Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,795
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Post by Mark K on Apr 6, 2015 19:58:36 GMT -5
I am really not real big on gold unless it is really easy.
Flakes of gold in black sand is not easy. I could not get the damned stuff to pan out.
I had to find a solution or I was going to get bored and dump 100 pounds of sand over the hill and say to hell with it.
Since the gold wanted to float around in the water longer than the sand I came up with the idea of putting it in a jar and filling with water.
If I shook the bottle, the gold should suspend for a second or two.
Sounded like a possibility to me so I tried it.
It worked.
The gold stayed in suspension much longer than the rest of the crap.
So I shook and poured the water into a coffee filter.
It worked.
Very little black sand came with it.
I now have a 1 oz bottle with a layer of mostly gold 1/8 inch deep across the bottom.
If things continue the way they are, I should fill at least 2 or 3 of these bottles.
I didn't mention that this was the junk sand not the stuff I concentrated down.
I have an 11 oz coffee can mostly filled with concentrates.
Very heavy.
Very little black sand.
Next time I go to AZ and Bob is there too, I will have to drag him to the spot.
That'll put a tickle in the pickle.
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Apr 6, 2015 20:37:30 GMT -5
Gold is HEAVY, and by its very nature does not float. What you have described is Fool's Gold, don't take it personally, almost everyone has made this simple mistake, myself included. Exceptions exist, as in the case of surface tension trapping small flakes, though a little agitation will get the gold to drop. The other exception that comes to mind is the little vials of gold that are sold as souvenirs and the liquid is oil based and the gold is foil thin.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,795
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Post by Mark K on Apr 6, 2015 20:50:23 GMT -5
This isn't pyrite. It is really fine flat particles.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 6, 2015 21:11:23 GMT -5
I picked up a bucket of black sand from the beaches of Lake Superior last summer and brought it home to play with. The only equipment I have is a pan. I've had fun panning it, but I'm very inexperienced. When I started panning on the beach where I got the gold, I was filling the pan with black sand. I was finding gold, but only a few flakes per pan. This is very, very fine gold. When I got it home, I found that if I only put about a teaspoon at a time into the pan, I was able to pan it an almost always get between one and six specks.
To keep the gold from floating, you can use either a drop of Jet Dry or Dawn dish detergent.
At the rate I'm panning, I will never get enough gold to amount to anything. After doing some reading, I found that there's a product called a Gold Cube that was designed specifically for separating very fine gold from black sand. It costs more than I would ever make from using it, so I'll stick to the pan. I enjoy sitting in my driveway panning, and the neighborhood kids like it too.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 6, 2015 21:17:39 GMT -5
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,715
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Gold
Apr 6, 2015 21:52:21 GMT -5
Post by Fossilman on Apr 6, 2015 21:52:21 GMT -5
Great information.....................
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2015 7:53:48 GMT -5
Sorry, but I have to agree with unclesoska. Gold will not float above black sand no matter how fine it is. Try mashing some of your flakes with a knife point and see what happens.
The easiest way to remove black sand (most of it) is to use a magnet in a plastic bag dipped into the pan of water and sand. Also, a "blue bowl" which is used to separate the sand from the gold will float the black sand away from the gold because the gold is heavier. Jim
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chassroc
Cave Dweller
Rocks are abundant when you have rocktumblinghobby pals
Member since January 2005
Posts: 3,586
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Post by chassroc on Apr 7, 2015 8:44:30 GMT -5
Interesting topic
I have some gold from a fellow in Alaska that someone on the board recommended.
The gravel has some smooth river rocks up to about two inches and the gravel is a tad muddy. Panning is tough work in cold winter weather
Lots of fun panning it but very little reward
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Gold
Apr 7, 2015 9:07:00 GMT -5
Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 7, 2015 9:07:00 GMT -5
I forgot about the magnet trick. I put a rare earth magnet in a plastic cup and the black sand in the pan with water. Then I run the plastic cup over the water so the black sand has to come through the water, hopefully dropping any gold off on the way. Then I move the cup over my waste bucket and remove the magnet. I found the cup easier to use than the plastic bag. This only removes some of the black sand though.
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Apr 7, 2015 9:23:15 GMT -5
I have panned extremely fine flour gold out of a creek in American Fork Canyon, Utah. that stuff is so fine it will float in the surface tension of the water in the pan.
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alan
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
Posts: 111
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Post by alan on Apr 7, 2015 10:43:38 GMT -5
I had alot of luck with a blue bowl... Be cautious about using magnets to separate the black sand as it will oftem pick up gold along with the magnetite... Flat flakes above black sand settling out afterwards sounds like decomposed muscovite...
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Apr 7, 2015 10:49:37 GMT -5
Once set up properly and with the material classified into 30, 50 and 100 grit, the Blue bowl is the schizzle.
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spiritstone
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2014
Posts: 2,061
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Post by spiritstone on Apr 7, 2015 11:11:43 GMT -5
There is a fellow here not far from me, who has a recovery system that seems to work rather good for flour gold. I never caught if he was producing and selling them or just straight sales. Any of you gold miners familiar with this setup? I have a Garrent gold guzzler full of this stuff, and I never knew how to separate such fine material, so it sits.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 7, 2015 11:45:55 GMT -5
Alan, is it dangerous to use a magnet if the material has to go through water to get to the magnet? I try to spread the material out on the bottom of my pan with about an inch of water over it, then run the magnet through the top part of the water so the black sand has to travel though about an inch of water to get to the magnet. My thought was that the gold would fall off of the black sand by doing this. I'm also doing it with only a couple teaspoons of material at a time. Is this still a bad idea?
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bushmanbilly
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Member since October 2008
Posts: 4,719
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Post by bushmanbilly on Apr 7, 2015 11:51:25 GMT -5
I agree with the others, you have fools gold or mica in your pan. Gold does float, I have had +10 mesh float in my pan. If your gold pan is new or has not being used for awhile. Scrub it with soap and water to remove any oils from the plastic or burn it if it is metal.Two ways to keep this from happening. Never swirl the pan, always pan it back and forth. 2nd add a drop of dishwasher rinsing agent to your water. Will break any surface tension. As for using a magnet, best if it done on dry material. As fine gold will get caught up with the black sand and be lost. Also if there is any platinum with the gold. Some platinum is magnetic. Spiritstone the machine your friend uses is a Miller table. Separating the black from the gold takes patience and time. Or you could build a cleanup sluice.
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bushmanbilly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2008
Posts: 4,719
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Post by bushmanbilly on Apr 7, 2015 12:37:14 GMT -5
If anyone is thinking of buying pay dirt. I would strongly suggest getting it here. www.dirthoggpaydirt.com/AT DIRTHOGG WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR GOLD Enjoy these reliable gold concentrates with confidence. A simple website with exactly what your looking for. No Gimmicks, Tricks, B.S, or rip offs. Quality PayDirt with guaranteed gold amounts. An honest bonus program to help you hit that pay streak! Larger orders available on request. Please contact us. A Canadian company Most places just give you flower. Not this guy. You get flakes and small nugs. I bought a large bag a few years ago to calm my itch and panned a 1 gram nug from the bag.
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spiritstone
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Member since August 2014
Posts: 2,061
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Post by spiritstone on Apr 7, 2015 12:43:17 GMT -5
I have this little guy for blacksand. Just cant get the hang of it, and most of it ends up back in my pan? My highbanker is in the shed cant show ya right now, but most of this was from bags of paydirt shipped in and some from the Athabasca area.
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bushmanbilly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2008
Posts: 4,719
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Post by bushmanbilly on Apr 7, 2015 12:59:47 GMT -5
There is a fellow here not far from me, who has a recovery system that seems to work rather good for flour gold. I never caught if he was producing and selling them or just straight sales. Any of you gold miners familiar with this setup? I have a Garrent gold guzzler full of this stuff, and I never knew how to separate such fine material, so it sits. An easy way to make a cleanup sluice. 4 feet of 4" pvc pipe cut in half. Line it with ribbed rubber floor mat. Set it up with a 1" to 12" slope. Add a trickle of water flow. This should take most of the black sand out.
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bushmanbilly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2008
Posts: 4,719
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Post by bushmanbilly on Apr 7, 2015 13:17:52 GMT -5
I have this little guy for blacksand. Just cant get the hang of it, and most of it ends up back in my pan? My highbanker is in the shed cant show ya right now, but most of this was from bags of paydirt shipped in and some from the Athabasca area. That backpack stream sluice will work with a spray bar. Just have to closeup the feed end. Btw a steam sluice is illegal to use in Canada. Leave it up to the fish huggers and the DFO to take the fun away from us. Nice gold. The piece that has all the quartz in it. Has not traveled very far from the source. Looks like some of the gold I get from my claim at Hixon BC. My setup. Graywolf highbanker. I will be heading out to Hixon the end of May. Our mechanical testing program got approval from the Gov. I will post pictures of the ordeal.
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spiritstone
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2014
Posts: 2,061
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Gold
Apr 7, 2015 14:00:10 GMT -5
Post by spiritstone on Apr 7, 2015 14:00:10 GMT -5
That was my biggest problem was getting a proper flow rate in the little guy. Makes a little more sense on its use after what you named it. I'll try it again when temps steady off a little more outside. How big is this operation. Heavy machinery or Heavy manual work? I understand you can use a highbanker as long as the water doesnt flow back into the creek or river. I am setup with waterpump and generator for distance.
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