One thing I would LOVE to see added to something like this, is a video of which particular rocks you look for, and a close up view of what those rocks actually look like and why you picked them.
Sir..Thank you so much for sharing the awesome video..so much to learn.it is a great video for me..i enjoy most of your videos and explaination.God bless
Chris, I really appreciate that you take the time to share your knowledge! In an hour and a half you answered so many of my questions and fueled my excitement for gold hunting! I was absolutely compelled to purchase a copy of your book from Amazon, so the time you took to make and share these videos with us just paid off! I'm a long time custom knife maker located in Oregon with a dream of finding local gold and refining it to use in the custom knives I build!
Hello Mr. Ralph! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your patient, detailed teaching style. I am a novice prospector, both of metals, and of gems. Due to circumstances, my education has been entirely what I have found in my area, and on my limited travels, and what I have found online, and in books. I am afraid that I have not yet been able to afford your book, but I look forward to the day when I finally get my hands on it. In any case, despite 7 years of hands-on examination, and hundreds of hours of study, I have no confidence in my identification of anything I find. My ultimate goal, though it may sound silly, is to be able to support myself comfortably, with the precious metals and gems, that I find. Though I have found many beautiful specimens, I cannot offer them for sale, because I would have to put a name to them, and I am unable to do this, with certainty. So, now we come to my questions. The first is, do you give any classes or seminars, concerning prospecting? Then, though I have seen your comments about not being willing to identify minerals from only a photograph, (I can understand that!) Is there any forum where you do instruct on identification, using in-person examination of specimens? I just know that looking at the sort of rocks that I find, with someone who could tell me what they are, and how I could come to that conclusion on my own, would be a tremendous boost to my competence. I predict that you will tell me that all of the information may be found in your book and videos. To be sure, the wealth of information that you have made available is as generous as it is inspiring. However, I do not easily learn from writings or recorded media. It has always been this way for me. One or two questions, answered by a knowledgeable person, provide as much insight as hours and hours of study. I live in southern Redding, CA. There are certainly plenty of treasures here! I will be grateful for any information you can provide. Thanks! Patience tractorhag@gmail.com
Sorry, I get many, many requests for help, advice, mineral ID, etc every day. I could spend 10 or more hours every day meeting all the requests. So I only offer the videos and the book. I have done some on site classes in the past but not since 2019 because of the virus having canceled the meetings at which I taught. Nothing is scheduled in 2021, although there will likely be these gold shows in 2022, but I have no idea when and where. These shows are only offered a few places per year, and it sounds like as you cannot afford the book, its unlikely you will be able to afford to travel.
Thank you for the wonderful lessons! I've been studying Geotechnical engineering most my life and I like to treasure hunt sometimes. I've seen and heard many people attempt this explanation of refining the ore but none compare to the simplicity of your helpful guidance through that age old process. Wonderful lessons!
What an interesting hobby. The videos are pretty cool. I will go view some of your other videos to see the things you glossed over. Hopefully I can get the idea. Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge.
That’s one of the best rock to gold videos on UA-cam You sure know your stuff Can’t wait to meet ya and share a pan You do a lot of prospecting in my area Keep up the great videos!!
Thanks for the very kind words. Looking forward to meeting up, also at a time when this virus thing has calmed down a bit. The little gold country towns dont want to see folks coming in from outside - so far Sierra County has not a single case of it. It will clam down as the weather warms up and we will get together then.
Informative video, a couple questions, where can I find list of re-fineing companies, also was your charge "Chapman" flux? and where did you get the plate rock crusher?
Woow thats cool . I will try do this . The mixture that help for melting is sodium ash and porax and silica . Can you tell what the percentage of each other ?
Very insightful! Im impressed with your thorough explanation on the process and also impressed with your routine.ill be sure to check out your website and am interested in what area of nevada your in... Im in las vegas at the moment but hope to get somewhere out the in the more rugged areas
A beautiful Video and a great channel. I like this field and I am new. I want to learn. Professor, did you melt the black powder from the quartz ore? Is it gold and we can find it black, please
how would you suggest processing larger boulders? we managed to get a chunk to take to the assay office and they said that it was the highest content for ALL of the precious metals they had ever seen in our area. was anywhere even close to a river either seems like it must have been glacial drop maybe?
Just wondering if I could get by with just crushing quartz with the jaw crusher and panning that without the noisy pulverizer step. I don’t need the noise and also it looks like a lot of work panning out all that powder. I’m in Quartzsite Az. Lots of quartz!
With a jaw crusher only, even set to the smallest product, you will only get around 25 to 30% recovery, meaning that 70 to 75% of the gold will remain in the rocks. Pulverizing it to a powder, I am getting 80 to 90% recover, with 10 to 205 remaining in the rocks. So the pulverizing is really needed to get the gold out.
I bought your book, have 80 acres of desert/ mtn land land. Hired Geologist Engineer to survey and send samples of black sand to be assayed. it had 7/10 oz per ton. gold purer than African gold exported company said. there is white quartz all over the place too. my question is do you have to always have to have visible gold on outside of quartz to be worth crushing? and what ballpark figure would your jaw crusher, chain crusher smelting device, flux etc. run me and where do i get them?
Watch the video. It is necessary to crush and concentrate the gold out of the rock. If you just mix a flux and broken rock, you will not get any gold. It needs to be done as I did it in this video.
Does this crushing method work with other forms of gold ore besides quartz... Like rocks with gold veins in them that are based around other minerals... Or does this method only work with quartz? I have a lot of rocks with very very visible gold in them but like the electrum, there are other minerals mixed within the gold in the veins but the gold is still very visible will this crushing method still work to get a button like that at the end?
Hey very informative video. What part of the country do you find your quartz in ? I'm I'm new England they say it's rich for quartz here in Maine and new Hampshire
Chris, would you please answer my question about how to determine whether the gold/quartz specimn a prospector finds is more valuable as a speciman, or would have more value crushed and melted down into a button? ❤
Its not an easy thing to answer. Gold-quartz specimens are basically natural art, so its like asking how valuable is the painting I have in my living room. Is it worth $20 or $200,000? How valuable is the beauty of your specimen? Is it worth a premium to collectors who might buy it? How much of a rush are you in as a seller? specimen sales take time to find the right buyer, while bullion sales are much faster. Like paintings, often you need an expert to evaluate your gold specimen and estimate its value.
What metal detector do you use to find GOLD? I live in a Very high minerial area ( Southern AZ ) . have a garmet 300 pro ( or something like that ) but looking for something that may be better for locating gold.
I use several different ones depending on conditions. The SDC 2300 might be a good choice. Does well in heavy mineralization, but also sees small gold.
I have quartz vein I have started cruising it I am on a tight budget so I use a old window screen. My material is full of pyrite and I can't tell the difference sometimes I really smash this stiff even after paning it. What's the chance the pyrite holds up against the smashing?
@@ChrisRalph I should have pushed my grandfather more towards buying up the old stuff at actions and estate sales as a child. Man I would have never thought this stuff would be so hard to aquire now days. I am currently looking for a disk grinder mill. Ol Jason has it all at Mount Baker. But I'm into the old ways and the cost is insane for new equipment. When you popped up in the shed with that crusher I was straining and zooming in to get a better look or a model number off of it. I need to take a drive to Orofino Idaho and see whats kicking around up there. I like the small scale assayers equipment lab stuff it's perfect for a one man show. Hard to find thank you sir for responding great shows lots of info.
Hi Kevin - I read your question and responded the other day. Did you not bother to read my previous response? I'm sorry, I'm not really familiar with gold in Alberta. Best of luck to you.
@ChrisRalph haha I did, but I didn't realize you really respond to all your comments 😅, thanks again for the content and even more for the replies. I wasn't sure if you would reply to the older video comments.
The one I have is a 50 year old model that I know is no longer made. However, there are other had operated crushers being made now, use google to find some of them.
How long in the furnace? Do you go to 1945 degrees or is that necessary with the flux? Where do you send your buttons? What words should I look up when searching for a refiner besides refiners? I have your book. It's awesome.
The melting temperature of the gold is not changed by the flux, the flux just helps small pieces of gold collect together into one blob. Not sure what a "refiner besides refiners" is.
I checked out this video as you advised. I saw that you screened the biggest gold pieces after the first crushing. You said there was a fair amount of electrum mixed. In with the gold. I think I understand from this video that the refiner is the guy who determines the whole value of the button you send him even when it has different minerals of high value melted together in the button. Does the refiner give you the value of both valuable minerals, or just the more valuable of the two minerals? Another question that occured to me while looking at the pretty quartz/gold specimans you crushed, is how is a prospector to determine whether the found speciman is more valuable sold as a quartz/gold speciman, or instead be crushed and melted down into a button? Very intersting to see the processes unvolved in creating a button! Thanks! ❤
Hi Chris... Great job explaining stones, and now this process were just the best. I moved to FL from Fallon, NV; wish I had seen this then. It's sound like great fun to do when it's not so hot right? Do you know of any good places to find gold along the beach aside from people who lose gold rings at the beach? LOL Thank again David
The one I have is more than 50 years old and the company no longer makes them. There are other similar types of jaw crushers on the market from other makers. Look at what is available and what you can afford.
My family went to a gold mine in Colorado, and were able to take home some bags of gold/pyrite/rock. We grabbed as many small yellow bits as we could cram in our bags, and now my son wants to melt it. How do we know what’s pyrite vs gold, and what is the easiest way to melt it down?
Your documentary is really interesting. We don't have all those materials to realize this job : extraction of gold from the stone. Anyway, thank you so much. This will help for those who enjoy collecting stones.
It is not that exact and depends on how pure the stuff you are melting is. If the material being melted is fairly clean with little in the way of junk, then equal amounts by weight of gold to flux would be fine. If you have more impurities, then you need more flux.
Have you ever mined gold in Wyoming? I live in Cheyenne I want to try Douglas Creek or South pass do you think there is any chance of finding a good amount?
Thank you for this informative video. I'm interested in the mini kiln you use, would you please provide the information on where i can find one. Thanks
Nice gold button Chris, thanks for sharing this. I too just did 4 lbs of rock that i bought and got a whopping 0.017....well it kept me busy for a few hours.
It all depends on the amount of gold in the rock. If you start with a tiny amount, a tiny amount is the most you can get. Hope you are doing well in all this craziness. Call if you have questions, feel free.
I loved this! Thanks so much! I definitely will buy the book, I've been researching and I have my brother's metal detector and lots of places to go. Is the equipment you've used in the video listed in the book? I forgot to look in the description. Thanks again!
Hello. I found an old nickel test mine in the woods, it about 50meters straight in. I think its been a kvarrts ore there. Its a lot of rust in there. Well its difrent kinds of rock there, and pyrit... Do you think its any posybility thre would be any gold,and how to find out. This is in Norway by the way. south east kalled Østfold.
it depends on what you want to do with it. I have a number of reviews of metal detectors, take a look at them and see what you think will work best for you and your budget.
I do not know! I cannot know the gold deposits in hundreds of countries. Do some research on the internet and find out what gold deposits exist in Norway.
Great video!! Who is the manufacturer of your crusher and flail mill? Would love to have those in my arsenal of tools. Or is there a website where people sell these used?
I bought my chain mill from "Make your Own Gold Bars" they have a website and offer different sizes to their mills. The jaw crusher is old, though similar ones that are new can still be purchased. It was made by Denver Equipment.
Thank You for taking the time to explain so Much! I have watched prob twenty of Your videos, and I truly Am intrigued with Geology Now. I have been recycling and Melting down to bars, so the videos have become every useful. If I have a very Large Quarts Crystal Rock , I believe almost the size of a basketball, if the quartz crystal is showing all on inside of rock, would this be what I Am looking for? I do not have a metal detector and with a Newborn, finances are at a minimum, Can this be done without one?
You are so welcome! To learn, get a gold pan and learn to pan. Quartz crystals are not necessarily what you are looking for if you are seeking gold. Quartz and quartz crystals are common. Gold is rare.
Cool video ralph, I admire you knowledge, someday I'll see you out in the goldfeild metal detecting, hopefully add a new prospecting buddy to your list, awesome video, have a good day
I relly enjoyed your video it was very informative and understandable for me and simple i got the most out of your video then others thank you so much will be watching more and obtaining the other resources you have thank you so much i also have a sample i would like to share a pic with you to get some advice on
Glad it was helpful, and thanks for the kind words, but rocks and minerals can almost never be identified from photos. I appreciate that you want me to ID your mineral, but unfortunately, I get so many, many requests for personal help, advice, training, review, mineral ID, etc. - every day - I simply cannot get involved with all the requests. I have plenty of my own projects to work on. Watch my videos on how to identify minerals for yourself. Start with - ua-cam.com/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/v-deo.html Best of luck to you
@@ChrisRalph I'm enjoying reading Fists Full of Gold. Will be heading out with my Fisher Gold Bug II to the Stringer District in Randsberg soon. Hoping to put some of all that information to good use!
Nice upload mate 👍 You would be surprised how much flour gold is in your panning tailings, no matter how carefully you panned off. I think this is primarily why the stamper battery's in Australia used copper plates coated in Mercury rather than just a riffle box..... They wanted every speck of colour.
You might be surprised how much gold was lost off those copper plates. Most of the mines of any size from the late 1800s were worked later by cyanide to get most of the rest of the gold. The stamp mills got maybe 90% of the gold - sometimes less.
Writing a book now titled "May all your days be Golden". About treasures I've found, mines worked. Assaying throughout the west. Your friend Jeff Williams has a few pages of it.
I have a hard rock mine above Goodyear bar in downieville ca. Its all crystalline gold . But mostly barren quarts unless you hit a pocket no 2 addit goes in for around 120 feet or so would sure love to have you metal detect it as me and partner have detectors but like playing a stratavarius you gotta be able to play the violen or its worthless. No 3 addit has to be cleaned out portal is closed. Two 15 ounce pockets came outa no 2 addit. No 3 a 30lb pocket years ago they put a rise on it trying to follow the gold. It's on the melones fault on a serpentine contact on one side mud rock of some sort on the other.
No I have the digmore hard rock and Grizzly peak placer. It's at the base of Grizzly peak at headwaters of Spanish ravine. It was a late mine like in 1940's so it's not been really touched but hard work drifting in on them of course
I don't know what you can see in your messages, but either UA-cam has stripped out your email or its something you can see but I can't. There is no visible email in your messages to me that I can see. Mine is chrisralph218 at gmail.com - just substitute the word "at" with the at symbol like a normal email.
I've been watching you and I'm learning so much. However I lack confidence in my ability to identify what I'm finding. I'm sure your busy and have tons of people asking you to help them but I would love some information on your willingness to help and how to contact you if you are willing. I'm fairly confident I've found a very rich gold and silver source but need some expert advice. Thank you so much for your service and the gift of knowledge you are offering to us that value your time and understand the blessing of proper education on a subject. I hope to hear back from you. ☺️
You are correct that I get tons of requests for help in various ways, more than enough to make that into a full time 40 hour a week job. However I have many family and other commitments and I simply dont have enough time. I have too many projects of my own - I cant do other people's project for them. You are smart, you can study and learn the skill of identifying rocks and minerals - I have videos on that as do others. There are mineral ID books also. Best of luck to you, but I cannot help.
Thanks mate for a genuine educational video, I've got whitish grey rocks on my bedside table under my lamps with gold specks and what looks like glitter or glass through it that i found i only collected a couple coz of the shine they had in the sun not thinking for a moment it could be real gold lol. Hmmm i wonder. I'm from Australia, good vid.
Just hard to say what it might be. Watch my videos on how to identify minerals for yourself. Start with - ua-cam.com/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/v-deo.html Best of luck to you
Will do mate, I've subscribed so im looking forward to more of you're videos. Ps my rocks wouldn't be worth breaking up they're better off as a display lol. None the less still very interested in learning from your videos mate
@@ChrisRalph I hear you I get into your videos before I realized I was a couple of years behind! I've got it set up now so it'll let me know when you post one! Thank You again for all the helpful information.
It seems like your book has run out on amazon cause it’s now like 80 bucks with only two for sale. One positive criticism or a suggestion is something I’ve seen other people do. You can sell it on your website and process it if ya got a Shopify Website or something. And one cool thing is you can link it up to a fulfillment center so they’ll ship the orders. I listened to some online sellers that say fulfillment centers that aren’t amazon are cheaper so if ya sell a lot of books on your website it’s something you could consider if you get super busy. Great video by the way!
It will be available on Amazon soon. I am totally out of stock, my distributor is out of stock, Amazon is out of stock - everyone is out of stock. The book is being reprinted and the last step of printing is happening today. In the past it has taken about a month to get it reprinted, but with the covid thing it has taken 10 weeks to print the new copies and it will be another week before they are delivered from the printer who is in Minnesota. Sorry for the delay, I did not intend for the stock on hand to reach zero, but covid has made a mess of many things. Cant control the crazy prices some ask for the book. The good news is that it will be available again soon at Amazon and elsewhere for the regular price of $29.95.
Good Job! - It is nice to learn from you!
Thank you! 😃 Glad you enjoyed it!
Chris you are a wonderful teacher, thank you so much for your time to share your knowledge with everyone.!!!!! Happy prospecting!!
Thanks, I appreciate that! Glad you enjoyed the video.
And you broke off electrum wow best
@@ChrisRalph Hi Chris, please help me. I have found something I suspect to be gold.
Just found this gem of a video. I just started trying my luck with hard rock. This video was a super help
Glad it helped!
One thing I would LOVE to see added to something like this, is a video of which particular rocks you look for, and a close up view of what those rocks actually look like and why you picked them.
I did a video on what gold ores look like, not all of them are the same.
On video previous to this
Sir..Thank you so much for sharing the awesome video..so much to learn.it is a great video for me..i enjoy most of your videos and explaination.God bless
Thanks and welcome to the channel.
Chris, I really appreciate that you take the time to share your knowledge! In an hour and a half you answered so many of my questions and fueled my excitement for gold hunting! I was absolutely compelled to purchase a copy of your book from Amazon, so the time you took to make and share these videos with us just paid off! I'm a long time custom knife maker located in Oregon with a dream of finding local gold and refining it to use in the custom knives I build!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Hello Mr. Ralph! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your patient, detailed teaching style. I am a novice prospector, both of metals, and of gems. Due to circumstances, my education has been entirely what I have found in my area, and on my limited travels, and what I have found online, and in books. I am afraid that I have not yet been able to afford your book, but I look forward to the day when I finally get my hands on it. In any case, despite 7 years of hands-on examination, and hundreds of hours of study, I have no confidence in my identification of anything I find. My ultimate goal, though it may sound silly, is to be able to support myself comfortably, with the precious metals and gems, that I find. Though I have found many beautiful specimens, I cannot offer them for sale, because I would have to put a name to them, and I am unable to do this, with certainty. So, now we come to my questions. The first is, do you give any classes or seminars, concerning prospecting? Then, though I have seen your comments about not being willing to identify minerals from only a photograph, (I can understand that!) Is there any forum where you do instruct on identification, using in-person examination of specimens? I just know that looking at the sort of rocks that I find, with someone who could tell me what they are, and how I could come to that conclusion on my own, would be a tremendous boost to my competence. I predict that you will tell me that all of the information may be found in your book and videos. To be sure, the wealth of information that you have made available is as generous as it is inspiring. However, I do not easily learn from writings or recorded media. It has always been this way for me. One or two questions, answered by a knowledgeable person, provide as much insight as hours and hours of study.
I live in southern Redding, CA. There are certainly plenty of treasures here!
I will be grateful for any information you can provide.
Thanks!
Patience
tractorhag@gmail.com
Sorry, I get many, many requests for help, advice, mineral ID, etc every day. I could spend 10 or more hours every day meeting all the requests. So I only offer the videos and the book. I have done some on site classes in the past but not since 2019 because of the virus having canceled the meetings at which I taught. Nothing is scheduled in 2021, although there will likely be these gold shows in 2022, but I have no idea when and where. These shows are only offered a few places per year, and it sounds like as you cannot afford the book, its unlikely you will be able to afford to travel.
@@ChrisRalph wow...
Your book just arrived today; I can't wait to dive in. Thanks Chris.
Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you for the wonderful lessons! I've been studying Geotechnical engineering most my life and I like to treasure hunt sometimes. I've seen and heard many people attempt this explanation of refining the ore but none compare to the simplicity of your helpful guidance through that age old process.
Wonderful lessons!
That is awesome. Glad you enjoyed it!
What an interesting hobby. The videos are pretty cool. I will go view some of your other videos to see the things you glossed over. Hopefully I can get the idea. Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge.
No problem. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the video.
Thank you, sir. You are truly an encyclopedia of science. I have very oxidized quartz ore. I really hope to learn from you. Your channel is beautiful
You can do it!
Great video! Thanks from🇫🇮
Our pleasure!
Chris as always your skills and stories are the real treasure you bring us love ❤️ it friend
I appreciate that. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
at 11:59 can you sell the gold like that as is ?
Its possible.
That’s one of the best rock to gold videos on UA-cam
You sure know your stuff
Can’t wait to meet ya and share a pan
You do a lot of prospecting in my area
Keep up the great videos!!
Thanks for the very kind words. Looking forward to meeting up, also at a time when this virus thing has calmed down a bit. The little gold country towns dont want to see folks coming in from outside - so far Sierra County has not a single case of it. It will clam down as the weather warms up and we will get together then.
Informative video, a couple questions, where can I find list of re-fineing companies, also was your charge "Chapman" flux? and where did you get the plate rock crusher?
I used a mix of borax and sodium carbonate. The jaw crusher is really old and was probably made in the 1950s.
21:57 to 26:10 filming and explaining from that corner of your lovly home is just greet , useful , funny ....and fists full of gold
Thank you. Very kind.
Woow thats cool . I will try do this . The mixture that help for melting is sodium ash and porax and silica . Can you tell what the percentage of each other ?
about 2/3 borax, one third soda ash.
@@ChrisRalph thank u sir . No need for silica ?
The silica sand is to preserve the graphite crucible
Very insightful! Im impressed with your thorough explanation on the process and also impressed with your routine.ill be sure to check out your website and am interested in what area of nevada your in... Im in las vegas at the moment but hope to get somewhere out the in the more rugged areas
I'm up near Reno. Glad you liked the video.
You are awesome! I plan on watching all of your videos and buying your sweet book! Thank you very much Sir!
Awesome, thank you for the kind words!
A beautiful Video and a great channel. I like this field and I am new. I want to learn. Professor, did you melt the black powder from the quartz ore? Is it gold and we can find it black, please
The black sand is iron minerals, not gold.
how would you suggest processing larger boulders? we managed to get a chunk to take to the assay office and they said that it was the highest content for ALL of the precious metals they had ever seen in our area. was anywhere even close to a river either seems like it must have been glacial drop maybe?
Break the boulders into smaller pieces with a sledge hammer. Then crush and extract the gold.
Check out the Sierra Blaster and see whether you think the size/value of your rock is enough to justify something like that.
What detector did you use for this? I have a Garret ATX Pro. Wonder if that would work on gold ore
It will work on gold ore if the gold is coarse in the ore.
What brand and model jaw crusher would u recommend off grid minimal electricity no fuel
I'm not a dealer. With total off grid and no fuel, your only options are hand operated and those are slow.
Just wondering if I could get by with just crushing quartz with the jaw crusher and panning that without the noisy pulverizer step. I don’t need the noise and also it looks like a lot of work panning out all that powder. I’m in Quartzsite Az. Lots of quartz!
With a jaw crusher only, even set to the smallest product, you will only get around 25 to 30% recovery, meaning that 70 to 75% of the gold will remain in the rocks. Pulverizing it to a powder, I am getting 80 to 90% recover, with 10 to 205 remaining in the rocks. So the pulverizing is really needed to get the gold out.
@@ChrisRalph ok thanks.
Hi Chris, thank you for all your videos and time, they are so informative and well spoken.(wirj himor as well)
Glad you like them!
please what is electrom?
It is a natural alloy of gold mixed with silver.
@@ChrisRalph Thanks very much Chris, much appreciated.
August Diensthuber
Great video. So much to learn and so much fun.
Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
I'm new here, where did you find all that gold? Did you make a video of it?
Trying to teach my grandson's to pan for gold.
Some of that gold is on video, some is not. Its not always convent to run video. Check out some of my older videos.
I bought your book, have 80 acres of desert/ mtn land land. Hired Geologist Engineer to survey and send samples of black sand to be assayed. it had 7/10 oz per ton. gold purer than African gold exported company said. there is white quartz all over the place too. my question is do you have to always have to have visible gold on outside of quartz to be worth crushing? and what ballpark figure would your jaw crusher, chain crusher smelting device, flux etc. run me and where do i get them?
Gold does not always show on the outside, but only some quartz has significant gold. Cost likely in the ballpark of $5,000 - more or less.
thx, appreciate your knowledge and quick reply.
What flux mix is best to get gold out of clay and iron sandstone mix rock?
Watch the video. It is necessary to crush and concentrate the gold out of the rock. If you just mix a flux and broken rock, you will not get any gold. It needs to be done as I did it in this video.
Does this crushing method work with other forms of gold ore besides quartz... Like rocks with gold veins in them that are based around other minerals... Or does this method only work with quartz? I have a lot of rocks with very very visible gold in them but like the electrum, there are other minerals mixed within the gold in the veins but the gold is still very visible will this crushing method still work to get a button like that at the end?
Yes if the gold is real and the gold is large enough to recover by panning.
Hey very informative video. What part of the country do you find your quartz in ? I'm I'm new England they say it's rich for quartz here in Maine and new Hampshire
I am in the west. There is some gold in Maine and NH.
Chris, would you please answer my question about how to determine whether the gold/quartz specimn a prospector finds is more valuable as a speciman, or would have more value crushed and melted down into a button? ❤
Its not an easy thing to answer. Gold-quartz specimens are basically natural art, so its like asking how valuable is the painting I have in my living room. Is it worth $20 or $200,000? How valuable is the beauty of your specimen? Is it worth a premium to collectors who might buy it? How much of a rush are you in as a seller? specimen sales take time to find the right buyer, while bullion sales are much faster. Like paintings, often you need an expert to evaluate your gold specimen and estimate its value.
How about a powderdust of c gold that is covered eith asphalt how do you separate them...:thank you for whatever tips and input....
ewither.
What metal detector do you use to find GOLD? I live in a Very high minerial area ( Southern AZ ) . have a garmet 300 pro ( or something like that ) but looking for something that may be better for locating gold.
I use several different ones depending on conditions. The SDC 2300 might be a good choice. Does well in heavy mineralization, but also sees small gold.
@@ChrisRalph thank you!
I have quartz vein I have started cruising it I am on a tight budget so I use a old window screen. My material is full of pyrite and I can't tell the difference sometimes I really smash this stiff even after paning it. What's the chance the pyrite holds up against the smashing?
Pyrite breaks down from smashing. Gold is a lot heavier than pyrite.
I need that same size and model jaw crusher is there a place one could buy one?
It's a 75 year old crusher and the company that made them no longer does. There are equivalent ones out there. Its made for a laboratory.
@@ChrisRalph I should have pushed my grandfather more towards buying up the old stuff at actions and estate sales as a child. Man I would have never thought this stuff would be so hard to aquire now days. I am currently looking for a disk grinder mill. Ol Jason has it all at Mount Baker. But I'm into the old ways and the cost is insane for new equipment. When you popped up in the shed with that crusher I was straining and zooming in to get a better look or a model number off of it. I need to take a drive to Orofino Idaho and see whats kicking around up there. I like the small scale assayers equipment lab stuff it's perfect for a one man show. Hard to find thank you sir for responding great shows lots of info.
The maker is Denver equipment. They still exist but no longer make this equipment.
Would heating the rocks to red make hand-crushing easier? Or is that bulk?
Not significantly different and loads of work and energy.
Thanks everything how much for the melt material?
I don't know what you mean. Cost of the flux? Of the equipment? of the gold being melted? your question is unclear.
My bad 😅 all the equipment with the graphite furnace flux etc I forgot the name of the mould
Or maybe reference to what would be best for starters
You can get a mini one furnace for around $200 - larger ones are more expensive. supplies are $50 to $100 more.
Good video. Thank you. I'm getting your book.
Awesome, thank you! I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Thank you for answering my qiestion comprehensively! ❤
You are so welcome!
Thanks for all the great content, do you have any experience in Canada... more specifically Alberta?
Hi Kevin - I read your question and responded the other day. Did you not bother to read my previous response? I'm sorry, I'm not really familiar with gold in Alberta. Best of luck to you.
@ChrisRalph haha I did, but I didn't realize you really respond to all your comments 😅, thanks again for the content and even more for the replies.
I wasn't sure if you would reply to the older video comments.
Can you tell me where I can buy a hand crank rock crusher like that one. I've been looking but can't find.
@@rockyduncan1173 huh?
The one I have is a 50 year old model that I know is no longer made. However, there are other had operated crushers being made now, use google to find some of them.
Those other replies were spam, and I removed them.
Wich kind of metal. Gold. Detector. Wich one u recommend
See my video on how to choose a detector.
Awesome video Chris, thanks for shareing
Glad you enjoyed it
How long in the furnace? Do you go to 1945 degrees or is that necessary with the flux? Where do you send your buttons? What words should I look up when searching for a refiner besides refiners? I have your book. It's awesome.
The melting temperature of the gold is not changed by the flux, the flux just helps small pieces of gold collect together into one blob. Not sure what a "refiner besides refiners" is.
I checked out this video as you advised. I saw that you screened the biggest gold pieces after the first crushing. You said there was a fair amount of electrum mixed. In with the gold. I think I understand from this video that the refiner is the guy who determines the whole value of the button you send him even when it has different minerals of high value melted together in the button. Does the refiner give you the value of both valuable minerals, or just the more valuable of the two minerals?
Another question that occured to me while looking at the pretty quartz/gold specimans you crushed, is how is a prospector to determine whether the found speciman is more valuable sold as a quartz/gold speciman, or instead be crushed and melted down into a button? Very intersting to see the processes unvolved in creating a button! Thanks! ❤
If you pour the button or bar correctly, they are well mixed. The refiner usually pays for gold and silver, but not for copper and base metals.
Chris, what brand of jaw rock crusher or you using?
The jaw is by Denver Equipment Co., but is about 60 years old.
You're making me homesick for Arizona. Another awesome video!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Hi Chris... Great job explaining stones, and now this process were just the best. I moved to FL from Fallon, NV; wish I had seen this then. It's sound like great fun to do when it's not so hot right? Do you know of any good places to find gold along the beach aside from people who lose gold rings at the beach? LOL Thank again David
There is no gold in Florida other than on the beaches and in jewelry stores.
nice hand power crusher, where can one find one?
The one I have is more than 50 years old and the company no longer makes them. There are other similar types of jaw crushers on the market from other makers. Look at what is available and what you can afford.
@ChrisRalph thank you sir.
What brand of silica sand did you use
I dont remember.
My family went to a gold mine in Colorado, and were able to take home some bags of gold/pyrite/rock. We grabbed as many small yellow bits as we could cram in our bags, and now my son wants to melt it. How do we know what’s pyrite vs gold, and what is the easiest way to melt it down?
Look at videos on how to tell pyrite from gold. I
have not made one yet.
Where can I get the little furnace
"Make your own gold bars" website - use google
Your documentary is really interesting.
We don't have all those materials to realize this job : extraction of gold from the stone. Anyway, thank you so much.
This will help for those who enjoy collecting stones.
This is done all over Africa. I have been there and seen it done.
@@ChrisRalph ,
Yes it is possible in the mining company. But difficult to realize as a private.
All your informations are interesting.
Thank you.
need tell amounts of flux when melting relative to the weight of gold mix being molten Thanks
It is not that exact and depends on how pure the stuff you are melting is. If the material being melted is fairly clean with little in the way of junk, then equal amounts by weight of gold to flux would be fine. If you have more impurities, then you need more flux.
Have you ever mined gold in Wyoming? I live in Cheyenne I want to try Douglas Creek or South pass do you think there is any chance of finding a good amount?
You can get color at Douglas Creek but if you are hoping to strike it rich you are more than 100 years too late.
@@ChrisRalph I am going to try my luck in Nevada.
Thank you for this informative video. I'm interested in the mini kiln you use, would you please provide the information on where i can find one. Thanks
I purchased mine from "Make Your Own Gold Bars" at makeyourowngoldbars.com/
@@ChrisRalph Thanks i will check it out
Nice gold button Chris, thanks for sharing this. I too just did 4 lbs of rock that i bought and got a whopping 0.017....well it kept me busy for a few hours.
It all depends on the amount of gold in the rock. If you start with a tiny amount, a tiny amount is the most you can get. Hope you are doing well in all this craziness. Call if you have questions, feel free.
Thanks for these videos they are great.
Glad you like them!
I loved this! Thanks so much! I definitely will buy the book, I've been researching and I have my brother's metal detector and lots of places to go. Is the equipment you've used in the video listed in the book? I forgot to look in the description. Thanks again!
I use different equipment in different places, so there is no simple list. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
@@ChrisRalph thanks!
What is a good gold detector for placer gold
There are many detectors that are good, but I did a video on how to choose the best one for you. See: ua-cam.com/video/SqwkpH9LZIM/v-deo.html
Hello. I found an old nickel test mine in the woods, it about 50meters straight in. I think its been a kvarrts ore there. Its a lot of rust in there. Well its difrent kinds of rock there, and pyrit... Do you think its any posybility thre would be any gold,and how to find out. This is in Norway by the way. south east kalled Østfold.
I have no idea or even a guess if gold is present.
Very nice and informative video. Thank you very much.
What refineries do you suggest?
I use DH Fell in southern California
Thank you Chris, please keep up the great videos.
What is the best metal detector you reccomend
it depends on what you want to do with it. I have a number of reviews of metal detectors, take a look at them and see what you think will work best for you and your budget.
Hello chris. I am from Norway. Do you think i could fine some Stone whit gold here? Thank you fore this Great clip sir.
Take care, and god bless you😊
I do not know! I cannot know the gold deposits in hundreds of countries. Do some research on the internet and find out what gold deposits exist in Norway.
Thanks Cris. You have a Great Canal,who i am going to follow 😊. Take care Sir
As always, Excellent video Chris - and as always--:) Thanks Again...!
My pleasure! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
What kind of medal detector do you have? Or recommend?
Look at this video to learn: ua-cam.com/video/SqwkpH9LZIM/v-deo.html
Great video!! Who is the manufacturer of your crusher and flail mill? Would love to have those in my arsenal of tools. Or is there a website where people sell these used?
I bought my chain mill from "Make your Own Gold Bars" they have a website and offer different sizes to their mills. The jaw crusher is old, though similar ones that are new can still be purchased. It was made by Denver Equipment.
Thank You for taking the time to explain so Much! I have watched prob twenty of Your videos, and I truly Am intrigued with Geology Now. I have been recycling and Melting down to bars, so the videos have become every useful. If I have a very Large Quarts Crystal Rock , I believe almost the size of a basketball, if the quartz crystal is showing all on inside of rock, would this be what I Am looking for? I do not have a metal detector and with a Newborn, finances are at a minimum, Can this be done without one?
You are so welcome! To learn, get a gold pan and learn to pan. Quartz crystals are not necessarily what you are looking for if you are seeking gold. Quartz and quartz crystals are common. Gold is rare.
Cool video ralph, I admire you knowledge, someday I'll see you out in the goldfeild metal detecting, hopefully add a new prospecting buddy to your list, awesome video, have a good day
I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Check the ridges in your dust vac system. Perfect for gold to drop into just like a sluice
Very true. I shake them out thoroughly into a bucket to get those fines.
Interesting course. Makes me want to go gold hunting right away
Its a great thing to get into.
Does it make economic sence to cupel it to bullion.great video.thanks
Cupelling is for removing lead from metal mixtures. This button has gold and silver but no lead, so no point to cupel.
I relly enjoyed your video it was very informative and understandable for me and simple i got the most out of your video then others thank you so much will be watching more and obtaining the other resources you have thank you so much i also have a sample i would like to share a pic with you to get some advice on
Glad it was helpful, and thanks for the kind words, but rocks and minerals can almost never be identified from photos. I appreciate that you want me to ID your mineral, but unfortunately, I get so many, many requests for personal help, advice, training, review, mineral ID, etc. - every day - I simply cannot get involved with all the requests. I have plenty of my own projects to work on. Watch my videos on how to identify minerals for yourself. Start with - ua-cam.com/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/v-deo.html Best of luck to you
Thank you Chris!
My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed the video.
@@ChrisRalph I'm enjoying reading Fists Full of Gold. Will be heading out with my Fisher Gold Bug II to the Stringer District in Randsberg soon. Hoping to put some of all that information to good use!
I really enjoyed it, I am also mining gold in Iran, pure gold, I hope all the people of the world are happy and free.
Glad it was helpful.
great video Chris
Thanks 👍 I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Where can I find gold in Missouri
Very little gold in Missouri - do some google searches - much better gold in Georgia.
Great work!
Thanks.
Outstanding video! I'm a newbie, so sorry for the dumb question - what does the flux do?
Helps everything come together to make the gold button. Without out it you might have chunky blobs of gold but not one button that comes together.
Nice upload mate 👍
You would be surprised how much flour gold is in your panning tailings, no matter how carefully you panned off.
I think this is primarily why the stamper battery's in Australia used copper plates coated in Mercury rather than just a riffle box.....
They wanted every speck of colour.
You might be surprised how much gold was lost off those copper plates. Most of the mines of any size from the late 1800s were worked later by cyanide to get most of the rest of the gold. The stamp mills got maybe 90% of the gold - sometimes less.
Writing a book now titled "May all your days be Golden". About treasures I've found, mines worked. Assaying throughout the west. Your friend Jeff Williams has a few pages of it.
Best of luck to you.
What brand is that crusher?
It is made by a company called Denver. The crusher is very old, maybe 80 to 100 years old.
@@ChrisRalph ohwow
Just what I'm looking for
Great Video Chris!!
Hi Steve - I hope you and yours are doing well - lots of your equipment in that video.... Glad you enjoyed it.
Could you roast the quartz first, to make it easier to crush??
It would only make it slightly easier to crush, but not enough easier to be worth the effort.
Thanks that was cool !!!!!
Congrats on the gold you found recently. Just starting to get warm up this way. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Chris Ralph, Professional Prospector thanks , be safe keep making videos for us to watch 😎
did you use a vlf or pi gonna have enough saved for the gold monster at the end of the month
Both. I use a variety of detectors in different situations. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
@ 5:37 i heard, "But for now, we're just gonna crush my hand." Sorry, but i did laugh.
Hmmm..... Glad you enjoyed it.
Video was very good thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video!
Glad it was helpful!
I have a hard rock mine above Goodyear bar in downieville ca.
Its all crystalline gold .
But mostly barren quarts unless you hit a pocket no 2 addit goes in for around 120 feet or so would sure love to have you metal detect it as me and partner have detectors but like playing a stratavarius you gotta be able to play the violen or its worthless.
No 3 addit has to be cleaned out portal is closed.
Two 15 ounce pockets came outa no 2 addit.
No 3 a 30lb pocket years ago they put a rise on it trying to follow the gold.
It's on the melones fault on a serpentine contact on one side mud rock of some sort on the other.
Above Goodyear's bar is the Brush Creek mine, a big patented property. Is that what you have? It is pocket gold country.
No I have the digmore hard rock and Grizzly peak placer.
It's at the base of Grizzly peak at headwaters of Spanish ravine.
It was a late mine like in 1940's so it's not been really touched but hard work drifting in on them of course
Send me an email and we will talk.
Above is my email address. I don't have yours.
I don't know what you can see in your messages, but either UA-cam has stripped out your email or its something you can see but I can't. There is no visible email in your messages to me that I can see. Mine is chrisralph218 at gmail.com - just substitute the word "at" with the at symbol like a normal email.
I've been watching you and I'm learning so much. However I lack confidence in my ability to identify what I'm finding.
I'm sure your busy and have tons of people asking you to help them but I would love some information on your willingness to help and how to contact you if you are willing.
I'm fairly confident I've found a very rich gold and silver source but need some expert advice.
Thank you so much for your service and the gift of knowledge you are offering to us that value your time and understand the blessing of proper education on a subject.
I hope to hear back from you. ☺️
You are correct that I get tons of requests for help in various ways, more than enough to make that into a full time 40 hour a week job. However I have many family and other commitments and I simply dont have enough time. I have too many projects of my own - I cant do other people's project for them. You are smart, you can study and learn the skill of identifying rocks and minerals - I have videos on that as do others. There are mineral ID books also. Best of luck to you, but I cannot help.
Thanks mate for a genuine educational video, I've got whitish grey rocks on my bedside table under my lamps with gold specks and what looks like glitter or glass through it that i found i only collected a couple coz of the shine they had in the sun not thinking for a moment it could be real gold lol. Hmmm i wonder.
I'm from Australia, good vid.
Just hard to say what it might be. Watch my videos on how to identify minerals for yourself. Start with - ua-cam.com/video/MpkW58ZeQlc/v-deo.html Best of luck to you
Will do mate, I've subscribed so im looking forward to more of you're videos.
Ps my rocks wouldn't be worth breaking up they're better off as a display lol. None the less still very interested in learning from your videos mate
Thank You well done keep up the good work!
Thanks, will do! I have a number of new videos I am working on,
@@ChrisRalph I hear you I get into your videos before I realized I was a couple of years behind!
I've got it set up now so it'll let me know when you post one!
Thank You again for all the helpful information.
It seems like your book has run out on amazon cause it’s now like 80 bucks with only two for sale. One positive criticism or a suggestion is something I’ve seen other people do. You can sell it on your website and process it if ya got a Shopify Website or something. And one cool thing is you can link it up to a fulfillment center so they’ll ship the orders. I listened to some online sellers that say fulfillment centers that aren’t amazon are cheaper so if ya sell a lot of books on your website it’s something you could consider if you get super busy. Great video by the way!
It will be available on Amazon soon. I am totally out of stock, my distributor is out of stock, Amazon is out of stock - everyone is out of stock. The book is being reprinted and the last step of printing is happening today. In the past it has taken about a month to get it reprinted, but with the covid thing it has taken 10 weeks to print the new copies and it will be another week before they are delivered from the printer who is in Minnesota.
Sorry for the delay, I did not intend for the stock on hand to reach zero, but covid has made a mess of many things. Cant control the crazy prices some ask for the book. The good news is that it will be available again soon at Amazon and elsewhere for the regular price of $29.95.
Sir some people add Pb metal before smelting.
Only for doing assays, and the lead is later removed.
@@ChrisRalph Sir some people add NaOH instead of Na2CO3. Does it make any difference?
NaOH will destroy your crucible, and it has no advantage.
Chris, love your informed videos. I wish i lived in Nevada, i know have so much more gold than Oregon. Bill
Good gold in Oregon, in the SW around Baker and in the SE around the Rogue river, Josephine County, etc.
What country would you move to if one wanted to search for precious metals or stones?
I like the US where I live, but if I had to chose somewhere else, Australia would be a good choice.