geof_junk

23 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I have a soft spot for "Paint Your Wagon" 

I forgot that one, it was a classic. I would sweep the floors too.? 

I never owned a 17000 but came close, it was the first non Whites or Garretts that had a good response on gold in the Victorian Gold Fields. 

An old photo approx 1990. Note the hip mounts.

North to Alaska one of my  favourite songs also.

Detectors were expensive back then, more than 4 ounces for a Garrett or Whites and latter the Bounty Hunter RB 10 (The red barron was our nick name for my mate). I did well with coins at first and learnt how to use it before finding nuggets and have three gold coins (the wife found them).

I came across an old letter about metal detector I sent to a mate,

"My first detector was a hired Whites 5000. I got a new Garrett Deepseeker for the September school holidays 1980, for my wife. It was too hot (weather) in wedderburn for her during the first summer and I ended up with it. Got her a whites coinmaster 6000 for the next trip as it had motion discrimination and was easier and quieter in the hot ground. It took a while for me find any detector that exceeded the Garretts. However I found that my White goldmaster (1986 ) was much easier to use in the Victorian gold fields. I made a PI detector with a hand made Teflon coated wire coil before 1986 that would go deeper than the Garrett Deepseeker but was too slow to use in the field and I did not like the sound of the clicking sensor. .........."

Do you have fond memories of your first one (detectors that is ?)

You might think something is gold but you know gold is gold not something else if you can see it.I once got a target that every one (including professional prospectors) thought it was a large square iron nut.I had the first model Whites Gold Master detector and came across it along side a foot deep contour to stop soil erosion. There was a detector scrap about a foot from it, I wonder where it would discriminate out. At full disc it was still there so I picked it up and knew straight away it was gold. Everyone said it steel nut but changed their view when I dropped in their hand. What a beautiful 2 oz  nugget came out of that matrix I nearly walked away from it.?

Stev keep doing what you have been doing. You have avoided what I have see happen to some of the best FORUMS that have now become DEAD or SIDE TRACKED.?⭐⭐?

"The gold looks great against the black, Gerry; I would leave it as is.Nice find!"

Ditto. Here is my Black,White & Gold Specimen. 

Paul you are SOFT ? Note the shorts leeves ? This is the Aussie way mate.

?‍?Now you will have to fill your tablet/specimen bottle.?‍? Get a colour top for the bottle,it makes it easier to find if you drop or leave it behind. That a tip learnt by experience, I will not say WHO.?

JW that not me in the photo. By the way that is an Aussie MOUSE TRAP for our USA mates.☺️

Paul here are 7 of the 10 largest nuggets found in the World, most came from Victoria Australia.

N° 5 was from W.A 

About 1200 exceeding 20 Ounces

Australias-biggest-gold-nuggets

I found this under cap-rock. A retiring nugget was on my mine, but it was buried in a burrow about 10 feet in.

The digger is shown below.

My bother in-law found these (teeths) while hunting gold ring in an old beach. I got over 50 gold rings instead.

Phrunt are you sure that is not the Yarra River in the bottom photo (Yarra were the river flows upside down). ?

The rhino is the GPS i got when they were first released in Australia brought 4 of them 1 for the wife,1 for me, 1 spare and my son paid for the 4th for his trail bike riding. Garmin was giving a good deal for a twin pack.The built in radio and partners location ability together with the graphic screen were the deciding way back then. Still happy with the Rhinos.  

Note that soils/lawns that have been top dressed are a good spot to try with a deep seeking detector.(The cheap detectors have left good targets behind)

Stick with the Band you know, you know it's software. Garmin has BirdsEye option for for satellite imagery so get one of their GPS that can use it.

The same rules apply to jewelry. My brother in law lived inter-state near Brisbane QLD he told me to bring my detector when I was due up next. He had found over 200 gold rings. I found that most of the rings were sitting on a hidden clay layer. I was lucky he left me 50+ gold rings. I got them at low tide during the king tide period in Easter.

On flat ground or near a river, silt from floods. Or tides and storms at the beach. I found this knowledge is handy near swimming locations.  

I was more interested in dredging when gold detector hit the scene in the late 1970's. In 1980 I found detecting was too much hit and miss but dredging was more constant and had found gold constantly and got 4 ounces in 1980 and nil detecting. 1981 things turn around and I got more detecting, 1982 a four ounce nugget. The big problem for me was the restriction on dredging laws and with detecting it was a day trip to and from the detecting locations. I have found more than 100 ounces detecting part time, the largest specimen yielded 16 ounces largest nugget 6 ounces, To answer your question when you have found  a spot to dredge and the returns are fair you have site for quite a while getting gold. Detecting is hit and miss at the start, but experience will pay off in the end 

Try some electrician overalls no metal buttons or zippers the light weight one are great in the summer. 

Good catch not breeding size, so you can take it back to USA.?

6 hours ago, nuggetnewbie said:

Thanks Phrunt,

Good advice on the bedrock cracks!     I know it's not going to pick up the tiny gold but i would rather spend my time with larger nuggets anyway.       We'll see how it goes. Can't find em if you don't look right? Kinda like playing the lottery! But i think much more enjoyable.?

I know it's not going to pick up the tiny gold but i would rather spend my time with larger nuggets anyway. 

  How true but ask most prospectors how many small ones they got before they got an ounce plus nugget You may have to crawl before you Walk, but that said my Brother Inlaw first was 2 ounces so luck can be on your side?  

Back in the late 1960's I was happy if I got a speck in the pan for the day...How things have changed