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Gold Rush Mine Rescue with Freddy & Juan Season 6 Episode 7
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00:02We have to make it pay, or else it was all for nothing.
00:07On this episode of Mine Rescue, Juan Ibarra...
00:11It still may not be enough.
00:13...and Gold Rush legend Dave Turin...
00:16I'm winging in a second, moving that dirt.
00:18...find a failing miner and his in-laws...
00:22What's going on?
00:23Shut it down!
00:24...determined to make the hurdle from hobby zero.
00:27Financially, I'm maxed out.
00:30...to mining heroes.
00:32They can only run like 30 minutes.
00:34What the heck?
00:35But standing between them and success...
00:39It's a fail situation.
00:41Are you guys all willing to take the next step?
00:44...isn't just a change in attitude...
00:47Right now, it's do or die.
00:49...but building a whole new operation.
00:53We're going to resurrect that dinosaur and turn it into a real wash plant.
00:56I can't believe this is happening.
00:58The question is, can they cut it?
00:59That's something that we've never done before.
01:01It's huge.
01:02Wow.
01:04Boom, down.
01:06We're right at the limit.
01:08Holy smoke.
01:10It's overwhelming.
01:11Moment of truth, gentlemen.
01:23It's an essential part of modern life.
01:25You know, you have to have gold.
01:27And there's going to come a time...
01:28...when gold will be the currency.
01:32I think we're going to go back to it.
01:33You know, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
01:35The guy that we're going to meet up with today...
01:37...this is kind of his weekend warrior thing.
01:39He really wants to take this to the next level.
01:41I appreciate you calling me.
01:42I'm not here to replace Freddy.
01:44And I'm not near the fabricator or welder.
01:47However, I'm here for you, whatever you need.
01:49Well, Dave, I do like my feet rubbed at night.
01:54In the timbered wilderness of America's last frontier...
01:58...Juan Ibarra and Dave Turin respond to an SOS from the Lazy Bear Mine...
02:05...and what will become one of their biggest projects yet.
02:15Well, you must be Bear.
02:17Yeah.
02:18How are you doing, Juan?
02:19Good to see you.
02:20Hi, Bear.
02:20I'm Dave.
02:20Hi, how are you?
02:22Nice to meet you.
02:22This is my father-in-law, Harold.
02:24My brother-in-law is Jeffrey.
02:26Jeff.
02:26Good to meet you.
02:26Hi, Harold.
02:27Hi.
02:27Dave, nice to meet you.
02:29Freddy had a couple of projects at home that he had to tend to...
02:32...and Dave's here to give me a hand.
02:33I hope I can fill his shoes.
02:35Yeah.
02:36You know, they're tiny shoes, but they're hard to fill.
02:38They really are.
02:41How many years have you been out here?
02:42We've been up here in this spot about three years.
02:44It's just a weekend thing right now.
02:46I retire this October, so we're hoping that it'll become a full-time thing for us.
02:52It started as a hobby.
02:54I was the one that lost my mind first.
02:56They all followed.
02:58I've always wanted to have a gold mine, so when this opportunity came along, we all wanted
03:04to be involved.
03:05Bear's a great guy.
03:07That's why I'm willing to follow him in this adventure.
03:11We're just like any family, you know.
03:13There's times where we bicker at each other, but at the end of the day, if I had to have
03:17any partners, it'd be them.
03:18After staking 360 acres of prime Alaskan mining territory, Bear, Jeff, and Harold have big dreams.
03:27There is a lot at stake, you know, as far as making this mine productive.
03:32We need to produce jobs for us all as a family.
03:36If the mine's financially able to support our kids, our grandkids, it'd be great.
03:41But with the tiny operation Bear, Harold, and Jeff run now, a generational mine legacy is
03:49more pipe dream than reality.
03:52On a weekly basis, it costs us about $400 per trip to come up here.
03:58You know, we're probably bringing home between $100 and $125 worth of gold.
04:03Financially, I'm maxed out right now to make ends meet.
04:08I'm renting out rooms in my house.
04:10There is some sort of point where we're going to have to say we can't do it anymore.
04:14We have to make it pay, or else it was all for nothing.
04:19So, over the last three years, how much gold have you produced out of this little area?
04:24Well, we're on the struggle bus for sure.
04:26I'd say we got maybe three ounces out of the whole time, maybe an ounce a year.
04:31That's a little difficult.
04:32Yeah.
04:32That's for sure.
04:32Yeah.
04:33The miners up above us are doing well, so we're not doing something right.
04:38What do you have invested in this operation between the three of you?
04:41Between $90,000 and $100,000.
04:43That's still a bunch of money.
04:44That's a bunch of money.
04:46None of us are financially well off.
04:48What's the gold look like?
04:50Here, I brought it with me.
04:52Semi-chunky.
04:54Small, though.
04:55That's a pretty good size.
04:56So, what's your goal for this year?
04:58Well, our goal for this year, we figure we have about nine or ten weeks left of the mining
05:03season.
05:03If you guys could help us get to a point where we're even getting an ounce a week, that's
05:08the dream.
05:08An ounce a week would give the miners enough to scale up their operation into a full-time
05:15business, which, if history proves out, should be achievable.
05:20Part of the Circle Mining District, the area was first discovered in 1893, ahead of the Klondike
05:28Gold Rush.
05:29Since that time, geologists estimate over one million ounces of gold has been recovered,
05:36worth $4 billion in today's money.
05:41On the way in, I saw a trommel up there.
05:44Do you own that?
05:45Yes, sir.
05:45Yeah, it was given to us a couple years ago as a project, and we just haven't had the
05:50funds or time to invest in it.
05:52Okay.
05:52Well, you know, that may be an option.
05:53I mean, are you guys all willing to take the next step and try to get this thing going?
05:58100%.
05:59That's the goal.
05:59That's the goal, yeah.
06:00Okay.
06:01If you want to take us down to the wash plant, let's take a look at it, and let's get
06:03a
06:03test run going.
06:04Absolutely.
06:05All right.
06:05Let's do it.
06:05Let's do it.
06:08Bear wants to create a legacy for his family, and I love that, but there's a difference between
06:13hobby mining and doing this for a living.
06:16The question is, can they cut it?
06:19Welcome to Lazy Bear Mining, I guess.
06:21Lazy Bear, huh?
06:23Yeah.
06:23I like it.
06:24You know what happens to lazy bears, right?
06:26Yeah, they get shot, yeah.
06:31That's Tonka, and this up here is Gladys.
06:34Wow.
06:35You name your equipment.
06:36Yeah, this is Old Uncle Basil, except it's called a lot of the time.
06:41Oh, yeah.
06:42Yeah.
06:42We just want to watch what you guys do, watch your process, and kind of take it in.
06:47Absolutely.
06:47All right.
06:48Well, let's do it.
06:48Yeah, sounds great.
06:51Fire it up!
06:54I don't know.
07:05There it is, Dave.
07:06We'll start the timer right now.
07:09Uncle Basil, the wash plant, is a hodgepodge of parts.
07:14Bear uses mini-excavator Gladys to feed dirt into a small two-foot-by-three-foot hopper
07:21where a screen separates larger waste rocks from their finer pay dirt.
07:26This travels into a miniature 18-inch-wide trommel before being caught in a three-foot sluice.
07:33Jeff then uses the crew's only other piece of equipment, mini-dozer Tonka, to push away
07:40the waste tailings.
07:42That's me, Dave Shucker, baby girl.
07:44Let's go.
07:45Old Uncle Basil, this thing has done us fantastic over the years.
07:51My great-uncle Basil was a miner in Alaska, off the Kenai Peninsula.
07:56He was just a bigger-than-life character.
07:58I was probably about nine.
08:00He showed me how to pan in his kitchen, and that's it.
08:03That's what planted the seed.
08:05It is a childhood dream, and I am living.
08:08I'm living my dream right now.
08:09I want the mine to provide for me and myself and my family and generations to come.
08:24Well, it's definitely one of the slower plants, Dave.
08:27It's a little bit painful to watch.
08:29It's more of a test plant or a recreational, like, you know, a hobby plant.
08:33But, you know, we get lucky sometimes.
08:36A good hobby or test plant should be able to run up to 15 yards per hour and give a
08:43good
08:43indication of the gold that's in the ground.
08:50How's the rocks looking?
08:51Good?
08:53It shouldn't take three guys.
08:55It should be able to do this, really, with, like, one guy.
09:02Yeah, let's shut it down.
09:05Just 30 minutes into the four-hour test, the lazy bear run grinds to a halt.
09:14Oh, he cleans the mat already?
09:16The sluice is maxed out.
09:18So they can only run, like, 30 minutes, and then they feel like their sluice box is overwhelmed
09:25because it's only this big.
09:27So they stop every 30 minutes, knock the mats out, and clean it up?
09:31What the heck?
09:33See how that material's, you know, packing up on the back there?
09:36You'll actually get migration of gold right underneath it.
09:38Okay.
09:39Oh, wow.
09:39Quite a bit, actually.
09:40The reason you have that is because you don't have a ramp.
09:43Without a ramp to take the pay dirt directly onto the mats,
09:47gold is likely being flushed underneath them and into the tailings pond.
09:52We should probably pan that, Dave.
09:53Let's see what lives there.
09:58Oh, f***.
10:04Let me see that.
10:06That's a lot of gold.
10:07Yeah.
10:08You know, one, there is potential.
10:09Yeah.
10:10That's, yeah.
10:10That's pretty good.
10:11Oh, wow.
10:12That is.
10:12Well, the good news is you've got gold.
10:14Bad news is you just lost a lot out your sluice box.
10:18If this sluice box is not set up right, you can lose all the gold that you're collecting,
10:22and that's exactly what was happening.
10:25Get it?
10:26Yep.
10:27All right.
10:27We're ready to fire back up.
10:29Fire it up!
10:33All right, Liners, baby.
10:34Let's do it.
10:35Here we go.
10:36Wash plant Uncle Basil is back in action.
10:43Take care, baby, girl.
10:45Take it.
10:52But after multiple shutdowns...
10:56It's like 30 minutes.
10:5830 minutes?
10:59You want to get the travel?
11:00The crew manages to run just three yards of cater an hour.
11:06All good.
11:09You know, honestly, I didn't think it was going to be great, but really, what we saw right
11:13now, even if we double it, let's say we triple it, it still may not be enough.
11:20Last bucket.
11:22All right, this is the last bucket.
11:26At the end of it.
11:27Yeah.
11:27Four hours.
11:28Four hours.
11:29Done.
11:29At about three yards an hour.
11:3112, maybe?
11:3212 yards.
11:33Yeah, I figured.
11:38There it is.
11:44Well, do you guys want to finish up that cleanup?
11:46And then Dave and I will meet you in the morning to see what we got in the Goldway.
11:49Yes, sir.
11:49Sounds good.
11:52I feel bad because Bear, Harold, and Jeff are putting their heart and soul into this,
11:56and really, they're not getting anywhere.
11:58It's a fail situation.
12:00It's not enough to be able to make a living at this.
12:02So, you know, we definitely got a lot to think about.
12:19How are you doing?
12:20I'm doing all right.
12:21Mind if I sit down and talk for a little bit?
12:24Ahead of the first Goldway on the Lazy Bear Mine in Alaska.
12:28Tell you what, that's a million-dollar view right there.
12:31Oh, yeah.
12:32Dave catches up with family patriarch, Harold.
12:35What's it mean to you, the mine?
12:37Back in the early 80s, I had a chance to buy one, and we had five kids, and so we
12:42just said,
12:43nah, we just can't do it.
12:45So, it's kind of like, you know, a bucket list, and I achieved it.
12:48I got my gold mine.
12:50I got it.
12:50So, uh...
12:51Yeah.
12:51If the mine produced enough money, gold would support us,
12:55and we can pass it on to grandkids, great-grandkids, and that's where I'd like to be.
13:00Hopefully, you can turn this into making some kind of profit.
13:03Our joke is, we only need to find one nugget the size of a softball.
13:07That's all we need.
13:08That's all we need.
13:09That's not asking too much.
13:11No.
13:12I've worked with my family my whole life, and I just absolutely love that.
13:16However, this thing's got to start making money.
13:19So, now we got the Goldway.
13:20We'll see what they got, and go from there.
13:24Let's set this up.
13:25All right.
13:26Where's the gold?
13:27Right here.
13:29To hit their ounce-per-week goal, the Lazy Bear crew need to see at least two grams in this
13:36Goldway.
13:38All right.
13:38Let's see what we got, guys.
13:46There's the big one.
13:47Here, it clink.
13:51Oh, boy.
13:53Well, it's barely registering, but I got 0.2 grams.
13:580.2 of a gram is worth just $22.
14:03And how many hours do we have in the...
14:05Four-hour run.
14:05Four-hour run.
14:08It's not worth it.
14:09No, it's not.
14:10But, you know, that's not saying that there's not a chance here.
14:12I think there definitely is opportunity here.
14:14And I'm going to be honest with you guys.
14:17Are you guys willing to take the next step?
14:20Oh, 100%.
14:21At the end of the day, we want this to be a profitable business.
14:24Yeah.
14:25That's what we needed to hear.
14:26Dave and I are going to go sit down and kind of come up with a game plan.
14:28Okay.
14:29And then we'll let you know what we think.
14:30Sounds awesome.
14:32They said, you're going to have to step it up.
14:34And my mind's, I'm like, you're damn right I am.
14:36Because 0.2 is not going to do it.
14:38But the right attitude won't be enough.
14:42What are your thoughts on that tiny plant we ran?
14:44I mean, even if we triple it to nine yards an hour at that rate, Juan, they still can't make
14:50money.
14:50No.
14:54Well, you did find that other trommel.
14:56Yeah.
14:57That may be the solution that we need to be able to get to that next level.
15:01Yeah, it's a good option.
15:02Let's take a look.
15:08I think, you know, genuinely, all we have that's salvageable is the drum itself.
15:13Yeah.
15:14Which really is the part we need.
15:16We'd have to build the new framework for it, new sluice run, new roller system for it, new drive system,
15:22new hopper.
15:24Is that realistic?
15:25It's ambitious.
15:26It's as ambitious as we've ever been.
15:28And you still have some prospecting to do.
15:31Yeah.
15:32So it's, you know, really it's going to cut down what you're able to help me with for at least
15:36a couple days.
15:38I have Travis and Alex.
15:39They're in Yukon.
15:40You know, we can get them over here in a day.
15:42You think so?
15:42Yeah, 100%.
15:43Let's do it.
15:46To bring Bear's crew into the big leagues, Juan and Dave have a daunting challenge ahead.
15:55Using the 15-foot trommel drum, they'll first replace the old screens with brand new punch plates.
16:06Then, build a custom bogey roller system where wheels attached to a central pivot allow the trommel to turn quickly
16:16and smoothly.
16:18A hand-built frame and pay chute will go underneath, leading into a massive 20-foot sluice.
16:27This entirely new wash plant should increase the amount of pay the Lazy Bear crew can run from 3 yards
16:34an hour to over 20.
16:38But to prepare the Lazy Bear mine for professional production, Dave will draw on his years of expertise.
16:47Just like that, a little more.
16:49Prospecting for the best ground.
16:51There's your pay.
16:52That's what we're looking for.
16:54With a master class in mine operations.
17:00Hey, gentlemen.
17:01You got a minute?
17:02Yeah.
17:03Dave and Ike sat down and talked.
17:05What we want to do is we want to take that trommel and build a whole new plant around it.
17:08Wow.
17:10That's something that we've never done before.
17:11You know, it's huge.
17:13This is going to be a genuinely, you know, 15 to 20-yard-an-hour plant.
17:17That's where we want to go.
17:18Yep.
17:19And Dave's going to start out with doing some prospecting.
17:21Work with you guys on that to really help you with the efficiency.
17:24Yeah, that's going to be amazing.
17:26One of the things, though, it is going to cost a little bit of money.
17:29Yeah.
17:30You know, and that's the hard part.
17:31You know, we kind of figured out roughly about $10,000 in material.
17:36Probably have about $4,000 of that equipment and material on our truck already.
17:40We're willing to give you guys that.
17:42Wow.
17:42So it'll be $6,000.
17:46If you guys are wanting to do it, we're willing to do it.
17:49Oh, we want to do it.
17:50Yeah, definitely.
17:51100%.
17:51Okay.
17:52We got to get there.
17:53Let's go.
17:54Okay.
17:54Well, sounds great.
17:55That's a deal then.
17:56Tell us what you need us to do and we'll do it.
17:58Well, first off, I'd love for you guys to get that trommel.
18:01That way we can start getting things measured out and start building.
18:03All right?
18:04Sounds cool.
18:08While we've been here, we've kind of been stuck in this groove that we can't get out of.
18:12Looking good.
18:13The slow and easy is the trick.
18:17And now, all of a sudden, we're going to get out of that rut, like never go back.
18:22This trommel is going to take us to maybe 20, 25 yards an hour.
18:27This is going to happen.
18:28It's moving forward.
18:34Let's start fabricating everything.
18:37This is going to be the screen that goes around the trommel.
18:40There's 12 screens that we've got to cut and there's probably 1,000 holes in each screen.
18:44So it'll probably take about two days to get everything cut.
18:47While Juan works on the pieces for the trommel, Dave takes Bear and father-in-law Harold on a prospecting
18:55101.
18:56If we get that plant going, Juan and my idea is to have that plant at the very least 20
19:03yards an hour.
19:03Right.
19:04So you've got three hours of pay here.
19:06Right.
19:06Right.
19:07It's not even enough to run the test.
19:09Right.
19:10Where's your next pay dirt coming from?
19:12To keep Bear's mining dream alive, Dave must identify the richest pay to feed into the new plant.
19:21This is the first hole.
19:23Okay.
19:24You want to pull some out there and I'll grab a pan real quick?
19:27Yeah.
19:43Do you see any heavies at all in there?
19:45Some heavies in there.
19:47One there.
19:48A little tiny one there.
19:50One, two, three, four pieces of gold there.
19:55How deep are you here?
19:56We're about 10 feet.
19:57You're still top gravels as far as I'm concerned.
20:00I don't think that's going to cut it.
20:02Top gravels are the highest layer of pay dirt, but with heavy gold settling deeper, they're rarely where the big
20:11payday lies.
20:13I think number one is you need to go deeper.
20:16Let's dig some pay out and pan it, right?
20:20In search of a higher concentration of gold, Bear digs another four feet down.
20:33More sand, more heavies.
20:34You can feel it kind of by the pan.
20:36It makes me work a little harder.
20:42Holy cow.
20:44I like that.
20:46Oh, yeah.
20:47That looks nice.
20:48Yeah, they're bigger pieces, too.
20:49That's a good sign.
20:50Yeah.
20:51Oh, I really like that.
20:52That's going to make it worth it.
20:53What we just proved was that your gold's getting better as you go down.
20:58I tell you what, that was a decent pan.
21:00It was very encouraging because from there to bedrock, he thinks is another 10 to 15 feet.
21:06That's a lot of pay.
21:08All right, we got an idea?
21:10Are we all in agreement?
21:11Yes, sir.
21:12Cool.
21:12Let's get to work.
21:15All right, Gladden.
21:16Here we go.
21:17I'm having Dave here pointing us in the right direction, giving us the advice, what ground we should be focusing
21:23on.
21:23The techniques that we need to improve on, it's priceless, really.
21:41Our rollers are going to be angled like that.
21:43On the Lazy Bear Mine in remote central Alaska.
21:48You guys are here.
21:48Yeah.
21:49Hello.
21:50The cavalry build team members, Travis Stockman and Alex Voigt, arrive.
21:58You know, this is not like anything else we've done before.
22:00We're going to resurrect that dinosaur and turn it into a real wash plant.
22:03Figured it would be a bigger job.
22:05Oh, yeah.
22:05Falling out.
22:06Okay.
22:07We genuinely have about three, three and a half days to do this build.
22:11So they're going to be 18-hour days, more than likely, and we're just going to have to go.
22:15You ever been in this position before?
22:17Yeah, a few times.
22:17Yeah, a few times.
22:19He doesn't call us when it's fun.
22:20How long?
22:21Good point.
22:21All right, well, let's get your truck parked, and let's get to work.
22:25In three days, Juan, Travis, and Alex must fabricate a half-ton hopper and update the old trommel.
22:36Build a bogey roller system.
22:41Construct a custom drop chute.
22:44And weld a 20-foot sluice.
22:46Just 72 hours to pull off the impossible.
22:54Been here for less than an hour.
22:56We're already back at it.
22:58First job?
22:59Removing the useless grates on the salvaged trommel.
23:02These are a little bit too big for the material that's here, so we're going to cut these off,
23:06and then we're going to put some punch plate on it.
23:10A set of old skids welded to steel uprights will make the frame.
23:15So put your hood on, and I'll kind of show you what I'm doing here.
23:17A chance for Harold's son, Jeff, to get some welding experience.
23:23So you're going to want to shoot that material down, and then you go this way.
23:28Closer, get closer.
23:31There you go.
23:33That's it?
23:33Nice.
23:34So what made you want to come out mining?
23:37I like the adventure of it, the freedom, being with family, and that's what I like.
23:43You make your own destiny.
23:44Exactly.
23:46I knew it was my dad's dream since I was a kid to run a mine.
23:50While Bear made the leap on buying a gold claim, it's Jeff's father, Harold, that provides his inspiration.
23:59My dad, he adopted me at the age of seven.
24:02He's the only dad that I've ever known, you know, or ever even cared to know him.
24:07He's done so much for us growing up and provided for us.
24:13So I want to be up here full-time and helping our families out and just watch gold come through.
24:19That's the goal, right?
24:22Both Dave and I come from, you know, family-owned businesses, and it takes a lot of work, but there's
24:26definitely a good payoff.
24:28Oh, 100%.
24:30100%.
24:30Well, let's keep on welding.
24:31I'll let you do that weld.
24:32Right on.
24:33Take your time.
24:40That's good.
24:44At the mine site, Bear stockpiles pay for the second test.
24:49We'll get 80 yards of pay up here, so we have enough for the test for sure.
24:53But as the pile grows, it's time for the next stage of the Dave Turin Masterclass, transforming the mine operation
25:03from hobby Joe's to full-time pros.
25:07You've got some pit management to do.
25:10We'll set up that plant maybe with your hopper here, but the sluice is coming out the middle.
25:16Okay.
25:17If you dig some overburden, put it in here and give us a decent pad.
25:20Sounds good.
25:21Cool.
25:23Dave's plan?
25:24Dave's plan?
25:24To make way for the new wash plan, the crew will build a level pad next to the tailings pond.
25:30They'll move their pay pile south on the site, then create clear roads between the plant and the pile.
25:37Efficiencies that will allow Bear, Jeff, and Harold to run a full 10-hour day without stopping.
25:44All right, I'm going to try to level that up if you start to keep pushing this overburden.
25:51It's basically a crash course in mining for profit.
25:54We can give them that wash plant.
25:57It's a new level, and they're not used to it.
25:59So it's going to be a paradigm shift, which is a really big word for me, but I threw it
26:05in there anyway.
26:14Anyway, at the cut trailer, we cut all the punch plate out on the plasma table.
26:18Now what we're going to do is we're going to roll it, and that way we get the shape of
26:22the drum.
26:23A steel roller shapes the one-quarter-inch thick punch plates to exactly fit the curve of the trommel.
26:31With this roller, it's a big time saver.
26:35I don't think it would be possible to do it by hand.
26:41It's looking really good.
26:42You know, we got almost the first row of screens.
26:45We're going to have four down, and we'll have eight more to go.
26:49As Alex and Travis finish the trommel, Juan gets cracking on a brand-new sluice box.
26:56We're going to build two of them.
26:58They're going to be 10 foot apiece.
26:59But what we're going to do is we're going to bolt them together so we have 20 foot of sluice
27:01run.
27:03We're moving, but there's still a lot to do.
27:12Dave suggested this is where we put the new wash plant, so we're building the pad.
27:17On the mine site, Dave's plan is rocking into action.
27:22They're getting it.
27:23But we've still got a long ways to go.
27:29Uh-oh.
27:35Well, it looks like we've got something happening in the backhoe here.
27:40Hey, Dave!
27:43Gladys started leaking.
27:45That doesn't look right.
27:46Yeah.
27:47You're going to have to pull it out.
27:48Okay.
27:49But that shouldn't be leaking there.
27:50Gladys, the crew's only excavator, has sprung a leak.
27:54The fuel tank's leaking.
27:59We're going to have to go up and try to see if Juan's got time to help us.
28:04That's their only piece of equipment that the dig pay.
28:08Needs to feed the plant.
28:10So if they lose that, they're in trouble.
28:12Let's take a look at it.
28:13All right.
28:14And it was coming out of this side.
28:17It's so thin.
28:18It's so corroded.
28:19You can see there's pinholes everywhere.
28:21We're just going to chase our tails on this thing.
28:23Late summer is prime sluicing time in remote gold country.
28:28And getting another excavator on site could take days.
28:32We don't get this fixed.
28:33We don't get the test done.
28:34Right now, it's do or die.
28:37I'm going to make a few phone calls, see if I can get an excavator for the test run.
28:40But, you know, right now, it doesn't look good.
28:56We'll get one corner started, and then we'll work our way around.
28:58On the Lazy Bear Mine in Alaska, there's just 24 hours until the final test run.
29:05I knew this was going to be a really ambitious build.
29:07Even with the extra help, we're right at the limit.
29:10So this is going to be the drop chute underneath the trommel.
29:13So all the material that comes out of the trommel is going to collect in here,
29:16go down that center spout, and out the new sluice.
29:19Frame and trommel complete.
29:22Juan's next task, a rolling bogey system.
29:26A lot of these pieces now are kind of intricate.
29:29Sitting on four sides of the trommel, each central pivot will allow the wheels to absorb the movement of the
29:36drum
29:37and create a quick, smooth rotation.
29:40So you kind of see how these wheels are going to work as the drum rides in here.
29:44So if there's any kind of movement or the drum's not perfectly round, these will take up that movement.
29:50So it'll be equal load on both rollers at all times.
30:00Um, yeah, this is going to be tricky.
30:03Down in the cut.
30:05Just have to do the best we can.
30:06That's all we got.
30:08There's still pay to dig, and Dave's mine plan to finish.
30:13But excavator Gladys is out of action.
30:16This really isn't made for, uh, moving a lot of dirt.
30:20And right now, we've got a lot of dirt to move.
30:23And Juan's mini skid steer is no replacement.
30:29Hey, look!
30:32Hell yeah!
30:35Wow, look at this!
30:37Woo!
30:42Oh, man.
30:46Where did you find this hunk iron?
30:48I actually borrowed it from one of the locals.
30:50Wow.
30:50This is amazing.
30:52I'm going to bury you now, Joe.
30:55All right.
30:57Nice!
30:58Very nice.
30:59Look at this.
31:01With this, we got a chance to, uh, you know, get these guys on the gold, get our test run
31:07done,
31:08see if the wash plant works.
31:10So I'm swinging in and singing, moving that dirt.
31:13I love it.
31:15When Gladys went down, they even called the big boss.
31:18And, uh, here it is.
31:20Amazing.
31:21Simply amazing.
31:31These guys, they're showing signs of stepping up to the next level.
31:36They're eager to learn, and they're willing to do the hard work.
31:40That's what it takes.
31:46Pig.
31:47Yes, sir.
31:48I think you're really close to having that four-hour test.
31:51Yeah.
31:52So now there's a pit area.
31:53You've got your water pond.
31:55We're starting to figure out pit management and, you know, mine management right now.
32:01So I think you guys have a good instructor. Oh, I think you guys are ready for the big time.
32:05Oh, we'll try. We'll give it a shot. All right
32:13Go on that side and then we'll bring it over
32:16With the clock counting down and at the end of a 15-hour shift
32:21Come on down one's mega wash plant bill
32:24Finally starts to come together as the eight by three foot catch chute and bogey system is carefully lifted into
32:32place
32:35Money nice followed by the 15-foot trommel
32:41Did it go down now there it is perfect contact on it can't get better than that one no
32:49The bill that's amazing. I mean every time we see what's going on we're just takes our breath away the
32:54thing
32:54How do they get that done so fast come on down?
32:58Yep
32:59We can't wait for that day to see that thing start up and start putting material in it. It's gonna
33:04be unreal
33:05It's gonna be a nice setup for you guys big upgrade. Oh night and day. Yeah, night day. It's not
33:10even my plant and I'm excited
33:24We were up all night last night making sure this thing gets done
33:29Last couple things we've got to do is put the hopper on and in the motor
33:35So we're getting really close very close
33:38It's go time on the lazy bear mine site coming up as
33:43As one and Dave race to fit the half-ton custom-built hopper into place
33:49Right there's good, huh? I like that
33:54We're at the home stretch now. We've got a couple last welds we got to do but then we're gonna
33:58take it down to the cut and get it set up for bear
34:02Over five long days one and his build team have managed to pull off a mining miracle
34:10We'll shut everything down or get it down to the cut and huh Dave, let's do it
34:15Put the gold in the box one thing right, let's do it
34:32Holy smokes
34:34Look at how high that hopper is. I can't believe it. I honestly can't believe it. It's like this is
34:39a dream. I
34:44Watching that coming over the hill was so massive. It was so big, you know, it was amazing
34:49It blew my mind away. They did that much in that short amount of time
34:53We're gonna get this set up and run a test. It really comes down to the gold in the box.
34:58Hopefully it'll be there
35:00Oh, give him a hug!
35:02There's a bear hug. Hey
35:04Oh
35:05Hi, Harold. Hi. Wow, that's awesome. You guys outdid yourself
35:14Oh
35:24First bucket that's the first bucket on the lazy bear mine number one number one of a million
35:33It's go time for one's three-ton custom-built wash plan newly christened bears baby
35:52There we are
35:53If it can run enough dirt this baby should allow bear and his crew to recover an ounce of gold
36:02a week
36:03Taking them from weekenders to full-time miners
36:08Just feather it in a little bit
36:11Perfect
36:13I'm thinking it's kind of unbelievable. Actually. It's amazing
36:18Such a big step for us
36:21Able to handle seven times more dirt the pay feeds into the custom-built hopper and
36:27Down the chute where it is washed in the 15-foot salvage trommel
36:33Before landing in the 20-foot sluice laid out for both fine and coarse gold
36:41There's the absolute tip of the iceberg right here going from a hobby miner to a professional miner and I
36:48see it happening, baby
36:51Watch the bogey pretty cool how they actually move around
36:54Oh, yeah
36:56Sluice looks good. Yeah, it does damn good. Honestly. I'm really happy with it. I like it. Good job, buddy.
37:02You too, bud. Thanks great job
37:08You know my dreams aren't just for me. They're for my family, so
37:13Seeing that all happen right now. It's it's overwhelming
37:17It's really an emotional thing quite honestly
37:21Not gonna cry
37:24But I'm about there
37:30It's amazing everything running so smoothly
37:34The future of the mine is just going up. It means a lot for me and my dad
37:45Right now the way the plants running is doing phenomenal now genuinely they are mining, you know
37:51It's not just a prospecting or out here being a hobby miner they're mining, but really the proofs gonna be
37:56in the pudding
37:59Last bucket
38:17Well that was a heck of a run here was it was awesome. Have you ever seen gold in your
38:21box before one piece?
38:22You better take a look. Oh, yeah. No, no. We got some gold in the box. Yep. Oh boy
38:28Well gentlemen, you guys want to get everything cleaned up and Dave and I will come see you a little
38:31later and we'll do a gold way, huh?
38:33Yeah, it's good to say
38:34Sounds good. Thank you. We got it. We got it
38:38Honestly, I couldn't be happier
38:39We don't know ultimately until we get to the gold way, but if there's gold in the ground, I know
38:44that plants gonna collect it
38:53Hey gentlemen, hey guys, hey ready for a gold way we're ready. Well, let's wait up
38:59Let's see where we're at moment of truth gentlemen
39:02To hit their target of an ounce a week this gold way needs to produce over two grams
39:12Well, there's our first gold way right there yeah point two and there's quite a bit left
39:212.5 not bad worth over two hundred and fifty dollars
39:27It's over ten times what bear and the crew made in their first test run
39:33Enough to hit their coveted ounce-a-week gold
39:37That's a huge improvement and that's the most gold we've ever had to clean up, you know take care of
39:44But once you guys get in there and actually open up that cut a little more and able to get
39:48into that deeper part of the cut
39:50You know that number is going to come up dramatically
39:52Over six grams a day more than 1.2 ounces a week the lazy bear mind is officially in business
40:03We went from a plant the size of a lawnmower to a plant the size of a bus that's simply
40:09amazing
40:10Everything we need is in front of us. We have all the tools we need to make this happen. So
40:14it's like we're gonna go for it
40:16We're gonna go a hundred miles an hour and it starts, you know tomorrow. All right, buddy. Great working with
40:21you. Yeah, you too
40:22Thank you very much
40:23You know to see the the smiles and the when their face lit up see the gold that's what it's
40:29all about
40:29We're out here to change lives and make people happy and that's what we did today. Thank you. He was
40:36posted
40:37I'm genuinely excited for bear and the crew
40:39They have a real future here that plant is chewing through the material
40:43It's catching the gold once they get down deep enough and they get into that better pale air that number
40:48is going to be exponential
40:50The sky's the limit
40:59Hey Juan and Dave it's bear up in Alaska and I just wanted to give you guys an update from
41:04the lazy bear mind
41:05Gladys is up and running but we're gonna get an excavator here for next spring and this new excavator will
41:11enable us to
41:12Keep right on chugging and put yards through the machine what you did really is working
41:17This is the goal that we're catching from the ground
41:20My son's gonna be able to come up to the mine this summer work full-time and we're just gonna
41:26make a go of it
41:26We're running the same amount of time and we're getting 10.8 grams. It's absolutely fantastic
41:33I cannot thank you guys enough. We're gonna reach the goal
41:36You
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