Using a dry blower in Victoria.

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Buck11 said:
Nightjar said:
Buck11,
If your apprenticeship is in engineering, yes build your own would be a great project.
Built this one and it gave years of enjoyment and even found gold. Lots of it. :goldnugget:
Sadly I parted with it a few years back, it is probably still drifting around the WA goldfields somewhere.

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1414/1612397564_dryblower.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1414/1612397564_dryblower2.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1414/1612397564_dryblower3.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1414/1612397564_dryblower4.jpg

Looks epic mate! What a build. Hahah my apprenticeship is carpentry. So I dont think Ill be making one out of timber hahs. I would like to make one tho Ill have to look into it for sure!!

Plenty of dryblowers made out of timber, check out some of the puffers in various threads on here
 
Has anyone used a dry blower in the G.T. I've been finding small gold above a huge oblong shaped surfaced area. All about 150 to 200mm deep, and I'm thinking there must be lots more smaller undetectable gold at that depth. Is it dry enough in the summer here to operate one succsessfully? Any advice would be appreciated. wiley
 
Aside any legalities, which I don't know..
Up here, grab a fist full of dirt and squeeze it in your hand and release, if it stays in a grenade shape, the ground is too damp.
If it falls like sand after you open your fingers, perfect for a dry blower...
 
Grenade shape, LMAO. top military talk.

In Victoria its a condition of a Miners Right to return the surface soil to original condition after digging, not sure about legalities of using a dry-blower.
The SDCs and now the GPX6000s have been taking all that gold in abundance you speak of, won't be any left by the time the ground dries out.
 
Swinging & digging said:
Grenade shape, LMAO. top military talk.

In Victoria its a condition of a Miners Right to return the surface soil to original condition after digging, not sure about legalities of using a dry-blower.
The SDCs and now the GPX6000s have been taking all that gold in abundance you speak of, won't be any left by the time the ground dries out.

No one gets it all, portable dry blowers are used in Victoria when conditions permit. Don't for one minute think dry blowers won't work it's more about the conditions being right. Follow the regs and your good to go mate :Y:
 
Swinging & digging said:
Grenade shape, LMAO. top military talk.

Laugh your arse off all you like!
How else could you describe a fist full of wet dirt when you open your fingers??
I'm sure most people understood, but you need to bait????
 
Simmo said:
Swinging & digging said:
Grenade shape, LMAO. top military talk.

Laugh your arse off all you like!
How else could you describe a fist full of wet dirt when you open your fingers??
I'm sure most people understood, but you need to bait????
Not everyone understands that way of talking so cut him a bit of slack mate
Even i found it funny the way you described it
 
Simmo said:
Swinging & digging said:
Grenade shape, LMAO. top military talk.

Laugh your arse off all you like!
How else could you describe a fist full of wet dirt when you open your fingers??
I'm sure most people understood, but you need to bait????

No offence intended your comment made me laugh.
Depending on peoples life experiences and line of work we often compare things and use certain terminology to describe things which to others outside our interests can become confused etc.

I am sure 99.9% of our members understood your comparison, only likely to upset extreme lefty types.
 
Go for it Wiley Coyote .... perfectly legal and effective means to recover gold in Victoria.

I use mine every summer as a break from just detecting with the SDC or GPX, surprising what you recover from dry creek beds (and of course you can sluice/highbank to your hearts content (when there's water).

From what you've described the edges as well as "sweeping" the surfaced area just might reward ....... my latest effort has been going through old heaps that people have been tearing apart ... they've done the hard work breaking up the soil and yes it returns gold that I assume their GM or SDC has not been able to pick up.

Important to break up what you're throwing through it a bit, I usually just smash it with the back of the shovel.

Usually don't start till Jan/Feb but depends entirely on how the dirt has dried out but any time it's dry give it a go.
 
I used the garden moisture meter and poked it into the ground when I got home. The reading hit the end of the scale in half the places and about 70% in other places so I'm most likely stuffed until after winter. The place hasn't looked so green in all the years I've seen it here.
 
Thanks guys. I won't be doing the edges or bottom of the surfacing, as I only got gold above the run. I guess the gold was thinning out where the old timers stopped. But, what wasn't enough to support maybe 5 or 6 men back then could be more than enough to make me very happy now! There's a large run of diggings about 15 metres above the surfacing, so that's probably where it's shedding from. By legal in Victoria, does that mean only a mechanical, not petrol powered? wiley
 
wiley coyote said:
Thanks guys. I won't be doing the edges or bottom of the surfacing, as I only got gold above the run. I guess the gold was thinning out where the old timers stopped. But, what wasn't enough to support maybe 5 or 6 men back then could be more than enough to make me very happy now! There's a large run of diggings about 15 metres above the surfacing, so that's probably where it's shedding from. By legal in Victoria, does that mean only a mechanical, not petrol powered? wiley

I'm in Vic. Petrol powered is fine, excavation has to be done by hand.
As for seasons, I sometimes use mine in winter.
If its all gravels (which when undercover are usually dry on the slopes) and no organics, it doesn't have to be super dry. I've found I can run material that is not totally dry, but the air needs turning up a little and the feed rate has to be slowed down quite a bit. Also it sticks around the hopper chute so I have to keep giving it the finger.
That said, it still recovers very well, although I'm sure my losses are increased.
Bring home a little bit less but still get to go out the bush and that's all that really matters.
 
G'Day. 9od. The gold was in the gravels. I didn't dig down to see how deep it is before it hits clay. I'll check out the depth next time. I'll also dig up and sieve a few spots there to pan it and see if there's any fines in it. If it's got enough in it, do you want to come and have a play with your dry blower for a day this summer? I can help shovel etc. 50/50 split. wiley.
 
wiley coyote said:
G'Day. 9od. The gold was in the gravels. I didn't dig down to see how deep it is before it hits clay. I'll check out the depth next time. I'll also dig up and sieve a few spots there to pan it and see if there's any fines in it. If it's got enough in it, do you want to come and have a play with your dry blower for a day this summer? I can help shovel etc. 50/50 split. wiley.

Yeah mate that sounds like it could be fun. I'm in the north central area of Vic. As long as its not too far west I'd be in for a run for sure.
 
Wiley Coyote,
You haven't mentioned which type of dryblower.
Here in the west we have found the bellows type dryblower out performs the constant air.
The extra agitation and like someone has already mentioned a few smacks with the back of the shovel breaks up the clumps.
**Always rake the oversize and swing a coil over it when finished for the day. We have found many slugs that didn't drop through the top screen.**
 
G'Day Nightjar. I'm not too fussed which type, as it's only a test run to see what turns up. wiley.
 

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