Remote Prospecting?

[Geowizard]

Leonard,

It is with that inevitable truth that I exert myself today. Prospecting as you know is often difficult. I promised earlier to share a photo journey with occasional video. I appreciate your interest and all of those that have the same passion as we do for prospecting!

- Geowizard

[Jim_Alaska]

OK, going back to Chuck's punch plate. I have used this in both suction dredging as well as commercial operations. It works well, but.... you have the get it tuned just right. The problem comes in with getting enough water velocity and depth under the plate, as well as over the plate. Suffice to say it is difficult, but can be done. Pebbles larger than the punched holes are a small problem.

One of the best combinations I have seen came with my ProMack 4 inch suction dredge. The combination consists of; from top to bottom of the sluice; meaning depth wise, not length.

The head of the box has four hungarian "scalper riffles" With backed miners moss under both the riffle as well as the rest of the combination all the way down the box. To clarify, there is backed miners moss the entire length of the box, but now back to the riffles at the head.

Where the riffles end there is a "stepped up" perforated diamond mesh screen extending down the rest of the sluice. Under the perforated screen is "Armour Weave sheet steel. If you are not familiar with this, it is sheet steel that has "eyebrow" riffles punched in it and "staggered" the remaining length of the sluice.

Then of course there is the backed miners moss I mentioned before under the Armour Weave. This combination allows for larger material to roll over the screen, while at the same time delivering full flow water under the screen to keep the Armour Weave riffles working properly.

I have uses this, as well as many other combinations for many years and find this combination just about perfect. Very little fine tuning to be done like you have with standard punch plate. Angle of sluice and properly inputting material-to-water ratio up the nozzle is about all the fine tuning necessary.

[Geowizard]

Jim,

My Keene Mini-Six has a very similar sluice Box. These Suction Dredge sluices are designed to pass everything over the top, provide classification on at least several levels and keep the GOLD.

The punched plate is used to keep the rocks rolling over the top so the GOLD finds a quiet parking place in the mat. The mat can be several different forms depending on the geometry of the GOLD. My GOLD happens to look like discs and they settle well in Astro Turf with natural Peat moss from the tailing piles. The peat moss fibers settle in and create a slow flow at the mat.

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Getting from "here to there",

By now, the casual reader would guess, I took off early on the third of August.

Yep! I flew to Seattle and then to Anchorage. I checked in at Merrill Field Inn and strutted over to the Restaurant! Yep, Sweet and Sour Shrimp! Takeout only! Yummy!

Then, after a good night's sleep, next morning, I took a shuttle from the motel... I grabbed some grub at Carrs Market and got dropped off. After a three hour wait, I blasted off.

Unloaded and loaded up the luggage and grub...

Hang on, We aren't "there" yet!

Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Getting from "Here to There";

I drove the 25 miles arriving at 4:00 PM. I prepared for the process of opening the boarded up cabin! My Dewalt 20V drill driver battery went dead when I was leaving last month.

Yep, being a well prepared Remote Prospector, I packed a replacement 20V battery in my checked baggage and hauled it 3000 miles North!

Yep... It was DOA.

As luck would have it, the old battery had enough juice to get a hole big enough to climb through to get in the cabin.

Hang on, we aren't "There" yet!

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Wasps;

Remote prospectors can expect many different types of wild life out in the BUSH! As I prepared to settle in for a good night's rest, I could hear a buzzing sound in my bedroom... WASPS!

A colony of wasps had moved into the wall/roof space over my bed! I noticed a few and then more!

Remote Prospectors are always prepared. I had a mosquito net hanging over the bed! When I woke up in the morning there were dozens of wasps!

The BEST way to get RID of WASPS? Open the window!

Hang on, we aren't There yet!

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

Anxiety;

Today, August 5, 2020, GOLD prices are setting more historic highs! The daily high was over $2040.00.

In preparation for mining, I made a road across the water filled side channel to the base of the tailing pile. Rather than pumping water out of the planned mine site, I excavated a ditch so the water can flow out using the force of GRAVITY!

Once the road was constructed, it worked like a DAM to prevent inflow of water from the creek. Early miners used the water flowing through the side channel for mining.

I have another plan.

Stay tuned, there's more!

- Geowizard

[Micropedes1]

It sounds like you are working farther up the creek just below the beaver dam to divert the water. Yes?

[Geowizard]

Glen,

That's right! The beaver dam is ten feet high. I start the pump and turn it back off.

Ever try to siphon a Beaver Pond?

- Geowizard

[Jim_Alaska]

Glen,

That's right! The beaver dam is ten feet high. I start the pump and turn it back off.

Ever try to siphon a Beaver Pond?

- Geowizard

In my experience in Alaska beaver strenuously object to you trying to siphon their pond. They get downright nasty if you try to break it up.