Making a Living With Your Metal Detector?

GoldDigger1950

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	Re: Making a Living With Your Metal Detector? « Reply #10 on: August 06, 2009, 05:06:20 pm »

	Quote:	Posted by ksightler
GD, Hello mate.... Perth... I really loved that place when my ship landed in freemantle back in 1995... USS Juneau LPD-10... Well anyway... I was looking into trying out streams and rivers to see if I could find some of that gold substance... What kind of dirt or rock will I be looking for to find gold? My guess there has to be a certain type of rock that gold forms between.. I have seen a few quartz rocks with gold in them on displays that said these were rare.... so where is the normal place to find gold... I live near Julian which has been known for gold. The only prospector that I have ran into that actually has a claim to a mine... crushes a ridiculous amount rock to get a small amount of gold... Any info would be appriciated... BTW Nortbridge kicked ass...had a great time..... still have great memories of my time down under... Keith

You live near Julian! How lucky for you! I actually have a gold claim there.

Look, your best option is to join the GPAA by going here:

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http://www.goldprospectors.org/

Or, you can drive up to Temecula and join in person! They are a great bunch with lots of activities and information. When you join, you get to use the claims of other members listed in a huge mining guide which they update every year. And you get a really cool magazine each month.

To answer your question about gold, yes quartz and gold go together often. To find gold in streams, you have to treat the stream as if it is a gold pan with riffles and imagine where the gold would collect if the water flow was heavy. The spring melt causes rivers to really relocate gold a lot so every summer can be a huge surprise. Enjoy!

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ksightler

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	Re: Making a Living With Your Metal Detector? « Reply #11 on: August 06, 2009, 05:16:05 pm »

Thanks.. I will check it out... would you recomend a VLF or Pulse in the julian area?

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GoldDigger1950

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	Re: Making a Living With Your Metal Detector? « Reply #12 on: August 06, 2009, 05:35:29 pm »

	Quote:	Posted by ksightler
Thanks.. I will check it out... would you recommend a VLF or Pulse in the Julian area?

At one time I would not have advised a PI for any use but the technology has advanced to the point that you should ask when you stop by the GPAA. They would know. I used a VLF/TR machine for years up there with great results. I also tried my Sea Hunter with varied results.

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ksightler

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	Re: Making a Living With Your Metal Detector? « Reply #13 on: August 06, 2009, 05:40:51 pm »

Ok sounds great.. do you have the same sea hunter I do? XL500 VLF? It is awkward for land detection.... I you have the same one do you mount your control on the handle or belt? I am doing some mods to make it easier to use...

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GoldDigger1950

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	Re: Making a Living With Your Metal Detector? « Reply #14 on: August 06, 2009, 05:46:19 pm »

	Quote:	Posted by ksightler
Ok sounds great.. do you have the same sea hunter I do? XL500 VLF? It is awkward for land detection.... I you have the same one do you mount your control on the handle or belt? I am doing some mods to make it easier to use...

No, I have the PI model for salt water use. I use the belt mount. I'm working on a small electric suction dredge to mount through the hole in the detector coil so I can wade in the ocean and when I hit a target - wham! I throw the item into the dredge basket.

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ksightler

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	Re: Making a Living With Your Metal Detector? « Reply #15 on: August 06, 2009, 05:49:38 pm »

Now that sounds like an awesome idea... I wonder why these metal detector companies don't add a feature like that....

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ksightler

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	Re: Making a Living With Your Metal Detector? « Reply #16 on: August 06, 2009, 06:05:56 pm »

GD
How often do you visit your claim.... Do you come to the US often? If you do I'd like to meet up with you and learn some of your techniques.... I am up for any type of prospecting but am trying to master the OL metal detector... hopefully more than a hobbie and make a living...

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GoldDigger1950

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	Re: Making a Living With Your Metal Detector? « Reply #17 on: August 06, 2009, 06:33:26 pm »

I have someone working the claim for me. The last time I was there was in 2005 and we are not sure when we will be back again. One never knows. Prospecting with a metal detector in California is hard because the gold is placer gold. If you find a nugget in a river or stream, you might be tempted to figure out where it came from. The early miners did that and found by watching the rivers during their most violent times (spring melt when the rapids are absolutely huge) that the gold moves a lot. An alluvial deposit can be shifted many miles from its original location making it impossible to find the area of origination.

If you happen to find a nugget patch in a low, basin like area, that would be the best area for you to hunt. Swimming holes in southern California are almost non-existent because water is so precious that lakes are often reservoirs. You do have Casitas Lake up north which would be great for ring and jewelry hunting using your Sea Hunter. VLF works great in fresh water and Casitas Lake is a cold water lake meaning that hands shrink and rings slip off easily. It would be a worthwhile weekend adventure for you and your family. You will most assuredly find rings and jewelry should you snorkel in the lake.

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http://www.lakecasitas.info/directions.html

A tip for snorkeling with your detector. When you try to scoop sand for your target, you will push yourself back every time. Unless you have a plastic pike which you can use to anchor yourself. There is a company in San Diego in the Clairmont area called Ridout Plastics. There you can buy plastic in any shape imaginable including rods and squares. Get them to cut one and sharpen it to a point like a pencil and then drill a hole in the un-sharpened end. Make it about 2 feet long. Tie a nylon braided rope to the end and then around your wrist in a loop. When scooping the sand for a target, push the pike into the sand and hang on as you scoop with your other hand. If plastic is not your style, a broom handle will work. It can dangle alongside until you have a target and then let your tethered detector drift while you use the pike and scoop to recover the target.

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It's all about that moment when metal that hasn't seen the light of day for generations frees itself from the soil and presents itself to me.

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ksightler

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	Re: Making a Living With Your Metal Detector? « Reply #18 on: August 06, 2009, 06:46:09 pm »

Thanks for the great info.. I will have to check out the lake... How funny I go to ridout plastics to get red filters (Sheet of red acrylic) to cover our radar screens at night when I am at sea... Also my own projects at home..... you sure reach a long ways.... from down there... I'd be clueless back in Perth.... That lake is not really that far away.... =) I just got my extra VLF coils I bought on e-bay... the mount is too small for my detector rod..... looks like I have to modify... (7.5" ground hog and 10" coil) The mounting area shows it to be a two piece asemble... does not look water proof.. more mods..... I will also put on new waterproof connecters... so I can swap out the 7.5 to the 10... (I have to modify as the sea hunter I have the coil is hard wired).
I have some fun tasks comming up as soon as I get the parts...

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