Spanish Dip Needles - Miners Compass

[aarthrj3811]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Mrs Oro and I have a placer mine that is nearly all high-bank, tertiary channel that is capped with volcanic lava "dome" of very hard rock. The old-timers who worked this mine tunneled under the lava dome, hunting for pockets in the ancient riverbed and we did the same - some of the pockets, which lay atop a white clay "false bedrock" paid off very well.

This is very interesting.....I spent one summer under one of those domes. I found the gold was like you said except that our clay was blue. I guess where you are located and when the ash was put down determines the color of the clay. A friend had a book on the Tertiary Gravels of Northern California that was written in 1912 and anytime I located something new to me I would read the book. What was amazing was the fact that the newer books all refered to this old book. ....Art

 

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[Oroblanco]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Thanks guys! It will be a while before we can make a return trip to the mine, as it is a bit of a drive and I have a few "projects" that I have to do here, plus we can NOT ever just go there and spend a week or two, we always end up staying for months so have to plan accordingly. You know how that danged gold can keep your attention honed!

The size of those pockets varies a great deal - from not much bigger than a pie plate and three inches thick to the largest we found which was over twelve feet across, but only about a foot thick. A neighboring mine hit a real "glory hole" that was nearly nine feet tall and more than twenty feet across, (a "hole" in the white clay false bedrock) which allowed our neighbor to retire - and of course he refuses to quit mining! It will be an interesting experiment to try and could be a real labor saver.

Those old tertiary channels are pretty interesting - some seem to run in perpendicular directions to "modern" stream channels; at our mine, just a couple hundred feet away is a "modern" channel, which has virtually NO gold. I always thought that was strange.

Oroblanco

 

[aarthrj3811]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Hey oroblanco...Not only interesting but amazing. The history of the Sierra Nevada's is that the mountains wore down and spread the gold in all the rivers. Then the Mountains were lifted up on the east side (the faults can still be seen in some areas) and the water started to flow in a different direction. Many of the old rivers are now on the mountain sides. As the new rivers created new channels they cut into some of the old rivers and started to spread the gold. Some of these old channels are now covered with Lava flows. Some of these old channels are springs now. I worked one old channel. The gold was there but so were the regulations....Art

 

[Oroblanco]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

We have had very good "luck" in getting approval from the BLM, I think because we use some "key terms" that don't get the protectionists excited - like

"working underground"
"in existing tunnels"
"tailings (gravel and sand) used to level and repair road access"

so that we never got a refusal on notice of intent or plan of operations - though we did have plenty of problems with state park rangers after the Desert Protection Act got passed. They literally tried to keep us out with locked gates, threatened to fine us if we turned over a single stone on our mine, actually stole our cabin with everything inside it while we were in town etc. Lovely people they were, sure hope they get a similar treatment some day.

Oroblanco

 

[rickys]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Anyone interested in a Tungsten Magnetic Dipping Needle by W.S. Darley & Co. with original instructions and the original Hard Leather Case.Looks like its an antique by looking at the age of the instruction sheet.Which has no rips.There is no date anywhere,on the sheet or the tool itself.I will take pics if requested. Email me at rickyspencer@gmail.com with dipping needle in the subject field or call 440 382 6912.I am located just east of Cleveland Ohio. last offer was $100.00 USD>as of 01/05/09

 

[digman]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

In the past I searched for Spanish Deep Needles and for Miner's Compass,
and the only pics I found are below,

Digman

 

[Oroblanco]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Mike - (HOLA amigo!) by any chance have you ever used one? Thank you in advance,
your friend,
Oroblanco

 

[Oroblanco]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Thanks Mike - I have been curious about these devices for some time but have never even seen one in person. The one being offered for sale sounds reasonable enough, if finances were not so tight I would be very tempted to just buy it and find out how well it works (if they work at all).
Roy

 

[alaskabill]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Hi Art!

I found a place that sells them now, but they want $3000 for one! (Yikes! ) Seems like a lot for a strange type of compass, hope I can find one for less than that. Here is the place that is selling them for $3000:
http://www.thortech.org/thortech/en/spanish.dip.needle4.html

That idea of iron + gold makes sense; in many of the places we have prospected over the years there were black sands which could be removed by a magnet (and hence likely iron). It was true in a case where we found a very good gold placer in Alaska years ago north of Nome - the black sands were quite thick, and in assay it proved to be very high in iron; (I was hoping for it to be tin - you know one type of black sand is actually a tin ore, another is a type of tungsten - also worth $$$) so if it would help to locate thick lenses of black sands it would be helpful to ME. Sure hate to come up with that much dough, will keep on looking for a less-expensive source.

Oroblanco

Hi Oroblanco,

I agree with you. I've found black sands, hematite and magnetite, with very fine gold on the beaches west of Nome (Cripple River). In fact, I've always found these iron sands with placer gold. FYI, the Cornwall Mine in PA, not far from where I was raised, provided enough gold in the iron ore they were selling to the steel mills to pay all operating costs for the mine.

But using a "miner's needle" from an aircraft (mentioned in an earlier post) seems a stretch to me. That South American site must have had an enormous deposit of iron and gold.

Bill

 

[lamar]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Dear alaskabill;
I feel that the early Spanish prospectors in So. America used a form of compass in order to try and locate magnetic ores, such as lode stone (magnetite) and not low magnetic iron, per se. In many parts of So. America, lode stones, those being naturally magnetized ferrous alloys, are often times located within the presence of nickel/iron deposits. Once the lode stone deposit was located, the prospectors would then concentrate their efforts on trying to locate a gold deposit in the same vicinity. There exists documentation of these devices and in actual practice they did not seem to be very successful, however the theory itself was sound.
Your friend;
LAMAR

 

[alaskabill]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

I feel that the early Spanish prospectors in So. America used a form of compass in order to try and locate magnetic ores, such as lode stone (magnetite) and not low magnetic iron, per se. In many parts of So. America, lode stones, those being naturally magnetized ferrous alloys, are often times located within the presence of nickel/iron deposits. Once the lode stone deposit was located, the prospectors would then concentrate their efforts on trying to locate a gold deposit in the same vicinity. There exists documentation of these devices and in actual practice they did not seem to be very successful, however the theory itself was sound.

Hi lamar,

That certainly makes sense. In placer deposits, the heavier black (magnetite) sands are often found with the heavy gold particles. In fact, I use my metal detector which has a "black sand" mode on gravel bars. If I get a good signal, I dig and pan out the material. I always find black sand but not much gold as of yet. I guess a modern metal detector has become today's "miner's compass".

Bill

 

[Seden]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

I have a "Aquameter" and took it to Placerita Canyon-once a very rich gold area near Los Angeles. You have to have it oriented for it to work but there was so much black sand I was unable to do that.

I have had success in the past by using a $8 Brunton water filled compass out at another prosperous gold field in the N.W. Mojave Desert and located some excellent pay gravel with it. It's a very forgiving compass as it doesn't have to be oriented like the Aquameter or my two magnetic Dip Needle compasses.

Randy

 

[alaskabill]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

I have had success in the past by using a $8 Brunton water filled compass out at another prosperous gold field in the N.W. Mojave Desert and located some excellent pay gravel with it. It's a very forgiving compass as it doesn't have to be oriented like the Aquameter or my two magnetic Dip Needle compasses.

Hi Randy,

Thanks for the tip. In a place like the Super Wilderness Area, the liquid filled compass would be a handy and "legal" tool to have along. I didn't know that a simple compass could be that useful to detect paydirt. I guess it depends on the amount of magnetite that is present. I always carry a compass with me and will try it next time out.

Bill

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Good afternoon Beth / oro: We have the Aqua meter in our arsenal.
It is Factory #364130, USBLM # 46329 and is here in Mexico. Want me to send it to you In Jan to practice with ? You have to align it with Mag North for each pass.e

Will be useful for you to find that iron door of one of the Tayopa mines. The one where my former assoc had the heart attack. It has been seen by two different people, but --. The x assoc was one of them. He had made many trips down there trying to relocate it. The data that we received from the Guayajiro Indian gal checked exactly with his story and sparked his going on the fatal trip, depite my telling him "no way"..

When he first saw it, he tried to break the huge padalock with a rock, but couldn't. Before he could go back down, the rains came and when he could flinally go back down th country had changed. The door was over half buried when he first saw it.
Don Jose de la Mancha

 

[Treasure finder]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

I remember that Fred Stewart in Tennessee used to sell what he called a Spanish Dip Needle.
Rich

 

[An Ri Rua]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Oroblanco and Art. get a grip on yourselves. If you dowse at the right time and know the elementary rules associated with dowsing, just about anything will do. When TV first came out in the 60s I made an antenna with half inch gal water pipe and it worked fine.
Art, I have taught you more than you realise, just have patience. Max

Hey Max, I'm very interested in your statements on dowsing times. I do know from studying the works of Abbé Mermet that there were times, he noted, that he could not get a dowsing response. Someone on this website has kindly soft-printed it for me. And us. http://www.dowsers.info/toronto/mar2005.htm Do you believe that the era in which he dowsed, say 1900-1930's was a good time for dowsing with regards to your solar data or is there any way of knowing whether that period was definitely a good time or bad time to dowse.

I am genuinely interested in resolving how best to use my dowsing time; i.e. research or map / field work.

 

[An Ri Rua]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Hi Art!

I found a place that sells them now, but they want $3000 for one! (Yikes! ) Seems like a lot for a strange type of compass, hope I can find one for less than that. Here is the place that is selling them for $3000:
http://www.thortech.org/thortech/en/spanish.dip.needle4.html

That idea of iron + gold makes sense; in many of the places we have prospected over the years there were black sands which could be removed by a magnet (and hence likely iron). It was true in a case where we found a very good gold placer in Alaska years ago north of Nome - the black sands were quite thick, and in assay it proved to be very high in iron; (I was hoping for it to be tin - you know one type of black sand is actually a tin ore, another is a type of tungsten - also worth $$$) so if it would help to locate thick lenses of black sands it would be helpful to ME. Sure hate to come up with that much dough, will keep on looking for a less-expensive source.

Oroblanco

Convince Carl to buy one and 'test' it. Then buy it from him for €5 when he can't 'make' it work.......

 

[minetres]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Real De Tayopa,

I would love to try this machine on a couple of our projects here. If what we are looking for is found with it I'll send you something.

Regards
Minetres

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Good afternoon Minetres / Gregory: Where are you? You list a military address.

Oro has first choice, since I did offer it to him first. but he hasn't responded so far.

If I were to send it to you, there would be only one condition, that you return it in the same condition that I sent it. I will want to try it up at Tayopa later this year to see if it will indicate that iron door.

As for a share in anything that you find with it, forget it, there are no strings attached, it's all your's, you will have earned it. Just gimme me back my toy. heheh.

"Good Luck"my friend and get rich..

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[An Ri Rua]

Re: Spanish Dip Needles - Miner's Compass

Been enjoying all of the contributions here on this thread, from all. Wish all the threads could be this exploratory and collaborative.

Just won the bidding on an old one of these Aqua Locators. $40. Looks to be a bargain when compared against new.

I think its calibrated for Minnesota so that's about as North as it gets in the USA. Should help to give it better accuracy for me in Ireland.

Real de Tayopa, have you loaned it to people in other jurisdictions where they have retrieved successfully? I'm interested in how calibrated it needs to be, if you're way off course for where it was originally commissioned.

Any thoughts anyone?