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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.
00:13And Gold Rush legend, Dave Turin.
00:15I'm winging that a second, moving that dirt.
00:18Find a failing miner and his in-laws.
00:22What's going on?
00:23Shut it down.
00:24Determined to make the hurdle from hobby zero.
00:27Financially, I'm maxed out.
00:30To 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?
00:44Isn't just a change in attitude.
00:47Right now, it's do or die.
00:49But 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.
01:03Boom, down.
01:06We're right at the limit.
01:08Holy smoke.
01:09It's overwhelming.
01:11Moment of truth, gentlemen.
01:14Gentlemen.
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 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, this is kind of his weekend warrior thing.
01:38He 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, Juan Ibarra and Dave Turin respond
02:02to an SOS from the Lazy Bear Mine 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.
02:21Hi.
02:21How are you?
02:22This is my father-in-law, Harold.
02:24My brother-in-law is Jeffrey.
02:25Jeff.
02:26Good to meet you.
02:26Hi, Harold.
02:27Hi.
02:27Dave.
02:28Nice to meet you.
02:29Freddy had a couple of projects at home that he had to tend to, and Dave's here to give
02:32me a hand.
02:33I hope I can fill his shoes.
02:35Yeah.
02:35You 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.
04:45None of us are financially well off.
04:49What'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 season.
05:03If you guys can help us get to a point where we're even getting an ounce a week, that's the
05:08dream.
05:08An ounce a week would give the miners enough to scale up their operation into a full-time business, which,
05:16if history proves out, should be achievable.
05:20Part of the Circle Mining District, the area was first discovered in 1893, ahead of the Klondike Gold Rush.
05:29Since that time, geologists estimate over one million ounces of gold has been recovered, worth $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 funds
05:50or 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 test run going.
06:04Absolutely.
06:04All 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 hobby mining
06:14and 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?
06:22Yeah.
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.
06:46Absolutely.
06:47All right.
06:48Well, let's do it.
06:48Sounds 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.
07:13Bear 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.
07:42Let's feed this record, baby girl.
07:44Let's go.
07:45Old Uncle Basil.
07:46This 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.
08:07I'm living my dream right now.
08:09I want the mine to provide for me and myself and my family and generations to come.
08:23Well, it's definitely one of the slower plants, Dave.
08:27It's a little bit painful to watch.
08:28It's more of a test plant or a recreational, like, you know, a hobby plant, but we get lucky
08:34sometimes.
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.
09:13Oh, he cleans the mats already?
09:15The 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.
09:42Without a ramp to take the painter directly onto the mats, gold is likely being flushed underneath them
09:50and into the tailings pond.
09:52We should probably pan that, Dave.
09:53Okay.
09:54See what lives there.
10:03Let me see that.
10:06That's a lot of gold.
10:07Yeah.
10:08You know one there's potential.
10:09Yeah?
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 of your sluice box.
10:18If the 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.
10:25Did you get it?
10:26Yep.
10:27All right.
10:27We're ready to fire back up.
10:29Fire it up!
10:33All right, Glarus, baby.
10:34Let's do it.
10:35Here we go.
10:36Wash plant Uncle Basil is back in action.
10:43This can't f*** me, baby girl.
10:45Take it!
10:52But after multiple shutdowns...
10:56It's like 30 minutes.
10:5830 minutes?
10:59Do you want to get the travel?
11:00The crew manages to run just three yards of tater 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 now,
11:13even 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.
11:27Yep.
11:27Four hours.
11:28Four hours.
11:29Done.
11:29At about three yards an hour.
11:31So 12, maybe?
11:3212 yards.
11:33Yeah, I figured.
11:37There it is.
11:44Well, if you guys want to finish up that cleanup, and then Dave and I will meet you in the
11:47morning
11:47to 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.
12:21Do you mind 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.
12:31Dave 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,
12:43yeah, we just can't do it.
12:44So it's kind of like, you know, a bucket list, and I achieved it.
12:48I got my gold mine.
12:49I 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.
13:09Let's not ask it 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've got the Goldway.
13:21We'll see what they've 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, 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-
14:04Four hour run.
14:05Four hours.
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.
14:57Yeah.
14:57That may be the solution that we need to be able to get to that next level.
15:01Yeah.
15:02It'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.
15:37I 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.
16:26This entirely new wash plant should increase the amount of pay the Lazy Bear crew can run from three 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.
16:46Just like that.
16:48A little more.
16:49Prospecting for the best ground.
16:51There's your pair.
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 I 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.
17:09Wow.
17:09That'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.
17:25That'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.
17:36We probably 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 got to cut and there's probably a thousand 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
19:02yards 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.
19:28Yeah.
19:43Do you see any heavies at all in there?
19:45Some heavies in there.
19:47One there, a 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 gravel 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, that looks nice.
20:47Huh?
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.
20:57I 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.
21:14All right, Gordon.
21:16Here we go.
21:17I'm having Dave here, pointing us in the right direction, giving us the advice, what ground
21:22we should be focusing on, the techniques that we need to improve on.
21:26It's priceless, really.
21:41Our rollers are going to be angled like that.
21:44On the Lazy Bear Mine in remote central Alaska.
21:47You 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.
22:05Calling us.
22:06OK.
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
22:14to go.
22:15You ever been in this position before?
22:17A few times.
22:17Yeah, a few times.
22:18He doesn't call us when it's fun.
22:20How long?
22:21Good point, yeah.
22:22All right, well, let's get your truck parked and let's get to work.
22:24OK.
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, construct a custom drop chute, and weld a 20-foot sluice just 72
22:47hours 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 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.
23:18A 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?
23:36I like the adventure of it, the freedom, being with family, and that's what I like.
23:42You make your own destiny.
23:44Exactly.
23:46I knew it was my dad's dream since I was a kid to run a mine.
23:51While 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.
24:12So 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,
24:26but there's definitely a good payoff.
24:27Oh, 100%, 100%.
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
25:01the mine operation from hobby Joes to full-time pros.
25:07You 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.
25:44I'm going to try to level that up if you start to keep pushing this overburden.
25:51It's basically the crash course in mining for profit.
25:54We can give them that wash plan, but it'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.
26:14At the cut trailer.
26:16We 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.
26:34I don't think it'd 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 a piece.
26:59But what we're going to do is we're going to bolt them together so we have 20 foot a sluice
27:01run.
27:03We're moving.
27:04But 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.
27:42Gladys started leaking.
27:45That doesn't look right.
27:46Yeah.
27:47You're going to have to pull it out.
27:48Okay.
27:48But 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.
28:09So 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 and 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.
28:27And 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.
29:09So 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, go down that
29:17center spout and out the new sluice.
29:19Frame and trommel complete.
29:21Juan'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
29:36movement of the drum and 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.
30:05We just have to do the best we can.
30:06That's all we got.
30:07There'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!
30:31Hell yeah!
30:35Wow!
30:36Look at this!
30:37Woo!
30:43Oh, 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?
31:02Oh, yeah!
31:02We got a chance to, uh, you know, get these guys on the goal.
31:06Get our test run done.
31:08See if the wash plant works.
31:10So I'm swinging and a singing.
31:12Moving that dirt.
31:13I love it.
31:15When Gladys went down, I 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.
31:46Hey.
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.
31:54You'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 are getting...
32:02I'm a good instructor.
32:03I think you guys are ready for the big time.
32:05We'll try.
32:06We'll give it a shot.
32:07All 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,
32:21Juan's mega wash plant build finally starts to come together as the eight-by-three-foot
32:28catch chute and bogey system is carefully lifted into place.
32:34Money.
32:35Nice.
32:37Followed by the 15-foot trommel.
32:41Did it go down?
32:43Boom.
32:43There it is.
32:44Perfect contact on it.
32:45Can't get better than that, Juan.
32:47No.
32:49The build is amazing.
32:50I mean, every time we see what's going on, it just takes our breath away of the thing.
32:54How do they get that done so fast?
32:56Come on down.
32:58Up.
32:59We can't wait for that day to see that thing start up and start putting material in it.
33:03It's going to be unreal.
33:05It's going to be a nice setup for you guys.
33:06Big upgrade.
33:07Oh, night and day.
33:09Yeah.
33:09Night and day.
33:10It's not even my plant, and I'm excited about it.
33:12Sorry.
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 then the motor.
33:35So we're getting really close.
33:36Very close.
33:38It's go time on the Lazy Bear mine site.
33:41Coming up.
33:43As Juan and Dave race to fit the half-ton custom-built hopper into place.
33:49Right there's good, huh?
33:50I like it.
33:51I like that.
33:52Perfect.
33:54We're at the home stretch now.
33:56We've got a couple last welds we've got to do, but then we're going to take it down to the
33:58cut and get it set up for bear.
34:02Over five long days, Juan 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, huh, Dave?
34:12Let's do it.
34:15Put some gold in the box, Juan.
34:17Dang right.
34:17Let's do it.
34:32Holy smokes.
34:35Look at how high that hopper is.
34:36I can't believe it.
34:37I honestly can't believe it.
34:38It's like this is a dream.
34:41I can't believe this is happening.
34:43Watching that coming over the hill was so massive.
34:46It was so big, you know.
34:48It was amazing.
34:49It blew my mind away they did that much in that short amount of time.
34:53We're going to get this set up and run a test.
34:56It really comes down to the gold in the box.
34:58Hopefully it'll be there.
35:00Oh, give him a hug.
35:02It's a hug.
35:02There's a bear hug.
35:03Yeah.
35:04Hey.
35:05Bear.
35:06Hi.
35:07Wow.
35:07Awesome.
35:08You guys outdid yourself.
35:23Nice.
35:25First bucket.
35:26First bucket.
35:27First bucket.
35:27On the lazy bear mine.
35:29Number one.
35:30Number one.
35:31Of a million.
35:33It's go time for Juan's three-ton custom-built wash plant.
35:38Newly christened Bear's Baby.
35:52There we are.
35:53Running some dirt.
35:55If it can run enough dirt, this baby should allow Bear and his crew to recover an ounce
36:01of gold a week, taking 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.
36:17It's amazing.
36:18Such a big step for us.
36:20Able to handle seven times more dirt, the pay feeds into the custom-built hopper and down
36:28the chute, where it is washed in the 15-foot salvage trommel, before landing in the 20-foot
36:35sluice laid out for both fine and coarse gold.
36:41This is the absolute tip of the iceberg right here.
36:44Going from a hobby miner to a professional miner.
36:47I see it happening, baby.
36:51Watch the bogeys.
36:52Pretty cool how they actually move around.
36:54Pretty neat.
36:56Sluice looks good.
36:57Yeah, it does.
36:58Damn good.
36:58Honestly, I'm really happy with it.
37:00I like it.
37:01Good job, buddy.
37:02You too, bud.
37:03Thanks.
37:03Great job.
37:08You know, my dreams aren't just for me.
37:11They're for my family.
37:11So, seeing that all happen right now, it's overwhelming.
37:17It's really an emotional thing, quite honestly.
37:21I'm not going to cry.
37:24But I'm about there.
37:30It's amazing.
37:32Everything running so smoothly.
37:34The future of the mine is just going up.
37:37It means a lot for me and my dad.
37:45Right now, the way the plant's running, it's doing phenomenal.
37:49Now, genuinely, they are mining.
37:51You know, it's not just prospecting or out here being a hobby miner.
37:53They're mining.
37:54But really, the proof's going to be in the pudding.
37:59Last bucket.
38:17Well, that was a heck of a run.
38:18Yeah, it was.
38:19It was awesome.
38:20Have you ever seen gold in your box before?
38:22One piece.
38:22Better take a look.
38:23Oh, yeah.
38:24No, no.
38:24I see it.
38:24We got some gold in the box.
38:26Yep.
38:26That a boy.
38:28Well, gentlemen, if you guys want to get everything cleaned up, and Dave and I will come see you
38:31a little later, and we'll do a gold way, huh?
38:33Yeah.
38:33Sounds good.
38:34We got it.
38:35We got it.
38:38Honestly, I couldn't be happier.
38:40We don't know ultimately until we get to the gold way, but if there's gold in the ground,
38:43I know that plant's going to collect it.
38:53Hey, gentlemen.
38:54Hey, guys.
38:55Hey.
38:55Ready for a gold way?
38:57We're ready.
38:58Well, let's weigh it up.
38:59Let's see where we're at.
39:00Moment 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.
39:14Yeah.
39:150.2, and there's quite a bit left.
39:212.5.
39:22Not bad.
39:24Worth over $250, it's over ten times what Bear and the crew made in their first test
39:31run, enough to hit their coveted ounce a week gold.
39:37That's a huge improvement.
39:39And 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
39:48get into that deeper part of the cut, you know, that number's going to come up dramatically.
39:52Over six grams a day, more than 1.2 ounces a week, the Lazy Bear Mine is officially in business.
40:03We went from a plant the size of a lawnmower to a plant the size of a bus.
40:08It's simply amazing.
40:09Everything we need is in front of us.
40:11We have all the tools we need to make this happen.
40:13So it's like we're going to go for it.
40:16We're going to go 100 miles an hour and it starts, you know, tomorrow.
40:19All right, buddy.
40:20Great working with you.
40:21Yeah, you too.
40:22Thank you very much.
40:23You know, to see the smiles and when they're face lit up, see the gold, that's what it's all about.
40:29We're out here to change lives and make people happy.
40:33And that's what we did today.
40:36Keep us posted.
40:37I'm genuinely excited for Bear and the crew.
40:39They have a real future here.
40:41That plant is chewing through the material.
40:43It's catching the gold.
40:44Once they get down deep enough and they get into that better pale air, that number's going to be exponential.
40:50The sky's the limit.
40:59Hey, Juan and Dave.
41:00It's Bear up in Alaska.
41:01And I just wanted to give you guys an update from the Lazy Bear mine.
41:05Gladys is up and running, but we're going to get an excavator here for next spring.
41:09And this new excavator will enable us to keep right on chugging and put yards through the machine.
41:15What you did really is working.
41:17This is the gold that we're catching from the ground.
41:20My son's going to be able to come up to the mine this summer and work full time.
41:24And we're just going to make a go of it.
41:27We're running the same amount of time and we're getting 10.8 grams.
41:31It's absolutely fantastic.
41:32I cannot thank you guys enough.
41:34We're going to reach the goal.
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