/20's I always had the urge to prospect for gold, but thought it was far out of reach. A couple of years ago I found out that my favorite camping area was also a recreational mining area(yellowbottom/quartzville). So last year I bought a gold pan. I goofed around with my pan at a few areas and found a little color. Then it started... I'm sure you all know where it goes from here.
Fast forward to today, a year later. I now have a shop room at my house dedicated to mining, 5-6 gold pans, miller table, some small AC pumps, a hand suction dredge, 10 ft long 8" wide metal water redirection chute, etc... I also have a Keene A52 sluice that I'm currently trying to mod into a practical, high production stream highbanker.

Here is a pic before the stratification slick plate extension modificiation

 

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[vpnavy]

Welcome aboard from the great state of Pennsylvania! You sure have a nice setup.

You might consider browsing Sub-Forums: Oregon for information (i.e., clubs, hunts, finds, legends, maps, etc.) directly related to your state.

 

[mwaters27]

Welcome to the site. Local Oregonian here as well.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[smalltowngirl13]

Welcome aboard Isaac!

 

[63bkpkr]

Terrible - One,

Please do not take this personally but You've got nice Legs! The ones you put on your A52 that is. I would ask for a close up of the leg fixture on the side of the box PLEASE.

You are of course one lucky fella to have a small shop you can dedicate to your passion, as it is now a passion, and of course you have some metal working knowledge/skills that show in the project you've shared with us, way cool as I love making "stuff" as well. Check out casluicebox.com as they have an highbanker adapter kit for the A52 you should look at to glean inspiration from.

The time you spent as a boy, about Aiden's age, with your grandparents is precious in many ways, it was with them and it was all about mining minerals. From the sounds of it I expect that you will share your knowledge/abilities/talents with Aiden so that if he chooses he can follow in your footsteps. This is a choice opportunity the two of you have if each of you choose to allow it to happen, touching the life of a child with goodness is a special joy. So, you came into this picture with the memories of mining with your grandparents, as you got older you purchased a pan and now you are building a great looking project.

All my best wishes for prospecting and living your life...................63bkpkr

 

[ret-detector]

Welcome...

from Central Florida!

Wow! You've got a LOT to share!

ret

 

[hamiddetecting]

 

[Terrible - One]

Thanks everyone. I don't think I've ever actually bothered to use the "introduce yourself" topic on a forum before, but the mining community seems to be a really good group of people... so why not.

 

[Urban Grund]

Nice gear! Welcome from Michigan!