New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

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chchfossiker		Posted : Sunday, 4 December 2011 2:29:29 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 5/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 151 Location: christchurch Thanks: 9 times Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 12 post(s)		hi all. ive been away for a few days fossicking .i found a nice creek off the beaten track which gave me good fine gld and some larger flakes.plenty of fine gold.i pushed upstream and found a nice peice of bed rock.looked like it hadnt been worked befor or atlest for a long time.i cleaned out almost every crevice i could find but still no peices of gold.ther was alot of quartz around and alot of aluvial gold and a few bigger flakes.so why no pickers or nuggets.i spent two days cleaning crevices in and out of the water alond the bed rock.and spent a day sluicing and got around a gram of fines and flakes from my sluicing efforts am i creivicing wrong? looking in the wrong spots? working a already worked crevice? or just not nuggets in the area? is it were you find gold youl find it in all forms or can an area b rich in fine gold but produce no nuggets or pickers?? and tips info or just genral chat would be most appreciated may your pan's turn yellow cheers chchfossiker

chchfossiker		Posted : Sunday, 4 December 2011 4:25:20 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 5/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 151 Location: christchurch Thanks: 9 times Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 12 post(s)		im not expecting to find gold in every crevice or even nuggets just i was suprised at the lack of bigger flakes or pickers ect caught in the cracks and crevices in a remote river thats holds gold.over the two days i probly spent 22 hours scraping cleaning every spec of sand stong and dirt out of around 20- 30 cracks and crevices

kiwijw		Posted : Sunday, 4 December 2011 4:26:40 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 28/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,152 Thanks: 92 times Was thanked: 658 time(s) in 324 post(s)		Hi there CHchfossicker, Yes some areas, actually probably most, only had fine & maybe flakey gold. Do a bit of research on the area & try to find out what sort of gold the old timers were getting from the area. If you have copies of the Historic Gold Trail series of books, or can get hold of some. Maybe your local public library or do a google search. Was there any reef gold or hard rock mines worked in the area, was the source of the gold known?? If there was chunky gold then there is a good chance the bed rock you worked has been done before & probably more times than you may think. It doesnt take many floods to make an area look like it has never seen a human footprint. Are there any stacked rocks? Even these can get consumed by the bush over time & unless you are extra vigilant even these can be tricky to see. How smooth was the bed rock? It needs to be rough & irregular & the crevices sort of sharp & jagged with other stones & rocks jambed in them. Smooth schist usually aint any good, especially if the crevice is going in the same direction as the creek water flow. Crevices running across the flow are usually better as they are acting like a big deep riffle. Having said that though I have found good gold in crevices running both ways. You need to get right down to the absolute bottom of the crevice & this is where a crevice sucker comes in to its own. You need to be able to flush out & suck up every morsel from the crevice. The bigger bits of gold are going to be right down as far as they can get & you will be gobsmacked at the tiny little cracks that a good sized flat piece of gold can work its way into. A lot of the times you will be working crevices blind as the water will be too dirty to really see anything. Another reason why a crevice sucker is invaluable. I am suprised that you got nothing in the crevices especially after getting the fine & flakey gold that you said you had got. If the area wasnt known for chunky gold & the bed rock not that suitable for trapping & holding on to the fine gold then it was pobably just washed on. That bed rock you worked, if it was pretty well exposed as bed rock without any overburden, that is probably because when the stream is in flood that bed rock is in a really aggresive water flow area & just swept clean. Do you have some good crevice scraping tools & bed rock smasherupperers etc.. Hope this was of some help. Good luck out there JW :) Edited by user Sunday, 4 December 2011 5:46:12 PM(UTC) \| Reason: Not specified

Lammerlaw		Posted : Sunday, 4 December 2011 4:48:23 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Strewth John it wont be long before we are calling you Doctor John with the ready array of instruments - probably wiser than me - my most commonly used term must surely be "Oh bother I have left (such and such) behind" so I guess it is better to be prepared for all eventualities.

chchfossiker		Posted : Sunday, 4 December 2011 4:55:48 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 5/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 151 Location: christchurch Thanks: 9 times Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 12 post(s)		thanks for the reply. yes there has been coarse gold found in the old days in this area.i have most the tools you show including crevice sucker. yes the bedrock was quite smooth so im guesing that was my problem.it was in quite a "exposed" part of the creek/river. was my first time actually dedicating some time to crevicing i usually just run the sluice box and dig holes.but really enjoyed cleaning some crevices out even if i didnt find Honourable Roddy's brother

kiwijw		Posted : Sunday, 4 December 2011 6:14:16 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 28/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,152 Thanks: 92 times Was thanked: 658 time(s) in 324 post(s)		Originally Posted by: Lammerlaw Strewth John it wont be long before we are calling you Doctor John with the ready array of instruments - probably wiser than me - my most commonly used term must surely be "Oh bother I have left (such and such) behind" so I guess it is better to be prepared for all eventualities. Hi Graeme, I have now spray painted the above items with fluro orange paint as I have "lost", left behind, too many tools over the years myself. It is so easy to do. From the above tools I have lost the little snifter sucker bottle. That is probably floating out at sea now or washed back up on a coromandel coastal beach some where. Had some bloody gold in it too. Damn it!! Also lost the bottom crevice scraper with the wooden handle at the spot where I was dredging when I was dobbed in to Enviroment Waikato. I actually left the dredge & tools in there over night as I was going to go back the next day. It had started raining so I moved things to higher ground before coming out just to be safe. Well the next morning the main river that I had to cross to get up this little side creek was in major flood & there was no way I could get over it to the side creek & my gear. I had no choice but to go home & come back in a few days to collect my stuff. At that stage I didnt know I had been dobbed in. Got back 3 days later to get my gear. My dredge hole was totaly gone & you would never have known I had been there. I am picking that I just left the crevice scraper there as I havnt been back since my little altercation with EW. Chchfossicker, Yes I would say the bed rock was too smooth. Dont give up on crevicing though as it can be really rewarding as you will find out if you stick at it. Good luck out there JW :)

Lammerlaw		Posted : Sunday, 4 December 2011 6:36:04 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Hi John - I have never used flour paint on my gear but I do use it on long range targets - it fades extremely quickly I found out in the open air. I learnt from my uncle to wrap coloured insulation tape around all my tools, snifter, small picks and pinch bar which sadly I finally lost last year after having owned it for over forty years, and other gear. I found that the insulation tape was faily hard wearing and lasted a few seasons before it required replacing. Yesterday I had my mind set on going to a spot on the top of the mountain where years ago I found some nice nuggets in a crevice - this time however it was with a gold bug and my son behind me with my minelab. On the edge of the crevice I was going to look along the goldbug went mad - I bend down, and saw still poking out of the gravel a large pair of well rusted forceps which I had lost many years ago and was really annoyed that I could find the day I lost them - ironically enough I believe on the same day I lost that pair I also lost my spare pair but found them again...now that I think of it I must get the pair I retrieved yesterday out of my pack to see if they are still usable - I used everything until its defunct!

kiwikeith		Posted : Sunday, 4 December 2011 6:54:04 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 28/06/2011(UTC) Posts: 648 Location: hector Thanks: 359 times Was thanked: 230 time(s) in 154 post(s)		re your gold finding methods some times it dosent matter how you do it it just dosnt seem to work on the claim i never seem to get much over 2grm flakes one day you will work an area with good results next trip its just not there just been to chch to do the xmas shopping thing on the way back checked the river crossing and yes all washed out again wading for the rangie is 700mm but still wasnt going to take it across will return with the beasty discovery its got the gear on it and give it a go dont give up its where you find it as we say

overdog		Posted : Tuesday, 6 December 2011 6:14:00 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 2/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 418 Location: nelson Thanks: 69 times Was thanked: 82 time(s) in 68 post(s)		Chch-Kiwi is right.Sometimes no matter what you do or where you dig,snipe,moss dredge or detect it just doesnt happen. Ive been doin this for a year or so and get skunked more times than I find anything but for me its being out in the hills(or knee deep in freezing water!) doing it than monetary value...

kiwijw		Posted : Tuesday, 6 December 2011 7:00:49 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 28/03/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,152 Thanks: 92 times Was thanked: 658 time(s) in 324 post(s)		Originally Posted by: overdog Chch-Kiwi is right.Sometimes no matter what you do or where you dig,snipe,moss dredge or detect it just doesnt happen. Ive been doin this for a year or so and get skunked more times than I find anything but for me its being out in the hills(or knee deep in freezing water!) doing it than monetary value... Hi there overdog. I agree with you totaly. It is the whole journey & not just the finding of gold (if you are lucky) But I have to admit, & I arent being a smart arse here or blowing my own trumpet, But I havnt been skunked since......I dont know when......I cant remember the last time but it would have to a few years back now. Weather it is detecting or sluice boxing up here in the coromandel. Research is the key. Go to where gold has been found before. JW :)

GPX@DREDGE		Posted : Wednesday, 7 December 2011 3:40:41 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Flake Groups: Registered Joined: 31/07/2011(UTC) Posts: 17 Location: NELSON Thanks: 29 times Was thanked: 18 time(s) in 10 post(s)		I've been in this game long enough to know that if you ant getin any or very little gold in one spot then your not out mining your just out digging. Don't wasst your time in one spot if you dont know the area. Move around dig test holes even if they are just five meters apart or if your up there alot at least try different spot each time. You will soon find the most productive area to work when sluicing or panning etc..

chrischch		Posted : Wednesday, 7 December 2011 10:12:42 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 28/08/2011(UTC) Posts: 811 Location: Christchurch Thanks: 192 times Was thanked: 105 time(s) in 104 post(s)		Some good info here, thanks guys.
		Fisher Goldbug Pro, Fisher F2, Garrett Propointer.