Gold Mining!!

[_DJ_1]

A new past time and reason to get the TC out!! A friend in Great Falls MT invited me over to MT to do some gold mining this July.

I don't know a thing about it, but I will. I am fortunate enough to live in Boise, home of Summit Mining Equipment factory and show room. I visited them today and picked out a High Banker sluice. Now if I can just afford it by July!!

I also have a friend here in Boise whose son bought a mining claim in the gold rich country of Custer ID 15 years ago and never used it!! :E

Is it possible to get gold fever without finding any yet?

[Victory402]

Here in North Carolina, when the creeks are down, it does open up new opportunities.

[profdant139]

Will the record drought in Calif make it easier for folks to find nuggets in the dried-up streambeds? Long-submerged rocks are now exposed. I don't know enough about current mining techniques to tell whether this is a game-changer or not, so please forgive me if this is a naive question.

[Victory402]

Truck campers work great for gold prospecting. My brother and I just returned from a week of camping and prospecting on our gold claim. It's a great hobby, but don't expect to get rich. There's nothing like that flash of gold in the pan!



Our recirculating sluice box I made:



One day of playing:

[_DJ_1]

Comeoutswingin wrote:
I caught gold fever a few years ago. Went and bought a 4" dredge, a 2" dredge, and a couple hi bankers, a few pumps, extra equipment basically the whole nine yards, went out a couple times on a nearby creek. I did find a little bit, and I do mean a little bit..

Finding anyone to go with was next to impossible and moving that 4" dredge alone was a fair bit of work and I'm only 27! So I built a crane that hooks on the rear of my jeep that I can lower the dredge off of a bridge or set it up like a zip line. Haven't even got to use it and its been a few years lol.




My Fiances family has a 60 acre claim in the Nine Mile Creek area of Montana. We went over there last summer and looked around. Unfortunately the creek is closed to dredging and it's more of a wash plant/excavator show anyway.

You certainly have the right screen name!!! Holy Smokes, you don't mess around!!!

[_DJ_1]

Thanks for all the well wishes!!! Yes, I am looking at it strictly as a hobby. Another reason to get the TC out and go places. If I found some color, great, but I really don't expect much.

I am going to spend a couple hundred on gold pans and a river sluice for this trip. Learn everything I can from my friend and the experience I will get. If I hate it, I'm not out much.

But, I always loved to play in the creek when I was a kid!! Now I can do it as an adult and not look silly!!! I hope!!

[Geewizard]

RenoAl wrote:
I am excited to see that gold fever is alive and well. When fully in bloom it defeats all known nervous and intelligence systems within the human body. Color in a pan tops gals in a bikini any day.

I spent summers as a kid digging and crushing, panning and sluicing and building mercury retorts. Smelting gold and distilling mercury. Probably made $3000 over 3 summers in the '60's.

God how I miss it.

....tops gals in a bikini any day....?? Al! Hold on a minute here! That's a pretty bold statement to make.....:B

[The_Mad_Norsky]

As long as a person knows and treats it all as fun, and keeps it that way, it should remain a fun and adventurous pursuit.

Have a great time.

[RenoAl]

I am excited to see that gold fever is alive and well. When fully in bloom it defeats all known nervous and intelligence systems within the human body. Color in a pan tops gals in a bikini any day.

I spent summers as a kid digging and crushing, panning and sluicing and building mercury retorts. Smelting gold and distilling mercury. Probably made $3000 over 3 summers in the '60's.

God how I miss it.

[Jfet]

If you get more than a little bit serious about gold mining, I am coming around to the idea that time/money should be spent on good ground rather than more equipment.

A 4 inch dredge isn't going to be as much fun if your ground has $1 of gold per yard of material, but you can have a blast with a $6 pan and $15 homemade sluice on $30 a yard material.

[Comeoutswingin]

I caught gold fever a few years ago. Went and bought a 4" dredge, a 2" dredge, and a couple hi bankers, a few pumps, extra equipment basically the whole nine yards, went out a couple times on a nearby creek. I did find a little bit, and I do mean a little bit..

Finding anyone to go with was next to impossible and moving that 4" dredge alone was a fair bit of work and I'm only 27! So I built a crane that hooks on the rear of my jeep that I can lower the dredge off of a bridge or set it up like a zip line. Haven't even got to use it and its been a few years lol.




My Fiances family has a 60 acre claim in the Nine Mile Creek area of Montana. We went over there last summer and looked around. Unfortunately the creek is closed to dredging and it's more of a wash plant/excavator show anyway.

[profdant139]

We often see folks in the Sierra who are using motorized vacuums to slurp up gravel from under the rocks in the mountain streams. It looks cold and difficult, but they seem to be enjoying themselves.

Someone mentioned Mark Twain -- I strongly recommend "Roughing It," his description of the era just after the California Gold Rush. Very interesting, and some of it is laugh out loud funny, which is amazing for something written 140 years ago.

[Dave_Pete]

Yep. A good way to help you stay active. There's gold in them thar hills!

[CptnBG]

Good luck DJ!! Sounds like fun, hope you strike it rich.

[Reddog1]

As long as it is thought of as a hobby, it can be great fun. It is exciting to think there is a possibility to find some really worthwhile gold. I agree with Jfet on when people scoff at doing a little muscle work. I'm thinking working out in a gym is just another hobby, and it ain't free and does require work.

I have had, and still have, many hobbies through the years. There is always someone to scoff at them.