sawmill

Happy Birthday Son.

Frosty I am surprised that no one gave you a real answer. Actually your answer is in your question. Ultra fine gold will float with the right conditions. Actually that is how you extract it. Just the oil from your fingers will float those fines. The froth floatation method was invented just for this purpose. Combine oil as in pine oil,add air and stir ,the fine gold rises to the top and combines with the bubbles in the froth. Scrape the froth from the top and it contains the fine gold. Oil is attracted to gold ,oil is lighter than water,and will carry the fines to the top. The trick is to grind the ore fine enough for the oil to suspend it. Some detergents will float fines with the oil in the detergent combined with the bubbles. This process is used every day all over the planet to extract fine gold and sulfide gold. When someone says gold won't float, they just don't know a lot about gold.

Just put up a help wanted sign,they will avoid that place like the plague.

DOC I am cutting and welding everyday,and have lots of expanded metal. It wouldn't take but a few minutes to whip up a box like that. If I was closer I would do it just for the hell of it.

Fellows I found something that will put you right on track for chemical testing. Years ago a very well known geologist and mining engineer gave me a first edition copy of this information. My copy has been well used,but you can down load the 2,nd edition. Search You Too Can Smelt, The title is misleading,because it is also a guide to chemical assays,and gives you the information for every process,all the supplies,and how to use them. This booklet was wrote for real commercial miners and prospectors. It is written in plain English, and in simple terms. Best of all it is accurate,no BS,and free.

Gold Seeker It depends on what I am doing,or which kit I use. My field kit is kept to being pretty basic. Mostly it contains some test tubes,alcohol burner, spot plate,filter paper,small mortar,and pestle,some evaporating dishes,droppers,a couple syringes,small plastic spoon, gloves, and large tweezers,and plenty of baking soda to kill the acids. I always have a loupe,and pocket microscope ,and accurate scales too. It only takes about 5 minutes to do a gold test. You don't need a great quanity of acid or chemicals, so an ounce or so of nitric, and hydrochloric each is plenty. One ounce each of the other chemicals is plenty. I make my own stannous solution as needed,so I just carry a piece of tin solder. Most tests can be done with just a test tube or spot plate,so you don't need a lot of equipment. A baby food jar or two comes in handy sometimes. I also carry some distilled water,a pint will do a lot of tests, gallon will last for a really long time. Fresh rain water caught in a plastic container will work too. My camp kit ,contains ,hydrochloric,nitric,sulphuric, and acetic,acids. Also ammonia,acetone, hydrogen peroxide,along with sodium carbonate,borax,charcoal powder,zinc powder,tin ,pure sulphur,potassium iodide,potassium nitrate,potassium,hydroxide,potassium ferrocynide, potassium pyrosulphate,potassium chlorate,tannic acid powder,ammonium carbonate,pyrolusite, sodium hydroxide,sodium nitrate,sodium sulfide,cobalt nitrate,lead acetate,salt of phosphorous, silver nitrate,dymethylglyoxime, and cacothelin. My home kit contains all the above,plus the bead testing wires and blow pipe. Not all of that is needed by the average prospector,as some is used for rare earths, odd ball metals,and minerals. Also in spite of the 5 dollar names,a lot of that stuff can be found in your kitchen,or shop. And hell no,I didn't invent any of the processes,and have CRS syndrome ,so I carry a note book too. Stay up wind,don't lick the spoon,or drink the water,and keep the baking soda handy.

Capt. D I think anyone that has searched for gold ,has been fooled a few times more that they care to admit. Some of us has even walked by gold,because sometimes it is impossible to see. I got tired of wondering,and learned how to do chemical assays. Now I can pack a small lab in a small tackle box,and test any time that I want to at camp at home, or right in the field. All minerals and metals have reactions with certain chemicals and acid that sets them apart from any other mineral or metal. Some have the same reaction ,but with the addition of some other chemical,or another step,you can eliminate the false positive. You can actually disect a rock ,and determine every mineral and metal in it. If you are really picky,you can determine how much,and the grade per ton,for every thing in that rock.

Here is an easy test. Take one of the rocks with a good bit of the yellow stuff, and break it up . If the yellow stuff shatters into dust it ain't gold. But if it mashes out flat and doesn't shatter,then do a happy dance.

I live in Utah ,and Rexb is right on the money. There is a few areas with small nuggets ,but they are rare, and already are claimed. Over in the Henry Mountains there is a small public prospecting area. There has been a few small nuggets found there with detectors in the past,but very few. Your best bet for getting gold here is a pan,sluice,or recirculating high banker. If you manage to pay for your pan you are doing good.

Frank I can tell you for a fact that marrying into the tribe don't really mean much.

Fellows Here is an idea,that you could try. Those tribes seem to be a pretty progressive group of people,and are trying to attract tourists,and recreation. With the right approach and some respect,they may be interested in opening a recreational prospecting area,such as a tribal managed prospecting club. If it could be shown to benefit the tribes,they may be willing to talk. I wouldn't mention knives or scalping when meeting with the officals though. I also noticed that CRIT has a lands dept. Has anyone contacted the lands dept. for a map? You may have to show a legitimate reason for the request,but I bet that they have one. Tribes are a little cautious about handing out detailed maps to any outsiders.

Nuggetslayer Someone gave you some bogus information. You can not file a placer over a lode claim and gain any rights period. Just the act of filing a placer over a lode automaticly voids the placer from the start. Filing a placer over your own lode claim will void both claims. But you can overfile a lode claim over your own placer claim and gain rights to both lode and placer. Any lode claim filed over another claim without permission of the first claimant is also null and void from the start. Getting rid of an overfiler is simple and you do not need the BLM for that job. There is no reason to let an overfiler get away with it,and it is dumb to let one stay.

Ausome In this case Tom may have the right spelling. You could get loaded into a police cruiser,or get a load of buck shot, so it may be a load claim. :o

Frank I was thinking the same thing,but in the back of my head ,i got the idea he was asking about a trespass issue. That is why I said it wasn't a silly question, no big deal . How hot is it in your neck of the woods?

Tom This is an after thought. Go to Bills forum and read about the two guys that were caught detecting on a lode claim in California. They were doing exactly what you are asking about. It didn't work out too well for them either. Regardless of placer or lode,once a discovery is made and the claim is legally located and filed, all minerals are withdrawn from the public.