# New Claim come wednesday



## demons26

SOON this will be ours. as in ours I mean Roy's and Rick's new claim.


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## demons26

This is the goodies that are loaded in that who hillside.


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## philddreamer

Is that an old creek or river bed on top? If it is, did you check for gold?


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## Barren Realms 007

demons26 said:


> This is the goodies that are loaded in that who hillside.



Those are hot looking. 

How much did you have to process to get those.


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## philddreamer

Barren, I think that's ore. It hasn't been processed yet. It's some kind of pyrite that has PM's in it. I have some specimens a got hold of some time ago. 
What I'm wondering about its the gravels above it, they look like part of an old river bed. And the dark brown, to the right of the bush, looks like rusty black sands; or water sipping thru it.


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## Barren Realms 007

philddreamer said:


> Barren, I think that's ore. It hasn't been processed yet. It's some kind of pyrite that has PM's in it. I have some specimens a got hold of some time ago.
> What I'm wondering about its the gravels above it, they look like part of an old river bed. And the dark brown, to the right of the bush, looks like rusty black sands; or water sipping thru it.



I didn't mean process as in refine. I ment how much dirt did they have to go thru to getthe nuggets.


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## philddreamer

Oh. How about the gravels above, do they look like an old river bed to you?


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## Barren Realms 007

philddreamer said:


> Oh. How about the gravels above, do they look like an old river bed to you?



The 3rd picture in the dip. Yes I see where you are talking about. Bottom of a creek bed?


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## philddreamer

Yeah, & I wonder if they checked the gravel for gold. Never know... there could be a paystreak!


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## Barren Realms 007

I think Rick already has it figured out. 8) I want to hear what he reports back with. That is some dark dirt tho.


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## demons26

what dirt lmao it's all Kaolin on the left side except maybe the top. We didn't move any at all it's littered with those, me and rick just about had kittens when we saw it. I'll be calling rick on tuesday to see what the tests results are unless he posts on here first. Then when he gives the OK we're headed to the BLM office and going for the claim.

and go figure it all started when we were rummaging through a rock pile that come for that spot, and rick wanted to see where it came from and there it was.


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## Richard36

philddreamer said:


> Is that an old creek or river bed on top? If it is, did you check for gold?



It probably is part of an ancient creek bed. 
There is a creek just off the road, from behind the camera view.
The rocks are abraded round, so either they are from the creek at some ancient time in the past, or they are the remains of some ancient glacial till.

We haven't checked it for Gold yet, 
we got rather sidetracked with the abundance of sulfides present.

I didn't think much of the dirt being dark mostly because there was water seeping through the ground in the dip. I sort of figured the moisture was causing the soil to take on a darker color.

You made a good point, and we will be running some of that soil through a sluice as well.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## Richard36

Barren Realms 007 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> This is the goodies that are loaded in that who hillside.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Those are hot looking.
> 
> How much did you have to process to get those.
Click to expand...


We sluiced a 1/3 of a 5 gallon bucket of material from just below where the close up photo was taken. That isn't all we recovered. I have a couple of Power Bait jars full of the stuff.

I'll try to get an assay on it done tomorrow. 
I have a couple of other samples to assay for someone else first.

Roy and I will keep everyone up to date on what all takes place.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## HAuCl4

Nice!. It definitely looks like an old riverbed. You may even find nuggets in there. :shock: 

Best wishes on your assays and new claim!. You never know when fortune knocks till you open the door!. :lol:


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## Anonymous

This may seem like the stupid question of the day, but, what are they?

Jim


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## demons26

james122964 said:


> This may seem like the stupid question of the day, but, what are they?
> 
> Jim



Pyrite pieces.


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## demons26

HAuCl4 said:


> Nice!. It definitely looks like an old riverbed. You may even find nuggets in there. :shock:
> 
> Best wishes on your assays and new claim!. You never know when fortune knocks till you open the door!. :lol:



well i did have kowloons last night and got a fortune cookie, and damn near laughed my butt off when I read what it said.

Fortune Cookie: You will be presented with a promising business plan.


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## philddreamer

Back in late 80's a did some prospecting in one of the forks of the Rubicon river in Ca. & every pan was loaded with that "stuff".


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## Richard36

philddreamer said:


> Back in late 80's a did some prospecting in one of the forks of the Rubicon river in Ca. & every pan was loaded with that "stuff".



Did you ever get an assay on it?
Have you ever heard of "Overlooked Fortunes"?
The Sulfides themselves are valuable in the Chemical industry to make sulfuric acid,
let alone any Precious metals that they would contain.

It seems that China is processing Iron Pyrite now as an ore of Iron as well.
Just a thought.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## Richard36

demons26 said:


> HAuCl4 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Nice!. It definitely looks like an old riverbed. You may even find nuggets in there. :shock:
> 
> Best wishes on your assays and new claim!. You never know when fortune knocks till you open the door!. :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> well i did have kowloons last night and got a fortune cookie, and damn near laughed my butt off when I read what it said.
> 
> Fortune Cookie: You will be presented with a promising business plan.
Click to expand...


I like the sound of that!

We shall see what the numbers are soon enough.

I might have to order some more litharge before I can assay the Sulfides from our deposit Though, and will set us back a few days if I do, 
but I'll post the results when it gets assayed, if Roy doesn't beat me to it, lol!

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## philddreamer

No, as far as I was concern back then, they had little value. But that's just to show, that lacking information is not a good thing. I tell you, there was a lot of it. Maybe there still is... :roll: 
Even though I'm head'n back to the general area in late sept., I won't be visiting the site, since I'll be doing some small scale gold mining & try to recover more than the 1/2oz I just got on the last trip. 

Thanks for the info.!

Phil


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## demons26

hey rick here's a map i thought was pretty interesting.
http://www.oregongeology.com/sub/milo/index.htm

I don't have the equipment like you do rick lol.

Right now all i've been doing is seeing if we need to do a reclamation plan or not, doesn't look like it since we'll just be starting off pretty small. plus been looking at excavators :mrgreen: that'll have to wait a while till profits come in but looking about 1200 a month to rent one.


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## Richard36

Roy, 

To start operations we need a hammer drill, a Powder License, 
200 lbs of Ammonium Nitrate & couple dozen blasting caps.
Those are the most important things that we need aside from a valid claim on the outcrop.

There is a gravel quarry up the road from me, and I know the operator.
He might ask more to crush rock now, 
but last I knew he would crush rock for me at the rate of $3 a yard.

If we can break it with small charges, bobcat it into a truck bed, and transport the ore to the quarry, we can get it crushed and screened for size pretty reasonably.

AT that point it is a matter of marketing the ore, or processing it ourselves.

Once I've assayed it to prove values, I'll mail some samples of it to the broker in Canada, and see if we can sell the crushed ore. That may well be our best option at the moment.

If others have ideas, I'm listening.

I do not think that we need a reclamation plan, 
as we aren't likely to disturb more that 5 acres of surface.

We will need to file "Notice of Operations" with the BLM, and local Forest Service though.
As well as Notify the BLM, and Forest Service of when we are going to be doing our Blasting.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## demons26

Richard36 said:


> Roy,
> 
> To start operations we need a hammer drill, a Powder License,
> 200 lbs of Ammonium Nitrate & couple dozen blasting caps.
> Those are the most important things that we need aside from a valid claim on the outcrop.
> 
> There is a gravel quarry up the road from me, and I know the operator.
> He might ask more to crush rock now,
> but last I knew he would crush rock for me at the rate of $3 a yard.
> 
> If we can break it with small charges, bobcat it into a truck bed, and transport the ore to the quarry, we can get it crushed and screened for size pretty reasonably.
> 
> AT that point it is a matter of marketing the ore, or processing it ourselves.
> 
> Once I've assayed it to prove values, I'll mail some samples of it to the broker in Canada, and see if we can sell the crushed ore. That may well be our best option at the moment.
> 
> If others have ideas, I'm listening.
> 
> I do not think that we need a reclamation plan,
> as we aren't likely to disturb more that 5 acres of surface.
> 
> We will need to file "Notice of Operations" with the BLM, and local Forest Service though.
> As well as Notify the BLM, and Forest Service of when we are going to be doing our Blasting.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".



nice ya I've been looking to see where to go to take the tests for the blasting this is what i just found the minerals part of BLM. 
http://www.blm.gov/or/programs/minerals/ i'm going to be reading through that.


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## Richard36

demons26 said:


> I've been looking to see where to go to take the tests for the blasting this is what i just found the minerals part of BLM.
> http://www.blm.gov/or/programs/minerals/ i'm going to be reading through that.



The State Fire Marshals office in Salem is where you would need to go to take the test, 
and get the Powder License. 

The same License through the ATF is far more expensive. 
I've done the research on it already, and have the application forms.

The site from BLM looks interesting.
I'll check it out as well.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I've been looking to see where to go to take the tests for the blasting this is what i just found the minerals part of BLM.
> http://www.blm.gov/or/programs/minerals/ i'm going to be reading through that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The State Fire Marshals office in Salem is where you would need to go to take the test,
> and get the Powder License.
> 
> The same License through the ATF is far more expensive.
> I've done the research on it already, and have the application forms.
> 
> The site from BLM looks interesting.
> I'll check it out as well.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


Ya my head is about to explode from all the regulations and crap that i'm reading :lol:


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## Richard36

demons26 said:


> Ya my head is about to explode from all the regulations and crap that i'm reading :lol:



I hear ya.
I felt the same way when I started to read all the regulations and familiarize myself with them.
We will be in the "Casual Use" category for awhile, and can operate on a "Small Scale" basis.

As long as we don't start ripping up the surrounding surface features we'll be fine.
Surface disturbance is what they freak out over.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ya my head is about to explode from all the regulations and crap that i'm reading :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I hear ya.
> I felt the same way when I started to read all the regulations and familiarize myself with them.
> We will be in the "Casual Use" category for awhile, and can operate on a "Small Scale" basis.
> 
> As long as we don't start ripping up the surrounding surface features we'll be fine.
> Surface disturbance is what they freak out over.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


ya. time to hit 7-11 need a mike and ike sugar burst lol. the one thing I'm wondering do we loose Casual use once we start to use heavy equipment? that's how i read it at least.


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## demons26

demons26 said:


> Richard36 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ya my head is about to explode from all the regulations and crap that i'm reading :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I hear ya.
> I felt the same way when I started to read all the regulations and familiarize myself with them.
> We will be in the "Casual Use" category for awhile, and can operate on a "Small Scale" basis.
> 
> As long as we don't start ripping up the surrounding surface features we'll be fine.
> Surface disturbance is what they freak out over.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> ya. time to hit 7-11 need a mike and ike sugar burst lol. the one thing I'm wondering do we loose Casual use once we start to use heavy equipment? that's how i read it at least.
Click to expand...

 sorry for all the questions ahead of time. i get to a point where i start to think about the future and whats going to be needed LOL.


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## Richard36

demons26 said:


> ya. time to hit 7-11 need a mike and ike sugar burst lol. the one thing I'm wondering do we loose Casual use once we start to use heavy equipment? that's how i read it at least.



Yup.
That is the way that I understand it.
If we start to bring in heavy equipment, it is no longer "Casual Use".

Heavy Equipment will involve an approved "Extraction Plan",
and possibly a reclamation bond depending on what we intend to do.

That is why I said a Hammer Drill, Explosives, and a Bobcat would be sufficient.
That is about as radical as we could get without going beyond "Casual Use".

As is, that would be pushing the far reaches of "Casual Use".
We might need an "Extraction Plan, (Plan of Operations) before we get to carried away blasting out a tunnel into that outcrop. 

Hopefully not, but if we do, it won't cost us anything but time, 
and headache waiting for approval of whatever we wrote out as a "Plan of Operations".



demons26 said:


> sorry for all the questions ahead of time. i get to a point where i start to think about the future and whats going to be needed LOL.



Not an issue.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ya. time to hit 7-11 need a mike and ike sugar burst lol. the one thing I'm wondering do we loose Casual use once we start to use heavy equipment? that's how i read it at least.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yup.
> That is the way that I understand it.
> If we start to bring in heavy equipment, it is no longer "Casual Use".
> 
> Heavy Equipment will involve an approved "Extraction Plan",
> and possibly a reclamation bond depending on what we intend to do.
> 
> That is why I said a Hammer Drill, Explosives, and a Bobcat would be sufficient.
> That is about as radical as we could get without going beyond "Casual Use".
> 
> As is, that would be pushing the far reaches of "Casual Use".
> We might need an "Extraction Plan, (Plan of Operations) before we get to carried away blasting out a tunnel into that outcrop.
> 
> Hopefully not, but if we do, it won't cost us anything but time,
> and headache waiting for approval of whatever we wrote out as a "Plan of Operations".
> 
> 
> 
> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> sorry for all the questions ahead of time. i get to a point where i start to think about the future and whats going to be needed LOL.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Not an issue.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


lol ya writing out the plan seems to be a pain in itself. plus I'm getting excited lol. this is going be fun even if it is hard work I'll be excited through the whole thing lol.


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## Richard36

demons26 said:


> lol ya writing out the plan seems to be a pain in itself. plus I'm getting excited lol. this is going be fun even if it is hard work I'll be excited through the whole thing lol.



Yup.
I hope that we don't need to write out any "Plan of Operations".
As we progress with this project that will be something that we'll need to do though.

I'm fairly excited about it as well.
It will be fun, I agree.

Hopefully I'll get the assay done on the sulfides tomorrow.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## HAuCl4

LOL guys...get a couple of assays done first. KISS. Use TNT (or gunpowder) and a truck and shovel. Carry the minishovel in the truck. Never leave ore or equipment at the blast site. Don't over think it before the assays!. :lol:

If it's very low grade, after processing 5 tons or so, sell the claim if you can, else move on.

Keep your expectations low, that way any outcome will be a nice surprise!. Most important of all, don't get married to a low grade deposit!. 8)


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## demons26

HAuCl4 said:


> LOL guys...get a couple of assays done first. KISS. Use TNT (or gunpowder) and a truck and shovel. Carry the minishovel in the truck. Never leave ore or equipment at the blast site. Don't over think it before the assays!. :lol:
> 
> If it's very low grade, after processing 5 tons or so, sell the claim if you can, else move on.
> 
> Keep your expectations low, that way any outcome will be a nice surprise!. Most important of all, don't get married to a low grade deposit!. 8)



I'm just excited to be having my first claim period lol.


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## Richard36

HAuCl4 said:


> LOL guys...get a couple of assays done first. KISS. Use TNT (or gunpowder) and a truck and shovel. Carry the minishovel in the truck. Never leave ore or equipment at the blast site. Don't over think it before the assays!. :lol:
> 
> If it's very low grade, after processing 5 tons or so, sell the claim if you can, else move on.
> 
> Keep your expectations low, that way any outcome will be a nice surprise!. Most important of all, don't get married to a low grade deposit!. 8)



I agree.
It's fun to openly chat about it though.
I'll be surprised if it's low grade.

Every Sulfide deposit that I have assayed from around here that contained copper carried a fair amount of Gold and Silver. 

This deposit has more sulfides in it than any of the others that I have found so far, though I do know of a couple others that are quite comparable within 1 mile of where this one is at.

One of them I have assayed, and it contained .815 oz per ton Gold, and 2.445 oz per ton Silver. I suspect that this one will be of similar grade.

I have yet to take Roy to the other two similar deposits, possibly three.
When I do, we'll take photos, and post them here as well.

The Photos at the beginning of this thread are the grade of deposit that I find on a continuous basis, and is by no means the only one that I know of.

If the instructions that I have given in my posts are followed, 
you can find deposits like this as well.

This was found within a Hydrothermal Alteration Zone in an area marked by a dendritic stream drainage pattern. 

Open your Topo Maps, look for those areas, and keep your eyes open for similar deposits.
They will be there.

That is part of why I wanted photos of this deposit taken, and posted.
Everyone now knows what to look for in these areas.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## philddreamer

Ricardo, thanks for sharing the info. I'll keep an eye out for such things next time I'm out in the hills.

I also went to an old copper mine in the cascades some years ago. They called the ore peacock copper. It turns purple when exposed to air. I friend took me there because he knew I liked prospecting & we took samples. We thought we were rich, for when we took the fresh samples it look golden, but by the time we got outside 30 min late,r it was purple. He had it assayed & it was copper, gold & silver. How much?, I don't remember.


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## Richard36

philddreamer said:


> Ricardo, thanks for sharing the info. I'll keep an eye out for such things next time I'm out in the hills.
> 
> I also went to an old copper mine in the cascades some years ago. They called the ore peacock copper. It turns purple when exposed to air. I friend took me there because he knew I liked prospecting & we took samples. We thought we were rich, for when we took the fresh samples it look golden, but by the time we got outside 30 min late,r it was purple. He had it assayed & it was copper, gold & silver. How much?, I don't remember.



Peacock Ore is the common name for Chalcopyrite, which is a #1 Ore for Copper. 
It is the Ore Mineral that is recovered from Mining Copper Porphory.

If it's open for claim, it would be wise to file claim on it.

I paid $2.50 for a chicken egg size piece of Chalcopyrite at a Rock & Mineral show here in town a few years ago. 
Good specimens have value beyond the metals that they contain.

Same thing goes for the Pyrite Dodecahedrons in the deposit that Roy & I found.
They are worth 5 to 10 cents each at any Rock & Mineral Show, or Rock Shop.

That being the case, 
I'm sure that we could get $35 to $50 for a 3lb coffee can full at "The Rock Castle".
Aquarium shops would buy the stuff for fish tank gravel as well.

Plenty of market possibilities.

That's something that you should consider for the Chalcopyrite that you found as well.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## dtectr

philddreamer said:


> Is that an old creek or river bed on top? If it is, did you check for gold?


 At first, I thought that was the claim! Yeah, I'd LOVE to go after that with a sluice & pan! That is definitely an ancient drainage pattern. If it cut PreCambrian ... 8) 
Also, Rick & Roy - are you planning on following the kaolinized deposit back toward the left, as indicated in photos? Have you been able to see how far into the hillside it goes? Its hard to tell, but it appears to become more solid the farther back you go? What was the mother rock, likely, that it decomposed from? Like Phil, I'm picturing similar deposits I walked past in NM years ago.
Best of luck, guys! Man, that gets your juices going, doesn't it?


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## Richard36

dtectr said:


> philddreamer said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is that an old creek or river bed on top? If it is, did you check for gold?
> 
> 
> 
> At first, I thought that was the claim! Yeah, I'd LOVE to go after that with a sluice & pan! That is definitely an ancient drainage pattern. If it cut PreCambrian ... 8)
> Also, Rick & Roy - are you planning on following the kaolinized deposit back toward the left, as indicated in photos? Have you been able to see how far into the hillside it goes? Its hard to tell, but it appears to become more solid the farther back you go? What was the mother rock, likely, that it decomposed from? Like Phil, I'm picturing similar deposits I walked past in NM years ago.
> Best of luck, guys! Man, that gets your juices going, doesn't it?
Click to expand...


Most of the Books that I have list the area as being Tertiary in age.
When we go back to the deposit well sluice some of the soil, post the results, 
and satisfy everyone's curiosity. 

As for the Kaolin, yes, that is the area that we are most interested in.
Neither of us know for sure how far back into the hillside it goes.

I figure that it is just a pocket load, as most of the deposits like this in my area are, 
and typically produce 10 to 20 tons of ore before they run out.

It would be nice if this one was larger.
Given time, we'll find out.

I could not see where this material graded off into some other "Rock Type", so chances are that this is a Dike, possibly a Sill based on the fact that it's sort of oblong in shape.

If either a Dike, or Sill, it will yield far more than 10 to 20 tons of Ore.
The surrounding Rock is Andesitic Basalt. 
Quite common in the Cascades.

"Kaolin" is produced by "Hydrothermal Decomposition of Feldspars".
The Quartz and Albite content is indicative of it being a "Magmatic Differentiation Product" of a "Granitic Magma" at depth.

All good signs to me, and yes, it does raise the Heartbeat of those who aren't used to finding deposits like this, ask Roy, lol!

I got excited for a few minutes as well when I first saw it. 

To bad that you walked past deposits of similar grade, and didn't check them out.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## demons26

Richard36 said:


> dtectr said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> philddreamer said:
> 
> 
> 
> Is that an old creek or river bed on top? If it is, did you check for gold?
> 
> 
> 
> At first, I thought that was the claim! Yeah, I'd LOVE to go after that with a sluice & pan! That is definitely an ancient drainage pattern. If it cut PreCambrian ... 8)
> Also, Rick & Roy - are you planning on following the kaolinized deposit back toward the left, as indicated in photos? Have you been able to see how far into the hillside it goes? Its hard to tell, but it appears to become more solid the farther back you go? What was the mother rock, likely, that it decomposed from? Like Phil, I'm picturing similar deposits I walked past in NM years ago.
> Best of luck, guys! Man, that gets your juices going, doesn't it?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Most of the Books that I have list the area as being Tertiary in age.
> When we go back to the deposit well sluice some of the soil, post the results,
> and satisfy everyone's curiosity.
> 
> As for the Kaolin, yes, that is the area that we are most interested in.
> Neither of us know for sure how far back into the hillside it goes.
> 
> I figure that it is just a pocket load, as most of the deposits like this in my area are,
> and typically produce 10 to 20 tons of ore before they run out.
> 
> It would be nice if this one was larger.
> Given time, we'll find out.
> 
> I could not see where this material graded off into some other "Rock Type", so chances are that this is a Dike, possibly a Sill based on the fact that it's sort of oblong in shape.
> 
> If either a Dike, or Sill, it will yield far more than 10 to 20 tons of Ore.
> The surrounding Rock is Andesitic Basalt.
> Quite common in the Cascades.
> 
> "Kaolin" is produced by "Hydrothermal Decomposition of Feldspars".
> The Quartz and Albite content is indicative of it being a "Magmatic Differentiation Product" of a "Granitic Magma" at depth.
> 
> All good signs to me, and yes, it does raise the Heartbeat of those who aren't used to finding deposits like this, ask Roy, lol!
> 
> I got excited for a few minutes as well when I first saw it.
> 
> To bad that you walked past deposits of similar grade, and didn't check them out.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


LOL ya my heart was racing pretty good. I told mike this was better then try'n to find places to pan for gold. lol and like rick said we won't find more out till we get some work done on it. and we'll keep everyone posted.


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## Irons

Richard36 said:


> Roy,
> 
> To start operations we need a hammer drill, a Powder License,
> 200 lbs of Ammonium Nitrate & couple dozen blasting caps.
> Those are the most important things that we need aside from a valid claim on the outcrop.
> 
> There is a gravel quarry up the road from me, and I know the operator.
> He might ask more to crush rock now,
> but last I knew he would crush rock for me at the rate of $3 a yard.
> 
> If we can break it with small charges, bobcat it into a truck bed, and transport the ore to the quarry, we can get it crushed and screened for size pretty reasonably.
> 
> AT that point it is a matter of marketing the ore, or processing it ourselves.
> 
> Once I've assayed it to prove values, I'll mail some samples of it to the broker in Canada, and see if we can sell the crushed ore. That may well be our best option at the moment.
> 
> If others have ideas, I'm listening.
> 
> I do not think that we need a reclamation plan,
> as we aren't likely to disturb more that 5 acres of surface.
> 
> We will need to file "Notice of Operations" with the BLM, and local Forest Service though.
> As well as Notify the BLM, and Forest Service of when we are going to be doing our Blasting.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".



I don't see how Ammonium Nitrate is going to work for what you are doing. It doesn't work well in small charges and needs a booster to get it going.
By itself, it most likely won't even detonate.


----------



## philddreamer

Thanks Richard!

I'll check sometime & find out if its claimed or not. Not too long ago, a couple of guys went up to Silverton after an old silver mine & found it. Not claimed any more, So they staked a claim & sold it. They where happier with the old tools they found in it than with the silver. Silver was about 6 or 7.00/oz.


----------



## Barren Realms 007

Irons said:


> Richard36 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Roy,
> 
> To start operations we need a hammer drill, a Powder License,
> 200 lbs of Ammonium Nitrate & couple dozen blasting caps.
> Those are the most important things that we need aside from a valid claim on the outcrop.
> 
> There is a gravel quarry up the road from me, and I know the operator.
> He might ask more to crush rock now,
> but last I knew he would crush rock for me at the rate of $3 a yard.
> 
> If we can break it with small charges, bobcat it into a truck bed, and transport the ore to the quarry, we can get it crushed and screened for size pretty reasonably.
> 
> AT that point it is a matter of marketing the ore, or processing it ourselves.
> 
> Once I've assayed it to prove values, I'll mail some samples of it to the broker in Canada, and see if we can sell the crushed ore. That may well be our best option at the moment.
> 
> If others have ideas, I'm listening.
> 
> I do not think that we need a reclamation plan,
> as we aren't likely to disturb more that 5 acres of surface.
> 
> We will need to file "Notice of Operations" with the BLM, and local Forest Service though.
> As well as Notify the BLM, and Forest Service of when we are going to be doing our Blasting.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't see how Ammonium Nitrate is going to work for what you are doing. It doesn't work well in small charges and needs a booster to get it going.
> By itself, it most likely won't even detonate.
Click to expand...


I don't think it will without the diesel.


----------



## dtectr

in NW MO (read "Hicksville") we blew up stumps with potash & sugar. The mix was packed into a hole, fused, capped with wet clay & lit with a LONG fuse. I believe that something similar is what Rick's discussing .

And you're right, Rick - when you're young(er) the details mean less than the "Yahoo!" factor. As George Bernard Shaw said, "Youth is wasted on the young."

Keep us posted, guys. Speaking (at least) for me, we are living vicariously through you guys here. ANYTHING an individual can recover from an area others see as "scenery" is always profit in my book.

Lots of folks here tear apart an old breaker panel & grin because they found SILVER where somebody else saw TRASH. There's no difference, as far as I can tell. That's "PROSPECTING".

Even with a market for the pyrite crystals (beautiful, BTW) you're ahead! One of the greatest gold deposits in NM, the Father LaRue mine, now generally believed to be the deposits at Mineral Hill, were found to be, partially, at least, as inclusions in in pyrite; Limonite & malachite replaced the sulfides in the oxidized zone, & free gold was found associated with the limonite. 

Please continue to keep us posted, even if it's not "the Motherlode"!

just my dos centavos.


----------



## Richard36

Irons said:


> I don't see how Ammonium Nitrate is going to work for what you are doing.
> It doesn't work well in small charges and needs a booster to get it going.
> By itself, it most likely won't even detonate.





Barren Realms 007 said:


> I don't think it will without the diesel.



It won't without the diesel, I am aware of that.
It will work just fine in small charges if I use a more volatile fuel, 
such as "White Gas" or "Coleman Fuel", there are others as well.

There was a time when I was into explosives as much as I am into Rocks and Minerals.
That's as much as I should say about that subject.

Blasting it out of the ground won't be an issue, lol! :mrgreen: 

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## Richard36

philddreamer said:


> Thanks Richard!
> I'll check sometime & find out if its claimed or not.



You're welcome.
Keep your eyes open, and show me photos of anything interesting that you find.




dtectr said:


> in NW MO (read "Hicksville") we blew up stumps with potash & sugar. The mix was packed into a hole, fused, capped with wet clay & lit with a LONG fuse. I believe that something similar is what Rick's discussing .



Potash is Potassium Carbonate.
Potassium Nitrate had to be what you were using for the sugar to burn, let alone "Explode".

30% Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with sugar to a thick consistency works as well.

So would cotton soaked with Nitric Acid, let dry, and gently packed into the hole.
That is how Gun Cotton is made, 
and is what was used to lob rounds out of "Big Guns" in World War 2.



dtectr said:


> And you're right, Rick - when you're young(er) the details mean less than the "Yahoo!" factor.



Yup.
"The Adventure", "The Quest", and "The Thrill of The Find" is half of what it is all about.



dtectr said:


> Keep us posted, guys. Speaking (at least) for me, we are living vicariously through you guys here. ANYTHING an individual can recover from an area others see as "scenery" is always profit in my book.



I plan on it, and I'm sure that Roy does as well.

I suppose that I should have Roy take me to the other deposits that I have found so that we can take photos and post them as well. 

I have one other deposit located that is every bit as good as this one, and possibly better.
Currently, there is a gate in the way of us getting there, at least through the short route.
We could take a trip through the woods and get there by different roads.

That vein system would make everyone envious rather quick, lol! :lol: 

There are a couple of others as well, but not as interesting to look at, 
though they do contain a substantial amount of Sulfides.

Earlier in this thread I posted what one of them assayed out at.



dtectr said:


> Lots of folks here tear apart an old breaker panel & grin because they found SILVER where somebody else saw TRASH. There's no difference, as far as I can tell. That's "PROSPECTING".



Yup.
Most people look at "Sulfides' as "Fools Gold".
I know that Sulfides more often than not contain some percentage of Gold and Silver, 
let alone whatever "Essential Metal" that the Sulfides contain that may well be valuable enough to mine at today's prices.

Gold/Silver/and Platinum Group Metals are by no means all that I look for while I am out "Hardrock Prospecting".



dtectr said:


> Even with a market for the pyrite crystals (beautiful, BTW) you're ahead! One of the greatest gold deposits in NM, the Father LaRue mine, now generally believed to be the deposits at Mineral Hill, were found to be, partially, at least, as inclusions in in pyrite; Limonite & malachite replaced the sulfides in the oxidized zone, & free gold was found associated with the limonite.



"Limonite" and "Native Gold" huh?

Hmmm!!!!
I guess Roy and I have a Hiking Trip ahead of us.
I know of an area with a rather large layer of "Yellow Clay" resulting from an enrichment of "Limonite" under A couple of 1/8 to 1/4 mile mile square monoliths of "Tertiary Age Rock".

No roads or trails to it, though it is visible from a nearby road.
I wondered about it for nothing more than the possibility of it having Emeralds within the clay, as it is in such soil that Emeralds are often found. 
Never considered that it might contain "Gold Nuggets".

The area does contain "Native Gold".
Wouldn't that be sweet to sample some of that "Yellow Clay", 
and discover that the Gold in that Stream is coming from that Yellow Layer.

Thanks for that info.
Now you have me wondering about it, lol!



dtectr said:


> Please continue to keep us posted, even if it's not "the Motherlode"!



You bet!
I plan on it.
Thanks again for the info on "Native Gold Nuggets" being associated with "Limonite".
Truly valuable info to me.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## Barren Realms 007

Richard36 said:


> Irons said:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't see how Ammonium Nitrate is going to work for what you are doing.
> It doesn't work well in small charges and needs a booster to get it going.
> By itself, it most likely won't even detonate.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Barren Realms 007 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't think it will without the diesel.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> It won't without the diesel, I am aware of that.
> It will work just fine in small charges if I use a more volatile fuel,
> such as "White Gas" or "Coleman Fuel", there are others as well.
> 
> There was a time when I was into explosives as much as I am into Rocks and Minerals.
> That's as much as I should say about that subject.
> 
> Blasting it out of the ground won't be an issue, lol! :mrgreen:
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


Ahhh fun as a kid, grinding up charcoal block's{block's not brick's), the fun yellow stuff, the sweet taste of sugar. HMMM what was that other thing I liked to play with...Here peter where are you. 

All I have to say is it is a good thing no records were saved from the invasion of Panama. :twisted: Any body ever expeienced 7 police cars in your parent's driveway when they get home, all from diffrent agencies of the military, and 2 diffrent civilan police organizations. Talk about brotherly love.

I wonder how long the CID kept thier records? 8) 

It's fun when you can buy anything you want over the counter at any age with no questions asked.


----------



## Richard36

Barren Realms 007 said:


> Ahhh fun as a kid, grinding up charcoal block's{block's not brick's), the fun yellow stuff, the sweet taste of sugar. HMMM what was that other thing I liked to play with...Here peter where are you.
> 
> All I have to say is it is a good thing no records were saved from the invasion of Panama. :twisted: Any body ever expeienced 7 police cars in your parent's driveway when they get home, all from diffrent agencies of the military, and 2 diffrent civilan police organizations. Talk about brotherly love.
> 
> I wonder how long the CID kept thier records? 8)
> 
> It's fun when you can buy anything you want over the counter at any age with no questions asked.



You would've been fun to hang out with from ages 10 to 16, lol!
No squad cars, but I've rattled the neighbors windows a few times.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## Barren Realms 007

Richard36 said:


> Barren Realms 007 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ahhh fun as a kid, grinding up charcoal block's{block's not brick's), the fun yellow stuff, the sweet taste of sugar. HMMM what was that other thing I liked to play with...Here peter where are you.
> 
> All I have to say is it is a good thing no records were saved from the invasion of Panama. :twisted: Any body ever expeienced 7 police cars in your parent's driveway when they get home, all from diffrent agencies of the military, and 2 diffrent civilan police organizations. Talk about brotherly love.
> 
> I wonder how long the CID kept thier records? 8)
> 
> It's fun when you can buy anything you want over the counter at any age with no questions asked.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You would've been fun to hang out with from ages 10 to 16, lol!
> No squad cars, but I've rattled the neighbors windows a few times.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


:twisted: I was a handful.


----------



## demons26

Barren Realms 007 said:


> Richard36 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Barren Realms 007 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ahhh fun as a kid, grinding up charcoal block's{block's not brick's), the fun yellow stuff, the sweet taste of sugar. HMMM what was that other thing I liked to play with...Here peter where are you.
> 
> All I have to say is it is a good thing no records were saved from the invasion of Panama. :twisted: Any body ever expeienced 7 police cars in your parent's driveway when they get home, all from diffrent agencies of the military, and 2 diffrent civilan police organizations. Talk about brotherly love.
> 
> I wonder how long the CID kept thier records? 8)
> 
> It's fun when you can buy anything you want over the counter at any age with no questions asked.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You would've been fun to hang out with from ages 10 to 16, lol!
> No squad cars, but I've rattled the neighbors windows a few times.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> :twisted: I was a handful.
Click to expand...



I won't go into my activities with fire lets just say i've come close to burning down an entire apartment complex with a balloon and right guard. :lol:


----------



## Richard36

Lol, 
we got off topic there for a bit, but it was a fun digression.
Things that go "BOOM" fascinated me.

We need a "Powder License" before we go doing any blasting.
We are inviting much drama to go blast rock out of the ground without it.

Multiple Felonies, lol!

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> Lol,
> we got off topic there for a bit, but it was a fun digression.
> Things that go "BOOM" fascinated me.
> 
> We need a "Powder License" before we go doing any blasting.
> We are inviting much drama to go blast rock out of the ground without it.
> 
> Multiple Felonies, lol!
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".



ya i plan to fork out the 85-90 for mine. I'd get jealous if you had all the fun blowing up the hillside LOL.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> ya i plan to fork out the 85-90 for mine. I'd get jealous if you had all the fun blowing up the hillside LOL.



I'm glad that you are. 
If you get the license, I'll load the holes, lol!

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ya i plan to fork out the 85-90 for mine. I'd get jealous if you had all the fun blowing up the hillside LOL.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm glad that you are.
> If you get the license, I'll load the holes, lol!
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


I think i found the form.
http://www.atf.gov/forms/download/atf-f-5400-13.pdf


----------



## Richard36

If it is the same form from the ATF that I got a few years ago, 
the license through them is way more expensive. 
The fee through the ATF is $400 in the paperwork that I have.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> If it is the same form from the ATF that I got a few years ago,
> the license through them is way more expensive.
> The fee through the ATF is $400 in the paperwork that I have.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".



that's to expensive specially with limited funds LOL. 

i dunno if it's the same as you got.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> Richard36 said:
> 
> 
> 
> If it is the same form from the ATF that I got a few years ago,
> the license through them is way more expensive.
> The fee through the ATF is $400 in the paperwork that I have.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> that's to expensive specially with limited funds LOL.
> 
> i dunno if it's the same as you got.
Click to expand...


I haven't checked the link yet, so I don't know.
That was the Fee for it from the ATF in my paperwork.

I spoke with the lead detective from the State Police awhile back,
and he recommended getting it through "The State Fire Marshals Office" up in Salem.

$80 for the book, and around 2 hours to take the test I was told.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Richard36 said:
> 
> 
> 
> If it is the same form from the ATF that I got a few years ago,
> the license through them is way more expensive.
> The fee through the ATF is $400 in the paperwork that I have.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> that's to expensive specially with limited funds LOL.
> 
> i dunno if it's the same as you got.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I haven't checked the link yet, so I don't know.
> That was the Fee for it from the ATF in my paperwork.
> 
> I spoke with the lead detective from the State Police awhile back,
> and he recommended getting it through "The State Fire Marshals Office" up in Salem.
> 
> $80 for the book, and around 2 hours to take the test I was told.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


ya that sounds better plus would get better info if they did it in a class style. I think we made the google bot bored lol


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> ya that sounds better plus would get better info if they did it in a class style. I think we made the google bot bored lol



Yup.
Less out of pocket cost, and less hassle.
Not sure if they do a class. 

I was under the impression that I was supposed to buy the book,
take it home, study it, and come back at a later date to take the test.
The test was "Open Book" as well, if I remember correctly.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ya that sounds better plus would get better info if they did it in a class style. I think we made the google bot bored lol
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yup.
> Less out of pocket cost, and less hassle.
> Not sure if they do a class.
> 
> I was under the impression that I was supposed to buy the book,
> take it home, study it, and come back at a later date to take the test.
> The test was "Open Book" as well, if I remember correctly.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


nice. but first thing first gotta get the claim lol.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> nice. but first thing first gotta get the claim lol.



Yup.
As far as the Gold/Silver content,
I'll assay the Sulfides tomorrow.
I finished the assays on the samples from someone else earlier today,
So tomorrow is open for me to assay our Ore.

Yeah! I'm pumped about it.
I want to see what it assays out at just as much as you and everyone else does.
We are about to find out.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> nice. but first thing first gotta get the claim lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yup.
> As far as the Gold/Silver content,
> I'll assay the Sulfides tomorrow.
> I finished the assays on the samples from someone else earlier today,
> So tomorrow is open for me to assay our Ore.
> 
> Yeah! I'm pumped about it.
> I want to see what it assays out at just as much as you and everyone else does.
> We are about to find out.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


YAY! then i'll make sure to watch for the posting of the numbers.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> YAY! then i'll make sure to watch for the posting of the numbers.



Plan on it.
I'll post them as soon as the assay is completed.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> YAY! then i'll make sure to watch for the posting of the numbers.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Plan on it.
> I'll post them as soon as the assay is completed.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


Ok well i'm off to bed then have a good one rick and i'll be looking forward to those numbers with excitement and glee. LOL.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> Richard36 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> YAY! then i'll make sure to watch for the posting of the numbers.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Plan on it.
> I'll post them as soon as the assay is completed.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Ok well i'm off to bed then have a good one rick and i'll be looking forward to those numbers with excitement and glee. LOL.
Click to expand...


Alright. Good night.
I'll have the results tomorrow.
Then we can discuss filing claim on that outcrop.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## dtectr

Richard36 said:


> dtectr said:
> 
> 
> 
> Even with a market for the pyrite crystals (beautiful, BTW) you're ahead! One of the greatest gold deposits in NM, the Father LaRue mine, now generally believed to be the deposits at Mineral Hill, were found to be, partially, at least, as inclusions in in pyrite; Limonite & malachite replaced the sulfides in the oxidized zone, & free gold was found associated with the limonite.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "Limonite" and "Native Gold" huh?
> 
> Hmmm!!!!
> I guess Roy and I have a Hiking Trip ahead of us.
> I know of an area with a rather large layer of "Yellow Clay" resulting from an enrichment of "Limonite" under A couple of 1/8 to 1/4 mile mile square monoliths of "Tertiary Age Rock".
> 
> No roads or trails to it, though it is visible from a nearby road.
> I wondered about it for nothing more than the possibility of it having Emeralds within the clay, as it is in such soil that Emeralds are often found.
> Never considered that it might contain "Gold Nuggets".
> 
> The area does contain "Native Gold".
> Wouldn't that be sweet to sample some of that "Yellow Clay",
> and discover that the Gold in that Stream is coming from that Yellow Layer.
> 
> Thanks for that info.
> Now you have me wondering about it, lol!
> 
> 
> 
> dtectr said:
> 
> 
> 
> Please continue to keep us posted, even if it's not "the Motherlode"!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> You bet!
> I plan on it.
> Thanks again for the info on "Native Gold Nuggets" being associated with "Limonite".
> Truly valuable info to me.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...

Rick
Here's the rest of that reference, referring to Mineral Hill deposits:
"Precambrian granite, cut by epidorite dikes that are believed to be Precambrian.
Tertiary mineralization occurred with intrusions of quartz veins along the dikes. Milky quartz contains
pyrite & chalcopyrite; gold appears to be present as inclusions in pyrite (Dunham, p. 210). 
Limonite & malachite replaced the sulfides in the oxidized zones, & free gold was found associated 
with the limonite.

"...native gold was found in association with Malachite near Mineral Hill."
("The Lost Padre Mine & the Organ Mining District" - T.E. Kelley in NMGS Guidebook, 1975. p. 165)

The entire area is now part of White Sands Missle Range, so basically off-limits most of the time.

Hope it helps.


----------



## Irons

Barren Realms 007 said:


> Irons said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Richard36 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Roy,
> 
> To start operations we need a hammer drill, a Powder License,
> 200 lbs of Ammonium Nitrate & couple dozen blasting caps.
> Those are the most important things that we need aside from a valid claim on the outcrop.
> 
> There is a gravel quarry up the road from me, and I know the operator.
> He might ask more to crush rock now,
> but last I knew he would crush rock for me at the rate of $3 a yard.
> 
> If we can break it with small charges, bobcat it into a truck bed, and transport the ore to the quarry, we can get it crushed and screened for size pretty reasonably.
> 
> AT that point it is a matter of marketing the ore, or processing it ourselves.
> 
> Once I've assayed it to prove values, I'll mail some samples of it to the broker in Canada, and see if we can sell the crushed ore. That may well be our best option at the moment.
> 
> If others have ideas, I'm listening.
> 
> I do not think that we need a reclamation plan,
> as we aren't likely to disturb more that 5 acres of surface.
> 
> We will need to file "Notice of Operations" with the BLM, and local Forest Service though.
> As well as Notify the BLM, and Forest Service of when we are going to be doing our Blasting.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't see how Ammonium Nitrate is going to work for what you are doing. It doesn't work well in small charges and needs a booster to get it going.
> By itself, it most likely won't even detonate.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I don't think it will without the diesel.
Click to expand...

Even with the diesel, it won't detonate in small charges. I've already tried it on the demo range using military blasting caps that have a built-in PETN booster that will detonate most any military explosive. The best thing I've found is Kinepak. It's a two component mix that doesn't require special storage (magazine) until it's mixed. It's quite powerful, meaning it will shatter all of those Pyrite crystals, and will completely detonate in small charges. I used to use it to crack open ledges when panning. All I had to do was drive an iron into a crack, wrap a Walnut sized amount into some plastic wrap with a cap, tamp it in and thump, voila. It's not cheap but a little goes a long way. Any unused Kinepak should be stored in a poly container as the liquid component will evaporate.


----------



## Richard36

We're on a reasonably tight budget Irons.
So if it is expensive, it won't be an option.

If "Push comes Shove", 
I'll end up using Sugar, and a cheap liquid oxidizer to make my own rounds to bust rock.
Maybe even the Ammonium Perchlorate powder out of model rocket engines.

Caps would still be necessary of course, unless I used model rocket powder.
Not going to get into the details of how I would do that.
Someone here would just have to try it, and get hurt, or arrested.

I don't want that.

Anyway, thanks for the input.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> We're on a reasonably tight budget Irons.
> So if it is expensive, it won't be an option.
> 
> If "Push comes Shove",
> I'll end up using Sugar, and a cheap liquid oxidizer to make my own rounds to bust rock.
> Maybe even the Ammonium Perchlorate powder out of model rocket engines.
> 
> Caps would still be necessary of course, unless I used model rocket powder.
> Not going to get into the details of how I would do that.
> Someone here would just have to try it, and get hurt, or arrested.
> 
> I don't want that.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the input.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".



I've got the hydrogen peroxide LOL


----------



## demons26

the wait is agonizing LOL start'n to get the shakes hahahahaha


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> the wait is agonizing LOL start'n to get the shakes hahahahaha



I agree.
It's in the furnace still.

Lots of sulfur in this stuff.
Gotta remove the sulfur before I proceed to the next step, 
or the entire assay would be worthless.

It'll be done after awhile.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> the wait is agonizing LOL start'n to get the shakes hahahahaha
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I agree.
> It's in the furnace still.
> 
> Lots of sulfur in this stuff.
> Gotta remove the sulfur before I proceed to the next step,
> or the entire assay would be worthless.
> 
> It'll be done after awhile.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


ahh not worried just got done cleaning my room so i had my mind occupied then i just remembered lol


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> ahh not worried just got done cleaning my room so i had my mind occupied then i just remembered lol



Cool.
The Smelt part is done, and the slag is cooling.
When cool I will Pop the lead button from the slag, and check it to see if it needs to be Scorified, hopefully not. If not, I will proceed to Cupeling the Prill, (Lead Button) 
and see what we get for a Gold/Silver bead.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## Richard36

Well, 
The assay is done, has been done for awhile.
Just now getting around to posting the results.

It assayed out at 0.047 oz. per ton Gold, 
and 0.141 oz. per ton Silver.

Way low numbers as far as I'm concerned.
At that rate the rock would be worth more as landscape material.

I highly question the results of this assay, 
and will be doing a couple more assays to verify these results, or show that I lost Gold to the Cupel in this assay due to some impurity that was in the lead button.

It should have assayed way higher.

This assay was on the fine sulfides that I sifted out of what we recovered by sluicing the material that we scooped up.

The next assay that I do will be on the crushed "Head Ore" for a reference check on the results that I just got.

I'm not thrilled with the results.

At the current Gold value of $1230.60 an oz, 
that deposit is producing $58.14 worth of Gold per ton.

We could get $350 per yard of 2" material by selling it to an "Ornamental Rock Yard".
"Pacific Stonescape" in particular.

Roy, 
If you haven't been to their yard, that is a trip we need to make together so that you have an idea of what I'm talking about. What they charge for Ornamental Rock will Boggle your mind.

Anyway,
The results that I got with this assay are definitely not favorable.
If the numbers stay low, it has the most value as ornamental rock.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## darshevo

I was hoping for some really big numbers for you guys. Hopefully it will come out better in the next sample

-Lance


----------



## Richard36

darshevo said:


> I was hoping for some really big numbers for you guys. Hopefully it will come out better in the next sample
> 
> -Lance



Yeah, I agree.
These results are the worst that I have had for any outcrop in that area. 
Typically they run at around 1/4 of an ounce per ton.

I guess that I should take Roy to the deposits that I have assayed that had good numbers, and see if he would be interested in pursuing any of them together, because the results that I just got for this deposit are far to low to pursue if they stay constant.

What a bummer, 
especially since the Mineral Broker in Canada called earlier today 
and asked if I was going to be sending him some Ore.  :evil: 

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> darshevo said:
> 
> 
> 
> I was hoping for some really big numbers for you guys. Hopefully it will come out better in the next sample
> 
> -Lance
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, I agree.
> These results are the worst that I have had for any outcrop in that area.
> Typically they run at around 1/4 of an ounce per ton.
> 
> I guess that I should take Roy to the deposits that I have assayed that had good numbers, and see if he would be interested in pursuing any of them together, because the results that I just got for this deposit are far to low to pursue if they stay constant.
> 
> What a bummer,
> especially since the Mineral Broker in Canada called earlier today
> and asked if I was going to be sending him some Ore.  :evil:
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...



well that's crappy. ok so we'll hold off on putting a claim then for now, till the second results come in if that's what you were planning on doing. bummed a little but expected as much. ^_^


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> well that's crappy. ok so we'll hold off on putting a claim then for now, till the second results come in if that's what you were planning on doing. bummed a little but expected as much. ^_^



Yes, hold off on the claim until I have done a couple more assays.

I'm more than bummed, 
It should have contained more Gold/Silver than it did.

The game isn't over yet.
Even if the values are low, there is the Ornamental Rock market,
as well as the copper content of the ore.

Explore all market possibilities before you walk away from it.

Sincerely: Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> well that's crappy. ok so we'll hold off on putting a claim then for now, till the second results come in if that's what you were planning on doing. bummed a little but expected as much. ^_^
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, hold off on the claim until I have done a couple more assays.
> 
> I'm more than bummed,
> It should have contained more Gold/Silver than it did.
> 
> The game isn't over yet.
> Even if the values are low, there is the Ornamental Rock market,
> as well as the copper content of the ore.
> 
> Explore all market possibilities before you walk away from it.
> 
> Sincerely: Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


oh I had other market areas in mind for that site. I mean there's the kaolin that's there if there's enough, then you got the pyrite itself for the chemical/paper industry and like you said the ornamental rock market. the biggest one for me that was sticking out was the chemical industry for the pyrite since they use that for the sulfur dioxide and what not. and the kaolin for the medical/food/clay industry. Ya i've been doing to studying in those areas for the minerals  oh and if you want we can check out the other sites tomorrow if your up for it.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> oh I had other market areas in mind for that site. I mean there's the kaolin that's there if there's enough, then you got the pyrite itself for the chemical/paper industry and like you said the ornamental rock market. the biggest one for me that was sticking out was the chemical industry for the pyrite since they use that for the sulfur dioxide and what not. and the kaolin for the medical/food/clay industry. Ya i've been doing to studying in those areas for the minerals  oh and if you want we can check out the other sites tomorrow if your up for it.



Yup.
Several market possibilities left yet.

As far as I know, I'll be free tomorrow.
If you would like to go look at the one with the values I posted earlier in this thread, 
we could do that.

How brave are you?
There is an old mine tunnel within a few feet of it we could check out as well if you want.
Bring a good flashlight if you want to check it out.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> oh I had other market areas in mind for that site. I mean there's the kaolin that's there if there's enough, then you got the pyrite itself for the chemical/paper industry and like you said the ornamental rock market. the biggest one for me that was sticking out was the chemical industry for the pyrite since they use that for the sulfur dioxide and what not. and the kaolin for the medical/food/clay industry. Ya i've been doing to studying in those areas for the minerals  oh and if you want we can check out the other sites tomorrow if your up for it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yup.
> Several market possibilities left yet.
> 
> As far as I know, I'll be free tomorrow.
> If you would like to go look at the one with the values I posted earlier in this thread,
> we could do that.
> 
> How brave are you?
> There is an old mine tunnel within a few feet of it we could check out as well if you want.
> Bring a good flashlight if you want to check it out.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


ok we can do that, and that sounds fun I've never been in a mine tunnel before. I'll have to head to wal-mart to buy a good flashlight since i don't have any.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> Ok we can do that, and that sounds fun I've never been in a mine tunnel before. I'll have to head to wal-mart to buy a good flashlight since i don't have any.



Lol, get a bright one. 
Underground workings eat light incredibly bad.
I've been in one before, The North Santiam #8.

If there is any moisture at all on the walls, they soak up light like a sponge.
A single two cell mag light with a krypton bulb and new batteries is not sufficient.

I checked The North Santiam #8 out with my uncle a few years ago.
We each had a two cell mag light with krypton bulbs, and new batteries, 
and it was barely enough to see 15 ft. 

In the absence of any other ambient light, and moist dark surfaces, It takes quite a bright light to see very far, let alone any details in the walls for missed, or ignored mineral veins.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ok we can do that, and that sounds fun I've never been in a mine tunnel before. I'll have to head to wal-mart to buy a good flashlight since i don't have any.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lol, get a bright one.
> Underground workings eat light incredibly bad.
> I've been in one before, The North Santiam #8.
> 
> If there is any moisture at all on the walls, they soak up light like a sponge.
> A single two cell mag light with a krypton bulb and new batteries is not sufficient.
> 
> I checked The North Santiam #8 out with my uncle a few years ago.
> We each had a two cell mag light with krypton bulbs, and new batteries,
> and it was barely enough to see 15 ft.
> 
> In the absence of any other ambient light, and moist dark surfaces, It takes quite a bright light to see very far, let alone any details in the walls for missed, or ignored mineral veins.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


I just might hit bi-mart then and get one of those halogen flashlights then it they have them lol.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> I just might hit bi-mart then and get one of those halogen flashlights then it they have them lol.


 
The brighter the better.
I'll need to get some new batteries for my three cell mag light as well. 
Unfortunately, that is the best that I have.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

well bi-marts got halogen spotlights for 25.99 so I'll probably get one or two of those. they have rechargeable batteries too.
http://www.bimart.com/skudetail.aspx?loc=k.525819_s.309A_c.83A_d.5&nm=Car%20Care


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> well bi-marts got halogen spotlights for 25.99 so I'll probably get one or two of those. they have rechargeable batteries too.
> http://www.bimart.com/skudetail.aspx?loc=k.525819_s.309A_c.83A_d.5&nm=Car%20Care



2.5 million candle power!?!
That will light things up! Yeah, that would work.
That's a nice Spot light. 
A light like that would work pretty well exploring underground workings.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> well bi-marts got halogen spotlights for 25.99 so I'll probably get one or two of those. they have rechargeable batteries too.
> http://www.bimart.com/skudetail.aspx?loc=k.525819_s.309A_c.83A_d.5&nm=Car%20Care
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2.5 million candle power!?!
> That will light things up! Yeah, that would work.
> That's a nice Spot light.
> A light like that would work pretty well exploring underground workings.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


well then lets go have some fun exploring should i buy a rock hammer just in case i see a nice size ore piece lol


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> well then lets go have some fun exploring should i buy a rock hammer just in case i see a nice size ore piece lol



Lol, sounds like a plan.
I'm surprised that you haven't already bought a Rock Hammer.
Sure, get one if you want. You'll get some use out of it. 

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## Oz

There is no sense in buying a high dollar rock hammer when you can buy a carpenters framing hammer for next to nothing at a second hand store, pawn shop, or flea market. It will do the same job and at times it is beneficial for what you are doing to have 2 “teeth”.


----------



## demons26

Oz said:


> There is no sense in buying a high dollar rock hammer when you can buy a carpenters framing hammer for next to nothing at a second hand store, pawn shop, or flea market. It will do the same job and at times it is beneficial for what you are doing to have 2 “teeth”.



so a regular hammer will work? if that's what your say'n then hell that'll save me money since got about 20 or so here at the house lol.


----------



## Oz

The older curved claw hammer would be a poor choice, but a framing hammer has a near straight claw with near the same curve as a rock hammer and would serve you well.


----------



## demons26

Oz said:


> The older curved claw hammer would be a poor choice, but a framing hammer has a near straight claw with near the same curve as a rock hammer and would serve you well.



ahhh ok. might have one of those not sure most of the old hammers we have were my grandfathers who used to do metallurgy and car repair. lol


----------



## dtectr

demons26 said:


> Oz said:
> 
> 
> 
> The older curved claw hammer would be a poor choice, but a framing hammer has a near straight claw with near the same curve as a rock hammer and would serve you well.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ahhh ok. might have one of those not sure most of the old hammers we have were my grandfathers who used to do metallurgy and car repair. lol
Click to expand...

 I have a Estwing brick Layer's hammer that i bought from a pawn shop for a couple of bucks like this one.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=opera&rls=en&q=estwing+masonry+hammer&oe=utf-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=9100251179153996005&ei=0gt1TPbfPIH88AaG0NWXBw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCwQ8wIwAw#

you can usually find a variety of masonry chisels & drills - the star pointed manual type there as well. may need sharpening, but the price is right. This is a representative chisel.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00936903000P?vName=Sears%20Pro&cName=Professional&sName=Building%20&%20Remodeling&sid=IDx20070921x00003a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=00936903000P

Remember from shop class in high school - when using a hammer made for carpentry, never use it to hit a metal tool, as the head can chip very easily. they were intended for soft steel nails, not hardened steel chisels & fragments fly off at bullet like speed.

if you get a good masonry hammer that needs sharpening, go ahead & sharpen it on the grinder, being careful not to get it too hot - if it "blues" you've already lost some hardness. In reality, its probably already lost it because of earlier life. to harden it, you'll need a heat source (a deep bed of HOT charcoal with a hair dryer to add oxygen at the base works), some crocus cloth, a pail of cold water & a pail of old motor oil, the older & dirtier the better, and good light - daylight is best.

heat the chisel end to as close to cherry red as you can get, have your crocus cloth & 2 pails at hand. once cherry red, plunge just the end into the water for 1-1-1/2 seconds & immediately polish with the crocus cloth. you should see a "rainbow" or band of coloration moving toward the tip of the chisel. once it reaches the ground edge, immediately plunge the works into the old oil & leave it there until it stops bubbling.

congrats! you have just case hardened & tempered the chisel. With the initial quench you hardened the tip, but didn't make it brittle. the second quench case hardened the tool, the tool absorbing carbon out of the oil bath in a layer around the outer few molecules of the steel, making it a harder carbon steel, while maintaining the temper (strength without breaking).

this may seem like a lot, but remember, the guy who used this thing was a mason, not a metallurgist, & after 5 or 6 good wacks on a silica-based hunk of wall rock you'll appreciate the difference a properly cared for tool can make.
just my dos centavos


----------



## darshevo

How well does a Coleman 2 mantle lamp work in an adit Rick? I have considered trying one out on occasion, but have some reservations about gas emission from it. 

Demon: Definitely hit the pawn shops for your hammer. You should be able to find something that will do the job perfectly for less than 10 bucks. Much like Dtectr I carry a masons hammer around with me when I am out in the field. At home I use a framing hammer for crushing samples. Its had a claw broken off it, so it gives me a finer pick point side when I need it as well

-Lance


----------



## Richard36

I still prefer my Rock Hammer.
Though those were some good Ideas.

As for using a lantern in a Hardrock Mine, Not sure.
I have never used one in that situation. 
Flammable gases are not likely, but Carbon Dioxide buildup could be a concern.

I prefer spotlights myself. 
I have explored quite a few lava tubes out in Eastern Oregon with them, and they work well.

The ones close to "China Hat" are huge, could drive a semi through a couple of them.
Those two go for about three miles through the ground at close to that size.

Quite the expedition.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## ridgerunner

Looks like good ol' Iron Pyrite boys. Pieces that large are a good indicator of other mineralization concentrated in that zone of of size. The darker sorted gravels below the lighter material is probably just wet due to it's location! However, because of that, it's a prime target for a possibly good pocket of something more valuable. Do you guys have access to a metal detector? Better tie off that tree before you hack away at it! Good hunting. Ridgerunner


----------



## Richard36

ridgerunner said:


> Looks like good ol' Iron Pyrite boys. Pieces that large are a good indicator of other mineralization concentrated in that zone of of size. The darker sorted gravels below the lighter material is probably just wet due to it's location! However, because of that, it's a prime target for a possibly good pocket of something more valuable. Do you guys have access to a metal detector? Better tie off that tree before you hack away at it! Good hunting. Ridgerunner



It is "Iron Pyrite".
I intentionally look for "Sulfide Deposits".

As I have said many times, 
Sulfides more often than not will contain some percentage of Gold and Silver.

Even with the low numbers on the preliminary assay, it did show Gold and Silver.

As for metal detectors, I have a couple of them.
We haven't used them on this deposit, or anywhere else as of yet.

We may do that sometime soon.
The slide area would be a good place to go over just to see if we might get lucky and find a few nuggets.

We could have did that today, but had other agendas.
We didn't get to check out the adit that I wanted to go explore.

The forest Service used a "Self Loader" to stuff a boulder into the mouth of it to keep people out for safety reasons. :evil: 

The other adits close to the road were blocked with square stock tubing gates in the mouth of each adit as well. :evil: 

No, the gates were not meant to be opened either, 
as 1" re-bar was driven into the wall, and roof, with the gate welded to them. 

Nothing that a Cordless Sawzall won't take care of though, lol! :twisted: 

We did find one that they didn't know was there, and it is open, 
though it does have water in it, and will have to be drained. 
Not a big issue. 

Some debris fell down in front of the mouth creating a dam, 
and caused it to flood the floor from rain water. 

It is at a slight slope, so if we dig away the dam, it will drain most of the water. 

Rather wild to look into though. It by no means has had all the Ore removed. 
I could see Sulfide Rich Ore all over in it. 
We are going back to further investigate it as well.

Hey Platdigger, 
you're missing out on all the fun, lol!
You were supposed to stop by and take a trip out with me.
The offer stands if you're still interested.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> ridgerunner said:
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like good ol' Iron Pyrite boys. Pieces that large are a good indicator of other mineralization concentrated in that zone of of size. The darker sorted gravels below the lighter material is probably just wet due to it's location! However, because of that, it's a prime target for a possibly good pocket of something more valuable. Do you guys have access to a metal detector? Better tie off that tree before you hack away at it! Good hunting. Ridgerunner
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is "Iron Pyrite".
> I intentionally look for "Sulfide Deposits".
> 
> As I have said many times,
> Sulfides more often than not will contain some percentage of Gold and Silver.
> 
> Even with the low numbers on the preliminary assay, it did show Gold and Silver.
> 
> As for metal detectors, I have a couple of them.
> We haven't used them on this deposit, or anywhere else as of yet.
> 
> We may do that sometime soon.
> The slide area would be a good place to go over just to see if we might get lucky and find a few nuggets.
> 
> We could have did that today, but had other agendas.
> We didn't get to check out the adit that I wanted to go explore.
> 
> The forest Service used a "Self Loader" to stuff a boulder into the mouth of it to keep people out for safety reasons. :evil:
> 
> The other adits close to the road were blocked with square stock tubing gates in the mouth of each adit as well. :evil:
> 
> No, the gates were not meant to be opened either,
> as 1" re-bar was driven into the wall, and roof, with the gate welded to them.
> 
> Nothing that a Cordless Sawzall won't take care of though, lol! :twisted:
> 
> We did find one that they didn't know was there, and it is open,
> though it does have water in it, and will have to be drained.
> Not a big issue.
> 
> Some debris fell down in front of the mouth creating a dam,
> and caused it to flood the floor from rain water.
> 
> It is at a slight slope, so if we dig away the dam, it will drain most of the water.
> 
> Rather wild to look into though. It by no means has had all the Ore removed.
> I could see Sulfide Rich Ore all over in it.
> We are going back to further investigate it as well.
> 
> Hey Platdigger,
> you're missing out on all the fun, lol!
> You were supposed to stop by and take a trip out with me.
> The offer stands if you're still interested.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


Ya i gave rick a good scare too, I bought a 2.5million candle power spotlight and when he was digging in the rock i turned it on and forgot to put the button to hold the light on and he though he hit something that sparked pretty bright lol.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> Ya i gave rick a good scare too, I bought a 2.5million candle power spotlight and when he was digging in the rock i turned it on and forgot to put the button to hold the light on and he though he hit something that sparked pretty bright lol.



Lol, you have no idea.
I was in a reasonably dark tunnel putting the whack attack to some Ore,
and next thing I knew, the entire tunnel light up with a momentary super bright flash
with the focal point being where I was breaking rock. 

Good memory.
I'll never forget it. Thanks Roy.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ya i gave rick a good scare too, I bought a 2.5million candle power spotlight and when he was digging in the rock i turned it on and forgot to put the button to hold the light on and he though he hit something that sparked pretty bright lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lol, you have no idea.
> I was in a reasonably dark tunnel putting the whack attack to some Ore,
> and next thing I knew, the entire tunnel light up with a momentary super bright flash
> with the focal point being where I was breaking rock.
> 
> Good memory.
> I'll never forget it. Thanks Roy.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


your welcome LOL. it'll be a while before we can head out again probably next thursday or the week next i won't know how much my eye bill is going to cost me. maybe that will give you enough time to re-supply for testing.


----------



## Richard36

demons26 said:


> your welcome LOL. it'll be a while before we can head out again probably next thursday or the week next i won't know how much my eye bill is going to cost me. maybe that will give you enough time to re-supply for testing.



Thanks.
I hope your bill won't be very expensive.

Let me know when you would like to take another trip out.

Hopefully I will have did a second assay on the head ore from the deposit we found by then.
I still say the numbers were way to low for the grade of deposit that is.
We will know if it is a low grade outcrop with another assay, if the numbers stay low.
Hopefully they don't.

You saw what was being mined in the three adits we looked in, 
and they were mining the same type of material.

They wouldn't have dug an adit as large as those were if it was all low grade material.
The one without a gate for certain. 
Quite the climb to it, but it definitely should be checked out further.

I look forward to doing that with you sometime soon.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## HAuCl4

Hi Rick. Why not dig a couple of feet deep from the surface into the deposit with a pick and shovel and take a couple of samples to assay from there?. Just an idea before discarding the claim. :idea:


----------



## demons26

HAuCl4 said:


> Hi Rick. Why not dig a couple of feet deep from the surface into the deposit with a pick and shovel and take a couple of samples to assay from there?. Just an idea before discarding the claim. :idea:



We haven't disregarded the claim it's just on hold for right now till rick does a second assay. He thinks the first assay ran afoul I still plan to make a claim at that site since it still has some other marketable uses, if the numbers are low again.


----------



## demons26

finally took the time to see where Pacific Stonescape was at hell they're down the street from where I live LOL.


----------



## Irons

The trick with prospecting is to know when to quit digging. :mrgreen:


----------



## HAuCl4

Irons said:


> The trick with prospecting is to know when to quit digging. :mrgreen:



So true... :lol:


----------



## demons26

Irons said:


> The trick with prospecting is to know when to quit digging. :mrgreen:


 quit digging, hell we haven't even begun to dig LOL.


----------



## qst42know

If your assays come back bad again you've dug quite enough already. :mrgreen: 

Honestly though I hope you all the best.


----------



## demons26

qst42know said:


> If your assays come back bad again you've dug quite enough already. :mrgreen:
> 
> Honestly though I hope you all the best.



or we haven't dug deep enough :lol: :mrgreen: na we still have plans for that site if all else fails.


----------



## demons26

hey rick on thursday you ready to head to salem to fill out the paper work for the claim with me? since it was a holiday yesterday won't get my funds till wednesday night so figured go to salem and thursday and do all the paper work for the claim before rains start to come in heavly.


----------



## Richard36

Hello Roy.

Sounds like a plan.
I'm ready to go when you are.

If we remember, we can check the status on the open Adit as well.
I'd like to find some history on it if possible.
The paperwork I have that covers it is brief in description.

This will be an interesting adventure.
I look forward to it.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> Hello Roy.
> 
> Sounds like a plan.
> I'm ready to go when you are.
> 
> If we remember, we can check the status on the open Adit as well.
> I'd like to find some history on it if possible.
> The paperwork I have that covers it is brief in description.
> 
> This will be an interesting adventure.
> I look forward to it.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".



Ya no prob. I was kinda curious about it too.


----------



## darshevo

Hey Demons, other than startling RIck how well did your big light work when you guys were exploring? I use a D battery conventional style flash light and typically have a cheapy LED light on my lid plus a AA in my back pocket for a back up. Even with all three turned on the darkness eats the light up pretty quickly. My friend who got me into mine diving went and checked out one I had found a while back that had a short shaft down to a lower level and went about 200 feet before he turned around and came back. Before I go check that one I want to have a good light as the upper areas have some excellent small veins left in them and I can only imagine what they left behind underground.

-Lance


----------



## demons26

darshevo said:


> Hey Demons, other than startling RIck how well did your big light work when you guys were exploring? I use a D battery conventional style flash light and typically have a cheapy LED light on my lid plus a AA in my back pocket for a back up. Even with all three turned on the darkness eats the light up pretty quickly. My friend who got me into mine diving went and checked out one I had found a while back that had a short shaft down to a lower level and went about 200 feet before he turned around and came back. Before I go check that one I want to have a good light as the upper areas have some excellent small veins left in them and I can only imagine what they left behind underground.
> 
> -Lance



this light lit up one of the tunnels we were looking at really nicely. I plan to get another one when i have the money since it only lasts 25 min per-charge. and it takes about 16hrs to charge, i kept it on the car charger and manged it get a bit of use out of it. but for 25.00 I'm really happy.


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## darshevo

I've got this wild idea to use one for the rest of the year then over the winter modify the housing to use a halogen light out of a car (the newer style twist in thats about 1.5" diameter) and some form of rechargeable battery pack in place of the stock setup. I haven't looked into it too much yet, but thinking something along the lines of a li-ion out of an 18v dewalt or makita power tool that steps down to 12 or 13v to run the light. Mainly I want the main unit for the large aperture to use as my base. Might find after I get it its so cool I can't tear it up 

-Lance


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## Richard36

A couple 12 volt Dry Cell batteries out of a Child's Electric Car wired parallel to each other, 
and then into a 1 million candle power spot light would be quite the light for exploring underground workings. 

This setup would require a belt with battery holsters. 
I have not built such a light yet, but it is on the agenda. 

This setup should provide at least an hour of light, probably more, 
with the batteries being rechargeable.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## dtectr

Richard36 said:


> A couple 12 volt Dry Cell batteries out of a Child's Electric Car wired parallel to each other,
> and then into a 1 million candle power spot light would be quite the light for exploring underground workings.
> 
> This setup would require a belt with battery holsters.
> I have not built such a light yet, but it is on the agenda.
> 
> This setup should provide at least an hour of light, probably more,
> with the batteries being rechargeable.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


just a thought (I'm still on my 1st cup of coffee, so bear with me)
A friend of works in mining industry (I think coal) as an engineer - don't remember which branch. 
But they avoid the use of NiMH (nickel metal hydride) as they increase risk of explosions. 
I believe there is also a warning on most NiMH batteries to this effect. Just an FYI.


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## Richard36

dtectr said:


> Richard36 said:
> 
> 
> 
> A couple 12 volt Dry Cell batteries out of a Child's Electric Car wired parallel to each other,
> and then into a 1 million candle power spot light would be quite the light for exploring underground workings.
> 
> This setup would require a belt with battery holsters.
> I have not built such a light yet, but it is on the agenda.
> 
> This setup should provide at least an hour of light, probably more,
> with the batteries being rechargeable.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
> 
> 
> 
> just a thought (I'm still on my 1st cup of coffee, so bear with me)
> A friend of works in mining industry (I think coal) as an engineer - don't remember which branch.
> But they avoid the use of NiMH (nickel metal hydride) as they increase risk of explosions.
> I believe there is also a warning on most NiMH batteries to this effect. Just an FYI.
Click to expand...



Your point is well taken for coal mines due to the constant possibility of methane pockets.
I don't believe that would be an issue in Hardrock Mines. Methane is produced by the decomposition of organic material, and that generally doesn't exist in Hardrock workings.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## Richard36

Just to keep everyone posted, 
Roy and I plan on going through the Posting process this weekend on the deposit we found,
then file the claim paperwork.

I hope that the weather is still reasonably dry by then.

I hope that filing it won't be as much of a run around adventure as getting the Claim Form was. Anyway, here are a few more photos of those sulfides.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## demons26

got the posts tapped and ready to go now just gotta see how the weather is tomorrow.


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## Richard36

demons26 said:


> got the posts tapped and ready to go now just gotta see how the weather is tomorrow.



Point made.
It's that time of year though.
Hopefully it will be dry enough to be able to climb the bank, do our measurements, 
and drive our posts in the ground.

Anyway, I look forward to it.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## qst42know

I know you don't want to attract unwelcome attention but have you guys considered wearing hunter orange this time of year? At least till you get where you're going.


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## Richard36

qst42know said:


> I know you don't want to attract unwelcome attention but have you guys considered wearing hunter orange this time of year? At least till you get where you're going.



Nah, I figured I'd wear a brown fur coat, 
and a brown cap with false antlers on it to blend in with the wildlife, Lol!

Hunting season here isn't until the first Saturday in October for rifle hunting.
I'm not to concerned about bow hunters, 
arrows cost to much to take a shot at an uncertain target.

That's my opinion anyway.

Thanks for your concern, and a point well made.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## Oz

Do you have crop damage permits where you live? I hunt year round because of them, not to mention (particularly in these hard economic times) many poachers are out. I used to run my Great Danes out on the farm but worried in the fall of the year. They looked a lot like a deer given their size only minus the white bouncy tail as they run away. I would take the warning seriously even in bow season as hunters get overanxious. Wear some hunter orange, it is a simple precaution. Last time I got shot it was not particularly enjoyable.


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## demons26

looks like it might be postponed again. depending on how much it rains. and how much gas i have. lol


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## Richard36

Oz said:


> Do you have crop damage permits where you live? I hunt year round because of them, not to mention (particularly in these hard economic times) many poachers are out. I used to run my Great Danes out on the farm but worried in the fall of the year. They looked a lot like a deer given their size only minus the white bouncy tail as they run away. I would take the warning seriously even in bow season as hunters get overanxious. Wear some hunter orange, it is a simple precaution. Last time I got shot it was not particularly enjoyable.



Point made Oz.



demons26 said:


> looks like it might be postponed again. depending on how much it rains. and how much gas i have. lol



Understood. Sorry that I haven't replied sooner.
What about this weekend?

Let me know when you are ready to go post it.
That bank is going to be one wet slick **** by the time we get back to it.
I plan on bringing a change of cloths, 
as I know we are going to slip on that bank and get coated with mud, lol!

Stay in touch.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## dtectr

Oz said:


> Do you have crop damage permits where you live? I hunt year round because of them, not to mention (particularly in these hard economic times) many poachers are out. I used to run my Great Danes out on the farm but worried in the fall of the year. They looked a lot like a deer given their size only minus the white bouncy tail as they run away. I would take the warning seriously even in bow season as hunters get overanxious. Wear some hunter orange, it is a simple precaution. Last time I got shot it was not particularly enjoyable.


 John Steinbeck wrote about a rancher who painted "COW" on both sides of his cattle with a 6" paintbrush & they still got shot!


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## demons26

No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth just yet LOL. finances haven't been doing to well to many bills to pay, plus depression set in a few times so that sucked. I'll give ya a call when I can head out there rick.


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## Richard36

demons26 said:


> No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth just yet LOL. finances haven't been doing to well to many bills to pay, plus depression set in a few times so that sucked. I'll give ya a call when I can head out there rick.



Glad to hear from you again.
Keep your head up, and don't let depression get the best of you.
Let me know when you're able to go. 

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## demons26

Richard36 said:


> demons26 said:
> 
> 
> 
> No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth just yet LOL. finances haven't been doing to well to many bills to pay, plus depression set in a few times so that sucked. I'll give ya a call when I can head out there rick.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Glad to hear from you again.
> Keep your head up, and don't let depression get the best of you.
> Let me know when you're able to go.
> 
> Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


How about tomorrow I've got the money after paying the bills. plus it's supposed to be like this tomorrow.


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## Richard36

Sounds like a plan.
I'm ready to go when you are.
Let's post it, file claim, and start extracting ore.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## demons26

I have a couple of samples for ya rick when I come out on sat. looks like there was a slide in hwy36 and they moved some boulders outta the way and i was snooping around and looked like some were loaded with sulfides.


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## blueduck

Irons said:


> ..... The best thing I've found is Kinepak. It's a two component mix that doesn't require special storage (magazine) until it's mixed. It's quite powerful, meaning it will shatter all of those Pyrite crystals, and will completely detonate in small charges....snip.... It's not cheap but a little goes a long way. Any unused Kinepak should be stored in a poly container as the liquid component will evaporate.



way back in the summer of '91, a friend and i went up to the mountains and set off a stick of kinestick he "was given" and being the farmboys, loggers, and nosey type kids we were [ok it was during our 10th highschool reunion] we decided to see what it sounded like...... we were disappointed as we just tossed it out under a rock down a ravine where it would be harmless to anything in going off...... sounded like an M-80 firecracker. Any how all it is/was nitrogen based fertilizer and the liquid "catalyst" was nothing more than nitro-methane model airplane fuel [my friend was into building and flying those and still is] anyhow the reasona they are not "cheap" is due to the paperwork involved following government regulations for having such explosives in possession. my dad used to "shoot stumps" when i was little, and a box of powder went from $20 for 50 pounds in 1967 to $50 in 1968 when the atf made certain distinctions to firearms and destructive devices and started in on their paperwork, and i aint sure what 50 pounds of powder cost today, but probably well over $200 for the low grade stumping powder, never mind the higher percentage ditching and mining powders needed. ergo the use of fertilzer and diesel became common in the small scale mining community, cause it is easier to get blasting caps and have a locker to contain them than the powder magazine needed to store any amount of powder OVERNIGHT by current regulations, made into codified legislative intent via a back door application of those in various agencies. [sorry for the pseudo political slant to that comment] anyhow more on track there are ways to set off those lesser expensive fuels, not all of them being safe [the things i did as a kid make me wonder how I was so lucky] however it is increasingly harder to obtain certain chemicals for small scale mining in the several states due to the concern over terrorism and drug proliferation..... yes i suppose i am on some government agency list for what i have written in various forums over the years, but what it boils down to in order to make it pay you have to go with what works and what works while still being less expensive to make a small scale mining project viable and able to atrtract the big corporate dollars once the small scale opens up to the ability to turn into something large scale though 10-25 tons of ore hardly qualifies in mine or anyone else's book as even small scale, more like a "hobby" or recreational mining venture ;-Þ

William
still kicking and reading in
North Central Idaho just left of center from the cultural hub of the universe


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## SCRecovery

Any updates available??????


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## Richard36

SCRecovery said:


> Any updates available??????



Hello SCRecovery,

Roy and I have been pretty darn quiet as far as what all we have planned, 
partly due to other obligations and life's distractions.

We both have plans of starting operations on the outcrop in this thread sometime this spring.
I have been given up to $5000 credit with another forum member who has been a former assay client that I have got to know pretty well, and is willing to gamble that much on us based on the honesty, integrity, and reliability that he experienced in his transactions with me.

Pretty cool I think.

I have not taken him up on his offer yet, but it stands, and I may well do so this spring.
I have no plans of soaking him for cash, nor plans of being a frivolous idiot with his money if I do. 

If I take him up on the offer, it will be to prove up the outcrop, sell it, split what it sells for between all three of us, then move on to one of the other outcrops I have located, and do it all over again. 

Actually mining the outcrop is an option, but requires equipment that neither myself or Roy owns, or has access to, so that option is sort of remote at the moment, and buying equipment with my credit line in hopes of selling the kaolin and Copper enriched sulfides might not be a smart move. 

That is my honest assessment of the situation at the moment, 
and an honest update on what all is in the works between Roy, myself, and our investor.

As for other projects,

My cousin Byron and I are discussing working another outcrop this spring that I located back in 2007, and if that starts to happen, then I will recruit Roy as part of the crew, and us three will be definitely putting the "Whack Attack" to that outcrop with some real equipment.

The outcrop that Byron and I might start operations on is a "High Grade" outcrop of an ore containing large amounts of Manganese, with some Copper and Gold. It contains no Iron at all, and is the only outcrop of that type that I have ever found. 

I wanted to show this outcrop to Roy last year, but we never made it up to it. 
To many other places we wanted to go check out while we were getting to know each other.
But hey, it was fun, and well worth the time spent together. 

Roy and I spotted many other smaller less impressive outcrops together that we didn't take photos of and post for everyone to see, but they were found, and may well get a closer look this summer.

Lots of possibilities, and with Gold holding right at around $1400 an oz, 
this could be an interesting year.

I'll keep everyone informed as to what all takes place as it happens,
and yes, I am interested in getting to know other people for possible other crew members.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## SCRecovery

thats cool. i wish i was closer because i would voulenteer to help. it would be nice if there were things like that around here. glad to hear everything is still on track. hope you guys hit it big....


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## Richard36

SCRecovery said:


> thats cool. i wish i was closer because i would voulenteer to help. it would be nice if there were things like that around here. glad to hear everything is still on track. hope you guys hit it big....



Hello SCRecovery,

Thanks for the well wishes.
You might not have metal ores in your area, but you do have gemstones, 
notably Emerald, Aquamarine, and Tourmaline.

To bad you weren't closer, 
I would enjoy visiting with you and seeing if we were compatible as crew members.

Thanks again, and have a good one.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## SCRecovery

Yeah, we do have gemstones around here, but I have not idea of what to look for. I am a former scrapper and all of this is very new to me. Is there a good market for Kaolin? We have tons of Kaolin pits and mines around here and I was wondering if it would be worth gaining access and/or mineral rights to them. I have been told conflicting stories about mining in SC. I have heard that SC does not allow mining claims. Someone else told me they do..Who do I contact to find out the truth? I enjoy the outdoors and I have always been interested in mining. I'm just trying to figure out where to start. I have a lot of equipment operating experience and I also have access to some excavators, dozers, dumptrucks, etc... so that is not a big problem. I just need the material to go after. Anyway, I'm not trying to hijack the thread or anything, but this thread got me kinda' excited and Rick you seem to be the man to talk to around here when it comes this type of thing.


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## Richard36

Hello SCRecovery,

Thanks for the compliments, I appreciate it.
As for the land status regarding mining, give BLM a call, and ask them.
All Bureau of Land Managment land is supposed to be open to mineral entry, 
so check up on it through them.

As for gemstones, buy the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals",
and "Simon and Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals". These two books contain a great majority of my knowledge, and the gemstone descriptions, photos, and environment descriptions will be of great value to you.

I am uncertain of the market status as far as marketability of Kaolin at the moment. One of my market contacts told me that the market is sort of flooded at the moment, but it is still marketable, just not as valuable due to supply and demand.

Bentonite clay is quite marketable at the moment, and that's something to think about 
as far as a marketable industrial mineral that no one thinks of.

Hijacking this thread isn't an issue. 
It will get back on track when myself or Roy have further updates to post.

I hope that this has been helpful.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## usaman65

BUMP

Very interesting on the claims! I have been researching several prospects in Wyoming for Valuable minerals. In the Area I am searching, around half of the land is BLM property. So I am having the USGS 1:100,000 Scale Maps overlayed with the BLM 1:100,000 Scale Maps to better understand where to prospect. There are only about 4 formations in which the mineral I am searching for is present, so i am only having those formations overlayed on the BLM maps. In promising areas, I will be upgrading to 1:24,000 Scale USGS/BLM overlayed Maps. Of coarse, I am only in the research stages of the process.

I am under the understanding GPS coordinates are needed for staking a claim?

Also, Do you have 1500' by 600' claim on the area under this discussion?

Kev


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## djui5

usaman65 said:


> I am under the understanding GPS coordinates are needed for staking a claim?
> 
> Kev



No, you need to know the Meridian, Township, Range, and Section to file a claim.


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## usaman65

I made a phone call to the BLM office in the area In which my claim would be filed, I am waiting for a call back. I was very lucky to get ahold of USGS maps that are the same scale as my BLM land status maps (and they arent even published yet!). they are currently being overlayed.

Kev


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## djui5

Good luck!


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## Richard36

usaman65 said:


> In the Area I am searching, around half of the land is BLM property. So I am having the USGS 1:100,000 Scale Maps overlayed with the BLM 1:100,000 Scale Maps to better understand where to prospect. There are only about 4 formations in which the mineral I am searching for is present, so i am only having those formations overlayed on the BLM maps. In promising areas, I will be upgrading to 1:24,000 Scale USGS/BLM overlayed Maps. Of coarse, I am only in the research stages of the process.
> 
> Kev





usaman65 said:


> I made a phone call to the BLM office in the area In which my claim would be filed, I am waiting for a call back. I was very lucky to get ahold of USGS maps that are the same scale as my BLM land status maps (and they arent even published yet!). they are currently being overlayed.
> 
> Kev



Hey Kev,

Is that USGS map a Geo-Reconnaissance Map? 
(Geological Mineral Survey Map) <Hint, Hint>
GMS series from DOGAMI. Dept. Of Geology & Mineral Industries.

If it isn't, then buying such a map of the area that you intend to prospect would be advisable.
Then make a clear colorized overlay of it for your translucent USGS map so that you could lay them over your BLM land status map backing, and get a real picture of where the truly "Hot Spots" to go "Check Out" are at. 

The three types of maps that I use are, 
Topo Map(s) of the area in question, 
Land Status Maps as to where BLM/Forest Service/Private Ownership land boundaries are, 
and a Geo-Reconnaissance Map of the area in question. 

If possible to acquire a forth map, 
a "Rock Type & Fault Line Map" for lack of proper name, 
which is a map of the underlying Rock Types and Fault line locations of the region in question.

I have all four of those types of maps for myself, and they do help.
I just haven't combined all the info from each one into a single map by having transparent colorized overlays of my Geo-Reconnaissance, and "Rock Type & Fault line" Maps made for my Topo Map. (My Topo Maps show BLM/Forest Service/Privately held land boundaries.)

Just a thought, and a comment on what you are doing.
You're doing what I intend to do with the maps that I own of the areas that I prospect.
Such a map over-lay system would be a valuable tool, 
and would allow you to drive/hike right to the most obvious "Hot Spots".

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


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## turtlesteve

Rick,

I have used ArcGIS to do map overlays like this in places I collect, particularly in western NC. I was generally combining road & water features, topographic maps, mine localities & geologic map data. If you are in regular need of comprehensive maps like this you might consider learning to use ArcGIS or a similar GIS software package. I know that township sector maps, gov. land ownership, geologic maps, etc. for most of the western US are available free from the USGS.

As a step further, I uploaded my western NC map as a custom base map in my hand held GPS so I know exactly where I am when collecting.

Steve


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## usaman65

i am looking into areas of central wyoming...most of which isnt even mapped out yet. I can get maybe 1 out of the 4 maps I need. 

What I have so far is BLM land status maps, blm topo maps, and Unpublished geologic maps showing all formations + out croppings. (had to pull a LOT of strings to get that one, direct froim a researcher that worked on the survey team). I am currently overlaying these by hand. My graphics designer quoted me $250/map to overlay all the parts to it, so I'm doing it myself and saving the money fro equipment.

I am interested in prospects of placer/lode PM's + Amber in lignite veins. I work with the American Museum of Natural History in NC with my finds in Amber so....

---kev


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## solarsmith

at my mini mine I have had good luck with a generator, medium sized air compresor and a air powered chipping hammer(ultra light very small jack hammer) I can dig out one ton of ore and one ton of waste rock in 7 hrs GOOD LUCK ..

Bryan In Denver Colorado


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## Richard36

solarsmith said:


> at my mini mine I have had good luck with a generator, medium sized air compresor and a air powered chipping hammer(ultra light very small jack hammer) I can dig out one ton of ore and one ton of waste rock in 7 hrs GOOD LUCK ..
> 
> Bryan In Denver Colorado



That's pretty much the type of set-up we've been privately discussing.
The wish list would include a chipping hammer, rotary hammer, and a core drill.


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## Drewbie

And after the core drill, a hydraulic splitter - safer, quieter and more predictable than explosives


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## Richard36

Drewbie said:


> And after the core drill, a hydraulic splitter - safer, quieter and more predictable than explosives



Oh come on, explosives are fun!
A powder license is easy enough to get.
$80 for the course book, and a couple hours for the test at the state fire marshal's office.

All I need to do is get the ore out of the ground so that it can be shipped.
I don't plan on processing the ore myself, I have a contact that will buy it.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


----------



## usaman65

Richard36 said:


> Drewbie said:
> 
> 
> 
> And after the core drill, a hydraulic splitter - safer, quieter and more predictable than explosives
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh come on, explosives are fun!
> A powder license is easy enough to get.
> $80 for the course book, and a couple hours for the test at the state fire marshal's office.
> 
> All I need to do is get the ore out of the ground so that it can be shipped.
> I don't plan on processing the ore myself, I have a contact that will buy it.
> 
> Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".
Click to expand...



You never know, claims for placer or lode gold are pretty hot on eBay....


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## Richard36

usaman65 said:


> You never know, claims for placer or lode gold are pretty hot on eBay....



That's an interesting option for "Cashing Out" on this deposit, 
as well as the other deposits I have found.

Looking up load and placer claims for sale on e-bay is something I haven't done.
I hadn't even thought of that as an option for listing mineral deposits.

Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".


----------



## demons26

Richard36 said:


> usaman65 said:
> 
> 
> 
> You never know, claims for placer or lode gold are pretty hot on eBay....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's an interesting option for "Cashing Out" on this deposit,
> as well as the other deposits I have found.
> 
> Looking up load and placer claims for sale on e-bay is something I haven't done.
> I hadn't even thought of that as an option for listing mineral deposits.
> 
> Sincerely, Rick. "The Rock Man".
Click to expand...


I just checked and there were only 5 claims. lol


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## DarkspARCS

Regards the topo maps supplied by the usgs, get the ones depicting the watershed layouts as these maps tend to label the land formations by epoc nomenclature. 

If you find any formations marking the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary, carefully map that boundary on the physical ground, then start looking for a dark banded material which physically marks the boundary... then start mining it as it is known as the K-T Boundary and is 1000 times more saturated with irridium than surrounding areas...

Review Wikipedia's article on this... 

Note: the boundary can exist anywhere from a few inches to several feet in width, so look with a skeptical eye...


----------

