Small Mining Operations
The Miner’s Switchback
May 2018 by Bilbo Kringle
Common thought is the switchback slows the velocity of the rushing water and gold drops out from the cut bank to a fill gravel bar within or below the switchback. I am not going to disregard that model; however, I hope to improve upon it.
Ask The Experts
How do I set up a Miller table?
How Rich Must My Ore Be?
How rich does a hard rock ore have to be for it to be worthwhile to process and extract the gold?
Lode or Placer: What Difference Does It Make?
This explains the large difference in particle sizes between placers and hydrothermal lode deposits, but also means that while the mining may be similar in some cases, the sampling and recovery techniques are usually quite different.
Why Haven't They Mined This Claim?
Improvements in mining equipment and techniques, along with a higher gold price, make many mining properties profitable today that may not have been in the past.
Legislative and Regulatory Update
- NEPA comments due
- Update on latest US Supreme Court suction gold dredging appeal
- Washington State tries to restrict suction gold dredging
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 Oregon Claim
When I started dredging a short distance downstream from that feature I realized that I was into a major paystreak and much of the gold was coming right out of the upper gravel. I could see the chunky pieces falling out of the gravel as they were pulled into...
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• Our Readers Say
• Putting Together A Small Free Gold Mill
• Feds Sue California over Sales of Public Lands
• Legislative and Regulatory Update
• What To Do When Gold Recovery and Assay Values Differ
• Metal Detecting Old Hard Rock Mine Dumps
• Because I Said So
• Hecla Fights Bad Actor Label in Montana
• Prepping For A New Season of Gold Hunting
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
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