just ok, good, great, OMG?

[boarteats]

OMG if it is true. Really cheap and easy to find out.

Thanks @cuchgold! I'm collecting samples now from different parts of the stream that I will have assayed. Figured best to do it all at once. I'm limited by the amount of time I can spend back there without getting complaints from the wife and the amount of work that I can do without piquing neighbors' curiosity.

However, when I run across some particularly interesting stuff, I'll poke at it a bit to better understand what I'm seeing. So, for example I crushed up that rock and smelted it using Chapman flux and silver as a collector metal. See attached pic. Color is not the best in the pic, but good enough to see that there was a nontrivial amount of gold in the rock. Can't say how much, since I couldn't get everything out of the crucible (still a learning process -- need some Chapman flux thinner, I think.) About a third of my collector metal is still in the crucible along with whatever it was that it collected.

 

[Dr.xyz]

I´m no expert, but nothing in those pictures look like gold, more like leftovers when someone tries stick welding for the first time. Plus some fools gold.

 

[boarteats]

I´m no expert, but nothing in those pictures look like gold, more like leftovers when someone tries stick welding for the first time. Plus some fools gold.

Not a question if you see them in person. Pic color is off.

Also, not attracted to magnet, so no ferrous metals present.

 

[canedane]

I´m no expert, so i would do a stannos test.

 

[boarteats]

I´m no expert, so i would do a stannos test.

Planning to test what appears to me to be some nontrivial amounts of gold. ...hopefully assays will support this assertion.

Was really just thanking the folks in this forum for all the great info/ideas, etc. It's a tremendous resource. Lots of good reading.

 

[cuchugold]

Hi boarteats. Here's a revolutionary idea: Crush it to 100 mesh and pan it. Leave the assays for the 'experts' that want to know the exact content to 6 decimal places. You only need a go/nogo (dig / no dig) indicator. :G

 

[boarteats]

Hi boarteats. Here's a revolutionary idea: Crush it to 100 mesh and pan it. Leave the assays for the 'experts' that want to know the exact content to 6 decimal places. You only need a go/nogo (dig / no dig) indicator. :G

Already did. Also, smelted the resulting material using silver as a collector metal. Then I calculated the specific gravity of the metal beads to determine that the rock had about 1/3 grams of gold (i.e., 1/3 grams of something with a higher specific gravity of silver). Couldn't get a direct weight since some of my collector metal is stuck to bottom of crucible. ...will get that later. The pan also showed gold, btw.

The above mentioned assay is to determine how much/little precious metals are in the stream using multiple samples from different locations, so I'll know to treat it as a fun hobby or something more serious. I'm paying an expert to do the assay work. I don't have the chemicals, skills, etc to do it myself.

As an aside, the well informed skepticism that I've read in this thread is one of the things prompting me to get some expert info. I'd rather not go along happily just assuming that all the yellow stuff I am seeing is gold.

 

[Dr.xyz]

If I had few grams of gold per cubic foot of dirt in my back yard, there would already be some heavy machinery excavating.

 

[boarteats]

If I had few grams of gold per cubic foot of dirt in my back yard, there would already be some heavy machinery excavating.

Lol. That was a great spot for sure or so it appears so far. Off to my day job which is far less exciting.

 

[Rachello]

Am I crazy?

Or just the only one that wants to know more about the penny? Like the year it was made etc...it is not past impossible that it could be the gold mine you are looking for...

Rachel

 

[boarteats]

Lol. I have a ziplock bag full of wheat pennies. Pretty sure that I’ve looked at all of them and none are super valuable. I always use one to show scale in pics. You’re the first person to ask about them!

They certainly cannot compete value-wise with rocks like this.

 

[Rachello]

Not if it’s a 1943 copper wheat penny :wink:

Good luck with your creek! Keep us posted on the values you get & your testing results

Rachel

 

[boarteats]

Not if it’s a 1943 copper wheat penny :wink:

Rachel

That’d be so awesome but alas don’t have one of those