When I cleaned up the sluice, I used dish detergent and soaked the mat material in a bucket, like washing clothes. That was after spraying it off with the garden hose. That brought out some flecks and flakes along with a lot more black sand. I'm saving the black sand to try and extract the fine "flour" gold dust that is in there.
I added five more flakes to my vial, plus one from before I cleaned up the sluice. There are a few large flakes with the rest more like small flecks, so there are better than a dozen flakes in that vial. Plus some larger material like a small nugget, a couple of millimeters in diameter, and some inch-sized quartz pieces with what may be pyrite throughout. That is all I have for all the work since the end of last season, but the real rewards are being out there on the creek and having proof of concept by trying different things out.
I believe I can do better, it is time to make some alterations to the sluice. But I got 6 flakes out of half a bucket, and that meets my quota of at least 12 flakes per full 5-gallon bucket of sand, so I know that much is possible to do.
Now to work up a pack for next weekend and see how I can do with minimum equipment out in the field. I don't expect to do very well or even get one flake to be honest, but that stream is bigger, deeper, and runs year-round. My concern is that it is played out, however, they actually bring in sand with gold flakes from somewhere else. It is a campground where people spend the whole season panning that stream and using different equipment. Last year, I saw a couple scuba diving with a vacuum hose system that had a floating pump and sluice.
I added five more flakes to my vial, plus one from before I cleaned up the sluice. There are a few large flakes with the rest more like small flecks, so there are better than a dozen flakes in that vial. Plus some larger material like a small nugget, a couple of millimeters in diameter, and some inch-sized quartz pieces with what may be pyrite throughout. That is all I have for all the work since the end of last season, but the real rewards are being out there on the creek and having proof of concept by trying different things out.
I believe I can do better, it is time to make some alterations to the sluice. But I got 6 flakes out of half a bucket, and that meets my quota of at least 12 flakes per full 5-gallon bucket of sand, so I know that much is possible to do.
Now to work up a pack for next weekend and see how I can do with minimum equipment out in the field. I don't expect to do very well or even get one flake to be honest, but that stream is bigger, deeper, and runs year-round. My concern is that it is played out, however, they actually bring in sand with gold flakes from somewhere else. It is a campground where people spend the whole season panning that stream and using different equipment. Last year, I saw a couple scuba diving with a vacuum hose system that had a floating pump and sluice.
A trail goes two ways and looks different in each direction - There is no such thing as a timid woodland creature - Whatever does not kill you leaves you a survivor - Jesus is NOT a bad word - MSB