First Gold Panning Adventure

[Shakey Jake]

Last week was my first-time gold panning properly and it was good fun. Managed to get the gold below from a day and a bit panning. The photo makes it look like I did better than I actually did, it was only around 0.2g of gold. Definitely a bit hit and miss in the areas that I picked to pan. Most of it came from my last hour of panning which included the nice picker.

Managed to get bitten by my first ever leach which took me by surprise. I also lost my tent in the high winds. It ripped out my pegs and flew off somewhere. So if anyone finds a tent inner which has two red metal poles attached (I managed to find the outer) around Sunny Corner in NSW please let me know. Unfortunately, I didn't get enough gold to cover the tent layful:

Does anyone have any ideas what metal is likely mixed with the gold? Several of the bits have a white metal mixed in with them?

Cheers,

 

[Deepseeker]

Sunny Corner Mine was at one time the largest producer of Silver in NSW according to a Google search. So I'd put my money on that.

Well done Jake :Y:

 

[sand surfer]

done better than me on my first go jake, i am with deepseeker could be silver :Y:

 

[Shakey Jake]

Thanks Deepseeker and Sand Surfer!

 

[RM Outback]

Nice work SJ :Y: welcome to PA I'm with the others, silver. I'm puzzled why the colour change shows as blue, might just be my failing eyes (haven't got any eye crutches handy)

 

[Masooo]

Maybe the blue reflecting off the silver?

From the pan

 

[MrPyro89]

I need to make the effort and go and check sunny corner out one weekend especially when its about 20mins from me. Thats some nice gold you have found there!

 

[mudgee hunter]

Copper mixed in?

 

[Pogo]

Suspect its a bit of mercury amalgam on the gold, and its reflecting the blue of the pan underneath it.

Plenty of Mercury in some of the creeks at Sunny Corner left over from the OTs.

 

[Growth]

If I can get results half as good as that when I go out for my first time this weekend I'll be happy, well done!

 

[Moneybox]

Last week was my first-time gold panning properly and it was good fun. Managed to get the gold below from a day and a bit panning. The photo makes it look like I did better than I actually did, it was only around 0.2g of gold. Definitely a bit hit and miss in the areas that I picked to pan. Most of it came from my last hour of panning which included the nice picker.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/16103/1580266721_p1290149.jpg

Managed to get bitten by my first ever leach which took me by surprise. I also lost my tent in the high winds. It ripped out my pegs and flew off somewhere. So if anyone finds a tent inner which has two red metal poles attached (I managed to find the outer) around Sunny Corner in NSW please let me know. Unfortunately, I didn't get enough gold to cover the tent layful:

Does anyone have any ideas what metal is likely mixed with the gold? Several of the bits have a white metal mixed in with them?

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/16103/1580267329_p1290172.jpg

Cheers,

Nice find and great photography SJ. What camera are you using? Phil

 

[20x]

Owesome photo, thanks for sharing ?

 

[EVIE/BEE]

Suspect its a bit of mercury amalgam on the gold, and its reflecting the blue of the pan underneath it.

Plenty of Mercury in some of the creeks at Sunny Corner left over from the OTs.

You got it Pogo not enough mercury on the plates to catch those bits. Nice to see even the small pieces.

 

[Shakey Jake]

Nice find and great photography SJ. What camera are you using? Phil

Cheers Phil! I'm using an Olympus TG-6 with a ring flash. It has a microscope mode so you can get the camera very close and still focus on the object.

 

[Shakey Jake]

Suspect its a bit of mercury amalgam on the gold, and its reflecting the blue of the pan underneath it.

Plenty of Mercury in some of the creeks at Sunny Corner left over from the OTs.

Thanks Pogo, I hadn't considered mercury amalgam!

 

[AussieChris]

Mitchells Creek notorious for mercury amalgam and sure tons of silver came from Sunny Corner but silver rarely forms as a nugget, it's usually in ore.

The amalgam, however, sometimes you find big globs of the stuff rolling around in your pans, probably hints to how close to an old stamper you might be. A friend of mine was just throwing it all away, I tend to keep it out of curiosity.

Certainly, don't want to pick it up with your main snuffer, once mercury hits gold it breaks the lattice bonds and forms an alloy like the T-1000 layful: .

I have a few vials full of the stuff, I'm not 100% sure of the process to extract it, nitric acid, retort? Super dangerous.

Very cool seeing the gold up close like that :goldpan:

 

[mudgee hunter]

I think I remember seeing a vid heating it up a table spoon under a gas flame, seems the mercury will evaporate....
I would stand right back!

 

[jethro]

I think I remember seeing a vid heating it up a table spoon under a gas flame, seems the mercury will evaporate....
I would stand right back!

i wouldnt advise that method of cleaning your mercury coated gold. :skull:

 

[Greenhorn_diggin]

Good haul!

 

[Jeff]

Gday Shakey Jake.

Most places I go that silver stuff will turn up. A couple of places its a bit of a concern- there was so much of it that it looked like a couple of stainless bearings in the concentrates in the pan. Had me puzzled.
Its quicksilver aka Mercury, used in the old timers recovery methods.
Thing is its usually attached to gold, so I keep it, but handle it with care. Aaand if you keep those contaminated bits with your other gold it will cover that as well. Make you wonder where all your golds gone :8
I put it all in a used bake bean can, make a small fire under it, walk away for halfa- this key- get the hell away from the smoke, obviously dont do it upwind of a preschool or your washing, upon return..... Mercury vanished. Its evaporated of, leaving your gold.