stevewilko
that's right it was me....
Broken the Ice at Blackwood ?
Well it wasn't gold; it was a 1947 thrupenny bit.
A threepence coin in very good condition down around 20cm.
I consider I have broken the ice with a coin! - but something is wrong.
I moved away from Albion Mine after about 10 hours of coil on ground. No gold using both coils.
I worked all the sluiced country down both sides and detected around Albion itself. I was learning.
Considering changing ground, I studied south along Albion track to the first three ways divide.
This is highest point at Albion. To the right there are three hard hills with four gullies, eventually meeting Perry Reef and farther to long gully.
There is evidence of workings alright, protruding quartz veins of considerable width. Intersections of brown sandstone. Evidence of detector prospecting. A old claim notice expired 1983 still stands. When you reach to Perry reef, these are large and deep diggings. A lead running North'ish west to South'ish East over the faces of these three hard hills and through the gully bottoms.
I decided a planned approach of a hill top per day. All the hard ground from high point along the hill top down the gully face to the gully. (500 m? 5 hrs?)
Next I divided the height of the hill in half and do a circuit mid height right around the entire hill. I detected around the diggings as well.
Next I undertook a zig zag pattern anywhere down the side at the third pass looking for a spill.
The gully bottom showed deep loam, evidenced by a dig and by the health and profusion of bracken and vegetation in general. I did not detect the gully bottoms.
I have done this on all three hills and have about 30 hours of actual detecting there. NO Gold!
So it is a case of either / or ...
The operator.
The country.
The detector.
I have found 400 grams of small lead. Buckshot, Bird Shot, larger bullets and shot. 22 bullets and shells. Shotgun firing end caps brass x 3. Aluminium pigeon ring. I have shirt buttons, all manner of small steel and ironstone. I am discounting any thing of size where all these mentioned finds were from good depth. I am running a quiet enough threshold with only some litter knocks and rubble and ground giving off sound. I check all targets. The lead at depth was always a good signal from threshold, not screaming but I haven't had a subtle threshold signal - ever. It is low and slow everywhere, the coil face is heavily marked now.
Blackwood is proven gold field country. Apart from the mines there is consistent diggings and detecting evident, but perhaps not a lot of it, particularly from the sites I have just been over. I mentioned the evidence before, plus I can find red impregnated and red stained quartz, sandstone and slate rock, plus, I sighted old Chinese Pottery and very old black brown and green glass. It's not the Country is it?
I used the 15 x 12 mono fairly exclusively. I was never too far away from factory presets, but I did take my written notes with me and re read and implemented different settings during these days and hours. It is very smart technology, very sensitive and my aerial test of metal pick signals above the coil at all the settings did not show much variation. I have signals higher than the joiner of the shafts and screaming at or below it during all settings. It can't be the machine!
What am I doing wrong.
Any volunteers!
Anyone with any history, or their experience at these digs about?
Wah Wah Wah 8.( 8.( 8.(
Well it wasn't gold; it was a 1947 thrupenny bit.
A threepence coin in very good condition down around 20cm.
I consider I have broken the ice with a coin! - but something is wrong.
I moved away from Albion Mine after about 10 hours of coil on ground. No gold using both coils.
I worked all the sluiced country down both sides and detected around Albion itself. I was learning.
Considering changing ground, I studied south along Albion track to the first three ways divide.
This is highest point at Albion. To the right there are three hard hills with four gullies, eventually meeting Perry Reef and farther to long gully.
There is evidence of workings alright, protruding quartz veins of considerable width. Intersections of brown sandstone. Evidence of detector prospecting. A old claim notice expired 1983 still stands. When you reach to Perry reef, these are large and deep diggings. A lead running North'ish west to South'ish East over the faces of these three hard hills and through the gully bottoms.
I decided a planned approach of a hill top per day. All the hard ground from high point along the hill top down the gully face to the gully. (500 m? 5 hrs?)
Next I divided the height of the hill in half and do a circuit mid height right around the entire hill. I detected around the diggings as well.
Next I undertook a zig zag pattern anywhere down the side at the third pass looking for a spill.
The gully bottom showed deep loam, evidenced by a dig and by the health and profusion of bracken and vegetation in general. I did not detect the gully bottoms.
I have done this on all three hills and have about 30 hours of actual detecting there. NO Gold!
So it is a case of either / or ...
The operator.
The country.
The detector.
I have found 400 grams of small lead. Buckshot, Bird Shot, larger bullets and shot. 22 bullets and shells. Shotgun firing end caps brass x 3. Aluminium pigeon ring. I have shirt buttons, all manner of small steel and ironstone. I am discounting any thing of size where all these mentioned finds were from good depth. I am running a quiet enough threshold with only some litter knocks and rubble and ground giving off sound. I check all targets. The lead at depth was always a good signal from threshold, not screaming but I haven't had a subtle threshold signal - ever. It is low and slow everywhere, the coil face is heavily marked now.
Blackwood is proven gold field country. Apart from the mines there is consistent diggings and detecting evident, but perhaps not a lot of it, particularly from the sites I have just been over. I mentioned the evidence before, plus I can find red impregnated and red stained quartz, sandstone and slate rock, plus, I sighted old Chinese Pottery and very old black brown and green glass. It's not the Country is it?
I used the 15 x 12 mono fairly exclusively. I was never too far away from factory presets, but I did take my written notes with me and re read and implemented different settings during these days and hours. It is very smart technology, very sensitive and my aerial test of metal pick signals above the coil at all the settings did not show much variation. I have signals higher than the joiner of the shafts and screaming at or below it during all settings. It can't be the machine!
What am I doing wrong.
Any volunteers!
Anyone with any history, or their experience at these digs about?
Wah Wah Wah 8.( 8.( 8.(
