Small Mining Operations
Dredging The Outside Bend
July 2011 by Jim Foley
This stringer was where it was not supposed to be, and it contained nuggets that were not supposed to be there.The Underground Mining Adventure Continues
Our group of independent miners have been busy crafting a uniquely designed ladder/ore cart track from the bottom of an 85-foot mine shaft in a historical hard rock mine.
Exploring Placers with Auger Drills
Augers can be used effectively for placer exploration with certain limitations.
Small-Scale Hard Rock Production
So far this year we have recovered over three pounds of gold and the hard rock veins seem to go on forever. We now have three claims that can produce good enough gold to set up a productive operation.
Pumping Water With Solar Power
Solar energy can be used for any size placer or hard rock mining operation. It is most practical for small and longer-term operations provided your mine is not located in a dense forest.
Extracting & Smelting Your Gold
Unfortunately, not all the gold that we prospectors find is pretty, or appealing to the eyes. They are not all nice, bright, shiny nuggets with lots of character that carry high collector value.
The Jenkins Mine Project, Conclusion—Recovery Operations & Summary
This project taught me that you don’t need to be Albert Einstein to apply a little science to your prospecting. I learned that most of the science related to suction dredging is actually common sense. All we need to do is take the time to apply it.
Underground in the Original 16-1 Mine
These days they employ the use of metal detectors and carefully scan the shattered rocks, hoping to hear that sound we detectorists love to hear.
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