Gold Mining in the 21ST Century (Paperback)

~ Dave McCracken (Author), Melodee Heberden (Editor), Maria McCracken (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This one book outlines EVERYTHING a beginner will need and want to know about getting started at gold mining today, either as a hobby or as a small-scale commercial activity. In easy to understand language, supported by clear photographs and graphic demonstrations, this book covers all of the important subjects-including what gold is and looks like, where it comes from and where to find it, how gold deposits and how to find and recover it, and also touches on the legal aspects of how to claim the gold for yourself. The book covers up-to-date mining procedures of panning gold, sluicing, dredging, high banking, drywashing, electronic probing, hardrock mining, basic refining techniques, cleaning procedures, selling gold, and much, much more. Herein lies the most comprehensive and thorough work on electronic prospecting techniques (locating gold with metal detectors) available in a publication on the market today. Virtually an encyclopedia of modern gold mining techniques, there is no other book available more up to date, more simple to understand, or which covers the entire subject as thoroughly as this manual.

About the Author

About the author, Dave McCracken. By Marcie Foley After high school, in 1973, Dave joined the Navy, and graduated UDT/SEAL training class 77 in San Diego, California. He graduated as one of only seven men, from a beginning-class of 57 enrollees. Dave spent four years in the Navy, stationed in Coronado, San Diego with the UDT/SEAL teams. He made one tour to Vietnam/Westpac. At the end of his 4-year tour Dave moved to Los Angeles and started a commercial diving business, mostly performing underwater maintenance on yachts. Gold prices were going up dramatically during late 1979, and Dave began to consider that he might be able to use his diving ability and experience to recover gold from the bottom of California s rivers. He discovered (through a magazine) that people were already using suction dredges, so Dave made a trip to Keene Engineering (in Northridge, California) to discover an entire product-line of underwater mining equipment. In 1979, Dave launched his first expedition with two friends. They started in southern Oregon, and ended up in northern California 6 weeks later. After reading all of the available literature on underwater mining, they found the information was not much more than instructions on how to assemble the equipment. Dave and his partners had a very difficult time of it in the beginning, trying to figure out by themselves workable methods of locating gold deposits. It was several months of severe hardship before Dave and his partners located their first commercial-grade gold deposit (about $60 a day), which was enough to pay expenses and feed them. Dave s partners lost interest before the spring-thaw, and departed with the dredge, truck, and most of the other equipment they were using together. After his partners left, Dave found himself alone in the forest, living in a tent, with very few resources to get by on. Cold nights and an empty stomach found Dave struggling to learn all he could about how to find high-grade un

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: New Era Publications (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963601504
• ISBN-13: 978-0963601506
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,609 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gold Mining in the 21st Century, April 18, 2008

By	Philip G. Martin (WYOMING) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A good work,will reread much of it. Should be on the shelf as a reference for those interested in Gold.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dave Mack Does it all., July 25, 2008

By	drayegon "dray e gone" (Redding, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This has to be one of Dave's best books. It is right up to date and this is in 2008. Everything listed in this book is still where it is supposed to be. Bookmarks are good. This has to be the best book I have seen lately even his Detector section is still up to date. Now that takes some doing with the way electronics changes on an almost daily basis. So far nothing seems to be out of date.

Thanks Dave for a great read and such a great hobby.

dray

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and Encompassing, December 6, 2007

By	T.Hip "T.Hip" (Near Charlotte) - See all my reviews

It would take a lot of research to find a better place to start, so why bother? This book answers all the questions you would have about getting started in the hobby of gold!