Story and photos by Jack W. Peters

When operating a mine, anything that reduces wear and tear on your back and equipment is a great idea.  That is why for many mining operations, large or small, blasting makes sense.  In many cases, from tunneling to moving large boulders, there is no other feasible way of doing it.  You can blast too, you just have to do it legally and do it right.

The fastest way to get your blasting done is to hire a professional to come in and do it for you.  That is a great way to learn what explosives to use and what they can do to improve the efficiency of your operation.  Explosives used correctly will be one of the best and most productive tools you can use.  Use explosives incorrectly, and your friends will be standing over your grave saying things like “too soon.”

Here are a few basics of what you need to know before you start your own blasting operation:

A five ton boulder is fractured in a training class with 1.5 pounds of dynamite in three boreholes.

Keeping it Legal

Explosives used in the United States are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).  After a criminal background check, an interview from an ATF Agent and a $100, you can have a Type 33 Permit that will allow you to purchase, store, transport and use explosive materials.  Larger operations may choose a Type 20 License which also allows the manufacturing of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO).

If your mine is a commercial operation in the United States, it will also fall under the jurisdiction of Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).  Commercial mines are loosely defined as lode or placer operations that use heavy equipment to load (beyond feeding by hand), trommels, sluice boxes or rock crushers.  This means additional training and safety equipment will be required including access to mine rescue teams for underground operations.  Through an interagency agreement, MSHA Officers also represent the ATF in the field to ensure safety and compliance with the use of explosive materials.

Know your Caps and Powder

Explosive materials used in mining operations are reasonably straight forward.  Once you are issued an ATF permit or license, you will be legal to purchase commercially manufactured explosive materials from logging-mining supply stores from brands including Austin Powder and Dyno Nobel.

The first part of an explosives sequence is the blasting cap initiator.  The blasting cap detonates dynamite or other explosive materials.  Based upon the application, blasting caps will be initiated by either a fuse (pyrotechnic), electric wires powered by a blasting machine (electric), or caps connected by thin plastic tubing know as shock cord (non-el).

One of the primary explosive materials used is Ammonium Nitrate and Fuel Oil (ANFO).  This is ammonium nitrate prills (pellets) mixed with a low percentage of diesel or fuel oil.  ANFO is commonly used because it is safe, inexpensive and its low detonation velocity is ideal for heaving rock.  It is sold pre-mixed in 50 pound bags or delivered by mixing truck for larger operations.  It is insensitive and safe to handle as it is classified as a ‘blasting agent,’ because a blasting cap will not initiate it.  ANFO requires a booster (another explosive charge) to detonate.  Boreholes filled with ANFO include a stick of dynamite or an RDX cast booster that includes a blasting cap to initiate the booster which then detonates the primary ANFO charge.

Although there are more modern and stable emulsion based explosives, after 140 years dynamite is still the low cost choice for many miners.  Dynamite is a simple wax paper roll of sawdust or diatomaceous earth used to stabilize nitroglycerin.  Sticks are sold by the weight and percentage of nitroglycerin.  Sticks come in various sizes and strengths; a common size is a half-pound stick at 60% nitroglycerin.  Another useful material is an RDX cast ‘shape charge.’  These small cone shaped charges focus energy downward to more effectively crush rock.

One half pound stick of dynamite with blasting cap

RDX ‘Rock Crusher’ shape charge with blasting cap

A student and I run a pneumatic drill at an Oregon gold mine.

One-pound dynamite sticks loaded into boreholes cutting a tunnel in a Colorado gold mine.

Pneumatic Drills

For explosives to work, the material needs to be loaded in the rock.  Small operations use hand-held vertical or horizontal pneumatic drills about the size of a jack hammer.  These air drills are powered by a portable air compressor and can easily cut a 1.5 inch borehole horizontally or a 3 inch borehole vertically.  Boreholes are packed with up to two-thirds explosive material and the rest backfilled (stemmed), with dirt and gravel to compress and focus the explosive energy into the rock.

Keeping Explosives Safe and Secure

Using explosives is an awesome responsibility.  If you use them correctly, no problems, but a mistake can kill you.  Security is also a big issue as there is no shortage of bad guys who would like to relieve them from you.

Explosive materials are stored in steel, wood lined secured and locked boxes called magazines.  Two magazines are required, one for blasting caps and one for powder.  There is a ‘Table of Distances’ chart from the ATF that will help you place magazines at a safe distance from occupied buildings and roadways based on the poundage of materials stored.  Magazines need to be carefully inventoried and inspected at least every seven days, so no storing explosive materials over the winter or at non-occupied mining sites.

Used correctly, explosives will get you to your pay-streak quickly, just take the responsibility to use them correctly, safely and legally.

Jack W. Peters is a long time gold mining enthusiast and the director of the Northwest Explosives Academy out of Springfield, Oregon.  Email: nwexplosives@yahoo.com

Useful links

Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives  (ATF)

www.atf.org

Blaster’s Tool and Supply, resource for tools, equipment and storage magazines

www.blasterstool.com

Mine Safety and Health Administration  (MSHA)

www.msha.org

Northwest Explosives Academy, explosives and blasting training school in Oregon

www.nwexplosives.com

Type 2 storage magazine courtesy of Tannerite Explosives

Photos by Michael Fuller

You might not know it, but the Eastern Oregon Mining Association ( EOMA) and the Waldo Mining District have been fighting stifling and unrealistic regulations  by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Those at ODEQ rub elbows with many environmental organizations that want all gold mining to cease permanently. Gold Miners understand that there must be a balance between environment and industry. Some of the regulations created by DEQ are based on myth, rather than science. They (the environmental groups ) even have all the major newspapers in their back pocket to mislead the public to believe that all mining is bad.

The truth is…aside from a few bozo’s, most miners care about the environment more than most of these so-called self proclaimed environmentalists who never even step foot into the great outdoors . They just want to protest and be in the in-crowd, without educating themselves on the subject they protest.

Anyways…the Eastern Oregon Mining Association and the Waldo Mining District have been continually fighting the regulations that these wacko’s keep trying to impose on us. They have a lot of court costs and fee’s. They are doing a fundraiser. There are many great prizes in addition to the half pound of gold that can be found on their websites. I figured with the six hundred plus people visiting Oregon Gold everyday that we should be able to support this cause collectively. It is important and we should all get involved and try to do our part if we are able to do so.

For contest information please visit here… Gold Contest (or click on the image)

Also the  GPAA Gold Show is coming up on April 2-3, 2011 in Salem, Oregon and last minute tickets can be bought there to support this very good cause and to get in on the drawing. That is where I will be buying my tickets.

I, Edwin Waters recently did a interview with Jim Dorsey of Gold Rush Alaska, the television reality show about Gold Mining that airs on the Discovery Channel.

Oregon Gold : How has the response been on the street after appearing on the show?

Jimmy Dorsey: I think overwhelmingly positive. A lot of people want to know what I am doing next and want to know what is happening with my family.

Oregon Gold : Do you think you were portrayed poorly or wrong in the edit of the show?

Jimmy Dorsey : I understand the need for creating a character. I think my inexperience in mining and the construction field is not something that they created. You never see me actually turn a wrench. They cut out about ninety percent of the positive things I do.

Oregon Gold : Was the show scripted?

Jimmy Dorsey : Sure. Every formatted documentary is scripted. It is scripted from the beginning. They knew exactly what they wanted to see out of the program. Even me leaving was scripted, but in the way in which it happened was not. The plans were made, but the footsteps were ours. They actually direct you into these situations. It became very real. That is why I actually got my ribs broke. There was a fight…not even a fight…I was assaulted by Greg. He broke my ribs. That was very real, but it was also in the script for episode four which ended up being episode six, that I would end up leaving the show. They kind of push you towards, making these things happen. They would tell me to say ” We’ve got get gold in seventy hours” so I say “We’ve got to get gold in seventy two hours”. Then they would say “What are you going to do if you don’t get gold in seventy two hours?” And I am like “I don’t know you just told me to say seventy hours.” Then they said “What are you going to do if you don’t get gold?” They push you towards saying I was going to leave if we did not find gold. It was never my intention to leave. My plan was staying the entire summer and seeing it out.

Oregon Gold : Was it more about making the show or was it about getting the gold?

Jimmy Dorsey : You cannot really separate the two. I did not think we had a good show unless we got gold and I was not making very much money from the show; nothing substantial, so for me I did not think we would get a second season once we got gold and I did not think I would be able to feed my family once we got gold. It was very real for me. Real Estate has really devastated me in the last year.

Oregon Gold : Do you consider yourself pretty good at gold panning?

Jimmy Dorsey : At this point yeah. When I first started gold panning I did not even classify any of the material. So yes, I have gotten gold and I now have panning down. I did some mining after I left the mine.

Oregon Gold : Are you a better miner now, than what you appeared to be on the show?

Jimmy Dorsey : Yes, now I am taking classes in Nevada at a school of mining. I am learning about gold mining. I am not done with gold mining.

Oregon Gold : A lot of miner friends who are on my Facebook page want to know about the equipment. Was that equipment made to not work for the purpose of the show, or was it just poorly constructed equipment?

Jimmy Dorsey : It was poorly planned. The shaker was bought from a auction for fifteen thousand dollars. There was some incompetence there to modify that shaker. These guys were kind of playing around with it… It was a pretty old machine. I think it was built in 1967.

Oregon Gold : Do you think there would have been a better outcome if the group would have invested in better equipment from the start?

Jimmy Dorsey : Absolutely. I said from the beginning…I was actually at Sandy airport saying “Why are we taking this thing to Alaska?” I did not understand why they would want to go on the Discovery Channel with such poor equipment… We also did not have enough water to be running the equipment properly. The equipment demanded eighty gallons a minute and we had about thirty.

Oregon Gold : On your website you state that you are going mining again. Are you going to Alaska?

Jimmy Dorsey : I don’t know. I am looking at a mine up north. There a couple hard rock mines in Oregon that I am looking at. We are performing assays and I am talking to investors right now.

Oregon Gold : Did you receive any money for appearing on the show?

Jimmy Dorsey : The deal with Todd Hoffman was one thousand dollars per episode. At the time of me leaving he had paid me a total of three thousand dollars.

Oregon Gold : How do you feel about Todd?

Jimmy Dorsey : To be honest, today I feel sorry for him. I feel sorry that he threw away a lot of relationships that he has ruined in his pursuit of fame and gold.

Oregon Gold : Do you think that Todd should have done more research on even the most basic principals of mining?

Jimmy Dorsey : Absolutely. One thing I have learned from my studies in Nevada and working with lots of miners is that representative sampling and assaying is key… Finding out how many ounces per ton, is what you do first. Then you decide…what machine you are going to use for that material… Porcupine has gold that is forty to sixty mesh size and you need to have the right machines to get that size of gold out.

Oregon Gold : There is one episode that sticks out in my mind when the equipment is being loaded onto the flat bed and the chain snaps. You made the comment “that could have killed somebody” and Todd went off on you and told you to keep your mouth shut. Was that scripted or was that Todd?

Jimmy Dorsey : That was Todd. That was him… A lot of it was about camera time. When you put a camera in front of people, they get jealous.

Oregon Gold : A majority of the public think that the family members should have stayed at home. What do you think of that?

Jimmy Dorsey : We were going to church across the river and there were a lot of kids that grew up in that valley, so I will agree that we should not have had the kids that close to the operation…that we built our house in the wrong spot…the day I decided where to actually the build the house, I went for a walk…and there was a really big black bear grazing right where I wanted to put my house. So that was too far way. We were in a pretty remote area…this was an area where people have not lived in many years. Plus there is safety in numbers. We packed everybody in real tightly. As far as my family. I plan on bringing my family next year. I don’t leave my family. There is no reason to.

Oregon Gold : Is there anything else you would like to share with the public?

Jimmy Dorsey : …The platform this has afforded me is huge. My family is going to show the face of the mining industry. We can change things by opening natural resources here in Oregon and Alaska. I want to show how mining can be good for people…that is my plan…We need to show that mining can be safe and it can help our economic problems here in Oregon. I am getting pretty involved in the mining community.

Special thanks to Jimmy who took the time to do this interview. Please take the time to visit his website located here:

http://www.goldminingrealityshow.com

New episodes of Gold Rush Alaska can be seen on the Discovery Channel Friday nights at 10PM

Black Cat Mining is mainly a online gold prospecting merchant. Most people do not know that Black Cat Mining  also has a store located in Harrisburg, Oregon. Harrisburg is located on Highway 99 East between Eugene and Corvallis not far from I-5.

There has been a bit of confusion by some who have visited oregongold.net. OregonGold.net has no ties to Black Cat Mining, other than I do shop there frequently and I do advertise for them.

Eathan Mertz is the small business owner who owns Black Cat Mining and BlackCatMining.com

Eathan Mertz of Black Cat Mining

I bought my Proline dredge through his store, where he let me make payments until I had it paid off. I also bought a Garret Ace 250 metal detector from him as well, not counting all the smaller items I have acquired. He carries several books and the Mining Journal Magazine. I have nothing bad to say about Black Cat Mining. Eathan is a very trustworthy guy.

I recently did a in-store interview with Eathan of Black Cat:

OG: How did you become involved with gold prospecting?

Eathan: I am originally from southern Oregon and my family had claims on Graves Creek. I found my first nugget when I was around eight. There was always vials of gold and black-sand in my Mothers hutch and I found it interesting. When I was older I was doing internet consulting and I really liked watching the gold shows, and I started going out.

OG: What is the best selling item this time of year? (December)

Eathan: This time of year it is rock tumblers and rock-hammers. Sluice boxes sell also, but tumblers are the most popular.

OG: What model of metal detector do you use?

Eathan: I have three. I have a older White’s Goldmaster V-SAT, a Garret Ace 250 and a Tesoro Lobo Supertraq. I bought my first detector after saving up my spare change for a couple of years. I thought it was irony to save my change to buy a metal detector to find more change.

OG: What is your preferred method of prospecting?

Eathan: I absolutely love taking a gold pan out and going crevicing, but dredging is pretty amazing. Just being out there in the outdoors and in the wilderness is half of it. Going home with some gold  is good too.

The gold nugget Eathan found when he was around eight years old.

If you happen to stop by Black Cat Mining tell them that Oregon Gold sent you. If your not in the neighborhood they do have online sells as well, just click the banner at the top of this page.

Kerby Jackson who freely gives his time to share Oregon mining history on oregongold.net has recently been on the news sharing information and promoting the importance of heritage of the early mining industry and it’s families in the southern part of the state.

Kerby Jackson on the news

Golden, Oregon

Buncom, Oregon

Click on the links above to view the news!