Lesson 21 Size Matters- California Prospect One

[@DavidNormoyle]

Love listening to this guy , what a legend of the mining game he is. I learnt so much abut the industry watching just 6 or 7 episodes. This is about as concise and and practical as it gets. A great body of work Sir. Thanks.

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Thank you very much for the high praise. Just trying ot help others while I help myself. It's fun too.

[@joeg3211]

Awesome video Keith. Thanks for all of your hard work in putting these lessons together. Your channel is becoming a great resource for the mining community! Joe

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Thank you very much. Helping people to become successful or avoid unnecessary losses is the major thrust of this effort. I have seem millions of dollars wasted because of poor decisions that could be easily avoided. It really sucks when a normal person loses years of savings for easily preventable reasons. I think I am getting better at making them as time goes on. It is an interesting challenge to try and balance the educational and recreational content. I appreciate it when I get feedback like yours, it lets me know I am accomplishing my goals. Keith

[@MrCountrycuz]

This is an excellent and important video that every prospector needs to know about those labs!

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Thank you

[@SaltwaterServr]

where'd y'all get that nice ladder from? That's pretty sharp.

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

The mine owner had it. He was REALLY cautious and had that as an alternate exfil route. He was very un-knowledgeable about hard rock, but smart and therefore used an abundance of caution. Wish everyone was that careful. Keith

[@jdeluisa]

Excellent video as always. I really like the way you put the information together in a way that is both easy to understand and interesting. It was a great trip. I commend you on your ability to sample. You had predicted about 0.25 OPT Au when you ran the samples on the table and the assay results show that you were just about spot on!

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Thanks Jason, I was wondering what to do with the modest amount of video I had on the property, and then the idea od segueing to assay variability and unreliability came to me, and voila! I was pleased how it turned out.

[@viktorskalbe7288]

jdeluisa ,

[@viktorskalbe7288]

jdeluisa to

[@Fintoman]

Howdy Keith Never had the opportunity to prospect for gold, but I find your video series fascinating. Thanks for the education.

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

You're most welcome. Where do you live? There is gold in a lot of places.

[@WildernessMedic]

What's the minimum size assay sample I should accept? Every lab I found that does it only does 30-50g samples! I can't imagine that gives you much data even if well mixed.

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

A standard fife assay is about that size. The unfortunate consequences of the small sample size are partly mitigated by proper sample prep with pulverization and splitting. If th gold is too coarse, it may resist full dissolution in some cases also. By had panning a 2 lb sample first, I can get a good idea of the gold particle size and ln from there. If is is small like montana b (80% passing 6.8 microns) the assays are fine. Top of the Hill OTOH is much larger and we use large samples and gravity extract.

[@edmc1000]

A guy can learn a lot from your experience, thank you !!

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

I am happy to provide lessons cheap TO YOU :-) The education and adventure are satisfaction to me.

[@davevan1928]

You are spot on if your looking a overall value or if your sampling for a customer. Me on the other hand I want know what's where I'm digging so I know what to expect. But then again I'm a very small miner so I'm most interested in knowing what I can recover

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Got the results from that location we went to: below detection limit. Had a fun trip anyway. Thanks.

[@mungebob95]

Great vid Keith, what assay company do you use?

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Having issues, this is a test.

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Interesting, it gets difficult for some reason when I put specifics in. Try emailing me from my web site and I will get you the details. Sorry for the e-troubles, keith

[@mungebob95]

ok will do

[@MrCountrycuz]

When the original miners dug this pit, were they extracting gold all the way down?? What prompted them to dig down here?

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Yes, they were following a vein down.

[@MrCountrycuz]

Have you looked at the superstition mountains and the lost dutchmans mine?

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

I have never been in them. I've driven by them several times. Would be great to find it. :-)

[@goldminer49niner42]

Good video I have a few gold plaster claims in upper Mohave the area is vary rich with gold , Thanks for your videos I'm learning hard rock mining right now and you are very helpfully ,do you have training in the field.

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

I don't have anything formal, however we are happy to have people tag along and help out when schedules permit. We are also on the lookout for good joint ventures. What part of hard rock prospecting are you most interested in? Keith

[@robs9574]

Have you tried doing your own assays in addition to fine panning for free milling values? A certain Mining/Lab equipment dealer in Oregon offers an Assay Home Study Course. I was just wondering if something like that is worth it?

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

I actually developed a quantitative wet chemical assay for gold years ago that worked OK for about 80% of the ore sampled. The rest gave results of about 20% of actual. I think the hand panning is most useful as it is very fast if you have some way to easily pulverize a sample. Currently I am too crowded in time and available space to worry about doing my own assaying, so I haven't even thought about it. I like inventing more. I would carefully research any classes in 'home assaying' -as to do a good job requires a fair amount of equipment (crusher, pulverizer, splitter, furnace, precision balance, plus miscellaneous small lab ware and reagents). If you WANT to have your own capability, I would encourage you to research classes carefully and then take one. My buddy Jason has taken two- and we still send them out to get results we are confident in. If you want something quick and high precision isn't necessary, the panning seems to work well (at least it has so far for me). Once you find something interesting, then lab assays confirm it and define the numbers to insert into the Economics Estimator. Keith

[@MrCountrycuz]

Can you just flat top the whole hill top? How much money do you need?

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

It would require an approved Mine Plan, and the known reserves do not justify it at the moment. The owner is continuing exploration activities. Keith

[@MannyScoot]

1/4 oz to 3/4 oz per ton is workable ? .....

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Depending on the throughput and difficulty of the extraction. I worked at an open pit/heap leach where the rock was profitable at .02 Oz/T. On the series Gold Rush they talk grades of about .01 Oz/T. It is a balancing act. For a micro scale operation with substantial reserves accessible by surface mining you could easily dig several tons per hour with one person. Add another to haul it and one for the mill and a desired payout of $200 per person per day with labor being half total costs you could accomplish that with 1 Oz/day recovered. At 1/4 Oz/T grade that would mean a throughput of 1000 lbs per hour. MBMMMLLC sells a 1 TPH turnkey plant for example. I am trying to achieve a 400 Lb/hr system and 1000 lb per hour system that are both relatively inexpensive inexpensive and portable to fit just this niche.

[@MannyScoot]

@@hardrockuniversity7283 Keep us updated on your equipment !

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

@@MannyScoot I definitely will. If I succeed, I want to sell them. :-)

[@djpitr]

very good info thanks

[@MrCountrycuz]

Keith If I rappelled down the shaft, Do you think you and your partner could winch me up out of there?

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

It would depend on the situation. In this case they assisted me instead of hoisted me. Under the right conditions you can certainly be hoisted. I once was lowered down a 100 foot shaft in Mexico by winch and then climbed the safety rope using prussick knots just to try it out while I had a backup. I was in better shape back then. :-)

[@johnhennery8820]

Hello Keith I've just started watching your videos and I find them very interesting and very interested in looking for gold and I really appreciate your help and information I'm just wondering if you are still making videos and any updates you are a very good teacher I have been to college for a degree in machine shop teck and only one of my teachers even comes close to you any way I was just wondering if you have found a good mine and if you still make videos your student Greg

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

Oh yeah! We are working at it all the time. We are up in Montana now and do a live stream every Monday evening at 6PM Montana time. If you ever have any questions, just make a comment on a video like you just did, or jump on the live stream and ask then. Right now water is a solid so it limits what we can do, so we have been mainly working in the lab, but in a month and a half we should be back in the field three to five days per week. We have two serious projects lined up for thsi summer. Our last video was like lesson 322.

[@goldminer49niner42]

Free mailed gold I'm in Johannesburg & Randsburg area

[@hardrockuniversity7283]

So Cal eh? Tough for permits. Exactly the situation we set up for. By keeping it under the triggers for a POR or NOI you can get a lot done if you have the grade. Probably the easiest way to start is to go to my website HardRockU.com and start with what appears most immediately relevant. The first four lessons are probably the best place to start, but you DEFINITELY want to watch lesson 4- How to Hand Pan Micro-Fine gold. It is the key to rapid and inexpensive exploration for free milling gold. Keith