New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

The forum has moved to community.paydirt.co.nz, see you there!

This forum is now an archive to preserve the knowledge and finds posted here.

light bulb for gold?

cluthapete		Posted : Wednesday, 16 May 2012 12:30:00 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 3/05/2012(UTC) Posts: 50 Location: balclutha Thanks: 51 times Was thanked: 46 time(s) in 17 post(s)		Does any one know of any particular type of light bulb ( incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, LED , coloured etc.) that would accentuate gold in a pan? I plan to bring my concentrates home and finish them off in a bit of comfort, and with our overcast days and long nights this far south, I would appreciate a little bit of artificial sunlight I've Googled it with no luck and still waiting to hear back from a couple of retailers. So if anyone has any bright ideas, I look forward to them

simon		Posted : Wednesday, 16 May 2012 10:52:28 AM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		hi cluthapete, i have no idea of what light would be better or worse for gold panning at home. any light should do. too powerful and it may blind you if you look near it, leaving you "dazzled" when you look / squint (if it's small) back at your gold. i use a desk lamp. i've used both a halogen bulb one and a standard bayonet mount bulb. either were suitable. i think what you are talking about is panning at home. i usually only do my fines at home. i stick to the desktop, that way it is not as likely to get spilt somewhere like the carpet by the likes of the cat brushing past. I dry the fines and magnet off the black sand. then place remains on some white paper and blow gently, leaving just the gold. i use a lamp as a side light to see the gold. if you are simply panning and you have enough light to see in general, you should be able to see the gold plain as day. in fact it should be easier to see than if you are at the river and panning in less than still water. i have previously used a large flexible plastic round bin (available at warehouse etc) to pan at home or at sites with no handy water. you may have to keep an eye on the gold though if you are panning in a trough of water. this is because grease from your skin (hands) gets in the water and effectively makes the gold float. this is not only the case with fines but even some better sized thin flakes. it is initially amazing to witness, as everyone tells of the heaviness of gold. not so amazing once you have realised have your gold has floated off unnoticed.
		WWW

cluthapete		Posted : Sunday, 10 June 2012 8:46:08 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Nugget Medals: Groups: Registered Joined: 3/05/2012(UTC) Posts: 50 Location: balclutha Thanks: 51 times Was thanked: 46 time(s) in 17 post(s)		A sparky mate brought over a 12 volt halogen the other night and I set it up over the prototype Miller Table I’ve been playing around with and what a difference Very little light reflection, compared to the fluorescents I was using. Much easier to see the fine gold on the table. It has a 60 degree beam if any of you are interested. My mate reckons that LED’s may even be better, so I will keep you posted once I try them out

simon		Posted : Sunday, 10 June 2012 10:46:31 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC) Posts: 789 Location: Central Otago Thanks: 33 times Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)		hi cluthpete, you might be right there. i have used lcd lights for some of my photography shoots to illuminate the groups. basically just a board of many lcd light. the one i used had 2 different light temperatures that you could flick between. lcd provides a nice soft light and is surprisingly bright for the little power it uses. its also doesn't put out a whole lot of heat like a halogen, although the heat may be what you want at this time of year.
		WWW

Lammerlaw		Posted : Monday, 11 June 2012 9:24:29 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		The best light bulb by a long long way is Big Yellow - nothing beats it.

gingerbreadman		Posted : Friday, 15 June 2012 11:30:42 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 19/07/2010(UTC) Posts: 473 Location: south of the black stump Thanks: 34 times Was thanked: 96 time(s) in 74 post(s)		Originally Posted by: Lammerlaw The best light bulb by a long long way is Big Yellow - nothing beats it. Well can you do us a favour lammerlaw and turn the dam thing back on:)

Lammerlaw		Posted : Friday, 15 June 2012 11:40:30 PM(UTC)
Rank: Gold Ingot Groups: Registered Joined: 24/05/2011(UTC) Posts: 1,721 Thanks: 72 times Was thanked: 579 time(s) in 396 post(s)		Originally Posted by: gingerbreadman Originally Posted by: Lammerlaw The best light bulb by a long long way is Big Yellow - nothing beats it. Well can you do us a favour lammerlaw and turn the dam thing back on:) I am doing myself a favour at the moment and doing a snow dance - when summer comes I will do the sun dance then.