Dowsing/divining for gold

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Our esteemed forum member Mozzie has got us all chuckling about his new 'detector'. Reminds me of the dowsing rods. Here is the Dowsers page

http://www.dowsingaustralia.com/index.htm

They have a most interesting article on 'Visit the Egyptian Hieroglyphs' at Woy Woy, as in NSW Woy Woy, not Woy Woy upper Nile. NSW - bloody long row for the slaves.

There are Dowsers Clubs in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide should you be so interested in joining. I would love to see a dowsing demo at our test pit near Dunolly.

Here is a site worth a visit.

http://www.skeptics.com.au/publications/articles/australian-skeptics-divining-test/

Did not know where to post this - I thought of under metal detectors but that only applies to the metal rods and not the crystal pendulum kit. Going get me a coat-hanger and have a crack - I promise to supply images.

Yours in loaming, with an old TV aerial. Sam Cash and Ion Idriess would love this nonsense!!
 
That reminds me of a thread a few months ago...
(I'm too lazy to write a similar post so I'll just quote my post from then)

Ag Man said:
Marty the biggest skeptic was having a laugh when my father inlaw was telling me about divining for water. He can't do it but he got a guy to find a spot to on his farm to find a suitable bore spot.

Bloke found a good location. Told them how deep it was, how much water & for how many years he could expect to pump from it.

He was spot on.

Anyway I told inlaw what a crock of poop this was & all just about luck. I need proof before I believe in something.

Anyhow, I asked father inlaw how it's done.

Told me to find a piece of straightish wire & put a bend in one end. I found a piece of wire that holds a bundle of star pickets together.

Recon's not everyone can do it.

Said to hold the bend part of the wire with both hands - & see if I could make the wire swing without moving either hand - well I couldn't.

Got me to walk in a certain direction in the paddock as he knew the old guy got some sort of reading there.

I walked in said direction with wire in hands(smug grin on face), then...

I near shat myself when the wire steadily turned to one side. I could not stop it no matter how hard I tried - squeezed till I could squeeze no more.
Walked a few steps back & tried it again. Same result, wire moved to the side.

I wish mobile phones had cameras back then :|

To this day I have not tried it again. It felt weird & not natural.

I cannot explain it.
 
water is a whole different issue to using dowsing to find gold, our body is between 50-75% water so naturally we trigger a response, its actually scientific though not freeky or alternative at all. If you google positive and negative ions you will find that they indirectly effect your mood, notice how relaxing it is sitting next to the beach or a lake ... these water bodies produce negative ions which attach themselves to our positive. I know its sound like crap but look it up you'll see.
 
Skeptics tests reckon pure chance gets a 10% result. On this odds, rip into 100 mullock heaps and the law of averages must be about a 10% chance of getting a piece of colour. probably the same odds of detecting a heap I guess. Mind you, lot of work for some piddly throw outs. I think I'll stick to my trusty 4500 divining rod and coils.
 
G0lddigg@ said:
water is a whole different issue to using dowsing to find gold, our body is between 50-75% water so naturally we trigger a response, its actually scientific though not freeky or alternative at all. If you google positive and negative ions you will find that they indirectly effect your mood, notice how relaxing it is sitting next to the beach or a lake ... these water bodies produce negative ions which attach themselves to our positive. I know its sound like crap but look it up you'll see.

I agree. However as Agman says water devining has been proven practically and scientifically (even though they really don't know how).
I've seen it done many times, never tried it but seen bores sunk to water after local knowledge fails and a deviner has been called in. A 4" bore case 100'-200' deep is a ton of money for a farmer to risk on pot luck.
 
All very interesting. I would suggest that you alert these people to the reward offered by the Australian Skeptics. They could conduct the tests, prove their claims and make a killing. Its up to $100,000 and here are the rules: (Please note that the challenger must assist in the design of the test - can't get fairer than that)

Each test is tailored for the individual challenger. The challenger must assist with the design of the test in order that their specific ability is being properly tested. The rules are simple:

The test protocol is designed with the help of the challenger and, within the controls, is flexible. Only when both Australian Skeptics and the challenger are satisfied that the test is within the guidelines and can be successfully completed does the test go ahead. During the test an independent umpire is on hand to ensure the protocol is followed. This is a person agreeable to both the challenger and the Skeptics.
The challenger must beat million to one odds against a chance result.
The test must give a definite yes or no result.
If the challenger is found to be cheating, the test is terminated.
Following a successful test, the prize will be paid to the challenger and/or any person or organisation you may nominate.
The prize may be distributed in any way the successful challenger sees fit: to a trust, a charity or some other person. There is no need for the challenger to come in to contact with the money at all if he or she so chooses.
The money is offered in the genuine hope that we are able to advance the investigation into claims of the paranormal. Australian Skeptics does not seek to embarrass or ridicule anyone.
 
That is interesting indeed. I didn't click the link on the other site I may have to now. 100k hey, I'd only want 10% you know finders fee :D

I do however feel that location would be paramount as Aust Skeptics would want an area with no ground water like Horsham.
I do recall watching a very scientific doco investigating water devining in the US of A, in a nutshell the scientists could not explain how it was done as they had no tools that could measure what was taking place, yet the guy found water where there was water to be found.
 
One of the tests definitely had ground water and the diviner said that was OK with them, its in the Skeptics link. I do not discount people's views and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just hate to see carpet baggers ripping off poor folk like on the US site. 10% - get you a nice 5000 and coils.
 
I was doing some research on gold finds around my area, and I found an interesting article on Trove

"James Hanrahan and Norman
Squires.
Samp.'cs of the quartz containing
the gold have been sent to the Gov
ernment assaycr in Sydney.
Mr. Palmer said that the samples
were very rich in gold content.
Mr. Palmer said he had discovered an
other seam about three feet wide by
means of wire divining rods.
Interviewed at his home, Mr.
Palmer said that he believed it was
the first big strike of gold at Wagga.
He said that a few years ago some
gold was found on the Common, but
this was the first big strike he knew of.
'X have been around goldfields and '
prospecting all my life,' he said. 'There
has never been much gold found around
Wagga."

Does anyone give this merit?

Did a lot of old timers practice dowsing?

Should I hold off on getting a minelab and just find a couple of sticks? :lol:

I never knew gold was discovered just around the corner from me.
 
I work with a fellow who can find underground electric cables ( live or de-energised ) using two bits of wire bent at 90degrees just like a water deviner would and I have never seen him miss the mark yet, so in my opinion gold being conductive as is copper and aluminium used in electrical cables I believe it would be quiet possible to Devine a reasonable size deposit of gold using this method, but not everyone has the magnetism in there body to be able to Devine.
 
Ooooh, Thank you for that website Loamer! Ever since arriving in Australia I've been wondering about the amount of quackery that is legal (and even encouraged sometimes) in this country. I was wondering if there were some critical thinkers out there, but hadn't been very busy searching for them yet. To just stumble on them like this must be a sign, right? :p
 
Think about it for a minute.

Magnetism in body required for it to work they say....

Gold...a non ferrous metal....non magnetic.
Nuff Said
 
Heard one bloke dug a 30 foot hole after the dowser with a 5g nugget under the tongue told him dig here....I think if there was anything in it either the dowsers would provide and advert with a money back clause, or you wouldn't be able to afford one because mining companies wouldn't need to drill....but hey if you can hit it with a couple of rods its a heck of alot cheaper than any other method using equipment I've heard of
 
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