JG3DP

This bad boy turned up today! Bambu Lab H2D - it's going to dwarf the trusty little P1S. Few extra accessories too Thought I'd treat myself with some of that big trip gold money, now just gotta get the new "utility" room finished.

Another bit of R&D for my good friends at Medicar Automotive Solutions. Jacob asked if I could model a 3 gang switch plate to fit the Ranger, Everest, Raptor console similar to the UHF plate (passenger side) I have printed for them but for the drivers side. This took quite a few protos to get the switch mechanism tolerances right as if it was too tight it puts pressure on the switch body and would not self release, too loose and the switch wasn't secure.

Also designed with the installers in mind, so that each switch can be pushed out from the back relatively easy by finger or long flat tool. Blanking switch plates and inside cover plate to hide wiring also included.

Just waiting on final fit up by Jacob to ensure everything is sweet and then can release an unbranded version as well.

Another little project I modelled for the Monaro. This is just a draft print in PETG but if I go ahead with it I'll likely do it in ASA and have it painted with the underdash. Fits 3 x 52mm Autometer gauges with top access for wiring through the underdash. I've extruded an additional plate to use as a fitment guide/predrill of holes into underdash. If you have any projects like this feel free to drop me a message.

This is why I love 3D printing - Gails camp chair was allegedly broken - give me a look. Hmmmm plastic stops are missing - give me a minute, pull the last remaining original one out, grab vernier calipers, Fusion 360, send to print. Test fit, adjust one width, send to print - install. Brand new again!! 1.5hr print 76c of filament!

Another trip out bush a few weeks back. On the same patch with Bro – keen cos he missed the big haul last trip. Was sketchy weather leading up to the trip so we opted to come in through Nth Coolgardie Rd because the north end of the track was probably still boggy. Got stood up by another big brindle bull on the road, he didn't want to move and was pretty keen on taking the Dmax!! In the end our horns won though.

Got some Tokyo Drift action on the one wet spot on the back track we knew was still going to be wet. Set up camp and got some gold on day 1 with a bit of benching on the patch.

We worked that section for the next few days down to about 500mm and picked up 17 grams but nothing big. It was hard going, gives you massive respect for the ol timers, they didn't have the luxury of cold beers in the fridge at the end of the day!! Jas reckons it's the hardest he's worked in 10 years – I guess wandering around Barrow with an IPad isn't that taxing!! Note – 180 beers+ were killed over the duration of the trip (13 days) and I LOST 2kgs!!

I then made the executive decision to jump on the west side of the patch where I had previously hit the honey hole. We started digging and around 450mm down we got the faintest hint of a target. Jas continued on the mattock, it started fattening up, we're on!! Then at about 600mm the detector blanked out – we have arrived at the destination. Out it popped a beautiful 10 gram nugget!! I dug another 600mm down over the next few days, not a trace of another target. Check the vid.

By then we were broken so we chained some fresh ground, still in the area of my theory – diagonal shear through the 3 fault system. We picked up some bits and pieces, a nice 2 grammer sitting under a tree that screamed like trash and had no business being where it was – a traveller being smoothed off but I'll take it all the same!!

Then we hit some more easterly ground, chaining up and down. I've learnt that when you think – "don't bother with that bit" – that you really have to go do that bit. This was my thinking on my next find – can't be arsed with that nice easy flat section. So I go over and start gridding it out and my detector blanks out on the surface. Ah s**t got myself a staple or Ali tag, can't see anything obvious. Then I see a yellow rock – we call them corn cob rocks. The detector was screaming every time I passed it. I put my glasses on and f-ck me if it wasn't a SUNBAKER!! I didn't touch it and called Jas over on the radio, he was working the other side of the track. Totally the highlight for me – a 6.9g slug (dirty) just sitting on the surface waiting for a million odd years for me to walk over it! It definitely has travelled in its time – smoothed off. Check the vid.

The last few days were really quiet on the gold and with bad weather expected Friday arvo we decided to pack down Thur arvo – earlier than we planned and bail at 3am Friday morning. We ended up with over an Oz - 37g (dirty) 34.68g (clean) of the good gear so a good trip in all. We'll probably look another site for the next trip, there's gold still in the patch but it busts you hard trying to get it manually.

Out prospecting - be back 28th June😁

Gold has been cleaned and met with Mining Co this morning and sold what I didn't want even though the gold price has s**t itself. Kept about 40g's of some nice pieces including the big "seahorse" that will need to go back in the acid. Lost about 20g's in total after cleaning but still came out with 133g.

Link to the 14 day adventure can be found here if that's your thing 😆 https://www.youtube.com//playlists

G'day Guys & Girls,

Well the parts I was waiting on came today so I finished the GPX 6000 Quad Lock screen visor. Printed in Sunlu PETG HS Black Matte supplied by the crew at RAW3D Filament. Finished item will be supplied with genuine Quad Lock rectangle base with all boxed components and assembled ready to go. I'll throw in a 15mm M5 screw if you do not require the Quad Lock spacer (supplied).

You just need to attached your preferred Quad Lock components, arms etc to suit your phone etc.

$50 plus $11 postage anywhere in Au.

I'll be heading out prospecting again June 14th - (possibly) 28th depending on how we're going on the patch!

One of my faithful customers asked me last night if I could make a scale tray with a pourer to make it easy to weigh and pour the smaller nuggs into bottles etc after weighing so I modelled this and sent to print today as a tester. It was something I've also been wanting to stop losing the littlys but credit goes to Kieran for the motivation😄 Measures 76mm(W) x 76mm(L) x 28mm (H) with an effective internal of 70mm(W) x 70mm(L) x 25mm(H) and pourer measuring 15mm OD, 11mm ID x 25mm (L). Filleted internal so the nuggs slide into pourer and no lips to get caught on.

Printed in Sunlu HS Matte Black PETG supplied by the great crew at RAW3D Filament .

$10 each - $11 postage anywhere in Au.

What a trip out to the Patch!! Headed out Sun 10 solo this time as Jas was caravanning at Lucky Bay. Set up and had a couple hours spare so headed out to the patch to test out the new Coiltek Goldhawk 14 x 9 mono coil I treated myself to after our last trip. Now I am a bit of a sceptic on all the hype about aftermarket coils but this thing blew all sceptimism away in the short 2 hour stint. Same ground that had been over 5 times with our other coils – pulled 1.8g’s straight up – nearly half paid off.

Monday back over the same ground, another 20g’s - a $4k day. Coil and trip paid for and some profit – nice.

Tues my lower left back fully cramped and I could barely get up/down or walk BUT after 9 Panadol, 9 Nurofen and a longer lunch break was back at it.

On Wed the old saying was nagging me – never leave gold to find gold so I decided to test our theory – prickly gold = close to the source. So I started benching out the patch – removing the top 300mm of dirt, detecting it and then detecting the fresh ground and extra depth. This led to some decent nugs and a substantial hole – I called the spa hole. The ground below was hardpack mud/clay and heavy going on the big mattock/pick. Fair work out. By Saturday I had 40g’s - over an ounce!

Then came Sunday, got a soft target on the west end of patch, I started digging, it started getting louder – I was pulling consistent gold but it kept screaming – deeper!! By 4:30pm I’d gone around 500mm down and still screaming! Knock off time – it'll be there in the morning, it’ s been there for millions of years what’s 12 hours. Up to this point I had 146 nuggets, although some were flys**t so nugget is very generous in description.

So Monday back to the hole thinking it’ll be out in a minute, hit 600mm and still pulling good gold then the big one came out – big for me anyway – a beautiful spikey 17g nugget I call the seahorse. So glad the pick didn’t hit it. Anyway on that day I ended up pulling 83.83g’s!! As much as our last trip total in a day!! Trip total stood at 136g’s - a cool $27,800. With a week to go anything was possible on the patch.

Tues I pulled another 3g’s out, Wed another 2g’s, Thurs another 4g’s, Fri another 3.5g’s. Late Fri and most of Sat the plan was start filling the “hole” back in – I'm guessing approx 6m3 of soil to go back in. No big deal I filled our pool in - 26m3 in 2 days. So the plan was to fill around 50-100mm, detect it and repeat. I knew they’d be gold I missed as some nugs were wrapped inside clay rocks, were small and if orientated the wrong way the first time just got missed. By the time the hole was filled I retrieved another 2g’s.

Late Saturday I packed down and got ready for the 9 hour drive home starting at 4am and calling in for the required Kalgoorlie Macca’s brekky.

The weather was cherry ripe all week, bar the last Friday – windy with some rain, a bit fresh in the mornings and the fly numbers low. I did get the obligatory visit from Mr Crow who didn’t get into my bin bag BUT did steal my bar of soap I had sitting on the shower tree branch!!

The trip total 152.47g’s of WA’s finest – albeit dirty and a few grams will be lost I don’t ever recall being paid $31k to dig a hole in 2 weeks and I’ve dug quite a few holes in my time.

I’ll get the trip vid together over the next week or so – of course the cam failed the day the big one came out OR maybe I was that excited I forgot to press record??

Anyway me and the Bro will be heading back out in 2.5 weeks for another dig adventure.