I Made A Golden Pickaxe Using Minerals From My Mine!

[@terryfromsouthcarolina4601]

Awesome! Many, many years ago, I worked in a plating shop. We anodized aluminum and plated just about everything, including those sets of baby shoes. There were huge vats of acids of all kinds boiling water and caustic soda. It was a dangerous place. OSHA wasn't even a nightmare dream yet. No safety glasses, respirators, or protective clothing like an apron. I would get about a week out of jeans before they fell apart in the washing machine. After ruining 2 washers, one of which was brand new, I found an old wringer washer to do my clothes in. The pay was huge! In one week there, I made as much in one week as I did in 6 months. When I started working there, I had bad acne. By the time I left, the acid fumes had taken enough layers of skin off my face that I had no zits or blemishes. It was cool that I had the skin of a 10 year old! Then the old guy that lived down the street had a chat with me. What was going on with my skin was doing the same in my lungs. It scared the ever-loving shit out of me. I worked there long enough to pay off my Jeep along with my house. I owed nothing to anyone. Then I quit. I went back to machine work. As I was making parts, I thought about how clean it was. Be safe, Brent! Cheers Terry

[@michaelburns9172]

Was a machinist for 50 years. Never did none the safety s h I t .

[@JonAustin-vu8cc]

That's amazing

[@markmitchell457]

I had a friend who was a plater in the 70s. His feet were green.

[@markmitchell457]

​@@michaelburns91720 I was a machinist apprentice for a little while. A a very little while. I was the only guy in the shop with all my fingers. Lunch was like a Monty Python routine The Machinist had different grips on their sandwiches depending on how many fingers they had left. I left and took a job as a forklift driver, it paid better and it was safer for a 20 year old. It paid for school, so it worked out.

[@ShastaTodd]

trumpy will eliminate OSHA

[@Palehorse1017]

That pickaxe appears to be hand forged from wrought iron (the "lines" in the metal are typical of wrought) with high carbon steel forge welded to it. You did a great job on it Brent! Thanks for letting us be a part of your journey!

[@martinboote8175]

There is something magical about iron tools with steel forge welded into just the parts of the tool that need it the most, from a time when steel was less of a fungible commodity

[@JudyGoodwin-l9b]

Do you have any idea where the pickax was made?

[@Palehorse1017]

@@JudyGoodwin-l9b No ma'am but, as old as it would be and, the remote location of Cerro Gordo (especially when that pickaxe would have been used in those mines), pretty good chance it was made at Cerro Gordo or very close to that location. They would have had to have blacksmiths/ferriers to fix/make tools and make shoes for the massive mule teams.

[@JudyGoodwin-l9b]

@Palehorse1017 that's very interesting, there's probably a list of people that lived and worked in Cerro Gordo and their occupations.

[@kevinmespiritu]

Babe wake up Brentcraft is on

[@GhostTownLiving]

hahah, I like that. That's good.

[@justinanovak8040]

😂❤

[@jamesbramlett5407]

Nice 😊 MineCraft+BushCraft=BrentCraft

[@ROBINstrawBERRYwine]

@kevinmespiritu…….LOVE your comment and congratulations Brent on that achievement of the beautiful reborn pickax 👍❤️

[@feedsyoutube]

@@jamesbramlett5407Brent + Minecraft*

[@sci-fiblog9285]

Brent!!! Could you do an astronomy special one day? About the wonderful starlit sky above cerro gordo? That would be so so so nice🙌🤗✨

[@robnorland4587]

That's a great idea, I've camped near there and the sky is amazing at night! Maybe collaborate with an astronomy tuber?

[@sci-fiblog9285]

@@robnorland4587 Wonderful! I can imagine...Wasn't Astro-Photography one of the first ideas of Brents when he came to cerro gordo...I think I remember that in the early videos of him...

[@flimflamhollawallabingbam8873]

Excellent suggestion!

[@sci-fiblog9285]

@@flimflamhollawallabingbam8873 yeahyyy...we shall give a lil reminder to our dear Brent! @ghosttownliving

[@leeks5750]

Hey we've been watching since the beginning and we just wanted to say thanks for all the work you do in preserving this amazing piece of history!

[@GhostTownLiving]

Thanks for following along! I appreciate it!

[@RecoveringCarboholic58]

I love how you are always striving to use all the natural resources you have available. I hope when the hotel opens I make out to see this amazing place. ⛏️

[@BrittonBaker12]

Now do a diamond pickaxe

[@3ForestAnimals]

[@wishborn_angel]

*minecraft noises*

[@GhostTownLiving]

Soon enough!

[@4rtie]

Eh, gold mines faster anyway

[@JFEnterprize]

@@GhostTownLivingwith todays tech I’d imagine there still has to be some veins you can get at?

[@lynnb-TruckCastreauJr]

Wow, that pick axe turned out awesome! What a treasure to share with the world. You are truly blessed.

[@GhostTownLiving]

Thank you so much!

[@lynnb-TruckCastreauJr]

@@GhostTownLiving You're very welcome.

[@rboston33]

Creative idea + hard work + time consuming photography = EDITING = AMAZING VIDEO

[@MysteryCompendium]

This is real-life Minecraft! But honestly, the work you’re putting into Cerro Gordo is incredible, and seeing history come back to life is inspiring. Can’t wait to see the old hotel restored and up and running! Keep up the amazing work!

[@chriscanterbury8647]

What do you think mine craft is based off of lol

[@DesignerOfGraphic]

@@chriscanterbury8647 The joke flew past ur grandma's head...

[@rhondasweeney7271]

That pick ax is awesome! You took a plan, worked on it for months, took action of what you wanted to do, and then acted on it. Epic ending!!! Thanks for sharing your dream that came true 👍 😊

[@agoodmeme4823]

Not only is he experiencing what it’s like to own his very own mineshaft… he’s living real life Minecraft… I am so glad I found this KZbinr.

[@Gillespie91]

He's living Runescape lol

[@Meister_Mogul]

It really is history in the making, bringing these parts of the mine, town, and its tools back to life.

[@blacksheepdino]

The quality and entertainment value of your videos are second to none, no matter the subject. You keep knocking it out of the park every time Brent! Waiting for the next one.

[@namirahdotpdf]

ikrr, this video is so premium

[@susanalbone5101]

That was awesome. Time well spent showing the history of Cerro Gordo from raw materials, made by hand and displayed in the museum that hopefully will be around for many, many years to come for all to see. Well done. Take care, keep safe. ❤ Dorset, UK

[@brianbeilmann2992]

You’re becoming a miner. Doing work as assay and maker of goods. What a journey. Good stuff.

[@pamabernathy8728]

Brett, you are a life-long learner & an excellent teacher! Thank you!!

[@SueHoppe-vk9gl]

Love it when you go all science geek on us!!! That pick is a masterpiece, made with passion and integrity and intent!

[@GhostTownLiving]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@ReneeSmith-se2mf]

I read your book. I love it! I hope you write more as time goes by!!!!

[@GhostTownLiving]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you reading it. Maybe one day!

[@Ellis157]

Brent the whole process you did to make that pick ax is awesome and you should feel proud of yourself because that thing is really cool and it will be a great conversation piece forever and I think it deserves the spot at the front desk of the new hotel

[@mrflippant]

It should have the word "Management" inscribed on the handle, and hang above the hotel's front desk.

[@TJStock85]

She's a beauty, handmade with all your hard work & repurposed material from your backyard/ mine. Brilliant! I'm in awe of your thirst for knowledge & legendary motivation to try new things, Brent. Well done.

[@slowdown3787]

Awesome bit of work there Brent. Can't beat that feeling of making something with your own hands and efforts. Inspirational journey you are on.

[@stephenmiller5023]

You’re turning into quite the beast with all your different skills . Miner , machinery operator, millwright , videographer & historian, all while being owner operator of a town ,as well as Mayor & hotel Operator hopefully in very near future. This almost 5 year journey that has been your life has been very exciting & rewarding to watch Brent , and I can only imagine where it will take you next . Thanks as always for bringing us along on the ride . C-ya , and stay safe Buddy. That Pickaxe turned out beautiful. 😎👍

[@MikeBikes403]

Brent is out here playing minecraft IRL cant wait till you make a diamond pickaxe next 😂😂

[@kevinw.3330]

super history video, I always enjoy ghost town videos

[@pamabernathy8728]

That pickaxe is wonderful!!

[@davidedgar2818]

I'm glad that you got better about your zinc process. I can maybe give you a bit more advice. We were doing silver recovery by electrolysis and the advice of my boss had our lab getting over 100 percent expected recovery point. My manager had us add plain old dish soap ( few drops per gallon) and we had the most beautiful silver crystals and purity I've ever seen I dont know if it had to do with ph or maybe the surface tension of the water base. It was amazing the difference.

[@michaelhayes1678]

Amazing! I never dreamed that alloying to make the brass could be done post-plating the copper and zinc. I figured it was just done basically liquid. A crucible process. Thank you so much!!!

[@lauriehill1520]

Wow! Your pickaxe turned out fantastic! Excellent job Brent!! 👍

[@nellieblankenship1115]

You're amazing Brent! That pic-axe is so cool. I've watched you for 5 years and it's amazing how much you have grown with your ghost town. 😊

[@luisv7117]

Thank you so much for sharing this incredible 4 years of history with us

[@National757]

One heck of a lot of effort! But you should be pretty proud of yourself! Very nice work! Beautiful! That pick axe is a perfect Cerro Gordo restored artifact! Looks great! With some pretty fine craftsmanship from the modern day owner/protector/preserver of Cerro Gordo history! Always enjoy seeing the refining process of the ore on these custom projects. Very interesting! Jim Gillespie Reno, NV :)

[@chadgodsey1382]

Brent, I know that if I lived there too, I'd never get bored...lol

[@daveabbey8027]

Great Video Brent 👍

[@myreasonforlife.9511]

I would love to come visit you Brent and your town but I have a feeling I probably wouldn't leave. 😅 Take care, stay happy, can you get time can you show the animal sometime. 🥰

[@katharine5606]

Fabulous job on all aspects of the pickaxe! You are the perfect individual to own Cerro Gordo- your inquisitive and hardworking nature is inspiring!

[@nunyabizness4354]

Brent - look into making a shave horse to help with the hand shaping of handles and such. Not too hard to make, and will make a huge difference in efficiency with your draw knife and rasping. Huge kudos to you for the effort in gathering the minerals and creating the metals to accomplish this project! Thanks for bringing us along on this journey of creativity!

[@scruggsbuster9458]

Oh my goodness that turned out beautiful it's a lot of hard work but hey the end result now you have something to be proud of😅 that you did by yourself restoration of History love it

[@FishyBoi1337]

Aw man, I hope you have a good enchantment table setup. Gold has awful durability without a few good enchants 😂

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

Awesome, Brent!! Pardon me for saying so, but I saw a Cerro Gordo Brass Plaque on the Handle length-wise as a great Finishing Touch!! Love your Channel, been with you for years now!!

[@davidrubin8228]

Very well done Sir! A masterpiece after many long and hard hours of work! Thank you for sharing.

[@CactusAtlas]

Loved this video. One of my favorites to date. I enjoy learning about this stuff! Brent is a good teacher.

[@mattparker9726]

24:41 Good attempt #1! this is what I expected with the torch tip you are using, it's inconsistent, and that's why you're getting the copper look to the thickest part of the metal. Use a rosebud tip on your gas torch, to spread out the heat and apply it more evenly.

[@jakestadtner6502]

This is incredible. Most KZbinrs get away with simply restoring an ebay axe. Mining the minerals, refining them, restoring an axe you found in the mine is INSANE. Big like!

[@dianne11ca]

Your peaceful existence is so beautiful, where you can just BE and create beautiful things to share. I love the golden pick-axe and now I know how to make brass! So cool. Stay safe, happy & free.

[@Woodie-xq1ew]

Hey Brent, have you heard of Zinc passivating? It’s a way to put a rust resistant layer onto steel components, you could use your own zinc and it even comes in gold!

[@boytriesgames2831]

These videos are cool and interesting. Thanks for making them.

[@GhostTownLiving]

I'm glad you like them!

[@danfenske1067]

Excellent work Bret. You did a really nice job both in plating the old steel and in making the handle. That was a lot of work.

[@jimothydubblesworth648]

Can't wait to watch this 😊 Love from England Brent ☺️

[@GhostTownLiving]

Hello! Hope you enjoy it!

[@MBaldelli]

I remember seeing you a year or so ago when you and Max Miller were collaborating about some history lessons on food, old western history and mining towns, and you had been there talking about Cerro Gordo history while featuring your book "Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley". Thanks to the wonders of clearing my KZbin History, I saw the thumbnail for this video on my featured page and thinking, "wait a minute, I've seen this man before.." Low and behold, here you are, reminding me of the time I was working in jewelry manufacturing and seeing you performing electroplating which was done on some jewelry for the company I was working in the IT Department for. Thanks for jogging my jeweler memories from more than 30 years ago, good to see you continuing with your passion for Cerro Gordo's restoration, and I'll keep looking for you here and on featured.

[@MrDalerex]

Brett Amen to all the history you preserve

[@snickerspayne4929]

That pick axe is worthy of a museum, Brent. Wow. It would look really great framed in a shadow box and displayed in the new hotel. Well done 😊

[@just4guitar558]

20:00 The more of the mineral suspended in the ammonia there is, the better the leeching will be. If it all just sits at the bottom, you’re losing surface area.

[@zport1853]

every time i thought you'd messed up or didn't quite something I was pleasantly surprised to see you agree and then improve. you made an incredibly well put together video that tells quite the story.

[@johumm455]

Nice Hotel decoration !

[@calebfast8088]

Doing the handle too was a totally worthwhile venture. Looks great!

[@JustRocks-s9n]

Forget Thors Hammer… Behold, Brent’s Pickaxe! Good job Brent

[@raymondjohns7617]

Your excitement and enthusiasm for the axe is comentable! It is great. Thanks Ray

[@zackstockton3879]

It’s really cool that your family has payed for you to have all this. Just gose to show you can do fun projects when you don’t have to worry about funds. Congrats bro. I like watching

[@toadfish54321]

If you had any aluminum and some tin you could have made Nordic gold and used that to coat your pick. (89% copper, 5% zinc, 5% aluminum and 1% tin.)

[@arjovenzia]

Restoring old hand tools is rewarding in its own right. I was complaining to my ol man about how bad my chinesium axe was. Next time he visited brought up a 1890 English steel axe head he found in a bucket of rusty junk. Cleaned up pretty nice, put a sheoak haft (local wood, very interesting grain structure, springy, very strong). Very sharp, holds its edge, used daily in winter. 130 years old n still doing it's job excellently. Such a good tool, hours of cleaning, chemicals, crafting, to make it properly mine. Kind of a tradition in our family, we don't do birthday or Christmas presents (other than food). We give parts for each others projects throughout the year.

[@mcridr08]

This just adds to the amount of effort you have put into bringing this town back to life. What an outstanding job you have done to share this with us.

[@Jim-b4t]

So, the miracle will be to finance the hotel based on what's right there. So, once again, is it possible to assay the giant waste pile to see if there are marketable minerals and rare earth's in there.....

[@michaelcheli5842]

Brent. Very impressive how you took your vision of mining the needed minerals and electroplating an antique Cerro Gordo find, to ultimately create a golden pick ax. Now all you need is a golden ticket and a chocolate factory. 🙂

[@WayneShaw-r6j]

Thanks a ton for your videos! Crypto education is exactly what the world needs right now. I don’t think buy and hold is a wise investment strategy anymore. Not too diluted, and to a certain extent, follow Sophia’s trading ideas and signal tips for your portfolio’s growth and aggressiveness. She’s not only taught me what the cryptocurrency trading world looks like, but she’s also given me a secret to boost my finances. Buying crypto and waiting for the price to soar is not the best way to invest in the market, but buying and trading is. Sophia Haney’s trade signals do the heavy lifting, generating competitive returns for crypto traders and investors in the form of money and peace of mind. Time in the market vs. timing the market. If you keep that mindset as an investor, you’ll stay calm during the storm! Within a few months, I was making a lot more money and have continued on that same path…

[@WayneShaw-r6j]

I can’t reveal too much here, but I’m learning from a really great person named ‘Sophia E Haney’. She’s been in the industry for over two decades and knows a thing or two. I highly recommend checking her out online.

[@WayneShaw-r6j]

Use her name to quickly conduct an internet search.

[@WayneShaw-r6j]

SHE’S MOSTLY ON TELEGRAMS APPS WITH HER NAME.

[@WayneShaw-r6j]

Sophiahaney she’s verified

[@DevynTristan]

I agree that there are strategies that could be put in place for solid gains regardless of economy or market condition, but such executions are usually carried out by investment experts or advisors with experience…

[@vigilante351]

Been watching your channel here in Australia since the first one, really must feel great, getting away from office work, and doing hands on work, learning new skills, self teaching, failing, learning from those mistakes, and actually surviving in a place that's so different to what you had! Such eye opener!

[@Mr_Crocodile_56]

Not a bad video by any means but i much prefer the ones focused on your actual work around the town.

[@GuyWithTheDogs]

Some people are ponds, meant to stay in one place. Some people are rivers, meant to be constantly moving. You are a pond, Brent is a river.

[@pw4g492]

Tim the tool man’s got nothing on you! You the man. Very handy person. You have learned so much since you’ve moved there.

[@shawnbuckendahl1968]

Beautiful result after many months of exploring various crafts and trades. It is so cool how your curiosity leads you to try different things. One thing to note on your handle, understanding that you won't be using the ax for real work but rather as a show piece of history and your talents, is that pick axes and other tools meant to be swung is that the handle actually inserts from the top of the tool. This way as it is swung and struck against things, the tool seats even firmer against the wider area at the top and actually tightens to the handle. The wedges are then pounded in the ensure the tool doesn't slide down while putting it down. Technically, a striking tool doesn't even require a wedge if the handle is shaped correctly. Still, beautiful work.

[@JudyGoodwin-l9b]

Twelve minutes in and I have to pause the video. Absolutely fascinating! This is by far my favorite KZbin channel. Five years in March, living the dream! The history, the back breaking work the men did back in the day. A truly wild west town. It had it all. Ok, on with the show 😁 😎

[@camodudeA51]

What an excellent chapter in the Cerro Gordo video catalog, been watching since day one and will never stop watching, although I never thought Brent would become a craftsman but here we are.🙂

[@ElementofKindness]

Love my Mighty Mill. Absolutely awesome for sampling. Don't waste time with the optional discharge screen and outlet. Just grind, then dump back out the input when it begins to get too full. 🙂👍

[@nel.anowi87]

Dziękujemy.

[@vixstert.5642]

I've been watching since this channel began. What a difference a few years makes. Brent you've come a long way since that winter night in March. Keep up the great work!

[@patchmack4469]

haha i found that particularly interesting - not that i go looking for videos on how metals are made and so on, but i do find the electrolysis very cool, love to have a go myself, do some ally/anodizing, you make it look very easy especially in a 30 minute video, and it took you on and off over 4 months, thanks for your patients and determination what you done to that pick head is give it new life and meaning, and with it been recorded makes it quite a special piece, you'll be carrying it everywhere now and taking pictures at other mines haha, making it quite sentimental in many ways, well done Brent, that sort of thing makes me smile for all the right reasons it still baffles me as with many things we take for granted today, how anyone in years gone by could sit around playing, experimenting with different natural materials and chemicals, heat them up to produce all kinds of metals, chemistry and alchemy are fascinating subjects for sure

[@carenmontgomery2384]

How exciting to learn, share, and discover so much with us that you've created. I've followed you from the start, read your terrific book, and hope to stay in the hotel someday! Hope your winter isn't too wild! I'm just 31:25 hoping for some real rain 🌧 in San Diego. Please pass on hugs to your critters for me!

[@KairiRatten]

Ever since Brent sat down on a con panel about mining next to a Minecraft youtuber (SkipTheTutorial, whom I also watch), I've been thinking how wild it is to combine all those people on one panel like that, and now it's gone full circle with Minecraft's iconic useless (because actual gold) item, the many memed golden pickaxe, it makes me really giddy about the whole thing. It looks amazing, and I absolutely love the excitement while making it, that's the best part of making something you're already loving before it's even finished.

[@entercreativename]

While I've seen videos of electroplating with gold and copper and such, I haven't seen it performed with having to make the solution first from the actual copper! It was interesting seeing how it was done back in the day, and the pickaxe is absolutely beautiful! And there really is something comforting about doing something with your own hands, and the old, slow way.

[@thomasvaughan294]

Great job, we could hear the pride and excitement in your voice and felt it through the screen! Beautiful pick axe!

[@markg454]

One of your best episodes to date! Such a great history and metallurgy lesson. Cheers!

[@maryc3808]

I binge watched your videos last night and then had dreams all night that I was at Cerro Gordo. I could see the big blue sky and feel the crunch of the gravel under my boots. I hope I get there for reals someday.

[@ChantalsBackPain]

You would be a brilliant science teacher. You explained it so well. What a great piece for the museum 💜💜💜

[@joshshoberg8598]

This is easily the most excited I think I've seen Brent in a while. Not like he was a Debbie Downer in his other videos but jumping around like an excited kid at almost every stage of the project really sucked me into the video (more than I already was anyway). Love it!

[@blackholeadventures]

I am absolutely in awe of your ability to tell the ending story as well as doing the cool, fun stuff. Especially so with your monologue of sorts, speaking of our increasing digital life, and going back to connect with nature. I've started a channel of my own (not this is any kind of self promotion plug), and while the content I'm working on at the current time doesn't really have a story to go along with it, I do have some stuff planned for the future that I hope to be able to tell a story like you do, and you, along with the GTL content, have been a direct inspiration for me in that regard. Even if I don't "make it" on KZbin, I still thank you for lighting that spark in me : )

[@magausausa]

good job, love it. some old timer swung that thing for hours and hours, now its preserved and part of Cerro Gordo forever.

[@Janer-52]

What an adventure! This is beautiful. I applaud your research and willingness to try something from scratch. Thanks for sharing.

[@sharonfillman8302]

I loved seeing the collecting of minerals and smelting them to a pure state. Then the electrolysis coating the ax head. Very interesting. Your ax is beautiful

[@Smokey-s4w]

Super happy for you! There’s a tremendous amount of work that went into that. It would take craftsmen of the past a long time to perfect their art. You figured it out and made something special that you can be very proud of. Nice going Brent.

[@relicthered]

Thoroughly enjoyed watching you craft the pickaxe and coming alive. THIS is what hooked me from the start of your journey! Keep building, moving, and growing! Can't wait to see what you do next!

[@Skylane2005]

Without a doubt, the finished product of that pickaxe, came out pretty amazing! Well done! Good job! Good video!

[@jentommyontheroad8089]

Your craftsmanship is impressive with the pickaxe and your book! I love that you narrated the audible version and while you told the story, I went back to the beginning of the IG pages and followed the events as they happened in the book! What an amazing adventure! Thank you for sharing it with us!

[@bethintexas9678]

I love the fact that you are learning and crafting as you go. Congrats on "upgrading" the original pickaxe (said as I sit here playing Minecraft and watching)!

[@Ribcrickett]

That sunset near the end is otherworldly beautiful 😍.

[@danielbanks7500]

Great job! I love that the heritage and age of the piece is intact with the pitted metal and then plated. That handle is amazing and has some fantastic color/detailing in the knots. BEAUTIFUL piece and fantastic work sir!

[@trinketsmusings]

Wow. Just wow. I'm blown away by your ideas and determination. It's so inspiring to see. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. What a beautiful creation.

[@charlessoule8587]

Nice job, very satisfying

[@williamjthepoet1675]

I’ve been following you for about four years (since COVID) this is probably the most proud I’ve seen you in a video. And it’s a short one in comparison to some of the others! Well done my friend 🎉

[@marydilley4455]

Brent! This is fantastic! What a way to use the resources around you. What an inspiration you are to so many! Always love watching your episodes..... always so interesting!

[@carolineindacityphx]

I do not know much about tool making or working with minerals, but that pickaxe is an heirloom piece! Just saying. I mean that is a treasured handcrafted tool that should pass on from generation to generation. ❤️ And throughout the process, your expressions and the look of happiness, working on it was palpable. Thank you for sharing the entire process. I was riveted. 😍

[@gladtech4740]

Best video so far. Super interesting seeing you use everything you've learned over the years.