Treasure Hunting & Metal Detecting Community

Welcome, Guest! Please login or register HERE - It is FREE and easy. Only registered users can post and view images on our message boards. Did you miss your activation email?
Login with email, password and session length Caps lock is activated.		Or Login Using Social Network Account

News:

It appears you have not registered with our community yet. Guests can not uses all functions of the forum. They can not post, view attachements or access our download areas etc. To register please click here ...

Treasure Hunting & Metal Detecting Forum Message Boards - Detector Hunter Whites Minelab Tesoro XP > Find Boards > Odds & Ends (Moderator: Bugar) >

Making Gold Nuggets

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Go Down

← previous next →

Tags:

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

bigwater

Silver Member

Join Date: Jan, 2010

Activity

Posts: 519
Referrals: 0

5870.00 Gold
View Inventory

White's GMT

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #30 on: February 06, 2010, 12:39:34 pm »

Tabdog, I have to ask, why do a few electrons scattered across a screen inflame you so much? This is just the internet... It's not like the guy actually punched you in the nose or anything. Just take the disagreements with a grain of salt and realize that the way you took it may not have been the way it was meant to be presented. After all, the written word is sort of sterile. There's no tone inflection or eyebrow hiking to give you an idea of where the poster is coming from like there is in face to face communication.

Back on topic, the guy who I sell to wants it in it's native state. He'll pay 95% spot for flake and nuggets, but if I smelt it down he'll only pay 75% spot. I guess he got burned by too many gold plated tungsten bars in the past.

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71452.html#msg71452


	Logged

Anybody who says "it can't be done" will usually be interrupted by somebody who is already doing it.

Rick104

Copper Member

Join Date: Aug, 2009

Activity

Posts: 54
Referrals: 0

286.00 Gold
View Inventory

Whites TDI,Fisher Gold$trike and Coin$trike, Garrett GTI 2500,Minelab Eureka Gold, Pioneer 505

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #31 on: February 06, 2010, 02:05:58 pm »

Does not sound like your buyer is paying you the right price for nuggets if it is a specimen 3oz or more it worth much more than spot price, they are prized by collectors for there individuality, which translates to the higher price, the reason I mentioned it,you do not want a buyer to rob you blind or melt down a one of a kind nugget, I was not trying to sound upset just stating the facts of prospecting Hello

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71467.html#msg71467


	Logged

bigwater

Silver Member

Join Date: Jan, 2010

Activity

Posts: 519
Referrals: 0

5870.00 Gold
View Inventory

White's GMT

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #32 on: February 06, 2010, 02:12:44 pm »

I don't think you were upsetting anybody. At least in my opionion. I agree with you. Yes, gold is valued more in it's natural state than it is melted down. The three ounce nugget is a rareity and would probably pull more than spot just for it's collectability, as is the 20 lb quartz rock with a 4 lb vein of gold down the middle of it. Extract the gold from the quartz and you'll get maybe 75% spot. Leave it in that rock and you might get 125% spot. Small flakes and nuggets though, the type of stuff that fits in a small vial, I'm happy to get 95% spot for. After all, if the guy who buys it from me can't make a bit of a profit, he's going to go out of business and then who am I going to sell it to?

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71473.html#msg71473


« Last Edit: February 06, 2010, 02:18:53 pm by bigwater »	Logged

Anybody who says "it can't be done" will usually be interrupted by somebody who is already doing it.

Rick104

Copper Member

Join Date: Aug, 2009

Activity

Posts: 54
Referrals: 0

286.00 Gold
View Inventory

Whites TDI,Fisher Gold$trike and Coin$trike, Garrett GTI 2500,Minelab Eureka Gold, Pioneer 505

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #33 on: February 06, 2010, 02:53:01 pm »

That is considered a chispa and also worth more money in its natural state, I have been placer mining and scuba diving since 1975 and still find gold on a regular basis on the Columbia and Yakima Rivers, alot of the ground on the Columbia is to hot to use a VLF gold only detector, I have to break out my Whites TDI and even it will hit some very large hot rocks 3-4 ft accross, I noticed alot of the guys posting seem to have almost no experience at prospecting, that also reminds me to ask if anyone has done any meteorite hunting? I was thinking about getting a two box coil from Garrett for my GTI 2500 to look for deeply buried meteores, it should pickup targets that most PIs will miss, I am also an Electronics Technician since 1984 so I understand metal detecting circuits pretty well, when I first started as a tech I worked on alot of industrial metal detectors, food processing equipment, so I have a ton of experience, but there is still alot to learn.. Wise

Happy Hunting

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71483.html#msg71483


	Logged

gambol1

Silver Member

At first we were all hunters
Join Date: Jan, 2010

Activity

Posts: 919
Referrals: 0

4800.00 Gold
View Inventory

Garrett 150, 250,Fisher F75S, Tesoro sand shark

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #34 on: February 06, 2010, 03:03:46 pm »

If you come across gold or silver bars that are not stamped by the refiner you have scrap unless the bars have a historical origin. The silver bars Mel Fisher found went for way more than spot price. There might be an advantage to casting your own ingots if you come across a lot of gold scrap. I worked for an Electronics company that cast there own silver scrap into crude bars because the recyclers gave a lower price for loose scrap than they did for big pieces eventhough all of it was 99% silver. The electronics firm did their own testing before shipping to the recycler. When they started this the return went up 20-80% depending on the recycler. It's all about honesty.

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71486.html#msg71486


	Logged

bigwater

Silver Member

Join Date: Jan, 2010

Activity

Posts: 519
Referrals: 0

5870.00 Gold
View Inventory

White's GMT

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #35 on: February 06, 2010, 03:16:22 pm »

Well prospecting is hard work. It's not about the money even at today's gold prices. I live in a gold rich area, and even here I don't think I could do it on a full time basis to make ends meet. For me it's a hobby... something to do to take my mind off of the tedium of day to day requirements. I'm going to get as much out of my hobby as I can though, and keeping the stuff in it's natural state seems to pay better than mucking around with it. Less effort too.

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71493.html#msg71493


	Logged

Anybody who says "it can't be done" will usually be interrupted by somebody who is already doing it.

Rick104

Copper Member

Join Date: Aug, 2009

Activity

Posts: 54
Referrals: 0

286.00 Gold
View Inventory

Whites TDI,Fisher Gold$trike and Coin$trike, Garrett GTI 2500,Minelab Eureka Gold, Pioneer 505

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #36 on: February 06, 2010, 04:16:12 pm »

I was thinking about prospecting here as a full time job I am pretty sure I could make a living at it, instead of a sluice box or high banker I built a larger beach box that captures most of the flour gold and it adds up pretty quickly, I need to move about 3-5 yards a day to make any money, I cannot use any motorised equipment except for the pump that runs the beach box, so I use a pick and shovel and a wheel barrow it will move about 7 cu ft so I need to move a little less than four wheel barrow loads to equal a yard of material, the hardest part is moving the material from the gold discovery site to the beach box, then I take the concentrates to my shop for further proccesing in a mini sluice and spiral wheel and blue bowl, I have been doing this a long time and have never lost interest in it, that is why I was thinking about meteorites, there is not that many people looking for them there has to be alot out there....

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71500.html#msg71500


	Logged

bigwater

Silver Member

Join Date: Jan, 2010

Activity

Posts: 519
Referrals: 0

5870.00 Gold
View Inventory

White's GMT

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #37 on: February 06, 2010, 04:24:51 pm »

You just described what amounts to 8-10 hours of work Rick. What will that yield you? $100, $150 bucks? That's great for a weekend hobby, but once it becomes a 5 or 6 day a week thing it becomes a J. O. B. and I'm not willing to sacrifice my hobby to make a job out of it and try to live on that meager income. I have a saying that goes like this. "I'm not going to be both broke and tired at the same time". I'm not getting out of bed for any job that's going to leave me both broke and tired. I'll wear myself out for a hobby, because I consider it fun, but when it becomes a job, forget it if it doesn't pay handsomely.

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71503.html#msg71503


« Last Edit: February 06, 2010, 04:28:31 pm by bigwater »	Logged

Anybody who says "it can't be done" will usually be interrupted by somebody who is already doing it.

Homefire

Global Moderator
Platin Member

Join Date: Jan, 2009

662

Activity

Posts: 15906
Referrals: 0

52360.00 Gold
View Inventory

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #38 on: February 06, 2010, 04:54:16 pm »

	Quote:	Posted by bigwater
You just described what amounts to 8-10 hours of work Rick. What will that yield you? $100, $150 bucks? That's great for a weekend hobby, but once it becomes a 5 or 6 day a week thing it becomes a J. O. B. and I'm not willing to sacrifice my hobby to make a job out of it and try to live on that meager income. I have a saying that goes like this. "I'm not going to be both broke and tired at the same time". I'm not getting out of bed for any job that's going to leave me both broke and tired. I'll wear myself out for a hobby, because I consider it fun, but when it becomes a job, forget it if it doesn't pay handsomely.

Dang! I'd be happy with that JOB about now! Grin

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71509.html#msg71509


	Logged

bigwater

Silver Member

Join Date: Jan, 2010

Activity

Posts: 519
Referrals: 0

5870.00 Gold
View Inventory

White's GMT

	Re: Making Gold Nuggets « Reply #39 on: February 06, 2010, 05:07:15 pm »

Well come on down here to North Georgia and I'll show you at least a dozen places you can pull down a hundred bucks a day for a ten hour day. You'll stay wet, cold, tired and hungry most of the time, but hey, at least it's fun, right?

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,6997.msg71512.html#msg71512


	Logged

Anybody who says "it can't be done" will usually be interrupted by somebody who is already doing it.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Go Up

← previous next →

Jump to: