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Scratching advice?

Gulfalan67

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Hi all.

Just curious to know whether, with all the assembled knowledge in this forum, anybody knows anything about fossicking and gold scratching in particular…?

For years I have been wanting to set up a sluice and give it a go. I have read/watched internet content but most is by people trying to sell stuff or self aggrandise.

I believe where we live is some of the best goldfields in Australia. We have commercial gold operations to the north and south of our property. Our property has never previously been explored for gold due to inaccessibility.

Realistically I’m just looking to satisfy my curiosity -but if we sluiced enough to
make my wife a little pendant I’d be thrilled.

So I’m keen to scratch. Sluices?

Alan
 
Hi all.

Just curious to know whether, with all the assembled knowledge in this forum, anybody knows anything about fossicking and gold scratching in particular…?

For years I have been wanting to set up a sluice and give it a go. I have read/watched internet content but most is by people trying to sell stuff or self aggrandise.

I believe where we live is some of the best goldfields in Australia. We have commercial gold operations to the north and south of our property. Our property has never previously been explored for gold due to inaccessibility.

Realistically I’m just looking to satisfy my curiosity -but if we sluiced enough to
make my wife a little pendant I’d be thrilled.

So I’m keen to scratch. Sluices?

Alan
Good morning Alan I think the first thing you need to do is to get yourself a good metal detector and look for surface and sub surface gold. To find anything deeper that about a foot you would need a geo survey
 
A subject that I would love to learn more about.. Panning would be lower impact and a great way to see if there is anything there without committing to buying too much equipment.
 
I'm with Mike. A pan and shovel won't cost you much. See if there is anything in the streams and rivers first, then think about building a sluice. I did once try panning for tin (cassiterite) on Dartmoor - just to see if I could. With a bit of practice I quickly got the hang of it, and I'm sure you would..
 
I have no experience whatsoever Alan, however I’ve watched every episode on the discovery channel about Aussie gold 😂

These guys find thousands of dollars worth of gold with nothing but a metal detector and a handheld pick 👍🏻 wish you all the luck mate and I hope you find more than enough to make your good lady something 😁 keep us all posted I’ll be watching this thread just in case you strike it rich 😁
 
Thanks for the scratching advice folks.

Yes a gold detector would be an obvious accession, and probably the best way to make a significant find (like a nugget!)

But sluicing large volumes of material would probably be the best way of determine whether this is gold bearing country or not. Sluicing can process materials washed out from across a wide catchment area. So I think if you want to check if gold is around across a wide area, sluicing might be a good place to start.

Our creeks are perfect for sluicing and run through exposed white quartz strata. But then again I’m a complete beginner, looking for informed advice. Don’t you have fossicking and scratching in UK? Were there no gold rushes?

This is the kind of starter set up I’m considering:

CAE85752-5745-4BB4-93D1-9C851C8F1DE7.jpeg


Just not sure if it’s the right for my needs…

Advice appreciated.

Alan
 
A fun and exciting project Alan.....with a good bit of..... what if...... thrown in :thumbsup:

I know not a lot about it :(

The Sluice look's perfect for a starter piece.....adjustable and robust........how you fixed for a water feed/source?.......I would imagine it will take a few litres an hour from a reasonable sized pump to run that?.....again not a clue :D
Might be worth an exploratory panning at the bottom of the gully in and around the pond area......tight bottle necks if there are any?......even from the pond itself if possible?

Good luck to you mate if you go ahead with it......look forward to following this......lots of pictures please :thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the scratching advice folks.

Yes a gold detector would be an obvious accession, and probably the best way to make a significant find (like a nugget!)

But sluicing large volumes of material would probably be the best way of determine whether this is gold bearing country or not. Sluicing can process materials washed out from across a wide catchment area. So I think if you want to check if gold is around across a wide area, sluicing might be a good place to start.

Our creeks are perfect for sluicing and run through exposed white quartz strata. But then again I’m a complete beginner, looking for informed advice. Don’t you have fossicking and scratching in UK? Were there no gold rushes?

This is the kind of starter set up I’m considering:

View attachment 116958

Just not sure if it’s the right for my needs…

Advice appreciated.

Alan
That looks similar to a high banker which is a portable sluice. If your technically inclined you can build your own , you should be able to get all the info you need on google.

,As for scratching round here for gold that's a non starter but there is gold in Wales
 
When you
That looks similar to a high banker which is a portable sluice. If your technically inclined you can build your own , you should be able to get all the info you need on google.

,As for scratching round here for gold that's a non starter but there is gold in Wales
True, there is gold in the streams to the west of us.
 
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