Please enlighten the ignorant

[tommag]

Hi, All;

I'm new here and have been soaking up a little info, but still am not sure what I need.

I panned a little bit last year. (only a couple of hours) I found some very fine silvery flakes, barely large enough to catch the sunlight.

I would like to set up a sluice and see if I can get enough to have it analyzed. A freind has an analyzer that he uses for work, and tells me I need a pinch about the size of a match-head.

I thought a sluice had to have larger riffles, like angle iron, but I see designs with expanded metal and miners moss. If I understand this right, that design is for small flakes, and the larger riffles are for bigger nuggets?

I have no idea if larger stuff is to be found here, as I have not spent enough time at it yet. (over the road truckdrivers don't have lots of time)

I live in Wa., so it appears that I have to stay under 3 sq ft of riffles or the regulations get more complicated, as well as the season is short with the larger equipment. The folding model from lifestyle store that folds to 9"X 14" is appealing, as access is fairly rough up there, steep terrain and lots of brush.

Also, from the Wa. regs, it appears that current law is that class 0 equipment is limited to a season, while the new regs will make it legal year-round with small sluices. Did I get that part right? I have a heck of a time viewing the regs on a computer, guess I'd better find out where to obtain the pamphlet.

Thanks in advance.

Tom

[AZBirddog]

Tom

Here is the address to obtain the pampet you need

Good luck with your sluiceing. AZ

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Habitat Program

600 Capitol Way N

Olympia WA 98501-1091

(360) 902-2534

Or, contact our regional offices

NOTE: Because a new edition of the Gold and Fish pamphlet will be printed in 2009, WDFW will no longer distribute the 1999 edition when the current supply is exhausted. If you wish to prospect before the new pamphlet is issued you will need to print the online version of the 1999 Gold and Fish pamphlet.

[fredm]

Tom;

get a 10x magnifier lens and you can see the fines well enough to identify them...it does not take a lab to determine if you have fine gold...btw, if it is silver-ish it probably is not gold...also, try a green garret gravity trap gold pan...it is nearly impossible to throw gold out of one...the gold will stay in the pan with the black sands...when to get down to the finish there will be a streak of gold along the tail edge of the black sands when you give them a gentle swirl....

Fred

[tommag]

Tom;

get a 10x magnifier lens and you can see the fines well enough to identify them...it does not take a lab to determine if you have fine gold...btw, if it is silver-ish it probably is not gold...also, try a green garret gravity trap gold pan...it is nearly impossible to throw gold out of one...the gold will stay in the pan with the black sands...when to get down to the finish there will be a streak of gold along the tail edge of the black sands when you give them a gentle swirl....

Fred

I have a 16x loupe. It is silver, and I am hoping it is platinum. I am told that some pyrites look like the flakes I have found. That would be my luck, fools gold for a fool. Because of the access (steep terrain, lots of brush) I ordered a folding sluice from a local dealer. I hope it is the right one for my application. I'll probably learn this stuff the same way I've learned everything else. Get the wrong stuff and THEN figure out why it is wrong.

Thanks,

Tom

[whats4supper]

the whole idea of the sluice is to control water flow enough to both flush the lighter material away, while trapping the gold and other heavy minerals.

at the head of the sluice, miner's moss (better), or ribbed indoor outdoor carpet, covered by raised expanded metal, say for about 10 inches or so. lower riffles of angle iron. You sort of have to customize the setup according to black sand amount in what you're running. However, my own setup had angle iron spaced apart about 6-8 inches, but found better recovery by standing the vertical leg to the bottom, with the shelf at the top, and each set of shelf facing the other (like a standing open box) creating both a vacuum and a trap. works with both 1/2" and 3/4" angle. I did mine with steel for ease with welded sets, but you can use any sort of angle material to cut down weight.

my sluices were anywhere from 6 inches wide, to 12 inches or so, depending on water flow conditions.

the miner's moss/expanded metal catches the larger stuff at the head, and the angles the fines. I hinged my riffle set bottom rails near the head, with chest latches at the bottom. Under the rail, use miner's moss or carpet to the latch. this way, it's easy to open up and flush everything into a 5-gallon bucket when retrieving the concentrates. wash the rugs in another bucket of water, and then set up the sluice for another run. cleanups can be 1-4 times a day, though some guys run all day and do just one cleanup.

for a highbanker, it's the same setup except the head is closed, a hopper made for the head end, and plumbing installed so that you can pump in water using a trash pump (1 1/2" or 2"), with an adjustable flow valve. for the pump in side, use rigid pvc. for the outflow side, you can use collapsible hose, though in mine, I use rigid both sides, with union joints.

I don't think the silvery flakes are pyrites, as they tend to be lighter material. could be platinum, bismuth, lead. put some in nitric acid (slightly heated) and if nothing happens, it's probably platinum.

by far, the better option is to work out a good metal detector strategy, as well as search likely nugget ground and previously worked areas. Nuggets because the weight is there and adds up, and then, using GPS or some type of pinpointing locator, go back in with mining stuff to your advantage.

Another really good tool is the Desert Fox (spiral wheel). Dave McCracken suggests using one to prospect and lineate placer paystreaks in a wash or river, prior to just jumping in and brute work any given spot. knowing where the better pay streak is, also increases your wealth, and lessens your overall labor.

lastly, check out Historic & Mining Tidbits at nevada nugget hunters free forum. I have transcribed pages from old mining magazines indicating where the placers mines were, and other curiousities related to your quest. Granted, not all of the areas are still open to mining, but hidden in the text are some really good sites with lots of potential. topics are listed by state.