how i prospect for gold

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The dangers in old mines sure outweigh the amount of gold in them and I feel that is only a matter of time before a fatality occurs if people start to practice this form of prospecting .
 
bsa1929 said:
The dangers in old mines sure outweigh the amount of gold in them and I feel that is only a matter of time before a fatality occurs if people start to practice this form of prospecting .

yes i totaly agree with you i would not recomend any one to do what i do with out the right gear and training/experince
 
but im thinking of moveing on and the more i think about the dangers the more i don't like going down the mines i think i might give it up all togeather in 3 years time i mainly go in them now for 1 gold 2 relics and 3 to map old mines where they went under ground workings that are not maped example tunnels stopes
 
I hope so too mate, your a crazy bugger I give you that :lol:
 
Hello HTY.
I also do a bit of exploration of old mines & sampling of the ore that can sometimes be found left behind in the old timers ore paddocks around mullock dumps. I like your secondary grinder, where did you get it? I use a dolly pot at the moment but I also have a rod mill for sampling, I just have to build a new sludge seperator tank & try and incorparate a water column pulse jig. then make it skid mounted so I can take it with me on a 6X4 trailer. Sounds easy when you say it quick. :lol:
 
jethro said:
Hello HTY.
I also do a bit of exploration of old mines & sampling of the ore that can sometimes be found left behind in the old timers ore paddocks around mullock dumps. I like your secondary grinder, where did you get it? I use a dolly pot at the moment but I also have a rod mill for sampling, I just have to build a new sludge seperator tank & try and incorparate a water column pulse jig. then make it skid mounted so I can take it with me on a 6X4 trailer. Sounds easy when you say it quick. :lol:

the disk crusher i got from one of my m8s he got it from bendigo oringinally i woulden't mind seeing some of those images if you have any of the seperator :)
 
Wow you've certainly got the nerve. I wouldn't be game enough although my hubby keeps saying he would love to explore an old shaft but I would rather he be alive & poor than dead & rich :rolleyes:
 
HTY
I will see if I can Photograph the rod mill. The sludge tank is really just a triple interceptor design to let the suspended particles settle out as much as posssible before recycling the water through the rod mill. I need to find a suitable sized plastic tank with parralell sides so I can fit dividers to it. the water column pulse cell is still on the drawing board.
 
This is a great thread! Something I'll be doing for sure.
I love the craftsmanship of how the old timers shaped these mines.

TBH I work underground on a regular basis, knowing what I know about how easy it is to die quickly in these tunnels you wouldn't catch me going in without a gas monitor with sniffer Probe (the probe is so you can test the air around you without being in it) as the absolute minimum. There is good reason why they don't use birds/rats/candles anymore.

I've given a lot of thought to the venting issue, personally I'd have to go with a big volume vent fan run off a genni on the surface. You need volume not pressure in these places.

I'd go looking for bodies with you too but you need to get serious so you can pull serious ore.
 
Most self rescuers at commercial sites are MSA brand and are ONLY air scrubbers they do not make oxygen they clean it.
 
What's the highest (non lethal) ppm one can safely explore in an old tunnel? 6000-7000ppm?
 
ppm of what? Toxic gases are all different.

CO2 - >10% collapse then death but effects start from 2%
CO - 0.2% is fatal in less than one hour (2000ppm)
H2S - 500ppm cause rapid loss of conciousness & death
SO2 - 400-500ppm are dangerous to life
NO2 - 100ppm is dangerous if inhaled for only a few minutes
 
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Mate how long did that hole take you to dig? Nice stones by the way :)
 
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