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blowin · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 6:36 am Post subject: panning for gold

I know it is in the Ox mountains , Co Sligo , I just can't find it Twisted Evil

The geological maps I have found on the net are not a useful scale . ( I can never remember whether that means the scale is too large or small Embarassed

) . Any idea where I might get a suitable one ?
I think there are panning societies over in Wales but , again , I can't locate one here . Do you dabble ?

dolmen · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 25 Location: N.Ireland

I've had a go, just got cold and wet! But its exciting especially if you think you've found some gold!

Smile

GB · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 317 Location: Ireland

having a father who has scratched a living as a prospector in the north Georgia mountains for many years I have been wanting to give it a go over here. The rivers and streams seem to be the same so it'd be fun to try with the kids but I was wondering about ownership if you find some. With the skewed up laws about metal detecting and any thing you find belonging to the government does the same apply to rough gold paned out of a river?

any ideas or ideas about where I might find out
_________________
The reward for a job well done is more work

sue & spider · Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 11

Hi I have a friend in wales whos into panning I will contact him as he has some useful maps he will also be here in Ireland at the end of July this guy is picking up 4/5k per year all the best spider

blowin · Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:53 am Post subject:

Hi Sue & Spider , welcome to the forum Very Happy

Any hints & tips would be most gratefully received . My very limited knowledge is based on reading and a good few hours of sploshing about .
There are water courses of every shape and size up in these mountains , loads of pyrite , quartz , and what I hope is the stuff called "black sand". I believe the "average" yield is around 1 oz of gold per ton of rock . So , the signs are good but I am obviously doing something wrong because all I come up with is Fool's Gold .
I would dearly love to spend a bit of time with someone who actually knows what they are doing ! If you and/or your friend could be persuaded to come and take a look I am sure I could ply you with enough tea and chokkie bikkies to make it a good day out Laughing

GB · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 317 Location: Ireland

Hi, sue and spider Very Happy

And its a shame you are so far north Blowin or I could show you how to pan but its really easy just go SLOW with the last two or three rinses. And have you thought of using a small sluice? I cant wait untill littlest sprogin is big enough for us to give it a go. But if you are ever in North Georgia (Helen to be precise) go to Duke's Creek mining. They will sort you out with the hows and where-fores Cool

But is the gold you find in Ireland yours or the blood suckers...........Ah, I mean the governments? And do you need a licence or something or just landowners permission to pan on their land?
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The reward for a job well done is more work

Jack · Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 71 Location: North Otago

Gidday

Hey Blowing, if things arte the same as down here and I caint see why they wouldn't be, then if you are going to find ay it will be in that black sand because that is where the heaviest particles are.
_________________
Cheers
Jack
QBE

blowin · Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:16 am Post subject:

Nice offer GB , thanks Wink

. I think I can master the panning technique but my problem lies in getting gold in there in the first place ! I suspect that is because I am not digging deep enough into the sediment ( ie not right down to the bedrock , where the very small particles will be ) . If I had just a little more confidence that I am at least in a promising area I would spend more time on it . All the projects on the JFDI list are now so far behind it really won't make a lot of difference to them Laughing

.
I did try what I thought was a very clever trick to make the job quicker . I figured that if I could vibrate quite a large volume of deposit the gold would all shake down to the bottom of the container . I would then only need to pan the deepest 1/4 inch or so . I have a heavy duty vibrating table Shocked

so I put a bucketfull of wet sediment onto it for 1/2 hour .
I don't know whether it worked or not because all the particles locked together like concrete and I got fed up with trying to get to the bottom of the bucket .
That is obviously why those tables are used for shaking the air out of molds rather than for extracting gold so I wouldn't bother with that again .

( Molds for garden gnomes if you really must know Laughing

. I wouldn't bother with those either ! )

Jack · Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 71 Location: North Otago

Gidday

Didn't you see what I just said, the gold, if any is there, will be in that black sane cos that's were the heaviest particles will be. Like the iron that makes it black.

_________________
Cheers
Jack
QBE