"Blow Tubing" to find detectable Gold.

Prospecting Australia

Help Support Prospecting Australia:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

WalnLiz

Wal nLiz
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
Messages
3,931
Reaction score
4,157
Location
Australia, NSW
"Blow Tubing" is a very little known method to dramatically improve your chances of picking the best creeks
or erosion gullies to concentrate on when detecting dry arid regions for detectable gold. We were first introduced to the technique by an aboriginal woman in the Kimberly many years ago. She used a small 50cm piece of tubing with a 5mm diameter end to hunt for gold near her mission, primarily to subsidize her pension. In reality she found more value in gold by far and the pension became her secondary form of income.

Liz, being the type of person who always likes trying something new, soon convinced me that a piece of two dollar tubing had to become part of our ever expanding arsenal, when it comes to prospecting equipment. It proved to be the biggest single item we ever invested in that changed the way we tackled the gold fields, to find the best detectable gold in the region. It's surprising how within a goldfield certain creeks and erosion gullies prove to be far richer than the adjoining ones and some void of gold altogether. Ten minutes on a creek with a blow tube can immediately indicate if there is gold present in quantities enough for further investigation. This technique became so important to us that we used the method to find which creeks to base our campsites on, and dramatically improved our overall success rate on the detectable gold as well.

On more occasions than I would like to mention, Liz would get up at first light while the warmth of my doona kept me in dreamland, only to hear her come back to camp with a few grams of coarse gold in her jar before breakfast....
I will add a video at the end of the thread showing the basic technique. We spent many a day just prospecting creeks with the "Blow Tube" and GPS, coordinating a map of the richest creeks and gullies within a few kilometres of our campsite, then concentrating on these creeks only with the detectors. The result was a dramatic increase in the nugget tally and the two dollar investment became a piece of equipment we carry on all of our prospecting trips.

This technique is however only suited to dry regions and we have done best with it in WA and northern QLD. But in saying that we have produced some very good results in some gullies of the VIC golden triangle, during the summer months when the ground is bone dry....especially in the gullies that have exposed bedrock sections.

I would certainly recommend to any gold prospector who wants to invest in some "additional equipment" at a cost that will not break the bank, to go to your nearest hardware store and give up your hard earned couple of bucks and walk out with a piece of tubing that will pay for itself in no time at all.....it will also improve your lung capacity, so is also a good health benefit as well.........Cheers Wal.

 
Last edited:
Top article Wal & Liz ,
Just love the alternative methods people can score gold without the outrageous cost of the so called top detectors .

I remember paying $4300 to get one of the first SD2100 back in 1996 ' now allowing for inflation that would be around $15,000 grand today :( .

jack

Not wrong there Jack...sometimes all the best technology in the world cant beat a two buck piece of plastic tubing:)...but in saying that the new tech certainly has opened up a lot of the patches we thought were flogged to death back in old days. Just a pity about the cost of the technology.....I remember the 2100 well and thought all my xmases came at once...how things have changed.
 
Wal ' Tibooburra is just a wonderful area to experience as you said , I book the 2nd smaller house in the caravan park , has all the comforts of home ' have a feed up the pub every 2nd night & then enjoy the get together each night around the fire with other prospectors drinking & the BS :)

One night back around 2017 old Barry & I showed a jar of gold we scored to some of the half drunks who had trouble comprehending it was real """""" Haaha

Jack
 
Have been witnessed head down, bum up, blowing the leftover dust from a small pile in the hope of revealing an uncooperative colour. Fortunately no photos of me doing that.
Maybe a length of hose will allow me to do that in a more dignified manner.
 
Well after watching the video's I think I will put my little army to work, 4 kids have plenty of hot air to expel,
I will happily swap that for GOLD.
Just have to rob their piggy banks for the purchase of the plastic hose.

🤣

And on top of that the possibility of 4 times the amount of gold...win win by all accounts I'd say. ;)
 
Garden hose is to large in diameter Diginit...they also sell clear plastic tubing in the plumbing section and you need a piece with an internal diameter no larger than 5mm. ;)
I have some surgical tube that is 10mm on the inside, which is very flexible (much like spear gun rubber, and the same colour) that I put the remnants of a biro or felt tip pen (after the centre is tossed away)… which gives a solid (and many varied style of) tips can be swapped and fitted in a few seconds as well... I found the cap of a felt tip pen works due to the four holes in the top of the lid, and thus the centre is solid but also creates a board field of powerful air coming out... I hav yet to test this... It rains a lot in Mullumbimby... so testing down the beach could be good...
Also
For the underwater version, one could attach a modified turkey baster (with a one way valve fitted in the turkey baster... and a tube connected with a biro tip at the end... so coming from a larger pipe to a small tip means that a lot of force can be exerted at the tip... I will make one as time allows..
 
Thank's heap's WalnLiz for the video's and informative post's. It's awesome that people are willing to share knowledge and their expertise. Will definitely make that trip to Bunning's and invest some hard earned $$$. Now to find somewhere to try my luck. Cheer's Stavros
 

Latest posts

Top