Mutiny on The Mason

February 2019 by Fred Mason

We decided to check some spots that were pretty good to us on previous trips. The detector was deceptively simple with few buttons and auto-ground balance.

Excavator Testing Wet Placer Ground

April 2013
The excavator or backhoe has become the tool of choice for testing placer ground. These machines are the best way to explore and sample a placer deposit if the ground is not too wet or frozen and bedrock is not beyond the reach of the machine.

Want to Go to Australia?

July 2014
Every year there are large nuggets found by the diligent, and occasionally by the lucky newbie.

Tips for Detecting Nugget Patches

April 2015

Certainly many other successful nugget hunters have mentioned these methods; hopefully I can add to or clarify these methods.

Getting Started

June 2017

He excitedly told me he was going mining and wanted to know where he should go, how to do it, and so on. After he calmed down, I got excited. “I need to go!” was my response.

A Gold Mine on a Washington Beach?

February 2012
Bela and Barbara Kovacs began prospecting for gold about seven years ago as a family orientated outdoors activity. A welder by trade and lured by the simple fact that beach sands can contain small bits of precious metals, Bela decided a few years ago to build a sand sucking contraption that can sift the shoreline for anything worth keeping.

WWII Vet & Prospector Still Going Strong

July 2011
Lately I’ve been having success utilizing two types of detectors in succession. The first is a pulse induction (PI) detector with a blanket-style antennae, and I follow it up with a very low frequency (VLF) detector.

Rediscovering Placerville, California

February 2011
Several areas came to mind, but each was eliminated for one reason or another. One that seemed to be hanging on was the old historic mining town called Placerville.

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