John-Edmonton

8 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

You are really getting all the gold that you can get from your hard work, and I just wonder just how small can you recover. I have heard from a few people that after running everything so far they would use a electrolysis system to get the super small stuff. Then remove it from the posts they were using, is that possible for you.

Electrolyssis mmmmm. That's taking this up to a totally different level. I haven't heard of that. I will research that. I think, at this point, my final concentrates with go through a miller table and blue bowl, back-panned and weighed.  Done! I want to start making coin rings again, another hobby I have.

 Here's my set-up tonite. I substituted my blue bucket sluice for the felt, thus adding a third level to my final clean-up system. The bucket sluice was set at 3 degrees, and my whole system  ran  using a 1,100 GPH bilge pump,  variable speed set at 62 (max setting is 100).

I was surprised at how the bucket sluice retained some of the tiniest specs of gold.

Here's what the bucket sluice caught.

I always like experimenting with different ways of doing things. Using felt cuts down on my concentrates while still getting gold. I thought of using sandpaper too at one time. It's nice to hear that it worked well for you.

Ran about a gallons worth of reclassified -50 mesh today. I had some felt laying around, and put a piece on my upper two piggy-backed micro cleanup sluices.

I removed the felt piece and did a clean-up to see how well it caught the -50 mesh gold.

Here's the gold that the felt caught after running a gallon's worth of -50 mesh, which were previously run twicw at about 10 mesh. I also have about 1/4 cup of remaining concentrates saved from the micro-riffles. I am going to add more felt for my next run, as it leaves me with less concentrates to run over my miller table.

I started re-running some of my saved concentrates. Today was the half gallon ice cream pail of concentrates from back-panning my final run off my mico VDR clean-up mini-sluice. Next will be about 1- 1/2  5 gallon buckets, which first have to be re-screened down to - 50 mesh. I have about 2/3 already reclassified down to that. Finally will be the magnetic sands I removed prior to back-panning. Then I will get a weight, add the gold to my total gold from this year and weight it.

 You sure are blessed, living where you do. Probably about a 6 hour drive south to get the Montana Border. You bring up a good point, as to keep everything in one place. I went out once and forgot my motor to run my pump. Anyhow, a beautiful place you have. Thanks for sharing. 👍
 

11 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

Love seeing that color in the pan, great work.

Yes.....it is a pretty site!

This is probaby my last hunt on the North Saskatchewan River for this year. The forcast temperatures tomorrow night are -14°C / 7°F so the river will surely freeze over. It's been a great year. I still have to re-screen my concentrations from this year down to -50 mesh and re-run them down my double micro sluice, then my miller table. Below is my gold from today's dig.

6 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

Great work on the gold and glad to see that you know where it is.

Love the area that you are at and would someday I would like to travel to it for some of your gold.

Good luck and stay safe and warm.

It is a nice area. I may hit it with my metal detector if it becomes too frozen. That would be cool.....a couple of guys get togethet, miles apart because of a prospecting forum.

7 hours ago, Ridge Runner said:

John  

 You have got to be a glutton for punishment but that’s what gold will do to a guy .

 Chuck 

Well, it's not too difficult. Winter underwear, snowmobile boots, good breakfast and patience.

A coin show comes to Edmonton 2 x a year, so I usually buy my gold from there, as you can do a little bartering.

Here's my annual gold coin I bought. Each year, using my metal detecting modern coin totals, I buy a gold coin. Been doing this for over 20 years. This year, I also bought a one ounce siver bullet replica. I figure that I must be close to $80.00 in coins found. Back to the bank security box. My kids get my gold coins when my days are done.

At 3 amp/hr, I get about 20 hours run time with my California Mini highbanker powered with my 60Amp/Hr 12 volt lithium ion battery. If it's cold outside, I add a hot pack hand warmer inside the backpack which I carry it around in to keep it warm..

    FYI - there are some great "Black Friday" deals on high capacity 12 Volt lithium batteries to run bilge pumps in case you might be considering switching from a gas pump to an electric pump.  ( I have, and have not looked back since I switched) Due to overall less weight, you can hike further to your destinations.

https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=12%2Bvolt%2Blithium%2Bbatteries&i=automotive&ref=nb_sb_noss

Thanks....will do and likewise.

My ususal go-to the "North Saskatchewan River" has now too much ice along the edges and the exposed gravel is froze. My buddy and I drove to a spot, that often times can be used all year, but you have to break the ice to set up sluices. Today my buddy brought his mini Le"Trap and I brought along the "Itty-Bitty" river sluice. My buddy found one cent with his metal detector, I never used mine. Here are the photos defining today's adventure.

Love that mini-cabin! Very cozy looking.

You bet! A great wayto spend retirement time too............

 Location Location Location. Hit a spot close to where I dug yesterday. It was a couple of hundred feet parallel to where I dug yesterday. I faired much better today, even with digging less gravel. This weekend just might be the last time to prospect on the North Saskatchewan River, as the frozen areas along the river are not thawing very much, even with this wonderful weather we are having.

"Shhh, don't tell Mother Nature she is getting dementia" That's funny! A new theory on global warming.😎

Man oh Man........just like a summer's day! Can't believe we are a third into November still getting vitamin "G."

Been using the mini highbanker for the last couple of weeks. It ain't no slouch either. Once setup properly, it hangs on to flour gold very well. It's just a little lighter, packs up in less time and is easier to hull out of the river valley, especially as the ground freezes. A lot of my hunts are by myself, by choice. It's been a great week. The weather is unusually mild for November. I also brought along my metal detector for a couple of outings. You just never know what's under the searchcoil when it beeps. Here's what my mini got for gold for my last 4 outings, lasting about 2 hours each. Prospecting is sure an adventure!

Hell yah! Got a nugget out of the North Saskatchewan River today. Not my first, but definitely my biggest. A nice way to wind down prospecting for the year. Used my muscle vibrator to help remove the flour gold entangled in my ribbed carpet. I eye-balled the nugget out in the field as soon as I removed the carpet.

Thanks!