Placer Claim Mined Out?

[desertgolddigger]

I belong to a local club that owns a claim. This club has had this claim for many years, and acquired it after the old timers had mined it previously, and others after they commercial outfits closed up.
I walked quite a bit of the 160 acre claim, and noted that just about every wash had been worked. Most of the surface nuggets has also been detected by those with gold detectors. In other words, this place has been picked over and over and over.
But I m a stubborn type of person, and I figured, just watching how people ram their puffer and blower drywashers, that some gold was just being blown through them. maybe not much, but some small stuff that never got a chance to settle behind the riffles.
I know many of you would never go to the effort of digging for three to four hours through the tailings in these washes. Again, I'm a bit stubborn, and anyway, I just wanted to have some fun locally, instead of driving 300 miles roundtrip to something that gives a little more for less effort.
I've spent the last three weeks, digging a few times a week along about 30 yards of wash, and have recovered just about a gram of gold. That might not seem like much, but I have only dug up 5 grams, not counting this one gram in almost 20 years out here drywashing in the desert of southern California.
As you would know, things always seem to go wrong. My gas powered blower motor decided it was time for the repair shop, and haven't heard from the shop in two weeks. So I purchased a WORX WG521 corded electric leaf blower to use with my Royal Large drywasher. I'm using a portable generator to provide the power. And it actually is working better than with my old gas powered blower. I have to run the blower on the lowest speed, or I just blow everything through the riffles. Results are very good, as I am getting gold specks so small that I will have to use the Blue bowl in order to recover them.
I'm not only getting a little gold, I'm having some fun, and I am getting a good workout. I've lost 10 pounds since I started. So things are going well.
I'm still digging test holes around the old time hard rock mines in the hope I will find where the gold has drifted downhill below these mines. So far just a couple specks here and there. I figure I just have to move laterally one way or the other before I get something better Of course, I' don't really know if the old timers stripped the hillsides. Even if they have, they apparently aren't as thorough as I am. I hope that I may be lucky and find a larger piece of gold that the old timers, previous placer miners, and detectorists have missed.
Hope everyone is having as much fun as I have been having.

 

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[Assembler]

This is actually desertgolddigger. The site will not let me log in on my new computer. Had to get a new computer because Malware somehow slipped past Norton, and first shut me out of the computer, then somehow started attacking the firmware and running down the battery.

Just to let you know, I tried my shaker table again, and it had the water wrapping around under the drip edge, ans flooding my base table top.

And the table isn't moving the heavies upward. They're just pooling where I deposit them on the table.

If anyone here is a site administrator, I surely would appreciate you somehow restoring my original data (desertgolddigger) to my new computer.

Have you tried signing in using the new computer and it still would not let you in?

 

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[placer digger]

Have you tried signing in using the new computer and it still would not let you in?

Yes, I cannot access my old desertgolddigger data with any computer I've tried.

 

[arizau]

Yes, I cannot access my old desertgolddigger data with any computer I've tried.

Maybe you have already tried this but.....Click on the big P to the left of your new user name. Scroll to the bottom of page. Click on Contact us and plead your case.
Good luck.

 

[Assembler]

Yes, I cannot access my old desertgolddigger data with any computer I've tried.

I think it is a password issue as far as signing into the desertgolddigger account. Perhaps there is a way to reset the password?

 

[southfork]

All your old post are still there on my end I just checked.

 

[placer digger]

Maybe you have already tried this but.....Click on the big P to the left of your new user name. Scroll to the bottom of page. Click on Contact us and plead your case.
Good luck.

Yeah, I've already sent them a message. Guess it'll take some time to get back to me.

 

[Assembler]

Yeah, I've already sent them a message. Guess it'll take some time to get back to me.

If you can get a email message from them that allows you to reset your password should fix the problem of you getting into the account.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Seems it took some time to have my reset password take effect. Not sure. Maybe I did something wrong, but I'm now back with my old handle.

As for my shaker table, it's back to the drawing board. I need to remove the table completely, so I can add some kind of drip edge that'll prevent the water from flowing back uphill.

I'm guessing that my problem with heavies not traveling across the upper part of the table is that the tilt is too severe. I'll need to play with the tilt to find the proper angle.

That means I need to make my water catch basins moveable so I can access the tilt adjusters.

 

[Assembler]

Seems it took some time to have my reset password take effect. Not sure. Maybe I did something wrong, but I'm now back with my old handle.

As for my shaker table, it's back to the drawing board. I need to remove the table completely, so I can add some kind of drip edge that'll prevent the water from flowing back uphill.

I'm guessing that my problem with heavies not traveling across the upper part of the table is that the tilt is too severe. I'll need to play with the tilt to find the proper angle.

That means I need to make my water cat basins moveable so I can access the tilt adjusters.

Playing around to find out what works is always called for.
This cat likes the idea of cat basins instead of catch basins.

Reset of the password does take some time not sure of how long.

 

[arizau]

Seems it took some time to have my reset password take effect. Not sure. Maybe I did something wrong, but I'm now back with my old handle.

As for my shaker table, it's back to the drawing board. I need to remove the table completely, so I can add some kind of drip edge that'll prevent the water from flowing back uphill.

I'm guessing that my problem with heavies not traveling across the upper part of the table is that the tilt is too severe. I'll need to play with the tilt to find the proper angle.

That means I need to make my water cat basins moveable so I can access the tilt adjusters.

Have you tried increasing water flow? I would start with too much and adjust down. Simply breaking/rounding the table edges with sandpaper could help too if you haven't already.
Good luck

 

[desertgolddigger]

Have you tried increasing water flow? I would start with too much and adjust down. Simply breaking/rounding the table edges with sandpaper could help too if you haven't already.
Good luck

The table edges are made from 1/4 round material, and that seems to be the problem. I'm going to add a slanted (30 degrees) strip along the bottom edge of the 1/4 round, so that it extends below the support table top. that should make it nearly impossible to have the water go anywhere but into the catch basins.

 

[Assembler]

The table edges are made from 1/4 round material, and that seems to be the problem. I'm going to add a slanted (30 degrees) strip along the bottom edge of the 1/4 round, so that it extends below the support table top. that should make it nearly impossible to have the water go anywhere but into the catch basins.

Looking forward to how you add the tapered / slanted strip edges.

 

[desertgolddigger]

The heat is on here in 29 Palms. Been nearing 110F, and that has pretty much kept me indoors.

I'm usually out at 5AM working on my landscaping, putting in hardware cloth tp prevent the ground squirrels from digging in my combination flood control barrier/raised flower bed, The furballs just love putting extensive tunnel systems in it, and have managed to nibble the roots off of a couple of my cactus.

After that hour of work, I am now processing the pea gravel sized material and dirt dug from the club mining claim, at one of the vertical shaft mine waste piles. I'm getting a lot of stuff 300 mesh and smaller. But I was wondering about the material greater than 120 mesh in size coming out of my chain mill, and what it might contain if I ran that back through the mill.

Yesterday was my first rerun of the larger than 120 mesh material. I ran about a 3 gallon pail of it, and got about 12 cups of 120 mesh and smaller from that rerun. What happened next stunned me. That rerun actually produced more gold than a 5 gallon pail of 120 mesh minus that came from the first run through the mill. Most of the rerun gold is closer to 500 mesh, but there are so many specks thar a line in the pan stretched for three inches.

I continued this rerun again this morning, with similar results. It's quite disturbing that I've tossed tons of this sand away thinking there wasn't any more gold in it. I can only imagine that I might have already reach an ounce of gold \If I'd known the sand had locked up these very tiny gold particles.

When I started working on our club claim, it was as a dry washer setup. I didn't realize there was gold smaller than 120 mesh. Now, after about two years of grinding rock, I know there's gold so small you can't see individual particles. But now that I know how to sluice this material, I've been catching stuff smaller than 500 mesh.

I wish I knew how to make a rotating pan mill that could turn everything into basically paste. An Arrastra is beyond my building skills, but maybe something else like a homemade rotating pan like I've seen on Chinese websites might be possible.

Anyone have any ideas on how a small one that could handle about 15-20 gallons of my sand could be made from relatively inexpensive materials?

As for my shaker table, it will be on hold until the heat subsides. I've got that 150 foot long flood barrier/raise planter that is eating my early morning time.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Looking forward to how you add the tapered / slanted strip edges.

Not hard at all. I've Cedar wood that's 1/4 inch thick. I will use my table saw to cut strips about one inch wide with those 30 degree angles. Then I just epoxy those to the bottom leading edges of the 1/4 rounds already attached.

The part that's giving me the real trouble are my catch basins, and the fact they must be removed each time I have to make angle/tilt adjustments to my shaker table. I just need to figure out how to use two easy to remove clips to hold the water basins in place versus the 12 screws I originally used.

 

[russau]

DGD, I'd like to get a grip on this "rotating pan mil " your talking about. I'd also like to see a picture of this Chinese rotating pan mill that the Chinese websites have...... Could you post their web address . Maybe start a new posting for this This sounds interesting ! Maybe break it down into several steps to simplify it

 

[desertgolddigger]

DGD, I'd like to get a grip on this "rotating pan mil " your talking about. I'd also like to see a picture of this Chinese rotating pan mill that the Chinese websites have...... Could you post their web address . Maybe start a new posting for this This sounds interesting ! Maybe break it down into several steps to simplify it

I couldn't remember the exact name. It's called a wet pan mill. It's basically a heavy metal construct that looks like an angel food cake pan, with a central vertical shaft that turns two huge wheels round-and-round, causing the material in the pan bottom to be pulverized by those wheels running over it. From what I can see, it is powered by a geared electric motor, which I imagine rotates the wheels at maybe 10 rpm's. The big industrial sized ones weigh tons.

I'm just wondering if there's a smaller one, or some way to make one. It's basically a modern version of an Arrastra. But I'm guessing such a project is basically impossible for someone like me.

 

[russau]

That don't look to hard to figure out ! a right angle drive with variable speed .& controller / some weights from a bar bell set and ground down the edge to confirm with the heavy gauge wall bell shaped cone , a steel shaft to guide the weights that have a bearings fitted into the weights(maybe optional ) and some hard ware to mount it all ! The heavy walled cone maybe a problem $$$$ to have made BUT maybe looking around you could find a old Oxygen cylinder or something in the shape you desire that you could use and cut it off AFTER M/Ting it ! . Just add water and turn it on for a timed run to see what the size of the material comes out and rerun ir if not to the size your looking for ! write down the time of the run and what size the material comes out as . and rerun if not to what you want. I'd put w valve on the bottom to washout your cons to check them and always write down the time and results for further tests ! add water as you need it to paste consistency ! Hope this will help you in the direction your wanting to go ! P.S. the water will evaporate as you do this outside , that's why I said to add water as you need it.

 

[southfork]

I rerun my material though the chain mill real slow. the second time through it gets really dusty but my recovery is good. I like to do this when there's a good breeze, I tried smelting some of these fines but with the cost of propane and flux it's not worth the extra effort. But regrinding and wet gravity concentrating on the ribbed sluice has good results just slow. I just make a slurry in a bucket to get the material real wet a little jet dry or dish soap then run. I haven't finished my table, yet I need to move it outside to test with water. Try running your material a third time through the chain mill but wear respirator lol. Once through the jaw crusher two times through the chain mill works for me Happy Mining.

 

[Assembler]

I couldn't remember the exact name. It's called a wet pan mill. It's basically a heavy metal construct that looks like an angel food cake pan, with a central vertical shaft that turns two huge wheels round-and-round, causing the material in the pan bottom to be pulverized by those wheels running over it. From what I can see, it is powered by a geared electric motor, which I imagine rotates the wheels at maybe 10 rpm's. The big industrial sized ones weigh tons.

I'm just wondering if there's a smaller one, or some way to make one. It's basically a modern version of an Arrastra. But I'm guessing such a project is basically impossible for someone like me.

View attachment 2156001

Aluminum Welding Cone

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Concentric welding cone. Made of high quality cast aluminum.

Size ID OD Height

3×2 2 3/4″ X 1 5/8″ 3 1/4″ X 2 1/8″ 2″

4×2 3 1/2″ X 1 1/4 4″ X 2″ 1 3/4″

4×3 4″ X 2 1/4″ 4 1/4″ X 3″ 2 1/2″

4×6 5 7/8″ X 3 7/8″ 6 3/8″ X 4 3/8″ 2″

6×8 7 7/8″ X 5 7/8″ 8 1/4″ X 6 1/4″ 3″

8×10 9 7/8″ X 8″ 10 1/2″ X 8 1/2″ 3″

10×12 11 7/8″ x 10″ 12 3/8″ X 10 1/2″ 2 1/2″

 

[desertgolddigger]

Aluminum Welding Cone

$18.85 – $100.93

https://irrigationsupplyparts.com/shop-3/fittings-2/fabrication-fittings-fittings-2/aluminum-fabrication-fittings-2/aluminum-welding-cone/?attribute_pa_size=4-x-3&utm_source=Google Shopping&utm_campaign=Google Shopping Feed&utm_medium=PPC&utm_term=16605

Concentric welding cone. Made of high quality cast aluminum.

Size ID OD Height

3×2 2 3/4″ X 1 5/8″ 3 1/4″ X 2 1/8″ 2″

4×2 3 1/2″ X 1 1/4 4″ X 2″ 1 3/4″

4×3 4″ X 2 1/4″ 4 1/4″ X 3″ 2 1/2″

4×6 5 7/8″ X 3 7/8″ 6 3/8″ X 4 3/8″ 2″

6×8 7 7/8″ X 5 7/8″ 8 1/4″ X 6 1/4″ 3″

8×10 9 7/8″ X 8″ 10 1/2″ X 8 1/2″ 3″

10×12 11 7/8″ x 10″ 12 3/8″ X 10 1/2″ 2 1/2″

Great find! I wonder if that aluminum cone can be welded to the base steel plate. I envisioned my local welder taking then steel plate, and adding something on the outside he could easily bend into a circle. Add that cone, and you have the trap area for grinding. Add material and water, and start the motor. Of course my welder would also need to cut a nice central hole for the shaft, and then add a bearing for the shaft.

I.ve various diameters steel round stock that are 12 inches long that might work, though a foot might be too short.

The project is fun thinking and planning, but not sure if it is cost effective. Of course, my shaker table ended up costing me about 2K, most of the materials I thought would work being useless. I chalk the mistake purchases to being inexperienced.