Jim in Idaho

 The only place I know there is the old, I think it was called, the Texas Mining district in the old days. It had gold, but was mainly silver. It included the Vipont mine, which is privately owned, and they don't like trespassers. I've done considerable prospecting in and around the old PegLeg mine on the Idaho border..literally, right on the border, and just a short distance north of the Vipont. It was gold/silver. And this summer, about 5 miles north of there, a company from Nevada had a drilling operation going on, but after talking to them I got the feeling they were not finding the gold that the company that hired them hoped was there. The drilling crew kept pestering us about any gold we might have found. They wouldn't do that unless they weren't finding any. There currently, in the ICMJ magazine, is an old gold mine for sale north of Rosette, over at the base of the mountains. It was a fairly large operation. I think he was asking a couple of million. There's also a trommell setup on the south side of the hiway just east of Park Valley. I've always wondered if it was a gold operation. That area east of PV has a LOT of volcanics, and is not far from the Blackpine district in Idaho, which was a gold mining area. I think there also were some gold claims at what is now City of Rocks National Reserve, but no digging is now allowed. All this, of course, is in the western part of a very large county. I know nothing about the portion over towards Logan.

Jim

5 hours ago, Smithsgold said:

All very Good even Mine !!!! LOL   Thanks Jim

AAhh heck, Jeff, anybody that doesn't enjoy you and Gary has no soul...LOL One of these days, I'd like to meet-up with you guys when you travel to Nevada. I'd invite you to Idaho, but our gold sucks...what there is of it...LOL

Jim

Really sorry to hear that. I appreciate the notice. That was quite a family, and they left a strong legacy.

Jim

For myself it's Two Toes, Chris Ralph, Smithsgold, and for sheer entertainment it's Colorado Gold Camp, amongst others.

Jim

Yup...I've got vernier dials on both Threshold, and GB. But I liked a different control. I prefer the ones from Max Gain Systems. Mine are 6:1. I sold the kits for awhile. Still think I have one left somewhere in the mess...LOL

I recently bought a pair of used non-metal boots for $50. They're made by Royer. Mine are the 6" 'Rover' model. Great condition, comfortable, and will last me the rest of my prospecting career, I bought them online on Ebay from a place I think called "used shoes. com" or something like that. Before that I bought a pair that were claimed to be non-metal, and found out they lied. Chinese brand, of course.

Jim

1 hour ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

This time of year is fantastic, as long as the heavy rains or heavy snows have not saturated the soils.

Congratulations on the 🦂 nugget.  Yes I've seen 100+ a night when detecting at night out there in the summer when days are extremely to hot (late July- early September ). 

Desert over by Green River, WY is full of them too, Gerry. Provided you're below about 6,200'. Get above that, they start disappearing.

Jim

13 years ago is about when I started prospecting over there. I've spent considerable time there myself, Bear. Found chrome diopside as large as 5 carats, but have never seen a diamond. I have one little valley below Sage Mntn, and west of Cedar that still kicks out some nice indicators. We were there last summer I keep thinking that spot will give up a diamond, as it gives up the largest CD's I've found, but no luck so far. I think the remnants of a   pipe are very close to that spot, having once found a CD with kimberlite still attached, but we still have not located it.

Jim

Hey Bear, did you prospect for diamonds in Wyoming?

Jim

1 hour ago, 1515Art said:

tasty nugget and next time you could always...

Hey Clark, hope you're doing well! Same ol', same ol' around here.

Jim

Looks great, Jon. That gold would be HUGE on the Snake near me...LOL

Jim

My buddy and I were down in that country about 10 miles north of Winnemucca 4 years ago. We were on a friend's claim, and we each dug out a full 4" long scorpion chasing nuggets. Until then, I had no idea there were scorpions that big in Nevada. Later, our friend was stung by a 1 1/2" one.He's from the middle east, and almost died from shock...LOL. We had to calm him down, and tell him there wasn't any real danger. We later ran into a bull snake, and he almost fainted from that encounter, too. There are REALLY nasty snakes and scorpions in the middle east, so his fear was justified, though he mostly grew up in Nevada.

Jim

OK, guys I got some boots bought. I found a pair of 13M's in a Royer 6" metal free for $47.69, all up. They'll do. I appreciate all the advice, and help. I've got a copper prospect to investigate down in CA this winter, and these boots will get a workout. I'm going to be doing both 2-box with the data-logger work, and doing some ground resistivity work. Chris and I found a blow hole along a heavy quartz seam down there 2 winters back. The ground was littered with oxydized copper of green and blue. Last winter I dug down along the extrusion about 5' deep. Kept digging up more specimens, but never got to any native copper. I'll use the two-box along the extrusion, looking for native copper, and the resistivity will show any highly-mineralized zones below the blow hole. I've got enough wire to "see" about 100' deep at the hole. It's going to be interesting, but a lot of work, too. The data logger, and the resistivity device both give an image to study, and save. That's the fun part...LOL

Jim

1 hour ago, Lunk said:

Jim, have you thought of just removing the metal eyelets? I've been doing that for many years with cheap pairs of hiking boots from Walmart and Big 5. Just make sure they don’t have a metal shank by using a pinpointer or rare-earth magnet.

Ya know, Lunk, Chris (wife) and I have been talking about that. Might be the only way to get what I want. I'm going to start in-person shopping while carrying my MD-20 to check for metal. Removing eyelets wouldn't be difficult with single-layer boots. Great minds think alike...LOL

1 hour ago, Gold Ryder said:

Bates! The best Ive used. I like the Keenes but I get almost zero foot fatigue with Bates.

The problem is searching out boots that don't have metal eyelets. You do a search and everybody says "metal free", but what they mean is no metal safety toe. Take a close look and they have metal eyelets. The Nortiv 8 boots I wear don't have any metal except the eyelets, but my detectors see them easily with every step. Very difficult to find lace-up boots without some metal, without paying a small fortune.

Jim

3 hours ago, jasong said:

These Wolverines have become my standard metal free, slip on, composite toe, waterproof detecting boot now. 

They go on sale for like $85 occasionally, in places. I have 2 pairs and haven't worn either out yet, the soles are vastly superior to the military/duty boots most people use for detecting, and the stitching stays together far longer too. The insole is also better, and the composite toe seems stronger than the Bates. These have lasted me 1.5 years with no major damage while the Reebok/Bates/5.11 style duty boots are usually nearing the end of their usability after 2-3 months in the field with me. 

Tom (forgot his handle) who used to work for White's recommended these Wolverine in another thread a while back, and no one else seems to talk about them. But in my mind are the best all around boot for detecting, machine/construction work, and the swiss army knife of footwear for people who like to wear boots instead of shoes daily. 

Oh Boy...I absolutely hate slip-ons of any kind, Jason. I really like my boots tight on my feet.

Jim

5 hours ago, GeoBill said:

Jim, if you have a Big5 near you, might try them. They usually have a fairly cheap selection of 'hiking' shoes and boots. Can't remember the brand I bought several years ago, maybe Eddie Bauer or Hi Tec, but I took a pinpointer in with me to check if there was metal in the sole.

Didn't last more than a year but for less than $20............

Bates also makes some pretty reasonable metal-free boots.

(ah, just realized I was typing while you were posting the above reply)

Aah heck, Bill, my deal with Doc fell through...he's out of 13's, and can't get any more. I'm back to shopping again.

Jim

1 hour ago, Mike Furness said:

Try Doc at Doc's Detecting Supplies: https://docsdetecting.com/ 

Thanks, Mike! I ordered a pair of the no-metal desert boots. Should work fine. I can use my regular boots for the bulk of my detecting, but those Discovery two-box units are super sensitive. The reason is that you're enveloped in the magnetic field....it's much larger than the field from a regular search coil. So the eyelets in my boots set it off with every step. I have to take extra care to remove all the metal on my body.... including my hard head....LOL

Jim

Sorry guys, but I just bought those two 2-box detectors and paid $200 for the two of them. $200 for boots, for a guy that has been frugal all his life, is difficult...LOL I've been looking, and few companies make non-metal boots, it seems. For what I do, and where I do it, I don't need either waterproof, or insulated. You'd think, with all our modern materials, there'd be a moderately-priced product that would get the job done. Maybe I need some old "Keds" LOL

Jim

LOL....Good Lord! $200 for those woven boots. No wonder they last...they better, Ha!

Jim

Since I got interested in two-box detectors, and the use of a data-logger, and purchasing Both a 900 and 1200 from Treasure Baron in the Discovery models, my lack of non-metal boots is becoming a problem. Ever step is making a noise. can't have that. Can anybody give me a brand, and model of boot that has zero metal? All help appreciated. Lug soles would also be nice.

Jim

Looking good, Jon!

Jim

1 hour ago, Cascade Steven said:

Machinesmith

thanks for the additional information and schematic.  I am curious if these mods were included in the TDI SL at the factory?  Just intellectual curiosity.

Different machines. Only similar circuits, not identical, Mods on original TDI are not the same mods on TDI SL.

Jim

Maybe they'll get to the point they only build them to order, Steve. I could easily see that happening in the US auto industry. Something has to give in all this stuff. Somewhere "affordability" has to enter the picture. Going to be interesting to see what happens.

Jim

Yup, we should never stop learning. Take books, and the 'net away from me, you might as well throw dirt on me...LOL. You did good recognizing that, in any case.

Jim