Loaming for Gold information and questions

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I usually detect around old timers diggings. There is a pretty obvious difference in the amount of material around the mouth of the hole if they belled it out at the bottom. This means they were onto decent gold, and I've had much better luck around those holes. Little material piled up generally means they reached the wash and it wasn't worth their while.
 
Was wondering if anyone has had much success loaning?
Also wondering if anyone has a copy of Sam Cash 's book on loaning they would sell or loan?
Cheers Dave.
 
Hi Davent,
You could try Miner's Den, I picked up a copy from their Sydney branch some time back, worth a shot.
Merry Christmas, SinHof.
 
I have just ordered the book loaming for gold recommended by James Breadsell in one of his youtube videos. Not much of an entertainer but sure seems to know what hes doing and does touch on sample sizes in the video with him and the little dry blower from memory.
 
Loaming For Gold. Sam Cash 1959. This book is a must have if you want to learn about loaming. It explains in fine detail how to loam from start to finish. An excellent book that also has heaps of tips on prospecting that is useful for detecting as well. wiley
 
G'day, thinking of going back to old ways to find a patch.
Wondering what people use for sample bags, and how big each sample should be?
Cheers, Dave.
The long canvas sock with sturdy thin rope to tie off the sections as you gather samples to test.... the entire thing hangs over your shoulder and across your chest for ease of handling. Nowadays you could have your sections of the sock numbered and save the corresponding gps co-ordinates for when you do your cleanup. It's very important to know exactly where each and every sample was gathered from... so you can start to see the bigger picture of where the gold flow is sitting (or at least the heaviest spots to make it all the more worthwhile).
 
G'day, thinking of going back to old ways to find a patch.
Wondering what people use for sample bags, and how big each sample should be?
Cheers, Dave.
Maybe just a backpack with a bunch of large plastic ziplock bags and a texta???

Where should the primary sample be done in a gully?
I believe loaming is generally from the surface soil, is this correct?
If so then should we be testing along the bottom of the hillsides or from the gully itself. For some reason I'm thinking we would need to test bedrock in the gully rather than grabbing surface samples???
 
In loaming, Depending on the depth to bedrock, or what used to be bedrock and has weathered to a white, yellow, grey or red clay, some areas have almost no topsoil while others may have half a metre or more topsoil and several metres of clay, depending on the composition of the original bedrock, The loam sample should be taken from bottom of the ''B'' horizon . ''A'' being topsoil made up of plant material and lighter sands etc. ''B'' being made up of clays or gravels, rock fragments, Hill Scree, ''C'' being decomposed soft bedrock and true bedrock.
If you are tryng to learn to loam, pay attention to what the old timers did to locate reefs or lodes in you area. They may be no more than shallow scrapes or as in my neck of the woods in N,East Victoria, trenches cut across the side of a hill at least half a metre deep.
Maybe try loaming in reverse. Try collecting loams from below a known rich primary deposit/ mine and test at various depths until you get a positive result. just remember that the surface outcrop may not be anywhere near the main shaft or Adit. :|
 
You can take surface samples on the hill side say 5 x 5 mts . Send them to a lab and they will tell you how much gold is in the sample . Parts per million . Pick out the best results , then take more closer samples and re test .
 
I know of an alluvial deposit near Bathurst . It was worked by 3 guys . Their recovery was not good , you could pan the tailings and find gold . All the gold I saw was very sharp , from a reef , not water worn . In my opinion it was shed from a reef which was 3 mts . under the dirt . Last time I looked that area had a lease on it and they had to pay a $100,000 bond on it . Out side of my pocket .
 
Teemore said:
Check out "The Ballad of Buster Scraggs" movie ...... various short stories (some OK some crap) but one very good one on loaming, gives you a good idea of what it is and how it's done.

This is a good tip
 
That most definitely is a good tip! I forgot all about that scene.
Side note: Tom Waits is awesome.
 
Mike678. I had some quartz assayed in a lab like you say in the late 80s. It's done in a device called an atomic absorbtion unit. It gives result in parts per million on the metals in the sample. About $110 for each 2 kilo lot. I collected the samples from an area I'd found good gold on in the Triangle. It tested at 14 grams per ton. The lab was behind Spring St. in Melbourne.
 
G'day, thinking of going back to old ways to find a patch.
Wondering what people use for sample bags, and how big each sample should be?
Cheers, Dave.
I use 5L buckets with numbered lids, gps waypoint for location and number.
 

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