To Rake or Not to Rake

[Kidbeey]

When I was detecting up in Clermont in the mid nineties the trend was to rake the area where you had found a piece and do a serious search. With the more modern detectors is raking a waste of time and unnecessary?

 

[Diggerdude]

I still rake, under certain circumstances. Amazing how much difference scraping 2" of rocks/leaves makes.

DD

 

[nuggetino]

Yeah I don't see why the situation would be any different now. I've found nuggets near dug targets by clearing a layer leaves and loose soil from the direct vicinity. I do think I'd personally wait until I have a decent patch. If i find 1 small piece of gold and investigate the area to find no more I'd probably give raking a miss and move on but if it were a rich patch of small nuggets I'd see the value in taking the time to rake.

 

[gcause]

Rake

 

[Guest]

Rake! Cos the lazy don't.

 

[loamer]

Rake.

 

[slowflow]

What type of rake do you use? Thanks

 

[deepblue]

Why would you walk away from gold without giving it a good work over, I have found very few orphans out there most have had a few others around them. If you don't others will.

 

[loamer]

What type of rake do you use? Thanks

Standard metal garden rake. There are some rules in Vic - don't damage any living plants (rake around them) and replace the raking afterwards. Replacing the leaf litter also hides your raking for a later day! The broader the rake the better. I use an old metal handled broad rake - works a treat. You will be amazed at how much you will remove and like has been stated, the extra depth is surprising.

 

[Guest]

I used a standard metal rake and I've welded a 1/2" flat bar across the top so you can flip it upside down an scrape the surface after removing the leaf matter.

 

[condor22]

I have a std metal rake and a 600mm plastic, depends on the type of cover. The metal rake is better for small broken branches and rocks, which may be too heavy for the plastic rake. If it's light cover I use the plastic and it already has a scrape bar on the back.

 

[Jim.]

Rake

 

[Diggerdude]

I just use the flat side of my pick.

DD

 

[Lasseter]

As a matter of interest, what % of experienced prospectors would carry a rake around with them when detecting?

 

[AtomRat]

The smart %

 

[dam it]

I do always have it in back of ute and bigger pick now
Don't carry it when Detecting but is there if I need it .

 

[Swinging & digging]

As a matter of interest, what % of experienced prospectors would carry a rake around with them when detecting?

Answer = 0.0025%

 

[limpalot]

Bunnings have a folding rake, steel fingers, telescopes into the handle for easy storage; fits accross the back of the wagon, $15. Not for real heavy raking, rocks and big sticks etc..

 

[Lasseter]

Found this on a Canadian forum from someone who spends more time prospecting than working on his written English :

"Ive been prospecting for gold for gold with a detector a long time all most for ever& I have only seen one couple useing a rake & a metal det. on the desert never have I seen any one useing a rake on the river detecting. A lot of people go detecting for gold come home empty handed, Why because there not getting down where the gold is, The gold is not on top of the ground where you can just discover it using a detector like most people think, I have two partners thats been detecting for twenty years that still think you can go out with your detector & pick nuggets up off the ground. THINK if you dont rake the rocks out of the waythe big rocks out of your way your not getting deep.On the river & in the desert if you are skimming over rocks & boulders the higher off the ground you are is that much depth you are not penitrating the ground. let me put it this way, Ill take you with me you just youse your detector Ill use a rake & my deetector & ill follow you & rake the ground right behind you & I will get 4 times as much gold as you do every time & I have done this both on the river & on the desert.A little extra work with a rake will pay off.I will say this I have two rakes ive made after expermenting that I use very sucsesfuly with my detector.M&M"

 

[PabloP]

I have found gold in a 15kg+ rock sitting on the surface. Others likely just moved it aside, or assumed that the sound was mineralisation, if they did detect over it. So don't assume that the rocks on the surface don't contain gold.

Rob P