A few months SWMBO said she saw some metal detectors that didn't cost the earth at the local tackle shop come supermarket and said I'll get one for your birthday. Anyway I had problems early morning starting my trusty '95 Hilux as it does look like the glow plugs are on the blink, so she suggested we buy one of those 12 volt 1000 amp gizmos the battery store sells. She said at that price it's your birthday present and when we tried it noway would it kick the engine over.
So I decided to buy a new starter motor and put that in and that was the problem all along, looking thru the exercise book the last and first owner kept and supplied me when I bought the ute the starter motor was original so after 400K time for a new one.
I went into my local bank so see about an incoming credit that wasn't showing and while I was there I asked about afterpay and what the bank thought about it. The reply was yes we support it fully and when the payments are due we pay them promptly.
So off I went to the tackle store to get my Fathersday present and that morning I did do some research and found the 44 and 66 models were the same detector but the 66 had the better software app. Now who in their sane mind would publish where you buzzed and found gold as every man and his dog would be there before you know it.
In the store they one left and that was the go find 66 Minelab detector so I it bought using afterpay.With a few beers under my belt I went and scanned my front paddock and came across some metal where the detector was making a very deep tone meaning it's more than likely a nail
found some very rusty metal that cracked in my hand so I knew it was very old. The detector kept with the deep tone so kept digging and came across what looks like a cast iron butterfly valve. A round disk with a rod at the base and a rod ontop with a round dimpled end. After wirie brushing it was clear the hole didn't go thru and now I have it soaking in rust converter to see how it will come up.I buzzed rocks I had got a few months back and sure enough the detector buzzed in a high pitch tone and then came a gig song meaning you had hit the jackpot. I used the detector on every pan before and after panning and after 6 pans I could see gold powder in the bottom of the beaker. It's going to take a heap more rocks and fine gold before I make some aqua regia which is only hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. Now on research adding the nitric acid which is a 4:1 ratio adding the 4:1 before you start when the gold mix reacts a heap of nitrogen dioxide which is a light brown gas and deadly forms. But by adding the nitric acid very slowly and given time little gas is produced.
They do say 5 grams a tonne make a viable gold mine and from what I've found quartz rocks that have ironstone and other stone always seem to have a small trace of gold. A couple of years ago I decided to design and make a 6" jaw crusher and got enough fine gold to make a small 3mm diameter ball of gold after smelting in my coffee can furnace using my mapp gas torch. As I had only used straight plaster of paris after the first run it was ruined but everything is a learning curve so with the next coffee can I'll mix some brickies sand with it so it can last a few runs.
Got a 85 acre farm in gold country to scan and the ravine across the road which goes for close to 3 kilometres. I'll bet this fram has already been scanned in the past but with many quartz belts a bit of hard work and crushing will get me to a point it's worth doing the acid run.
All good fun to be had and as SWMBO said well you found a new hobby and thats good, I replied well with first 2 ounces I'm buying an excavator then the fight started
Cheers Bryan
