johnedoe

I have both.... MXT & V3i.

The wife has kinda absconded with the MXT.....

If you already have the V3i learn to use it. It is a good machine even though the ground balancing isn't on par with the MXT.

If you have an MXT your already in good shape... Learn it better... 

By the way the wife has yet to find any gold... I, on the other hand have found a good bit. All jewelry since I don't get to the nugget areas but hey.... Gold is gold.

Also I think Steve has some info about a guy that used a V3i up at Ganes creek..... I am sure he will chime in here with additional good information for you.

I checked one out but I was not impressed with the construction so I passed on that purchase.

They are sensitive to ridiculously tiny gold..... IF you can keep them in tune.

I think you would be better suited to get an old high freq. Fisher .....

That was quick...... You just got it last Tuesday and already you are getting rid of it?

The V series machines are fantastic machines...... BUT, they are not for everybody. 

You have to find a machine you are comfortable with and one you will use.

That, will be best detector........ For you anyway.

While I am interested in seeing how this new machine works out it is highly unlikely I will be rushing out to buy one. Is that to say I never will?.... No. Just I am in no hurry.

I am very happy with my V3i. It does all the things I require and I am quite used to it now after 5 years of use. Is it the best machine on the market? Probably not, but I have found some really nice stuff and I am never outgunned.

In the meantime I will wait without speculation and fanfare, I hope it turns out to be all that you guys are hoping for.

Happy hunting ..... I will be watching.

Gotta have the right tools for the job at hand....... as you have found out.

Sorry you didn't find anything or enjoy your hunt.

Soon comes the regulations and restrictions ..... unfortunately.

The article wasn't exactly full of details but still a very nice nugget.

Well this is a sweet deal.... Read it and weep.....

http://www.geologypage.com/2017/05/giant-gold-nugget-found-california.html

7 hours ago, fredmason said:

looks like a decorative cap to a curtain rod or lamp...

I think you may have it on that guess.....

My first guess would be that it is just a decretive end cap from some kind of small table or furniture..... Definitely old though .......

10 hours ago, SteveJJ said:

Ok, I'm a newb, and maybe a bit impressionable, but this really caught my attention. It's a long video by Doc of Gold Hog, but if you jump to about 23:00 you'll just see it in action to see for yourself. It's essentially a small short sluice that is hand operated. He processes a bucket in less time that it took me to do one pan (first day of panning). I figure this is a good way to run some material quickly, without the sluice. 

I'm just beginning and hope this isn't a hoax, but it sure looks to make a lot of sense. Maybe someday I'll have a dredge or high banker, but this sure beats the pan for concentrating and suits my budget.

Hope you enjoy the vid as much as I did!

 

That is a fast pan....and that was fun to watch.

Ummmm. What video?

As to panning and the time it takes there are a number of techniques and pans that will let you do short work of a good amount of material.

There is no reason to take more than a couple minutes per pan ... and depending on a few factors you should be able to do a pan in about 30 seconds.

Production panning can be done in an area where water is not adequate to run a sluice. Basically you will load the classifier and classify the shovel load of material into your pan, then with aggressive action you will reduce that pan full of material down to about 1/4  to 1/8 .... That's as far as you take that. You can either load the pan again with more classified material and pan that down and repeat or you can just empty that into a bucket and then reduce that again later... when you are done you should only have about a quart or less of concentrates from 25 gallons of raw material.....

Here is a short vid of a pan that I like ... It takes the gu longer to show you what he is doing that the actual process which really took him less than a minute to finish down further than what I described above. Then it should only take you a couple minutes to concentrate that quart or less down to a couple tablespoons... Final cleanup ,, where you really get the gold out of the other heavy minerals should not take but a few minutes as well.

Good luck and have fun.

Oh... and don't forget classifiers and snuffer bottles are your friends.....

16 hours ago, madtuna said:

yeah....that tiny gold is a pain in the bum!

Naw.... That ain't tiny gold................... THIS is tiny gold.....

Sweet find.......

I spent a couple years in Nome...... Got to experience -65...... That'll make yer sphincter pucker.

Good stuff there John.....

Wow... 95 bucks for a pair of fuzzy gloves..... I think I will just keep using "thinsulate" gloves for about 15 bucks... light , durable and many styles to choose from.

And for the hot hands .... Here is a couple reusable versions. 

Hot Snaps Reusable Hand Warmers

Heat Wave Reusable Hand Warmers

On 10/24/2017 at 2:07 AM, sjmpainter said:

 Looks to me like it would be an excellent tool for the camp or garage to clean dredge concentrates.

I use a gold cube now for that but I like an open sluice design just so I can see the gold as I process the cons.

I added "Deep V" mat to the slick plate of my gold cube..... I can see the gold just fine.....

And NO I don't think the little sluice will do as good a job at cleanup.

8 hours ago, Goldpick said:

 

If I am targetting shallow modern coins, I just detect at a comfortable speed for the amount of time I intend to spend there, no need to run around swinging like a madman - you'll pay for it later that night.  At the end of the day it doesn't matter how many finds your friend makes at the conclusion of the day, the main thing is that you enjoy yourself in the moment, and gain some valuable knowledge along the way.

Yup , well said...

This is about getting out and enjoying yourself.... It's not a competition.

When my wife and I go hunting she usually ends up with more coins than i do.... With that said. I am the one that finds the gold. She has yet to find any gold, she has found some silver but still not as much as I have.....

She tends to cover more ground than I do and swings at a faster rate than I do... She runs my MXT while I use my V3i.

Even before I got the V3i when I ran the MXT and she ran my Eagle spectrum or we would trade machines the results were still the same.

I tend to look the area over a little more and try to see patterns while she tends to wander.

It all comes down to technique and patience... and knowing your machine..... 

Well we finally got our first good storm and so I went up to my little beach to see what it is doing.....
The drifts are gone and the blond sands are getting a pretty good washing out. 
So we may have some sand to work after all this is over.

too bad it doesn't run on a Mac......

Was wondering what happened there....... Nice mod, I like it.... Thank's Steve.

Your killing me......... An ounce in 17 hours? Nice production...... 

Thank's for sharing you work... 

22 hours ago, sjmpainter said:

 

JD, that is just insane small gold! What is that 200 mesh? WOW! Good Job!

 

... a good bit of it is... The course stuff is about 100 mesh......