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Emergency Fix Under Pressure! Mine Rescue S06E09 Freddy & Juan Must-Watch
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00:12This is my life right here.
00:16There's a lot of places that are easier to make a living than out here in the desert like this.
00:20I love it.
00:21Yeah.
00:22Yep, I got a grandson that loves it too.
00:25He wants to follow my footsteps.
00:28I know I can't mine too many more years because my body ain't going to let me do it.
00:35A lot of the old-timers' ashes are here, really.
00:44My dream for this mine is to turn this thing over to Montana,
00:48build a legacy where he's got the opportunity to get some gold and live right.
00:54That's a blessing in itself right there.
00:57But the clock is ticking, tick tock.
01:15I can't sure until it gets hot around here, I want it.
01:18Even the rocks are burnt.
01:19That's pretty wild to see the layers in those mountains, the way they pushed up.
01:24That's one cool thing about the desert, when it doesn't have much plant life on it,
01:29you can see the geology, you know, it sticks right out.
01:32It's a little cool.
01:35In the rising morning heat of western Arizona lie the gold-rich Dome Rock Mountains,
01:44where a miner is desperate to get his operation back into the black before passing it on to his grandson.
01:59How are we doing, gentlemen?
02:00How's it going, guys?
02:01How's it going?
02:02I'm a Montana.
02:03Freddie.
02:04Larry.
02:04Nice to meet you, Larry.
02:05Good to meet you, Larry.
02:07Montana.
02:07Nice to meet you, Montana.
02:08Good to meet you, Montana.
02:10This big guy here is my grandson.
02:12He's been with me since he was 12, off and on.
02:14He's getting to be my anchor.
02:16I hope to God that I can keep him in this plant forever.
02:21Larry's bond with Montana mirrors his own experience as a child.
02:26When I was 12 years old, my grandfather and my dad had a hard rock mine in Republic, Washington.
02:31On weekends, I'd go up there with him and look for gold.
02:35That kind of gives you a little bug.
02:38Then when I graduated from high school, I got drafted in the army and went to Vietnam
02:44for 13 months, 18 days.
02:46It was tough.
02:48After his service, Larry embarked on a decade-long career in construction
02:54before returning to his childhood passion for gold in 2006.
03:00I saw everybody was out here waving these wands, metal detectors.
03:04So I went and bought one.
03:06And then I noticed everybody was digging with a shovel and throwing in the dry washers.
03:10So next year, I bought a dry washer.
03:12From then on, I just kind of kept graduating, and here I is.
03:19Montana, about 14 years ago, he came out here with his mother for a visit.
03:25We found some nuggets, and he kind of got the bug.
03:29As with his own grandfather, Larry passed on a passion for gold mining to the then 12-year-old Montana.
03:37I still have the first two nuggets that I ever pulled out.
03:41Ever since then, I've had that gold fever and got to get back out here.
03:44My goal is to move down here. I want to be able to help out the full season.
03:49As a kid, I was coming down, just having fun.
03:55Now I'm 26, looking at it as an actual job.
04:00My dream for this mine is to give it to Montana.
04:03I'm trying to get it in shape to where when he takes over, he's got a profitable mine.
04:09From what we're producing right now, it definitely isn't enough to make a living.
04:13We got to get to that point where I can be able to come down here 24-7 and be
04:17able to help out.
04:18I'd love to see this plant running smoothly enough to where we can probably pull two ounces of gold a
04:23week.
04:24Did you build this plant yourself?
04:25Yep.
04:26Oh, you did.
04:28Frankenstein's the name of the plant.
04:29Yeah.
04:30The reason I named it Frankenstein is because it was a hodgepodge of odds and ends.
04:36Are you the doctor then?
04:39Needs a lot of improvements.
04:41What were you able to get out of the ground last year?
04:43Last year was pretty dismal for us. I got two ounces.
04:49I can't bring the plant up to a place where it produces enough gold.
04:56Can I see some of your gold?
05:00Well, your gold is fairly coarse.
05:02It doesn't look like it's moved a lot.
05:05Possibly some fairly good ground.
05:07Let's do a four-hour test run and see what goes on here.
05:10All right, let's do it.
05:17Every time I start up the plant, I have to bring in 750 gallons of water.
05:22Running full-time in the desert requires Larry to truck in thousands of gallons of water,
05:29which costs hundreds of dollars a month.
05:32Ready, Larry?
05:33I'm ready if you are.
05:35Let's fire it up, huh?
05:44I got a timer set.
05:46First bucket.
05:49Loaded.
05:51Montana feeds dirt into Frankenstein's five-foot hopper.
05:56Pay is then carried into the belly of the beast,
05:59a 15-foot trommel Larry built by repurposing an old propane tank.
06:09The gold should then be caught in a six-foot sluice made from rubber mats and an old ladder.
06:17Excess water then runs into a sand screw, which should help recycle it back into the ponds.
06:30It is kind of a hideous-looking thing, but whatever parts we had available, that's what we build it with.
06:40That sluice box is too narrow.
06:42Too much material for those rubber mats.
06:46It gets clogged up, and then all that material is pouring out on the sluice run.
06:59I've watched how my grandfather's built this.
07:02It produces gold, but his water situation is dire.
07:11In the desert, water is his most precious commodity.
07:19Without the water, they don't get the gold thereafter.
07:23A working sand screw should be a water-saving device that separates material
07:29while allowing the water to drain back into the pond.
07:32The screw's taking that material up, but it's also taking a tremendous amount of water with it.
07:40What I want to do, Juan, I'll fill this pan, let's say, so it gets flush to that top rim,
07:46right?
07:47Right there.
07:49Let's go see how much water's in this.
07:53Unreal.
07:55For one pan to have that volume of water, that's crazy.
08:04Well, right now we're, you know, an hour and 30 minutes, and this water is almost too dirty to run.
08:11Well, that worries me.
08:12That water gets thick, so it starts taking gold with it.
08:21This is an issue here.
08:24And we're not getting really a good scrub on this.
08:26Look at that.
08:29Just look at how much that smoke is on my hand after you touch it.
08:32Yeah.
08:32A lack of water is leaving the rocks unwashed and could be losing fine gold in the material.
08:41Need more water in there.
08:42Yeah.
08:43A lot more.
08:44Not out here on the ground.
08:47Multiple issues with it.
08:50We didn't think his water would make it.
08:53It's not going to.
08:54Just two hours into the test.
08:57Hey, Montana.
08:58That was the last bucket.
09:01No more.
09:03Freddy shuts them down.
09:10You guys want to look in the sluice?
09:18They're a little gold there, huh?
09:20I mean, it's nothing to write home about.
09:23We only ran two hours, so.
09:26You get much gold down in there?
09:29I never find none down there.
09:30None?
09:31Yeah, if you guys want to get it cleaned up, see what we got.
09:35I need Freddy and Juan's help.
09:37I mean, I was watching him walk around and poke at this and poke at that.
09:41And I'm hoping they're poking at the right stuff.
09:45Freddy and Juan being here means the world to me.
09:47This is make or break for us.
09:48We need to be boosted to that next level.
09:51First impressions of these guys, you know, they work hard.
09:54Yeah, I wouldn't think that Larry's 77.
09:56It's not a huge plant.
09:58It runs, but it needs a lot of improvement.
10:01I'd like it where they aren't losing 30% of their water into a pit.
10:06Get this cleaned up, we'll drink a beer.
10:09My grandson beside me.
10:13This really could be a family legacy.
10:16But in order for this to be viable for Montana,
10:18there's a lot of issues we've got to fix.
10:20Runtime is a priority.
10:22We'll see where we go from here.
10:35Got your scale?
10:36Got her.
10:37Perfect.
10:38In the Shriner compound in western Arizona.
10:42Where do you want to weigh this?
10:44Here on the pool table?
10:45Shriner, okay.
10:45Perfect.
10:46It's time to see the fruits from the previous day's aborted test run.
10:50Got her all cleaned up?
10:52Oh, yeah.
10:53Let's see what you got.
10:55Here we go.
11:03Some chunky pieces in there.
11:05To hit their weekly target of two ounces in a 60-hour week,
11:11Larry and Montana need this test to deliver at least .07 of an ounce.
11:20It's almost a tenth of an ounce.
11:22You know, obviously there's gold there.
11:24But run time is a big issue.
11:26Every ounce of water that you lose is another second or two of material you can't run.
11:31Larry and Montana would be on track to hit their weekly target if they had the water to stay functioning.
11:41While the gold is there, you just need a plant that can run long enough to catch it.
11:46And then, honestly, we did see quite a few things that we can improve on.
11:49Yeah.
11:50I'm going to say 20-30% of the material coming out of that sand screw is water.
11:54That is one of my biggest issues.
11:55Oh, yeah.
11:56The sluice box that you have is the next thing.
11:58Yeah.
11:59Those rubber mats, that's a hobby situation, right?
12:02When you're throwing stuff in there with a shovel.
12:04We want to get more of a production-style sluice box in there that's a little bit wider
12:07that we can run more material in.
12:10In order to do that, we have to have more water.
12:12Okay.
12:13Right now, you know, you've got a three-quarter-inch spray bar in there.
12:16That's the plumbing in your house size.
12:22Frankenstein's tiny spray bars are ineffective.
12:26Freddie and Juan will upgrade the water system in the trommel to give the rocks a proper wash.
12:33Larry's MacGyvered ladder sluice quickly clogs up and loses gold.
12:39Juan will replace it with a 16-foot custom-built steel chute with expanded metal riffles.
12:46And to solve Frankenstein's terminal water issues,
12:50Freddie will rebuild Larry's sand screw.
12:55Trimmed down liners will give space for the water to drain back into the ponds.
13:02And a section will be removed to create a sand press to squeeze excess water out of the tailings.
13:12What I need for the fixes we want to do, looking at about $3,000 in material.
13:19And then an ounce of gold from you guys.
13:22It's an investment that's going to improve your profits in the future.
13:28You guys want a little time to think about it. You know, I know that's a big chunk of change.
13:34I believe you're right, and I've got to get this going for Montana.
13:38Now's the time, so deal.
13:40Deal, Montana.
13:43Got it.
13:43How's it going?
13:46From what we've seen on that first test, he's treating it more like a hobby mine.
13:51He wants to turn it over to Montana. Montana's going to have to make a living with the mine.
13:56It can't be a hobby for him.
13:59Seeing that Larry's willing to make that investment in his grandson's future,
14:02it just really shows that Larry's heart's in the right place.
14:06At first, it seemed like quite a bit of money.
14:08But the more I thought about it, and Montana's the end of it, it seems reasonable for his future.
14:15His investment means the world to me.
14:18I want to be able to pay him back the best I can.
14:32Center on the ground here.
14:35Back on the mine, work kicks off with Larry and Montana removing Frankenstein's old ladder sluice.
14:45That's ready to go.
14:46While Juan begins cutting out pieces for the new one.
14:50Material thickness, two inches.
14:55We want to be able to get them to a point where they can run longer, have cleaner water,
14:59and ultimately run more material.
15:05First, we're going to have to pull the auger out.
15:09Sluice is removed.
15:11Freddie, Larry, and Montana are joined by Larry's brother-in-law, Ted,
15:16to dismantle the sand screw he helped build.
15:20He knows all the secrets of taking it apart, so it's a little bit quicker.
15:25He wants to take this part here off.
15:27Okay.
15:29It's a tough job, yeah. A lot of work. I have to take this off and get to the boat
15:34here.
15:36We decided we needed a sand screw because my ponds are getting too full.
15:40Went down to an ice plant. They had an old auger system sitting there, purchased it, got it to run.
15:51Oh, there it goes. Oh, it went, it went.
15:52There we go.
15:54Hate to see it being torn apart.
15:57I'm not for sure exactly what he's going to do to it yet, but I hope it works. That's all
16:02I care about.
16:05Some comfortable rocks you have here.
16:10Next, Freddie grinds away the rusted bolts that hold in the liners.
16:16That'll teach it.
16:17That will teach it.
16:18Yeah, anything they can do to this thing, it's got to be a benefit.
16:23Losing a lot of water.
16:27It's been a pain in the .
16:33You took it apart a lot quicker than we put it together.
16:37Uh, the old fellas, they, uh, they ain't as young as I am, you know.
16:40They need some muscle in there, so that's what I'm here for.
16:44We need to get this screw out of here because sluice boxes we're going to build are longer than these,
16:50so we'll actually have to move this sand screw over a bit.
16:53I think we'll get Juan's bigger crane in, pick it up out.
17:05I like how quick the crane moves right now that the oil's hot.
17:10That machine's awesome.
17:36We're going to have to shovel it up.
17:37Okay.
17:38There's no use damaging the thing before we start working on it.
17:41The sand screw's steel structure weighs 1,000 pounds.
17:46I'm going to break that back end loose first.
17:49And has been partly embedded in the desert soil for nearly 20 years.
17:53We're going to have to reach all the way out with all that material on it.
17:56It's pretty heavy.
18:07I hope you come out one piece.
18:11See what it does, huh?
18:22Now she's good.
18:26We can just set it here for now.
18:29You like it right there?
18:30Yeah.
18:31To be honest, I'm overwhelmed.
18:35I'm used to the peace and quiet.
18:37Thank you, sir.
18:38All right, I'm going to work.
18:41And now I got all this hustle and bustle.
18:44Hey, Montana, mind grabbing a shovel?
18:47But I'm trying to be a professional.
18:49You guys are going to help me.
18:54If we can get the production up and do a few other things for his plant,
18:59then Montana might have a fighting chance out there.
19:15Driving in and out, I've been noticing a few things.
19:19I want to show you guys something.
19:20I'm always looking at geology, right?
19:23Okay.
19:24At the Shriner Mine in western Arizona,
19:28Freddy shares his prospecting wisdom with Greenhorn, Montana.
19:33So how much ground do you have here, Larry, for Montana's future?
19:37I've got about 200 acres locked up.
19:43In 1862, gold was first discovered in this region of modern-day Arizona,
19:50sparking the Colorado River gold rush.
19:56In the two centuries since, thousands of prospectors have battled the unforgiving heat
20:03in pursuit of riches in these hills.
20:09You look at this hill, there's five major drifts in this hill from the old-timers after gold.
20:15They are chasing the same fault, roughly the same elevation on through.
20:19A drift is a tunnel cut into the side of a mountain in the hunt for a gold seam.
20:26Use the old-timers to prospect for you.
20:29That gold and this gold is going to go downhill, right?
20:34Right.
20:34You can see the layout of the valley.
20:36Oh, it's concentrating all that material in this area.
20:39Your best gold is going to be down below that last drift right there.
20:45I've got to be able to take this knowledge in so, you know,
20:47I can use it in the future and be able to hopefully build off of it.
20:52There's no snake in here.
20:56You see how the rocks are smoother down here?
20:59Yeah.
21:00Because they've traveled a distance.
21:02At one time the stream was there.
21:04That's how the rocks got shingled in like that.
21:06Right.
21:07Yep, this is all virgin.
21:10Downhill from the old-timers' workings,
21:13Freddy has identified a section of untouched ancient riverbed in an old test hole.
21:20So in the future, I know we can't get a road in here right now in the time that
21:24Wan and myself were here, but in the future, I'd come down here.
21:30Well, let's go work on the plant.
21:32Okay.
21:40I'm going to start welding this back end,
21:42but if you could start cleaning that other weld that I just did,
21:44there's a cup wheel right there.
21:46Cool.
21:47Yeah.
21:47Sounds good.
21:47Right on, man.
21:48We'll get to it.
21:49This is the beginning of the new sluice box.
21:51It's going to be two pieces.
21:52Each one's going to be eight feet long, so 16 feet total.
21:58By adding this wider sluice, we should be able to increase the feed into the trommel.
22:03More and more feed going through the trommel means more gold.
22:09Perfect.
22:10Let me get this one cleaned up, and then you can help me tack it on.
22:13All right.
22:15Now, you've been helping your grandpa out here for quite a few years now, huh?
22:18Yep, yep.
22:19On and off?
22:19Yeah, on and off.
22:20Right?
22:21He said, you know, you guys got a pretty consistent pace streak through here,
22:23and then, you know, he got a lot of it.
22:25Right.
22:25There is quite a bit.
22:26The more material we have going across the box means more.
22:29More gold.
22:30The biggest thing I want out of this is a future that can, you know, support a family,
22:35and building a business that is profitable, not just a hobby business.
22:40Currently based in Washington state, Montana uses his limited vacation days to journey more
22:47than a thousand miles to work with Grandpa Larry.
22:51I don't make the most money back at home, work at a warehouse, loading trucks all day,
22:56but moving down here and being able to just become a successful business,
23:01it's more than just money.
23:03We eventually, we all pass away.
23:06I want to be able to spend every minute that I can with them and enjoy that.
23:14Your grandpa being so involved, you got the right guy to teach you the things you need to know.
23:19That's really, you know, how most of us got our start.
23:22Freddy's my mentor.
23:23Right.
23:23Everything I know about plaster mining, I learned from Freddy.
23:26You know, knowledge is free.
23:27So get as much as you can while you can and use it to your advantage.
23:31That's what I plan on doing.
23:32Well, let's get this tacked up and then we'll go from there.
23:35You bet.
23:39We got the first box all tacked up, ready to go.
23:41We're working on the second one, getting the sides on.
23:44Once we get the sides on, we'll be able to put the ribs in,
23:47carpets in them, riffles in them, ready to go onto the plant.
23:53Time's of an essence.
23:56And it's hot.
23:56It's really hot, around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
24:03To tackle wash plant Frankenstein's water issues,
24:08Freddy gets to work on the sand screws auger, which separates the sand and should conserve water.
24:16I've kept this trick to myself over the years.
24:21We're going to cut the weir off here, going to give us a six or seven inch area here that'll
24:27work as a sand press.
24:32The auger screw acts like a weir to hold the water back.
24:41I did it on one of my sand screws probably 25 years ago, and it worked.
24:47So you can kind of see the sand's going uphill, right?
24:51Well, when it gets to here, it's no longer just being carried by the weirs.
24:56There's an open spot here, so it runs out of weir it depends on.
25:01But the sand behind it keeps pushing it through.
25:03And as it does, it squeezes the water out of it.
25:06And allows that water to go back in the tank where we want it, not out on the ground.
25:12He's having to haul all this water in here.
25:15Every bit of water that we can save them is going to save them money.
25:18It's going to save them time.
25:20It's going to save them effort.
25:21That way it can run longer hours.
25:25You know, this thing's been around the block, right?
25:29Freddie's next water saving fix?
25:33The sand screw tank where dirty sluice water first collects.
25:39The grain pipes are just about an inch higher than the bottom of this weir.
25:43The suction of that material going out the back is going to pull sand with it,
25:47and it's going to put sand into his pond.
25:51The weir acts as a barrier to hold back material,
25:55while allowing water to flow into the ponds.
26:00This weir back here, it's doing nothing.
26:03We're going to cut it out, replace it with a proper one,
26:06and it'll help them get a lot less sand and silt into their pond.
26:15How are you, Juan?
26:16You ready?
26:16How you doing, buddy?
26:17Are you cutting a piece for me?
26:18Yeah, no problem.
26:19So I'm going to put a new weir in that sand screw.
26:21Is that our dimensions there?
26:22Yeah.
26:28Juan's 40,000 degree cutting arc makes speedy work fabricating the new weir.
26:38Where are we going, all the way over there?
26:40It's at the sand screw there, Montana.
26:41All righty.
26:42I can carry it, though.
26:43Oh, I got you, Freddy.
26:44You got it?
26:44I got you.
26:45It's what I'm here for.
26:56Hey, Larry, you want to cut some pieces for me here?
26:59The bolt that weir in.
27:03Freddy bolts and welds the new weir to the box.
27:14One more, Larry.
27:15OK.
27:17The metal out here during this heat is so hot that you can't handle it without glue.
27:24Hot, hot, hot.
27:38Weir's in.
27:39Freddy's weir should now hold back more of the silt instead of it flowing into the ponds.
27:47We're behind the eight ball right now, and it's just miserable hot out. It's like 110 here today.
27:54So welding that outside in the sun is not fun.
28:16Good morning, guys.
28:17Morning.
28:18How are we doing, Freddy?
28:19Doing all right.
28:19How are we doing this morning?
28:20On the final day for fixes at the Shriner claim.
28:23Beautiful Arizona.
28:25But why is everything so stinking hot here?
28:28Juan puts the finishing touches to the sluice.
28:31We're going to be able to recover the gold that they have run through that box.
28:36While Freddy wants to customize the plastic sewer piping that Larry used to line his sand screw.
28:45So this is the one that was in the top of your screw, Larry.
28:47Okay.
28:48We're going to cut it down.
29:04Let's kind of lay it in that screw and have a look at it.
29:06Okay.
29:12We're still tight over here for your sand, but we've got an escape route for your water.
29:17I always thought this thing had to be tight to get the sand out.
29:22Larry fitted the liners too tightly around the rotating screw, leaving little space for the
29:28water to pass down into the tank.
29:32Freddy removes a section of the liner so the sand is still carried up, but the water can flow away.
29:40Well, I guess we'll cut some more of them.
29:50All right, here we go.
29:55That'll work.
30:02The sand screw can now be lifted back in.
30:08Coming up.
30:11All that work put into this thing.
30:13Now it's the hard part is to get it set in the hole.
30:20Coming down.
30:26Oh, look at that on a flat spot.
30:28That's money.
30:29Right on the money.
30:31I'm ecstatic.
30:33This is kind of a bucket list thing.
30:36I've watched him on Gold Rush for so many seasons.
30:39And I've always said, it'd sure be nice to be able to shake his hand and say hi to him.
30:44And well, I went a little bit further.
30:47What do you got for gears?
30:48I got all kinds.
30:49What size do you need?
30:51Freddy has one last sand screw modification.
30:55We're changing the gearbox so it slows that sand screw down to save water.
31:00We're swapping the gear ratio from a 15 to 1 to a 30 to 1.
31:05A lower ratio gearbox on the sand screw will slow rotation
31:10and give the water more chance to drain before reaching the top.
31:16We're bound on the shaft.
31:17Oh, yeah.
31:18Hit that in there with a hammer, Fred.
31:19But the motor and the old gearbox are fused together.
31:25The whole shaft in here is moving.
31:28We really don't have a spare motor for it.
31:30If you screw it up, we won't be able to run the plant.
31:37Let's see if this motor still works.
31:50Good.
31:57All right, there it is.
31:59Let Mr. Dodge finish up this bottom plate and you guys will be ready to go.
32:07Second test run looming.
32:11Holes aren't even close.
32:14They aren't even, aren't even close.
32:20Freddy discovers a new issue.
32:25Hey Wano, we're gonna have to make a new mounting bracket.
32:28The holes are inch off each way.
32:35If you think a job's gonna take you an hour in the field, you know, it takes you four.
32:41The new gearbox with the sand screw, it's the right one, but it doesn't fit their existing mounting
32:45plate, so we gotta build a whole new plate, put it on, and then we know it's gonna fit.
32:51We've got a lot of projects going on.
32:54Freddy's busy, Juan's busy.
32:56We're kind of getting kind of concerned.
32:58I mean, we still got a lot to do.
33:10Montana, we got the pieces cut out.
33:12So what I'll have you do is get these put on here for now, bolt them up,
33:16so we make sure everything fits before we weld it.
33:19We're on a time frame here.
33:21Doing what I can to help out.
33:26All right, now let's get this welded out.
33:28We'll call that good.
33:31New base plate fitted.
33:34I got your motor and gearbox ready.
33:37The sand screw motor can be reattached.
33:45Yeah, pretty pleased with it.
33:47There's been a lot more work on it than I wanted it to be, but it is what it is.
33:50It's kind of like putting lipstick on a pig, but we made the pig work better.
34:00We're going to introduce more water with a new spray bar.
34:03Juan's final upgrade of the spray bar will ensure pay is washed more effectively.
34:10The big thing is, as we add more material, we need to have more water to be able to wash
34:14the material properly.
34:18The fix is complete.
34:22Freddy brings in Frankenstein's final upgrade, the new sluice box.
34:36He's keeping up, so one, two, three.
34:42What are you doing?
34:43I like it.
34:44I like it too.
34:46Beautiful.
34:48She's got her new heart.
34:50Old body.
34:53Now, I think she's going to be perfect to get this thing running tomorrow.
35:11Well, guys, start a two-hour test run, huh?
35:13Yeah.
35:20Yeah, it's a little nerve-wracking.
35:22I'm excited to see how it runs.
35:24At the Shriners Mine in the Sonoran Desert, it's the moment of truth.
35:31Fire her up.
35:37One, first bucket.
35:41Frankenstein is ready to eat dirt again.
35:48Run, run, run.
35:49Keeps me up.
35:51I love it.
35:54The spray bar is doing a good job cleaning.
35:56You can look at the material.
35:57It's pretty clean.
35:58Right now, the box looks pretty decent as well.
36:02It's doing really well.
36:07Get a test pan for water on that first test run,
36:13and I saved a mark on the pan.
36:15It filled this pan with water to that mark right there.
36:24Hey, Juan.
36:28Ah.
36:30It's only that deep.
36:32A tenth.
36:33Yep.
36:34I'm proud of that.
36:35Yeah, that came out good.
36:37A 90% reduction in water loss gives Frankenstein the potential to run a full 60-hour week at less
36:46cost.
36:47When I used to run this thing, that was a pond.
36:51More water, drier dirt.
36:54Yep, way drier.
36:55I'm not losing nothing, so I should be able to run a lot longer.
37:00Yeah, I like it, Freddy.
37:01I really do.
37:05Last bucket!
37:23What are you seeing, a lot?
37:24Yep.
37:25Look at that one, Larry.
37:26Yeah, that's a nice one.
37:28That's good in there.
37:28Oh, yeah.
37:29All in there, actually.
37:30Yep.
37:33That's just nuts.
37:35Get her cleaned up?
37:36All right.
37:36We've seen a bit.
37:38Well, we just finished up with our two-hour test.
37:41The gold in the sluice block looked pretty good.
37:43I saw quite a bit of gold just sticking on top, so I can't wait to get this cleaned up.
37:49It's going to be exciting.
38:00Hey, how's it going?
38:01How's it going?
38:02How you doing?
38:03Moment of truth, huh?
38:04Moment of truth.
38:10See what we got.
38:11Over what?
38:120.09 last time?
38:130.09, yep.
38:14Okay.
38:14Almost a tenth of an ounce.
38:15The first two-hour test delivered 0.09 ounces, but with the fixes, they will be able to run longer,
38:23and if recovery is improved, go well beyond their two-ounce weekly target.
38:290.15.
38:320.21.
38:380.28.
38:39Awesome.
38:41Nearly a third of an ounce.
38:42Wow.
38:43300% increase.
38:45That's awesome.
38:45You did great.
38:46We call it an ounce a day.
38:48You know, let's say you're able to run a seven-day week.
38:50There are seven ounces right there.
38:51You're going to be able to get your weekly goal in two days.
38:55If Larry and Montana were to run for a full seven days, they could earn over $30,000.
39:03Your big goal is wanting to be able to set this up for Montana and his future.
39:07Montana, yeah.
39:08There's your future.
39:09Right.
39:09And it's rewarding.
39:11Moving boxes all day, you don't see the reward at the end of that.
39:14If you got an opportunity not only to make a great living, but to be able to work with your
39:18grandfather, I'd take that all day.
39:20Any day.
39:21Every day.
39:21Yep.
39:22I will too.
39:22Yeah.
39:23Appreciate all you've done.
39:24There's your gold.
39:26Better get out of here.
39:26All righty.
39:27I appreciate everything you guys have done.
39:29Thanks for having us.
39:30Thank you, sir.
39:30There's a lot of pride in what we do, and that pride is, you know, one, seeing the increase
39:35in gold, but more important than that gold, we gave them a chance to be able to work together
39:39as grandfather and grandson, so that's a win.
39:44The future of this mine is Montana.
39:46The more time on the ground Montana can get with Larry, learning the ropes, all the better.
39:51He'll have the skills in his pocket to take it over.
39:54Crazy to see what kind of progress we were able to make in just a short period of time.
39:59This was always just a dream for me to be able to continue this family business that we've created,
40:05but at the end of the day, it's become a reality.
40:09Freddie and Juan, my hat is off to you guys.
40:12You did an awesome job.
40:14I'm ecstatic.
40:16Montana plans on coming down to stay here all the time, and we're apart shoulder to shoulder.
40:22I couldn't be a happier grandpa.
40:39I couldn't be happier with Frankenstein.
40:43The sluice that Freddie and Juan built is catching more gold than I've ever seen before.
40:50I've never seen that much gold in a box. Never. It's a wonderful sluice.
40:56You want to see the gold? There's over eight ounces here. Tickled to death.
41:02Freddie fixed that sand screw. Now it's just pumping sand out very, very little water.
41:09I've saved countless dollars every day just not having all that water.
41:15Montana and I, we both want to thank Freddie and Juan for the work that they did.
41:21It's awesome. Thank you, Freddie and Juan. You did a great job.
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