1 00:00:00,655 --> 00:00:03,034 [dramatic music playing] 2 00:00:05,206 --> 00:00:07,310 [birds cawing] 3 00:00:15,413 --> 00:00:16,862 [drill buzzing] 4 00:00:19,103 --> 00:00:21,000 [Mike] I'm not too much of a crazy scientist. 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:22,517 I'm just a scientist. 6 00:00:23,896 --> 00:00:25,379 You know, after spending 40 years 7 00:00:25,379 --> 00:00:28,620 in academia, teaching chemistry. 8 00:00:29,689 --> 00:00:31,517 So, when I retired, I decided to come out here 9 00:00:31,517 --> 00:00:32,965 and have a little fun. 10 00:00:34,896 --> 00:00:37,724 Now I'm out here being a gold miner digging in the dirt. 11 00:00:37,724 --> 00:00:38,758 [laughs] 12 00:00:39,586 --> 00:00:40,620 I work in a desert. 13 00:00:40,620 --> 00:00:43,482 This is dry mining, totally different. 14 00:00:43,482 --> 00:00:45,793 Prospectors do this at a small level, 15 00:00:45,793 --> 00:00:47,206 but very few people have 16 00:00:47,206 --> 00:00:49,620 developed it to a mining level. 17 00:00:49,620 --> 00:00:51,275 That's one of the things that we've tried to do. 18 00:00:51,275 --> 00:00:52,586 Ready to run? 19 00:00:52,586 --> 00:00:54,241 I've got to get better recovery. 20 00:00:55,482 --> 00:00:58,000 I've got a lot of debt that I need to pay off. 21 00:00:58,689 --> 00:01:00,689 I had to cash in my retirement 22 00:01:00,689 --> 00:01:01,827 and had to borrow 23 00:01:01,827 --> 00:01:04,482 $50,000 off of my life insurance for the kids. 24 00:01:04,482 --> 00:01:05,965 I've gotta pay that back somehow. 25 00:01:06,689 --> 00:01:08,896 I'm scared of running out of money. 26 00:01:08,896 --> 00:01:09,931 I'm all in. 27 00:01:09,931 --> 00:01:11,275 It's a serious commitment, 28 00:01:11,275 --> 00:01:12,482 but I've got to make it better. 29 00:01:12,482 --> 00:01:15,413 So, hopefully, Freddy and Juan can help. 30 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:20,310 [Freddy] Let's make some gold, guys. 31 00:01:20,310 --> 00:01:21,931 [narrator] Freddy Dodge... 32 00:01:21,931 --> 00:01:24,344 There's no guarantees in gold, buddy. 33 00:01:24,896 --> 00:01:26,793 [narrator] And Juan Ibarra... 34 00:01:26,793 --> 00:01:27,931 All right. Well, let's do it, huh? 35 00:01:27,931 --> 00:01:30,379 [narrator] Have mastered the art of getting gold 36 00:01:30,379 --> 00:01:31,517 out of the ground. 37 00:01:31,517 --> 00:01:32,793 [Juan] Look at that. 38 00:01:32,793 --> 00:01:35,206 [narrator] In the most rugged places on earth. 39 00:01:35,206 --> 00:01:37,517 [man over radio] I'm feeling a little sick, Freddy. 40 00:01:37,517 --> 00:01:40,172 [narrator] Now, they rescue struggling miners. 41 00:01:40,172 --> 00:01:42,103 Ooh. That's not good. 42 00:01:42,103 --> 00:01:44,000 [narrator] Who've risked it all to be rich. 43 00:01:45,103 --> 00:01:46,793 [man] Whoa, whoa, whoa. Shut it down. 44 00:01:46,793 --> 00:01:49,068 [narrator] But are about to lose everything. 45 00:01:49,068 --> 00:01:50,378 [man] Eyeballs. 46 00:01:50,378 --> 00:01:53,000 [narrator] To revive these failing mines, 47 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:55,793 Freddy and Juan engineer the impossible. 48 00:01:55,793 --> 00:01:57,793 [Juan] I've never heard of a under sluice before. 49 00:01:57,793 --> 00:01:59,896 [narrator] Deliver some hard truths. 50 00:01:59,896 --> 00:02:01,793 [Freddy] This material you're digging now 51 00:02:01,793 --> 00:02:03,000 is totally worthless. 52 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,275 [narrator] And track down the gold. 53 00:02:05,275 --> 00:02:07,413 That's what dreams are made of right there. 54 00:02:07,413 --> 00:02:09,275 [narrator] But if they don't at least double 55 00:02:09,275 --> 00:02:11,379 the miner's gold recovery, 56 00:02:11,379 --> 00:02:13,689 they won't take a dime in return. 57 00:02:13,689 --> 00:02:15,517 That's 10 times the amount of gold. 58 00:02:15,517 --> 00:02:16,724 -Woo! -[Freddy] That's awesome. 59 00:02:16,724 --> 00:02:18,000 [laughter] 60 00:02:20,620 --> 00:02:22,896 [wind whooshing] 61 00:02:22,896 --> 00:02:24,965 [upbeat music playing] 62 00:02:27,172 --> 00:02:29,172 You know, I'm pretty confident in our abilities, 63 00:02:29,172 --> 00:02:32,896 but dry plants really aren't our forte, Freddy. 64 00:02:32,896 --> 00:02:35,000 [Freddy on radio] It's still a similar concept. 65 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:37,896 You're still using gold's weight to capture it. 66 00:02:37,896 --> 00:02:39,689 You know, gold always wants to go back 67 00:02:39,689 --> 00:02:40,793 to the center of the earth. 68 00:02:40,793 --> 00:02:42,896 We gotta stop it, Juan. 69 00:02:42,896 --> 00:02:44,275 You know, it belongs out to the ground 70 00:02:44,275 --> 00:02:47,379 and to be nurtured and cherished. 71 00:02:47,379 --> 00:02:50,448 I think gold's home is in my pocket, Juan. 72 00:02:52,482 --> 00:02:54,930 [narrator] Freddy and Juan head towards an SOS 73 00:02:54,930 --> 00:02:57,724 from Mike Robinson on his dry mine 74 00:02:57,724 --> 00:03:02,275 north of the historic gold district of Wickenburg. 75 00:03:02,275 --> 00:03:06,103 Dry mining became popular here in the late 19th century 76 00:03:06,103 --> 00:03:08,827 with the invention of the dry blower, 77 00:03:08,827 --> 00:03:10,689 a sluice that uses air 78 00:03:10,689 --> 00:03:14,172 instead of water to separate out gold from dirt, 79 00:03:14,172 --> 00:03:17,931 allowing prospectors to mine in arid conditions. 80 00:03:19,620 --> 00:03:21,172 [wind whooshing] 81 00:03:21,172 --> 00:03:22,275 Well, what do you think? 82 00:03:22,275 --> 00:03:24,000 -Let's go meet the guys? -Go meet 'em. 83 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:25,275 [Mike] Hello, gentlemen. 84 00:03:25,275 --> 00:03:26,241 -How's it going? -[Freddy] Hi. 85 00:03:26,241 --> 00:03:27,310 -[Juan] Hi. -[Mike] How are you doing? 86 00:03:27,310 --> 00:03:28,344 [Freddy] Mike, I assume. 87 00:03:28,344 --> 00:03:30,000 -Hey, Freddy. -How is... How is it going? 88 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:31,586 -Nice to meet you. Juan? -Me too. 89 00:03:31,586 --> 00:03:32,517 -This is Ken. -I'm Ken. 90 00:03:32,517 --> 00:03:33,689 [Juan] Ken, nice to meet you. Juan. 91 00:03:33,689 --> 00:03:34,586 -Thank you. -[Freddy] Nice to meet you, Ken. 92 00:03:34,586 --> 00:03:35,827 -Pleasure. -Freddy, yeah. 93 00:03:35,827 --> 00:03:37,241 [Mike] Ken is my right-hand man. 94 00:03:38,586 --> 00:03:40,067 [Juan] That's a nice little setup there. 95 00:03:40,067 --> 00:03:41,896 -[Freddy] Yeah. -You guys are in for a real different treat here. 96 00:03:41,896 --> 00:03:42,896 This is dry mining. 97 00:03:42,896 --> 00:03:44,067 So, water's a problem. 98 00:03:44,067 --> 00:03:45,482 -[Juan] It's a first. -[Ken] Yeah. Yeah. It's first. 99 00:03:45,482 --> 00:03:47,067 [Mike] You just have to go with the flow. 100 00:03:47,067 --> 00:03:49,689 So, if you got dry dirt, run dry dirt. 101 00:03:49,689 --> 00:03:51,896 [suspenseful music playing] 102 00:03:51,896 --> 00:03:54,724 [narrator] Mike Robinson bought these desert claims 103 00:03:54,724 --> 00:03:55,827 three years ago. 104 00:03:55,827 --> 00:03:58,067 An inventor as well as a miner, 105 00:03:58,067 --> 00:04:00,172 he expanded his self-built 106 00:04:00,172 --> 00:04:02,000 dry plant last year 107 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,931 and invested in a backhoe 108 00:04:03,931 --> 00:04:07,379 in the hopes of making enough gold to make a living. 109 00:04:07,379 --> 00:04:10,103 [Mike] I retired about 10 years ago from University of Texas 110 00:04:10,103 --> 00:04:11,482 and bought a home out here. 111 00:04:11,482 --> 00:04:14,275 And so, I've got an idea to make a profitable mine, 112 00:04:14,275 --> 00:04:15,310 and I've invested maybe 113 00:04:15,310 --> 00:04:17,896 a couple of hundred thousand over the years. 114 00:04:17,896 --> 00:04:20,274 And, in doing all of that, I actually had to borrow 115 00:04:20,274 --> 00:04:21,896 another $50,000 116 00:04:21,896 --> 00:04:23,793 out of my life insurance proceeds. 117 00:04:23,793 --> 00:04:26,103 That was designated for my five kids. 118 00:04:26,103 --> 00:04:28,689 So, I'm under the gun to kind of get that back in. 119 00:04:28,689 --> 00:04:31,000 Sounds like you actually have quite a bit of money tied up in this 120 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,379 -and it's kind of a serious situation for you. -[Mike] Yes. 121 00:04:33,379 --> 00:04:34,413 [Juan] In your opinion, 122 00:04:34,413 --> 00:04:35,896 what's your biggest problem that you have? 123 00:04:35,896 --> 00:04:37,413 [Mike] Big problem that we've had this year, 124 00:04:37,413 --> 00:04:39,586 is we've had an extremely wet season. 125 00:04:39,586 --> 00:04:42,103 Well, it even snowed eight inches the first of March. 126 00:04:42,103 --> 00:04:44,172 -Yeah. -[Mike] The monsoon season comes in August 127 00:04:44,172 --> 00:04:45,517 and we just have to shut down. 128 00:04:45,517 --> 00:04:47,689 [Freddy] That's not good, I'll tell you that. 129 00:04:47,689 --> 00:04:48,689 [thunder rumbling] 130 00:04:48,689 --> 00:04:50,482 [narrator] Despite its desert location, 131 00:04:50,482 --> 00:04:52,896 this part of Arizona is known 132 00:04:52,896 --> 00:04:55,068 for its dramatic weather patterns 133 00:04:55,068 --> 00:04:59,103 with short wet monsoon seasons followed by dry, 134 00:04:59,103 --> 00:05:02,793 scorching heat, leaving Mike just four months 135 00:05:02,793 --> 00:05:04,482 to mine each year 136 00:05:04,482 --> 00:05:06,724 when it's not too hot for the electronics 137 00:05:06,724 --> 00:05:09,620 in the plant or too wet to run pay 138 00:05:09,620 --> 00:05:11,275 through the dry washer. 139 00:05:11,275 --> 00:05:12,413 [Freddy] What's your gold look like? 140 00:05:12,413 --> 00:05:13,379 [Mike] Yeah. It's real fine. 141 00:05:13,379 --> 00:05:15,379 It's cornmeal and flour. 142 00:05:15,379 --> 00:05:16,689 [Juan] There's a couple little chunks in there. 143 00:05:16,689 --> 00:05:18,275 -[Mike] But very seldom. So... -[Freddy] Yeah. 144 00:05:18,275 --> 00:05:19,482 I don't care what size it is. 145 00:05:19,482 --> 00:05:20,827 I just want a lot of it. 146 00:05:20,827 --> 00:05:21,862 [laughter] 147 00:05:21,862 --> 00:05:23,896 Well, what do you think we run a test, huh? 148 00:05:23,896 --> 00:05:25,068 [Mike] Let's go to work. 149 00:05:26,793 --> 00:05:29,379 [narrator] Freddy and Juan conduct a four-hour test 150 00:05:29,379 --> 00:05:32,896 to assess problems and determine fixes. 151 00:05:32,896 --> 00:05:34,586 They then have five days 152 00:05:34,586 --> 00:05:37,000 to transform the Robinsons' dry mine 153 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:38,724 before a second test 154 00:05:38,724 --> 00:05:41,103 determines success or failure. 155 00:05:42,172 --> 00:05:43,793 [Freddy] Well, these guys are running a dry plant. 156 00:05:43,793 --> 00:05:45,689 And that's whole different ballgame 157 00:05:45,689 --> 00:05:48,586 to what me and Juan have been doing with wet plants. 158 00:05:48,586 --> 00:05:49,793 All right, Miss Kitty, 159 00:05:49,793 --> 00:05:51,068 let's go to work. 160 00:05:51,068 --> 00:05:53,517 Forward ho! 161 00:05:53,517 --> 00:05:55,103 [Juan] This is a new challenge for us, 162 00:05:55,103 --> 00:05:56,517 so we're really gonna have to kind of think 163 00:05:56,517 --> 00:05:58,000 outside of the box and figure out 164 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,172 what we can do here to help these guys. 165 00:06:00,724 --> 00:06:03,000 [Mike] Miss Kitty is my backhoe. 166 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,413 She's a Cat, so I named her Miss Kitty. 167 00:06:08,793 --> 00:06:10,172 Get everything fired up and ready for a test. 168 00:06:10,172 --> 00:06:11,551 Oh, there it is. 169 00:06:13,724 --> 00:06:16,793 [Ken] I'm hoping for gold for all of this effort. 170 00:06:16,793 --> 00:06:17,862 I look at Mikey, 171 00:06:17,862 --> 00:06:20,103 I call him the Mad Scientist just for kicks, 172 00:06:20,103 --> 00:06:23,896 but his mind never stops coming up with stuff. 173 00:06:23,896 --> 00:06:25,310 And so, we got stuff made, 174 00:06:25,310 --> 00:06:28,068 we put it together, and here we are. 175 00:06:28,068 --> 00:06:29,862 Yee-haw, we're running dirt. 176 00:06:30,482 --> 00:06:32,137 We're gonna make some gold. 177 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:34,103 First bucket, Juan. 178 00:06:34,103 --> 00:06:35,310 First bucket. 179 00:06:36,896 --> 00:06:38,862 -[Mike] Here we go. -[Juan] There it is. 180 00:06:40,827 --> 00:06:42,793 [narrator] Mike's custom dry washers 181 00:06:42,793 --> 00:06:45,275 work similar to a wash plant. 182 00:06:45,275 --> 00:06:47,793 Pay dirt is loaded onto a screen 183 00:06:47,793 --> 00:06:50,379 which removes larger rocks. 184 00:06:50,379 --> 00:06:52,413 Four unique vibrating hoppers 185 00:06:52,413 --> 00:06:56,103 funnel the pay into four dry sluices. 186 00:06:56,103 --> 00:07:00,103 There, in place of water, a tailor-made air system 187 00:07:00,103 --> 00:07:04,379 blows away the lighter dirt where heavier gold sinks 188 00:07:04,379 --> 00:07:06,137 and is caught in the riffles. 189 00:07:12,793 --> 00:07:15,000 -[Juan] Look at that, Freddy. -Oh, I know. 190 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:16,586 -Right there. -[Juan] Almost every bit of that 191 00:07:16,586 --> 00:07:18,310 should have gone through that screen. 192 00:07:18,310 --> 00:07:20,310 What we need to do is get a pan or I'll get a bucket. 193 00:07:20,793 --> 00:07:21,758 [narrator] Finer pay dirt 194 00:07:21,758 --> 00:07:23,620 that should be reaching the sluices 195 00:07:23,620 --> 00:07:26,413 is falling off the end of Mike's screen. 196 00:07:27,310 --> 00:07:30,206 To see how much gold he may be losing, 197 00:07:30,206 --> 00:07:33,137 Freddy and Juan collect a sample to pan. 198 00:07:34,172 --> 00:07:36,586 [Freddy] We'll see what came off that screen, huh? 199 00:07:36,586 --> 00:07:38,758 -See if there's any gold in it? -[Juan] Yeah. 200 00:07:43,275 --> 00:07:44,931 [Freddy] Getting down into the heavies. 201 00:07:44,931 --> 00:07:45,931 [Juan] Yeah, I see them. 202 00:07:46,379 --> 00:07:47,827 If there's heavies, 203 00:07:47,827 --> 00:07:48,896 -you know there's gold. -There's gold. 204 00:07:48,896 --> 00:07:50,482 [narrator] Hand panning reveals 205 00:07:50,482 --> 00:07:53,517 heavier fine black sand or magnetite 206 00:07:53,517 --> 00:07:56,517 that often sits alongside gold. 207 00:07:56,517 --> 00:07:58,275 -There it is. -There's some gold right there. 208 00:07:58,275 --> 00:07:59,310 [Juan] Look at that. 209 00:07:59,310 --> 00:08:01,000 There's a couple sizable pieces too, Freddy. 210 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:02,620 [Freddy] Well, that's gold that could be captured, 211 00:08:02,620 --> 00:08:05,517 but it never made it to the recovery system. 212 00:08:05,517 --> 00:08:07,517 Six color, seven color. 213 00:08:08,517 --> 00:08:10,379 [narrator] The sample size suggests 214 00:08:10,379 --> 00:08:12,827 that Mike may be losing up to five percent 215 00:08:12,827 --> 00:08:15,517 of his gold off the back of the screen. 216 00:08:15,517 --> 00:08:18,310 [dramatic music playing] 217 00:08:21,379 --> 00:08:22,896 [Juan] Hey, Freddy. Look at that. 218 00:08:22,896 --> 00:08:24,620 Oh, that's real damp. Look at that. 219 00:08:24,620 --> 00:08:26,103 It almost holds form. 220 00:08:26,103 --> 00:08:28,931 -[Freddy] No dust. -[Juan] Yeah, no dust. 221 00:08:28,931 --> 00:08:30,103 [Freddy] That's not good. 222 00:08:30,103 --> 00:08:33,620 [narrator] Wet pay feeds through Mike's dry plant, 223 00:08:33,620 --> 00:08:36,793 causing the hopper and sluices to clog up 224 00:08:36,793 --> 00:08:39,309 and slows down the entire plant. 225 00:08:42,068 --> 00:08:44,068 [Juan] You can see right here it's starting to pile up 226 00:08:44,068 --> 00:08:45,724 -because how of damp it is. -[Freddy] It is. 227 00:08:45,724 --> 00:08:47,517 [Juan] Yeah. 228 00:08:47,517 --> 00:08:49,000 [Freddy] It doesn't like the moisture. 229 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:50,482 [Juan] No. 230 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:55,689 Tell ya, a dry washer has to be perfectly dry to work right. 231 00:08:55,689 --> 00:08:58,103 Not only is it not feeding as good, 232 00:08:58,103 --> 00:09:01,275 but the recovery system is not gonna work as good either. 233 00:09:01,275 --> 00:09:03,172 The air can't get through it. 234 00:09:03,172 --> 00:09:05,137 -[Juan] Yeah. -[Freddy] We need to fix that. 235 00:09:05,517 --> 00:09:07,206 [dramatic music playing] 236 00:09:09,310 --> 00:09:11,000 [Mike] Well, I enjoy mining. 237 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:12,275 You know, it's just fun to get out here 238 00:09:12,275 --> 00:09:13,586 and do all this hard work 239 00:09:13,586 --> 00:09:15,827 and see a little gold at the end of the day. 240 00:09:15,827 --> 00:09:17,689 It makes it all worthwhile. 241 00:09:17,689 --> 00:09:21,206 But, really, the longer term is for the family. 242 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,000 This is a picture of my five kids. 243 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,103 My son, Will, is gonna come out here and join us 244 00:09:29,103 --> 00:09:30,206 the next day or two. 245 00:09:30,206 --> 00:09:32,172 I wanna convince him that this is gonna be 246 00:09:32,172 --> 00:09:34,000 a viable operation. 247 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,172 He's doing part-time stuff, 248 00:09:36,172 --> 00:09:38,000 painting houses and other things. 249 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:39,586 But, you know, it's hit and miss 250 00:09:39,586 --> 00:09:41,275 and it's not steady, steady, steady. 251 00:09:41,275 --> 00:09:43,689 Well, the mining maybe would add to his 252 00:09:43,689 --> 00:09:45,448 financial stability? 253 00:09:46,413 --> 00:09:49,413 [narrator] Due to arrive in two days with wife, Erin, 254 00:09:49,413 --> 00:09:52,310 Will is far from certain this is a gamble 255 00:09:52,310 --> 00:09:53,482 they're ready to take. 256 00:09:53,482 --> 00:09:55,793 So, my dad has basically created 257 00:09:55,793 --> 00:09:57,068 this for the family. 258 00:09:57,068 --> 00:09:59,620 And he wants me to learn this 259 00:09:59,620 --> 00:10:02,793 so I could teach the rest of the family how to do it. 260 00:10:02,793 --> 00:10:04,517 But, you know, there's a little 261 00:10:04,517 --> 00:10:06,482 financial uncertainty. 262 00:10:06,482 --> 00:10:08,068 You know, it's a very important thing. 263 00:10:08,068 --> 00:10:11,586 You know, everyone has to eat and survive and pay bills. 264 00:10:11,586 --> 00:10:13,482 [Will] We have kids and I don't wanna ever 265 00:10:13,482 --> 00:10:15,068 put them at risk. 266 00:10:15,068 --> 00:10:17,172 So, I just don't know. 267 00:10:17,172 --> 00:10:19,896 It's all... It's all up in the air. 268 00:10:19,896 --> 00:10:22,965 And we're trying to decide, you know. 269 00:10:26,172 --> 00:10:28,862 -[Juan] I like this guy, Mike. -I do too. 270 00:10:31,896 --> 00:10:34,724 [dramatic music playing] 271 00:10:40,482 --> 00:10:42,551 [Mike] Oh, I got a light on. 272 00:10:43,931 --> 00:10:45,310 Engine's pretty hot. 273 00:10:46,379 --> 00:10:47,620 [Freddy] That's not good. 274 00:10:49,103 --> 00:10:50,965 [Mike] The needle's over here in the red. 275 00:10:51,620 --> 00:10:52,586 Hadn't seen that before, 276 00:10:52,586 --> 00:10:54,068 so I don't know why it's overheating. 277 00:10:54,068 --> 00:10:55,310 [Freddy] Shut her down. 278 00:10:56,724 --> 00:10:59,206 [narrator] Just short of the four-hour run, 279 00:10:59,206 --> 00:11:01,931 the first test grinds to a halt. 280 00:11:02,586 --> 00:11:04,103 [Mike] I didn't expect this to happen. 281 00:11:04,103 --> 00:11:05,793 Got a major heating problem. 282 00:11:05,793 --> 00:11:07,724 I got a hose that's broken. 283 00:11:08,896 --> 00:11:10,931 With this down, I can't move dirt. 284 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,103 [wind whooshing] 285 00:11:18,689 --> 00:11:21,000 [dramatic music playing] 286 00:11:22,103 --> 00:11:23,137 [Mike] It's overheating. 287 00:11:23,137 --> 00:11:25,379 I can't move 10 feet without it going sshhh. 288 00:11:25,379 --> 00:11:26,517 It's really hot. 289 00:11:26,517 --> 00:11:28,379 If you don't mind, I'll take a look at it. Yeah. 290 00:11:28,379 --> 00:11:32,000 [narrator] In 105-degree heat at the Robinson Mine, 291 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:36,000 a broken backhoe stalls the first test run. 292 00:11:36,620 --> 00:11:37,482 Well, I don't know whether 293 00:11:37,482 --> 00:11:38,896 I got an oil leak or water leak. 294 00:11:38,896 --> 00:11:40,172 I didn't see anything on the road. 295 00:11:40,172 --> 00:11:43,413 You have a coolant leak right there on your heating valve. 296 00:11:43,896 --> 00:11:45,586 -Really? -[Juan] Yeah. 297 00:11:45,586 --> 00:11:47,275 [Mike] Well, I can't work unless 298 00:11:47,275 --> 00:11:49,448 I overcome the heating problem, so... 299 00:11:50,275 --> 00:11:51,827 Go ahead and shut it off. 300 00:11:53,103 --> 00:11:55,068 [narrator] With hours to fix the leak, 301 00:11:55,068 --> 00:11:57,620 Freddy and Juan call time on the test, 302 00:11:57,620 --> 00:11:59,000 10 minutes short. 303 00:12:01,586 --> 00:12:03,379 [Freddy] Well, guys, get this cleaned up 304 00:12:03,379 --> 00:12:05,000 and see you tomorrow. 305 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:05,896 [Juan] All right. See you tomorrow. 306 00:12:05,896 --> 00:12:08,000 -[Mike] Yeah. -[Juan] Thanks, guys. 307 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,413 Mike and Ken, you know, they're both really nice guys. 308 00:12:10,413 --> 00:12:11,793 You can kind of see some of their inexperience 309 00:12:11,793 --> 00:12:13,379 just a little bit when they have an issue 310 00:12:13,379 --> 00:12:14,724 with the backhoe. 311 00:12:14,724 --> 00:12:16,413 But as far as their wash plant, it was a good little run. 312 00:12:16,413 --> 00:12:17,931 I'm really excited to see 313 00:12:17,931 --> 00:12:19,275 what this gold really looks like. 314 00:12:19,275 --> 00:12:21,517 [wind whooshing] 315 00:12:23,379 --> 00:12:27,310 [dramatic music playing] 316 00:12:29,793 --> 00:12:31,103 -[Freddy] How's it going? -[Juan] How are we doing? 317 00:12:31,103 --> 00:12:32,517 -Good. Good to see you again. -[Juan] Good to see you. 318 00:12:32,517 --> 00:12:33,689 [Mike] Yeah. 319 00:12:33,689 --> 00:12:36,103 This is my magnetic separator. 320 00:12:36,103 --> 00:12:38,000 I invented this because everybody's 321 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:39,793 got a black sand problem. 322 00:12:39,793 --> 00:12:42,172 So, now, we take out most of the black that's magnetic, 323 00:12:42,172 --> 00:12:45,586 then I could get it really, really pure, okay? 324 00:12:45,586 --> 00:12:47,275 Turn it on. You just pour it in. 325 00:12:47,275 --> 00:12:49,000 [narrator] Magnetic black sand 326 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:52,482 is a natural byproduct of Mike's dry mine. 327 00:12:52,482 --> 00:12:54,172 His ingenious invention 328 00:12:54,172 --> 00:12:56,586 allows him to separate it from the gold, 329 00:12:56,586 --> 00:12:59,000 speeding up his cleanup. 330 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,689 [Mike] So, there's the result, black and white. 331 00:13:01,689 --> 00:13:03,758 -[Juan] There it is. -[Freddy] Pretty cool, huh, Juan? 332 00:13:03,758 --> 00:13:05,275 [Juan] Yeah, pretty neat. 333 00:13:05,275 --> 00:13:08,758 [Mike chuckling] I sell it online for $7 a pound. 334 00:13:09,586 --> 00:13:11,620 [narrator] Separation process complete, 335 00:13:11,620 --> 00:13:14,172 Mike turns to traditional hand panning 336 00:13:14,172 --> 00:13:15,827 to finish his cleanup. 337 00:13:16,275 --> 00:13:17,655 [Mike] So, that's desert gold. 338 00:13:18,413 --> 00:13:19,655 [Freddy] Beautiful gold. 339 00:13:20,620 --> 00:13:22,931 -Do you know the purity of it? -Oh, it's pretty high. 340 00:13:24,275 --> 00:13:27,206 [Freddy] I'd say around 90, 89, 90. 341 00:13:27,206 --> 00:13:29,931 -Yup. Your gold's pretty good down there too. -[Juan] Yeah. 342 00:13:29,931 --> 00:13:31,379 -[Freddy] Good piece in there. -[Juan] Mmm-hmm. 343 00:13:31,379 --> 00:13:32,793 [Mike] Ready to dry. 344 00:13:32,793 --> 00:13:35,344 [wind whooshing] 345 00:13:36,172 --> 00:13:37,482 [Juan] Well, there it is, huh? 346 00:13:37,482 --> 00:13:39,000 [Mike] You wanna gonna pour that out and weigh it for us? 347 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:40,344 [Juan] Yeah. Let's take a look at that. 348 00:13:41,896 --> 00:13:43,206 Well, a moment of truth, Fred. 349 00:13:43,206 --> 00:13:44,310 [Freddy] Yup. 350 00:13:44,793 --> 00:13:46,758 [soft tense music playing] 351 00:13:52,275 --> 00:13:53,379 [Freddy] Beautiful. 352 00:13:53,379 --> 00:13:54,793 It's pretty gold, boy. 353 00:13:54,793 --> 00:13:56,275 -Quarter of an ounce? -[Juan] Yeah. 354 00:13:56,275 --> 00:13:58,034 -It's quarter of an ounce. -0.25. 355 00:13:59,103 --> 00:14:00,103 I'd like it to be better 356 00:14:00,103 --> 00:14:02,517 'cause I got a son coming out depending on 357 00:14:02,517 --> 00:14:04,103 making maybe a job out of this. 358 00:14:04,103 --> 00:14:05,758 [narrator] An eight-hour shift 359 00:14:05,758 --> 00:14:08,793 will get Mike up to $1,000 a day. 360 00:14:08,793 --> 00:14:11,172 If he mines a four-month season, 361 00:14:11,172 --> 00:14:14,000 it would net him over $100,000. 362 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:17,586 But with debt totaling $200,000, 363 00:14:17,586 --> 00:14:20,206 it's not enough to support his son, Will, 364 00:14:20,206 --> 00:14:21,827 and his family. 365 00:14:22,620 --> 00:14:24,275 [Juan] In your mind, you know, 366 00:14:24,275 --> 00:14:26,413 what do you need to see to be able to start paying 367 00:14:26,413 --> 00:14:28,655 your investment back and make this profitable? 368 00:14:29,517 --> 00:14:30,517 Well, I'd like to double it. 369 00:14:30,517 --> 00:14:32,103 Okay. 370 00:14:32,103 --> 00:14:34,103 And, really, the slowdown that we saw was 371 00:14:34,103 --> 00:14:35,689 wet material coming out. 372 00:14:35,689 --> 00:14:37,000 [Mike] Well, that's a big problem. 373 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,103 It rained months ago, but it seeps into the soil 374 00:14:40,103 --> 00:14:41,379 -and it wets all of the clays. -Yeah. 375 00:14:41,379 --> 00:14:42,586 [Mike] And the clays stay wet. 376 00:14:42,586 --> 00:14:44,758 [narrator] Even in dry season, 377 00:14:44,758 --> 00:14:46,931 Mike bogs down with wet pay 378 00:14:46,931 --> 00:14:49,689 underneath the top layer of dry soil, 379 00:14:49,689 --> 00:14:52,689 slowing down his entire operation. 380 00:14:52,689 --> 00:14:55,172 Well, let's go put our heads together 381 00:14:55,172 --> 00:14:56,758 and draw up some stuff. 382 00:14:56,758 --> 00:14:58,275 Okay. Let's do it. Sounds like a plan. 383 00:14:58,275 --> 00:15:00,379 -See you in a bit, guys. -Well, thanks. 384 00:15:00,379 --> 00:15:01,517 [dramatic music playing] 385 00:15:01,517 --> 00:15:03,275 [Freddy] Don't let the wind blow your gold away. 386 00:15:03,275 --> 00:15:05,620 [Juan] Mike's got a lot on the line here. 387 00:15:05,620 --> 00:15:07,310 This is a dry plant. This is out of our element, 388 00:15:07,310 --> 00:15:09,586 so we're gonna have to pull something out of our sleeve here 389 00:15:09,586 --> 00:15:11,103 to get that gold number up for him. 390 00:15:13,482 --> 00:15:15,206 [birds chirping] 391 00:15:15,206 --> 00:15:17,413 [dramatic music playing] 392 00:15:18,586 --> 00:15:20,172 [Freddy] What do you think, Juan? 393 00:15:20,172 --> 00:15:21,793 [Juan] I never would've thought in the middle of the desert, 394 00:15:21,793 --> 00:15:23,379 we'd have an issue with damp pay. 395 00:15:23,379 --> 00:15:24,620 Yeah, there's water, though, huh? 396 00:15:24,620 --> 00:15:26,482 It's just underground. 397 00:15:26,482 --> 00:15:28,482 [Juan] In order for him to be able to mine in the... 398 00:15:28,482 --> 00:15:31,103 In the wet season, he's gonna have to have a dryer. 399 00:15:31,103 --> 00:15:32,896 What do you think? Like a 30-inch tube, Freddy? 400 00:15:32,896 --> 00:15:34,862 Like a trommel drum? 401 00:15:34,862 --> 00:15:36,724 [Freddy] Yeah. Maybe a framework, right? 402 00:15:38,103 --> 00:15:40,310 You do your magic with the rollers. 403 00:15:41,172 --> 00:15:42,413 Pipe goes in it. 404 00:15:43,310 --> 00:15:46,206 It'll have to be a feed hopper back here, right? 405 00:15:46,206 --> 00:15:48,000 You gotta fix that backhoe anyway, don't you? 406 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:49,448 -Yeah. -[Freddy] Okay. 407 00:15:49,448 --> 00:15:51,275 [Juan] You saw that problem coming off the end of the screen. 408 00:15:51,275 --> 00:15:54,620 [Freddy] What I think we do there, Juan, we put, 409 00:15:54,620 --> 00:15:56,586 let's say, a piece of square tube... 410 00:15:56,586 --> 00:15:57,793 [Juan] Okay. 411 00:15:57,793 --> 00:16:01,000 [Freddy] and then we hang some canvas as a dampener. 412 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,517 You know, that's a cheap easy fix for that. 413 00:16:03,517 --> 00:16:04,482 Well, I like it, Freddy. 414 00:16:04,482 --> 00:16:06,275 Why don't we go chat with Mike and Ken 415 00:16:06,275 --> 00:16:07,448 and see what they think? 416 00:16:09,586 --> 00:16:11,275 [Mike] I'm anxious to hear what the hell they think 417 00:16:11,275 --> 00:16:12,482 they can do to that plant. 418 00:16:12,482 --> 00:16:13,689 [ken] Yeah. 419 00:16:13,689 --> 00:16:16,482 Well, gentlemen, we got good news and bad news. 420 00:16:16,482 --> 00:16:17,793 [Freddy] You've seen it's taking that bucket 421 00:16:17,793 --> 00:16:19,241 sample off your grizzly... 422 00:16:19,241 --> 00:16:21,310 -Yes. Right. Uh-huh. -[Freddy] Where the material was coming off? 423 00:16:21,310 --> 00:16:24,206 Well, we just did part of one bucket and-- 424 00:16:24,206 --> 00:16:26,000 [Juan] Really only a pan out of one bucket. 425 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:29,103 [Freddy] Yeah. They're small, but they're there. 426 00:16:29,103 --> 00:16:30,586 -Do you see them, Mike? -[Mike] Oh, I see 'em. I see 'em now. 427 00:16:30,586 --> 00:16:31,724 -Yeah. -[Ken] Oh, yeah. 428 00:16:31,724 --> 00:16:32,793 [Freddy] Probably lose enough right there to pay 429 00:16:32,793 --> 00:16:34,827 for all your fuel and then some. 430 00:16:36,482 --> 00:16:38,172 Well, we got to fix that. 431 00:16:38,172 --> 00:16:40,655 We got an idea to stop this and it's simple. 432 00:16:41,586 --> 00:16:44,620 We put a piece of square tube across your grizzly, 433 00:16:44,620 --> 00:16:47,620 and then we hang some canvas as a dampener. 434 00:16:47,620 --> 00:16:49,310 [Mike] That would really be great. 435 00:16:50,275 --> 00:16:51,896 [Juan] You know, the other thing that we saw, 436 00:16:51,896 --> 00:16:53,931 wet material going through the plant. 437 00:16:53,931 --> 00:16:56,103 Your hopper assembly was getting clogged up, 438 00:16:56,103 --> 00:16:58,000 and then, on top of that, your sluice box 439 00:16:58,000 --> 00:16:59,172 is actually getting stacked up. 440 00:16:59,172 --> 00:17:00,206 You had to slow 'em down 441 00:17:00,206 --> 00:17:01,689 to be able to get that material go through. 442 00:17:01,689 --> 00:17:03,103 That's a big one. 443 00:17:03,103 --> 00:17:04,723 -We wanna build a dryer. -[Freddy] Mmm-hmm. 444 00:17:06,275 --> 00:17:08,896 -Really? -[Freddy] A commercial-type dryer. 445 00:17:08,896 --> 00:17:10,275 It's not a toy. 446 00:17:10,275 --> 00:17:12,172 Your better pay is actually in that wet material. 447 00:17:12,172 --> 00:17:13,896 You'll be able to run that material right into the dryer, 448 00:17:13,896 --> 00:17:15,792 get it dried out, and run it that same day. 449 00:17:15,792 --> 00:17:17,758 [dramatic music playing] 450 00:17:17,758 --> 00:17:20,275 [narrator] Freddy and Juan will build a canvas dampener 451 00:17:20,275 --> 00:17:24,137 to stop pay dirt spilling off the back of Mike's screen. 452 00:17:24,931 --> 00:17:27,517 To dry the wet pay clogging the plant 453 00:17:27,517 --> 00:17:29,931 and extend Mike's mining season, 454 00:17:29,931 --> 00:17:33,310 they'll construct a huge pay dirt dryer. 455 00:17:33,310 --> 00:17:36,793 A steel frame fitted with pitched roller benches 456 00:17:36,793 --> 00:17:39,862 will support a 600-pound trommel. 457 00:17:39,862 --> 00:17:43,827 At one end, a hopper will feed pay dirt into the drum. 458 00:17:44,620 --> 00:17:47,482 At the other, a 30-kilowatt heater 459 00:17:47,482 --> 00:17:50,310 will blast the pay with hot air. 460 00:17:51,310 --> 00:17:52,689 [Freddy] Get that wet material dry, 461 00:17:52,689 --> 00:17:54,758 you're gonna increase your gold, that's for sure. 462 00:17:54,758 --> 00:17:57,000 [Mike] Well, you know, guys, that'd extend the season, 463 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,931 not just to get better pay for one day, 464 00:17:59,931 --> 00:18:02,172 but now, we're mining maybe six, 465 00:18:02,172 --> 00:18:04,517 eight months rather than three or four. 466 00:18:04,517 --> 00:18:06,620 [Juan] But, in total, it's kind of a big number. 467 00:18:06,620 --> 00:18:09,689 We would like to see material and our labor 468 00:18:09,689 --> 00:18:11,000 is seven and a half ounces of gold. 469 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:12,206 Seven and a half ounces, at the end of the season. 470 00:18:12,206 --> 00:18:13,413 At the end of the season. 471 00:18:14,689 --> 00:18:16,000 [sighs] 472 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:17,275 [Juan] I know that's a big number, but if we don't 473 00:18:17,275 --> 00:18:18,758 double this gold intake, 474 00:18:18,758 --> 00:18:20,000 I'm willing to do this for free. 475 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,137 Yeah. I'm that confident. 476 00:18:23,586 --> 00:18:25,275 No, I think you got good gold where you're at, 477 00:18:25,275 --> 00:18:27,689 from the test, but we can add to that. 478 00:18:27,689 --> 00:18:30,793 [Mike] Well, I want it improved. 479 00:18:30,793 --> 00:18:33,172 I got to prove that for William and Erin 480 00:18:33,172 --> 00:18:34,551 and the family. 481 00:18:35,689 --> 00:18:37,275 -We'll do it. -[Freddy] All right. 482 00:18:37,275 --> 00:18:38,413 -Deal on -[Mike] Thanks, guys. 483 00:18:38,413 --> 00:18:39,827 [Juan] Right on. 484 00:18:40,689 --> 00:18:43,034 [Mike] I was shocked at how much gold we were losing. 485 00:18:43,689 --> 00:18:46,068 If I can get the gold increased, 486 00:18:46,068 --> 00:18:47,931 both from being able to run more 487 00:18:47,931 --> 00:18:50,103 times a year with wet dirt, 488 00:18:50,103 --> 00:18:51,413 drying it out, and then 489 00:18:51,413 --> 00:18:53,689 getting better recovery off the screen and everything, 490 00:18:53,689 --> 00:18:56,448 I'm really enthused about that. 491 00:18:58,103 --> 00:18:59,448 [dramatic music playing] 492 00:18:59,448 --> 00:19:01,068 [Juan] This may be a game-changer for Mike and Ken. 493 00:19:01,068 --> 00:19:03,310 Freddy and I have never built a dryer like this before. 494 00:19:03,310 --> 00:19:05,103 It's gonna take every bit of, 495 00:19:05,103 --> 00:19:07,862 you know, creativity and drive that we have 496 00:19:07,862 --> 00:19:09,172 to be able to pull something off here 497 00:19:09,172 --> 00:19:10,620 to make this work for these guys. 498 00:19:10,620 --> 00:19:12,241 We better get to work, Juan. 499 00:19:13,172 --> 00:19:15,827 [wind whooshing] 500 00:19:19,241 --> 00:19:21,586 [dramatic music playing] 501 00:19:35,586 --> 00:19:38,724 [Kenneth] Hey, guys. Got your steel here you ordered. 502 00:19:39,689 --> 00:19:41,689 [narrator] In Central Arizona, 503 00:19:41,689 --> 00:19:44,827 Freddy and Juan have called in a local favor. 504 00:19:46,034 --> 00:19:51,137 [Kenneth] Some 30-inch pipe, 2 by 6 by 316-12 tubing, 505 00:19:51,137 --> 00:19:53,241 and some two-inch straps. 506 00:19:54,137 --> 00:19:58,000 [narrator] $7,000-worth of custom cut steel 507 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,275 to attempt their first-ever pay dirt dryer build. 508 00:20:03,172 --> 00:20:04,793 [Juan] Oh, we got the tools we need now. 509 00:20:04,793 --> 00:20:05,965 I'm happy these guys were able to come down 510 00:20:05,965 --> 00:20:08,275 and give us a hand and get it all down here to us. 511 00:20:08,275 --> 00:20:10,137 So, now, the work begins. 512 00:20:10,862 --> 00:20:12,655 [Freddy] Back up a little bit, Juan-o, 513 00:20:12,655 --> 00:20:14,793 so I don't cramp your style coming in. 514 00:20:14,793 --> 00:20:16,689 [Juan] That's as far as it goes. I got it straight now. 515 00:20:20,586 --> 00:20:22,689 Well, right now, we're starting on 516 00:20:22,689 --> 00:20:24,413 the framework for the dryer. 517 00:20:25,172 --> 00:20:27,172 We'll start cutting pieces here, 518 00:20:27,172 --> 00:20:29,034 get as much cut as we can, 519 00:20:29,034 --> 00:20:30,517 and start fabricating it. 520 00:20:34,068 --> 00:20:38,137 [narrator] The dryer will work similar to a trommel. 521 00:20:38,137 --> 00:20:42,413 Wet pay dirt is fed into one end of the massive cylinder. 522 00:20:43,586 --> 00:20:44,793 A propane heater 523 00:20:44,793 --> 00:20:48,000 will dry the dirt as the trommel spins. 524 00:20:49,034 --> 00:20:50,517 [Freddy] Eyeballs. 525 00:20:50,517 --> 00:20:52,241 [Juan] You know, Freddy and I wanna build something from scratch, 526 00:20:52,241 --> 00:20:54,482 from the ground up, so we're gonna have to build a frame. 527 00:20:54,482 --> 00:20:55,896 We're gonna have to build a roller assembly, 528 00:20:55,896 --> 00:20:58,172 the drive assembly, and also the drum, which is a ton of work. 529 00:20:58,172 --> 00:21:00,793 [dramatic music playing] 530 00:21:02,758 --> 00:21:04,379 [narrator] Just outside... 531 00:21:04,379 --> 00:21:05,620 [Mike] Yeah, there they are. 532 00:21:05,620 --> 00:21:08,448 [narrator] After a 1,500-mile trip from Louisiana... 533 00:21:08,448 --> 00:21:09,896 [Mike] Let's walk over there and meet them. 534 00:21:09,896 --> 00:21:11,172 I'll introduce you guys. 535 00:21:11,172 --> 00:21:13,379 [narrator] Mike's son, Will, and daughter-in-law, 536 00:21:13,379 --> 00:21:16,689 Erin, arrive to assist the operation. 537 00:21:16,689 --> 00:21:19,137 [Freddy] Yeah. And they go right below the edge, you know? 538 00:21:20,482 --> 00:21:22,448 [Mike] Hey, you guys. I want you to meet my son. 539 00:21:22,448 --> 00:21:23,896 -This is Will. -[Juan] How you doing? 540 00:21:23,896 --> 00:21:24,965 -Will. -Will, nice to meet you. Juan. 541 00:21:24,965 --> 00:21:26,586 Juan, this is Erin, Will's wife. 542 00:21:26,586 --> 00:21:28,103 -Nice to meet you, Erin. -[Erin] Good to meet you. 543 00:21:28,103 --> 00:21:29,586 [Mike] And this is, Freddy. Freddy Dodge. 544 00:21:29,586 --> 00:21:30,758 -Will. Will, I heard? -[Will] Yes, sir. 545 00:21:30,758 --> 00:21:31,793 -[Mike] And... -Erin. 546 00:21:31,793 --> 00:21:32,758 -[Mike] Erin. -[Freddy] Nice to meet you. 547 00:21:32,758 --> 00:21:33,758 Nice to meet you. 548 00:21:33,758 --> 00:21:35,241 [Juan] Came in to see your future, huh? 549 00:21:35,241 --> 00:21:36,482 Yes, sir. 550 00:21:36,482 --> 00:21:37,689 -[Juan] All right. Well-- -[Mike] He's got a family, 551 00:21:37,689 --> 00:21:40,000 couple of kids by marriage to take care of too. 552 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:42,241 They might be worried about spending a lot of money 553 00:21:42,241 --> 00:21:44,448 and maybe spending it foolishly, 554 00:21:44,448 --> 00:21:48,586 but I wanna prove to them that it's not a fool's errand, 555 00:21:48,586 --> 00:21:51,000 and I'd like this mine to support his family. 556 00:21:52,275 --> 00:21:53,482 Have you done any mining before? 557 00:21:53,482 --> 00:21:55,689 [Will] I came out here, what was that, two years ago? 558 00:21:55,689 --> 00:21:58,689 -[Juan] Okay. -[Mike] We mined for 10 days. 559 00:21:58,689 --> 00:21:59,655 We put an ounce of gold in his pocket 560 00:21:59,655 --> 00:22:01,103 and a half an ounce in mine. 561 00:22:01,103 --> 00:22:03,482 -We were doing it by hand, just shoveling. -[Juan] Oh, no kidding? 562 00:22:03,482 --> 00:22:04,862 [Mike] I said we need a bigger shovel. 563 00:22:04,862 --> 00:22:06,137 [laughter] 564 00:22:06,137 --> 00:22:07,448 [Mike] So, I went out and got a backhoe, 565 00:22:07,448 --> 00:22:09,586 upgraded to a real miner. 566 00:22:10,448 --> 00:22:13,241 [Will] Dad wants to support us and our kids 567 00:22:13,241 --> 00:22:16,172 to move out of a bad situation, 568 00:22:16,172 --> 00:22:17,551 a bad neighborhood. 569 00:22:17,551 --> 00:22:19,379 Moving from job to job, 570 00:22:19,379 --> 00:22:21,379 it's a major stressor in our lives 571 00:22:21,379 --> 00:22:24,344 with me and Erin, and we're trying to see 572 00:22:24,344 --> 00:22:28,827 whether it's economical for this to really work out. 573 00:22:29,758 --> 00:22:32,482 [Erin] Moving out here, I would be leaving, 574 00:22:32,482 --> 00:22:35,275 you know, my mom and dad, my gran, 575 00:22:35,275 --> 00:22:37,000 my aunts and brothers. 576 00:22:37,758 --> 00:22:39,172 With the kids and everything, 577 00:22:39,172 --> 00:22:40,793 it would have to be something that we knew 578 00:22:40,793 --> 00:22:42,758 we could depend on. 579 00:22:42,758 --> 00:22:44,000 You wanna come down and give us a hand, man, 580 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:45,344 you're more than welcome to come give us a hand. 581 00:22:45,344 --> 00:22:46,862 Yeah. I'd love to see what you all can do. 582 00:22:46,862 --> 00:22:48,172 [Freddy] Have you welded at all? 583 00:22:48,172 --> 00:22:49,965 [Will] No. I have a lot to learn. 584 00:22:49,965 --> 00:22:51,896 [Freddy] We can set it up here and teach you some stuff. 585 00:22:51,896 --> 00:22:53,068 Yes, sir. 586 00:22:53,068 --> 00:22:55,482 I'd appreciate that, for sure. 587 00:22:55,482 --> 00:22:56,793 [Freddy] If you're gonna be here with your dad, 588 00:22:56,793 --> 00:22:58,965 you need to start getting some of those skills. 589 00:22:58,965 --> 00:23:01,689 [upbeat music playing] 590 00:23:01,689 --> 00:23:03,379 [Freddy] Will's gonna have to 591 00:23:03,379 --> 00:23:05,896 go on a crash course of skills, 592 00:23:05,896 --> 00:23:09,310 but if he is enthusiastic, learning comes easy. 593 00:23:10,103 --> 00:23:12,172 I've already got 'em laid out, 594 00:23:12,172 --> 00:23:14,689 so I'll have you hold 'em while I tack 'em on. 595 00:23:15,172 --> 00:23:16,758 [narrator] Drafting in Will, 596 00:23:16,758 --> 00:23:19,275 Freddy starts on some teardrop gears, 597 00:23:19,275 --> 00:23:21,172 which will enable Mike to pull 598 00:23:21,172 --> 00:23:23,275 the dryer around the claim. 599 00:23:24,862 --> 00:23:26,689 I'd like my dad to succeed here. 600 00:23:26,689 --> 00:23:30,862 He's all heart and all mine too. 601 00:23:30,862 --> 00:23:33,793 He wanted to set up something good for the family. 602 00:23:33,793 --> 00:23:35,448 Be like coming out here and mining, 603 00:23:35,448 --> 00:23:37,034 and doing that together. 604 00:23:37,034 --> 00:23:38,793 And I think he knows what he's doing, 605 00:23:38,793 --> 00:23:42,137 but he did spend his entire retirement 606 00:23:42,137 --> 00:23:43,482 to settle here and mine, 607 00:23:43,482 --> 00:23:45,586 so it's very important that he succeeds. 608 00:23:45,586 --> 00:23:46,448 [Freddy] Okay. 609 00:23:46,448 --> 00:23:48,793 This is 6010. 610 00:23:48,793 --> 00:23:50,862 So, the way I'm welding with it, 611 00:23:50,862 --> 00:23:53,000 I'm acting like I'm stacking dimes. 612 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:54,275 [Will] Okay. 613 00:23:54,896 --> 00:23:56,931 It's a big deal. Yeah. 614 00:23:58,448 --> 00:24:01,448 It would be a bad thing if what he worked all his life 615 00:24:01,448 --> 00:24:04,310 to gain went wrong. 616 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:08,482 [Freddy] Give her a try, bud. 617 00:24:09,275 --> 00:24:10,689 There you go. 618 00:24:10,689 --> 00:24:12,517 There you go. Stack those dimes. 619 00:24:15,172 --> 00:24:16,827 There you go. You're done. 620 00:24:17,586 --> 00:24:20,689 It may not be purty, but it's kind of welded. 621 00:24:20,689 --> 00:24:22,241 -Get some leathers. -Yes, sir. 622 00:24:22,241 --> 00:24:24,000 [Freddy] And start practicing. 623 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:25,275 [Will] Thanks for showing me. 624 00:24:25,275 --> 00:24:27,241 -Appreciate it. -You're welcome. 625 00:24:27,241 --> 00:24:29,034 I was nervous, you know? 626 00:24:29,034 --> 00:24:31,103 It's, like, I'm next to Freddy, 627 00:24:31,103 --> 00:24:32,689 and I'm learning how to weld. 628 00:24:32,689 --> 00:24:34,379 Never done that before, 629 00:24:34,379 --> 00:24:37,482 but it's good experience, good knowledge. 630 00:24:37,482 --> 00:24:39,689 So, I gotta practice is what he says. 631 00:24:39,689 --> 00:24:41,655 Practice makes perfect. 632 00:24:41,655 --> 00:24:43,551 [Mike] You got a teaching from a master there. 633 00:24:43,551 --> 00:24:45,241 -Yeah. -Well, you got to show me something, all right? 634 00:24:45,241 --> 00:24:46,793 -Deal. -Deal. 635 00:24:46,793 --> 00:24:50,758 [dramatic music playing] 636 00:24:50,758 --> 00:24:52,724 [narrator] At the cut trailer... 637 00:24:54,793 --> 00:24:56,448 [Juan] Just finished up the roller assemblies. 638 00:24:56,448 --> 00:24:58,275 It's what the new dryer's gonna ride on. 639 00:24:58,275 --> 00:24:59,896 That way, we can get it onto the frame, 640 00:24:59,896 --> 00:25:02,103 get it put in place and we can set the drum. 641 00:25:02,103 --> 00:25:04,000 [narrator] Heat-resistant steel rollers 642 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:06,241 will sit on Freddy's steel frame 643 00:25:06,241 --> 00:25:09,137 and allow the drying trommel to turn. 644 00:25:09,137 --> 00:25:11,758 I'll be done with these welds in 10 minutes. 645 00:25:11,758 --> 00:25:12,931 Okay. Perfect. 646 00:25:12,931 --> 00:25:13,965 What are you gonna do, back in and grab the frame? 647 00:25:13,965 --> 00:25:15,965 Yeah, I'll just back my truck in right here. 648 00:25:15,965 --> 00:25:17,241 We'll lift this up, set it on the ground, 649 00:25:17,241 --> 00:25:20,000 then we'll lift the trommel drum up, get it right on top. 650 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:21,827 -Five, I'll be done. -[Juan] All right. 651 00:25:25,379 --> 00:25:28,793 [wind whooshing] 652 00:25:28,793 --> 00:25:32,448 [dramatic music playing] 653 00:25:32,448 --> 00:25:34,379 [Juan] We're gonna find out if our measurements are correct, huh? 654 00:25:34,379 --> 00:25:35,517 [Freddy] Yeah. 655 00:25:40,344 --> 00:25:42,206 That's absolutely perfect. 656 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:44,482 [Juan] What are the odds of that? 657 00:25:45,172 --> 00:25:46,689 If you look in between the wheels here, 658 00:25:46,689 --> 00:25:48,586 between the wheels and the drum itself, 659 00:25:48,586 --> 00:25:50,689 they're perfectly flat up against the drum. 660 00:25:50,689 --> 00:25:52,241 Over here as well. 661 00:25:52,241 --> 00:25:54,379 And that just tells you that we got our angles right. 662 00:25:54,379 --> 00:25:55,586 I like it. 663 00:25:55,586 --> 00:25:56,793 [Freddy] Yup. 664 00:25:56,793 --> 00:25:58,241 I'm glad to see it coming together. 665 00:25:58,241 --> 00:26:00,172 I'm anxious to see the final result. 666 00:26:00,172 --> 00:26:02,896 [upbeat music playing] 667 00:26:04,586 --> 00:26:06,620 All in all, you know, it was a good day, 668 00:26:07,586 --> 00:26:09,482 but a plant needs a lot of work, 669 00:26:09,482 --> 00:26:11,586 so time is of the essence right now. 670 00:26:11,586 --> 00:26:13,586 It's definitely a new challenge for us. 671 00:26:17,689 --> 00:26:18,931 [narrator] Coming up... 672 00:26:18,931 --> 00:26:21,586 Hey, guys, you're just gonna have to let us roll today. 673 00:26:21,586 --> 00:26:23,000 What's taking so long, Freddy? 674 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,551 [Freddy] Glad I didn't eat any bean burritos last night, 675 00:26:25,551 --> 00:26:27,620 because I'm gonna be in this tube for a while. 676 00:26:32,586 --> 00:26:34,379 [dramatic music playing] 677 00:26:40,689 --> 00:26:43,137 [Mike] I added a little too much, gotta take some out. 678 00:26:49,034 --> 00:26:51,931 Well, what I'm doing is I'm selling black sand. 679 00:26:52,482 --> 00:26:54,689 This little box will be seven pounds 680 00:26:54,689 --> 00:26:57,379 and I'll sell it for $21. 681 00:26:57,379 --> 00:26:59,793 [narrator] Rare metals found in black sand 682 00:26:59,793 --> 00:27:03,482 are used in the construction and electronic industries. 683 00:27:03,482 --> 00:27:06,448 Mike can sell up to five gallons a month 684 00:27:06,448 --> 00:27:10,241 bringing in an extra $1,700 a season. 685 00:27:11,172 --> 00:27:13,034 I saw other people doing that and I thought, 686 00:27:13,034 --> 00:27:15,413 "Yeah, I can do that. It'll make money." 687 00:27:16,379 --> 00:27:18,793 William knows there's some good gold around, 688 00:27:18,793 --> 00:27:23,034 but he hasn't seen this level of mining. 689 00:27:23,034 --> 00:27:25,275 Hopefully, Freddy and Juan help me get that level up 690 00:27:25,275 --> 00:27:27,724 to prove that it'll work, economically. 691 00:27:28,896 --> 00:27:30,068 We'll see. 692 00:27:31,896 --> 00:27:33,275 [narrator] Outside... 693 00:27:33,275 --> 00:27:36,758 [Will] I just wanna show you quickly how to pan. 694 00:27:36,758 --> 00:27:41,275 So, get it all on one side. I tap it like this. 695 00:27:41,275 --> 00:27:44,137 [narrator] Mike's son, Will, gets back to his roots. 696 00:27:44,137 --> 00:27:46,482 [Will] Start walking it back. 697 00:27:46,482 --> 00:27:48,448 [Erin] How did you learn how to do this? 698 00:27:48,448 --> 00:27:50,344 [Will] When I was a kid, with my dad, 699 00:27:50,344 --> 00:27:53,000 we went and did a test sample of some soil 700 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,034 down in the riverbed right away from the house. 701 00:27:56,034 --> 00:27:58,137 So, I've been doing this since I was seven or eight. 702 00:27:59,241 --> 00:28:02,103 Dad has always been interested in mining. 703 00:28:02,103 --> 00:28:04,586 I always liked geology and rocks, 704 00:28:04,586 --> 00:28:06,310 and I think it's because of dad. 705 00:28:07,793 --> 00:28:10,103 When I was a kid, my parents got a divorce. 706 00:28:12,482 --> 00:28:15,137 You know, I've always known my dad and he's a great dad, 707 00:28:15,137 --> 00:28:17,172 but I didn't have the relationship 708 00:28:17,172 --> 00:28:18,137 with my dad that I wanted. 709 00:28:18,137 --> 00:28:20,689 And coming out here can give me that 710 00:28:20,689 --> 00:28:23,344 and also I could have a new start for my family, 711 00:28:23,344 --> 00:28:25,379 which we really need. 712 00:28:25,379 --> 00:28:26,896 -Look at that color. -[Erin] Oh, wow. 713 00:28:26,896 --> 00:28:28,862 -[gasps] Oh, my goodness. -[Will] Yeah. 714 00:28:28,862 --> 00:28:30,793 -That's a piece of gold right there. -Do you see all that? 715 00:28:30,793 --> 00:28:32,827 [Erin] Oh, my goodness. 716 00:28:34,379 --> 00:28:35,862 I think this could be a new beginning. 717 00:28:35,862 --> 00:28:39,758 And so, hopefully, Freddy and Juan help us succeed. 718 00:28:39,758 --> 00:28:42,482 We need to know that it's gonna be totally, 719 00:28:42,482 --> 00:28:44,344 you know, steady, steady, 720 00:28:44,344 --> 00:28:46,482 you know, something to always fall back on. 721 00:28:46,482 --> 00:28:49,620 [soft country music playing] 722 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:54,655 [upbeat music playing] 723 00:28:54,655 --> 00:28:56,482 [narrator] On the other side of the plain... 724 00:28:56,482 --> 00:28:59,379 [Freddy] Hey, guys, you're just gonna have to let us roll today. 725 00:28:59,379 --> 00:29:01,862 We don't have time for TV. 726 00:29:01,862 --> 00:29:04,482 [narrator] Freddy and Juan turn and burn. 727 00:29:04,482 --> 00:29:09,000 Just 24 hours left before the final test run. 728 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:11,068 [Juan] After this break, you wanna start 729 00:29:11,068 --> 00:29:14,482 making it smaller here to what, three? 730 00:29:14,482 --> 00:29:15,965 -[Freddy] Three tall? -[Juan] Yeah. 731 00:29:15,965 --> 00:29:17,896 [Freddy] And then, we could knock it down if we need to. 732 00:29:17,896 --> 00:29:19,172 -Okay, I'll do it. -Sounds good. 733 00:29:19,172 --> 00:29:20,586 -Thanks, man. -All right, no problem. 734 00:29:22,586 --> 00:29:24,241 Freddy made a quick sketch and some measurements 735 00:29:24,241 --> 00:29:25,689 of what he wanted, so 736 00:29:25,689 --> 00:29:26,965 really, now it's crunch time. 737 00:29:26,965 --> 00:29:28,379 We gotta get this done today. 738 00:29:30,034 --> 00:29:31,793 Damn this plate's hot. 739 00:29:32,172 --> 00:29:33,689 Woo! 740 00:29:33,689 --> 00:29:35,793 This may be a game-changer for Mike, 741 00:29:35,793 --> 00:29:37,551 to try to make sure that we come up 742 00:29:37,551 --> 00:29:39,448 with great solutions to their problems. 743 00:29:39,448 --> 00:29:41,275 If we don't double their gold recovery, 744 00:29:41,275 --> 00:29:42,344 it's free. 745 00:29:42,344 --> 00:29:44,241 It just kind of pushes us a little harder 746 00:29:44,241 --> 00:29:46,137 to try to help him get more gold. 747 00:29:46,896 --> 00:29:48,068 [narrator] By the trommel, 748 00:29:48,068 --> 00:29:52,172 Freddy inserts thin pieces of steel called lifters 749 00:29:52,172 --> 00:29:55,000 that will help separate the wet pay dirt inside. 750 00:29:56,482 --> 00:29:57,586 [Will] You mind if I watch? 751 00:29:57,586 --> 00:29:58,896 [Freddy] No, stand wherever you can see, buddy. 752 00:29:58,896 --> 00:30:00,586 Yes, sir. 753 00:30:00,586 --> 00:30:03,586 [Freddy] Still fabricating, you know, Juan and myself 754 00:30:03,586 --> 00:30:05,379 mentally pictured what we wanted to build 755 00:30:05,379 --> 00:30:07,586 for this situation, 756 00:30:07,586 --> 00:30:10,172 and got steel and started putting it together. 757 00:30:10,172 --> 00:30:12,000 So, imagination's most important. 758 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:13,689 [Will] Okay. So, you just kind of... 759 00:30:13,689 --> 00:30:15,241 You figure it out, you design. 760 00:30:15,241 --> 00:30:17,068 -Picture it in your head. -Basically a engineer. 761 00:30:17,068 --> 00:30:19,482 Picture it in your head and then go from there. 762 00:30:19,482 --> 00:30:21,482 [Will] Basically, I don't have a lot of experience, 763 00:30:21,482 --> 00:30:24,482 so it's invaluable to really learn 764 00:30:24,482 --> 00:30:25,655 from Freddy and Juan 765 00:30:25,655 --> 00:30:27,275 whatever they can share with me, 766 00:30:27,275 --> 00:30:31,379 so that I can really learn from all their experience. 767 00:30:31,379 --> 00:30:33,586 [Freddy] Here we go. We'll knock this son of a gun out. 768 00:30:33,586 --> 00:30:36,793 [whimsical music playing] 769 00:30:41,758 --> 00:30:43,793 [Freddy] And this is frickin' comfortable. 770 00:30:44,655 --> 00:30:46,000 -[clangs] -[Freddy] Ouch. 771 00:30:47,551 --> 00:30:50,137 I'm glad I didn't eat any bean burritos last night 772 00:30:50,137 --> 00:30:52,310 'cause I'm gonna be in this tube for a while. 773 00:30:55,586 --> 00:30:58,448 [narrator] With Freddy in a tight spot, 774 00:30:58,448 --> 00:31:01,482 Juan switches focus to the broken backhoe. 775 00:31:01,482 --> 00:31:03,137 [Juan] I'm gonna pull this floorpan out, 776 00:31:03,137 --> 00:31:04,793 and then we're gonna replace the valve. 777 00:31:04,793 --> 00:31:06,000 Nothing worse than having a piece 778 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:07,482 of equipment that's down. 779 00:31:07,482 --> 00:31:08,758 So, that's the valve we're gonna replace 780 00:31:08,758 --> 00:31:09,793 right there. 781 00:31:09,793 --> 00:31:13,137 It's actually the hose going to the valve, 782 00:31:13,137 --> 00:31:15,620 it's been chewed through by pack rats or mice or something. 783 00:31:17,068 --> 00:31:18,620 They've had a field day here. 784 00:31:19,862 --> 00:31:21,241 There it is. 785 00:31:21,241 --> 00:31:22,482 Now, we'll just put the base plate 786 00:31:22,482 --> 00:31:23,862 back on and call it good. 787 00:31:23,862 --> 00:31:25,344 [machine whirs] 788 00:31:25,344 --> 00:31:27,586 [engine turns over] 789 00:31:27,586 --> 00:31:29,586 [narrator] With the backhoe back in business, 790 00:31:30,655 --> 00:31:34,655 Juan turns to the heating element for the dry blower. 791 00:31:34,655 --> 00:31:36,034 What I'm doing right now is I'm cutting out 792 00:31:36,034 --> 00:31:38,172 the pieces that I need to be able to mount 793 00:31:38,172 --> 00:31:40,689 the heating unit on the front of the dryers. 794 00:31:40,689 --> 00:31:41,689 I'm hoping that we have enough heat 795 00:31:41,689 --> 00:31:43,379 to be able to dry that material. 796 00:31:44,655 --> 00:31:47,275 [narrator] A 30-kilowatt propane heater 797 00:31:47,275 --> 00:31:49,379 will blast the wet pay dirt 798 00:31:49,379 --> 00:31:54,000 with 100,000 BTUs of drying power. 799 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:55,448 [Juan] We're gonna make it adjustable 800 00:31:55,448 --> 00:31:57,068 so we can adjust the pitch 801 00:31:57,068 --> 00:31:58,379 on the heater to be able to hit 802 00:31:58,379 --> 00:32:00,000 the material where we want it. 803 00:32:01,275 --> 00:32:02,586 It looks good. 804 00:32:03,793 --> 00:32:05,137 It's ready to go on. 805 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:13,206 Perfect. 806 00:32:14,344 --> 00:32:17,000 This is adjustable, so we need to adjust it. 807 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:18,310 [Mike] That's really slick. 808 00:32:18,862 --> 00:32:20,068 What angle do you recommend? 809 00:32:20,068 --> 00:32:21,068 Well, we don't know yet. 810 00:32:21,068 --> 00:32:23,000 We're gonna find out. 811 00:32:23,482 --> 00:32:24,896 [bird caws] 812 00:32:25,862 --> 00:32:28,275 [narrator] Freddy's final fix. 813 00:32:28,275 --> 00:32:30,275 [Freddy] We're gonna put a cloth dampener in here. 814 00:32:30,275 --> 00:32:32,275 We're gonna make it where it's removable. 815 00:32:32,275 --> 00:32:35,482 [narrator] A cloth dampener that will prevent pay 816 00:32:35,482 --> 00:32:37,241 bouncing off the screen. 817 00:32:37,241 --> 00:32:38,172 [Freddy] Are you in your slot? 818 00:32:38,172 --> 00:32:39,689 [Ken] Yes, it is. 819 00:32:39,689 --> 00:32:42,000 [Freddy] How far out are you sticking, Ken? 820 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:43,724 [Ken] Cloth hanging just about right. 821 00:32:44,275 --> 00:32:46,275 [Freddy] Okay. So is mine. 822 00:32:46,275 --> 00:32:49,379 So, as it comes down through, it'll hit that cloth, 823 00:32:49,379 --> 00:32:51,000 which will stop it from bouncing, 824 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,517 and then more of it'll go through the screen. 825 00:32:53,896 --> 00:32:55,034 I like it. 826 00:32:55,034 --> 00:32:56,896 [Ken] No way in hell that's bouncing out of there. 827 00:32:56,896 --> 00:32:59,068 [Freddy] Well, thanks, guys. 828 00:32:59,068 --> 00:33:01,000 [Mike] I think it's a really neat idea. 829 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,000 You know, Freddy's got so much experience 830 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,379 to have the intuition or the confidence 831 00:33:05,379 --> 00:33:07,103 to do something like that. 832 00:33:07,103 --> 00:33:08,275 It's just surprising to me 833 00:33:08,275 --> 00:33:10,103 and that's why we want it around here. 834 00:33:10,103 --> 00:33:11,758 Quite different than I expected, 835 00:33:11,758 --> 00:33:14,137 but I wanna see it work now. 836 00:33:15,482 --> 00:33:17,586 [wind whooshing] 837 00:33:17,586 --> 00:33:19,241 -Hey, Freddy? -[Freddy] Yes, sir. 838 00:33:19,241 --> 00:33:20,137 I'm gonna spin it. 839 00:33:20,137 --> 00:33:21,965 [narrator] Back at the dry blower, 840 00:33:21,965 --> 00:33:25,137 the trommel is finally ready for a test run. 841 00:33:25,137 --> 00:33:26,413 Watch yourself. 842 00:33:27,034 --> 00:33:30,000 [rock music playing] 843 00:33:32,655 --> 00:33:34,896 [Freddy] Cooking with gas now, Juan. 844 00:33:34,896 --> 00:33:36,655 I like it. 845 00:33:36,655 --> 00:33:38,896 I'm really happy with what I see right now. 846 00:33:38,896 --> 00:33:41,000 We got it spinning, the hopper's in. 847 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:47,379 It's beautiful that you just dream something up like that, 848 00:33:47,379 --> 00:33:49,482 cut some steel and weld it together. 849 00:33:49,965 --> 00:33:51,068 [Mike] It's amazing. 850 00:33:51,689 --> 00:33:53,413 To do this kind of work in the field? 851 00:33:53,793 --> 00:33:55,172 It's really something. 852 00:33:58,241 --> 00:33:59,586 [Will] Yeah, we're real adamant to see 853 00:33:59,586 --> 00:34:01,689 what the plant can produce. 854 00:34:01,689 --> 00:34:04,586 That's gonna be a decision-maker or breaker. 855 00:34:04,586 --> 00:34:06,896 So, we're gonna see what Freddy and Juan have done. 856 00:34:07,862 --> 00:34:10,137 [Freddy] The lifters are welded in. 857 00:34:10,137 --> 00:34:11,413 Nice. 858 00:34:11,413 --> 00:34:13,137 [Mike] So, how long do you think it'll take to finish it? 859 00:34:13,896 --> 00:34:15,172 [Juan] Another four days. 860 00:34:15,172 --> 00:34:17,688 [Mike] Oh, God, I wanna see it run. 861 00:34:17,688 --> 00:34:19,068 Hurry up, guys. 862 00:34:19,068 --> 00:34:20,655 -Gotta hurry up, Fred. -[Freddy] Right. 863 00:34:20,655 --> 00:34:22,068 -What's taking so long, Freddy? -[Mike] Yeah. 864 00:34:22,068 --> 00:34:24,482 -[Freddy] That's right. -[laughter] 865 00:34:24,482 --> 00:34:27,482 [Freddy] Didn't see anybody else offer to climb in this pipe. 866 00:34:27,482 --> 00:34:28,896 [laughter] 867 00:34:31,793 --> 00:34:33,275 Where do you want it, Fred? 868 00:34:33,275 --> 00:34:34,688 [narrator] As night falls, 869 00:34:34,688 --> 00:34:37,068 Juan uses his new electric loader 870 00:34:37,068 --> 00:34:39,688 to move the pay dryer closer to the mine. 871 00:34:39,688 --> 00:34:41,793 [Juan] Inside the controls are exactly 872 00:34:41,793 --> 00:34:43,447 like what it would be on a regular machine, 873 00:34:43,447 --> 00:34:46,482 only difference is it's electric. 874 00:34:46,482 --> 00:34:48,137 Love it, Juan. 875 00:34:48,137 --> 00:34:49,585 Come on ahead a little bit more. 876 00:34:49,585 --> 00:34:50,827 That'll work. 877 00:34:50,827 --> 00:34:53,482 [Juan] It's impressive how powerful this thing is. 878 00:34:53,482 --> 00:34:54,862 You know, you think electrical, 879 00:34:54,862 --> 00:34:56,447 you think it's gonna be kind of sluggish. 880 00:34:56,447 --> 00:34:57,931 It's gonna be doggy. It's not. 881 00:34:58,379 --> 00:34:59,517 Perfect. 882 00:35:03,862 --> 00:35:05,689 [dramatic music playing] 883 00:35:05,689 --> 00:35:07,896 [wind whooshing] 884 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:14,793 Looks good. 885 00:35:14,793 --> 00:35:16,310 [narrator] At the Robinson Mine... 886 00:35:16,310 --> 00:35:18,413 [Juan] Well, you see what we did, right? 887 00:35:18,413 --> 00:35:20,517 [Ken] So, you guys got a little paint on it last night, huh? 888 00:35:20,517 --> 00:35:22,793 [narrator] Freddy and Juan's custom-built dryer 889 00:35:22,793 --> 00:35:25,655 has been given a creative touch overnight. 890 00:35:26,275 --> 00:35:27,344 [Juan] Dragon Breath, right? 891 00:35:27,344 --> 00:35:28,448 -[Freddy] Dragon Breath. -[Mike] Dragon Breath. 892 00:35:28,448 --> 00:35:30,310 -[Juan] I like it. -[Freddy] I like it, too. 893 00:35:30,310 --> 00:35:31,689 [Juan] It's ready to roll. 894 00:35:31,689 --> 00:35:32,758 [Freddy] Fire it up. 895 00:35:37,310 --> 00:35:40,103 [narrator] Before, Mike's pay was too damp 896 00:35:40,103 --> 00:35:41,655 for his dry plant, 897 00:35:41,655 --> 00:35:43,896 making it slow and inefficient. 898 00:35:44,586 --> 00:35:46,000 [Mike] All right, Miss Kitty, 899 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,620 we're gonna get down and dirty. 900 00:35:47,620 --> 00:35:49,965 [narrator] Now, the new hot dryer 901 00:35:49,965 --> 00:35:52,172 should remove moisture from the pay 902 00:35:52,172 --> 00:35:54,034 before it is run through the plant. 903 00:35:54,034 --> 00:35:56,793 [Mike] We can dry it out, we get more gold, 904 00:35:56,793 --> 00:35:59,379 then we can run twice as many months out of the year. 905 00:35:59,379 --> 00:36:01,931 So, hopefully, this is gonna work. 906 00:36:09,551 --> 00:36:11,586 [Juan] Holy crap, that's hot. 907 00:36:11,586 --> 00:36:13,344 [Freddy] Frickin' hot, boy. 908 00:36:16,379 --> 00:36:17,655 Dry. 909 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:21,103 [Juan] Mike. 910 00:36:24,379 --> 00:36:26,034 [Mike] It's hot coming out of there. 911 00:36:26,034 --> 00:36:27,206 Damn near fry eggs, 912 00:36:27,206 --> 00:36:28,379 it's that hot. 913 00:36:29,689 --> 00:36:31,448 [Erin] I think it's badass. 914 00:36:32,586 --> 00:36:34,034 [Freddy] Let's get your plant fired up, 915 00:36:34,034 --> 00:36:36,000 run some dry material through it. 916 00:36:36,482 --> 00:36:37,758 [narrator] The first run 917 00:36:37,758 --> 00:36:40,000 was only three hours and fifteen minutes 918 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:41,896 due to a backhoe breakdown. 919 00:36:41,896 --> 00:36:45,758 This time, Will takes over operation from father, Mike. 920 00:36:45,758 --> 00:36:47,172 [Ken] First bucket. 921 00:36:48,758 --> 00:36:51,000 Let's make some gold. 922 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,000 [Will] If this works and we can make money, 923 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:56,000 I think we're gonna do real good out here. 924 00:36:56,896 --> 00:36:58,482 [Mike] Yeah, baby. 925 00:37:00,586 --> 00:37:02,068 That's what I like to see. 926 00:37:03,103 --> 00:37:04,758 [Freddy] Dry as a bone, huh? 927 00:37:06,482 --> 00:37:09,724 -Like sand through an hourglass, Juan. -Yeah. 928 00:37:10,310 --> 00:37:11,793 [Mike] We got two more yards, 929 00:37:11,793 --> 00:37:13,689 we can actually run the trays faster, 930 00:37:13,689 --> 00:37:15,413 so it's really looking good. 931 00:37:19,344 --> 00:37:21,793 [Freddy] Juan, you gotta see this. 932 00:37:21,793 --> 00:37:24,000 -It's perfect. -Good, huh? 933 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:26,965 [narrator] At the hopper, Freddy's bush fix dampener 934 00:37:26,965 --> 00:37:29,931 keeps the pay dirt from falling off the screen. 935 00:37:30,896 --> 00:37:32,689 -[Freddy] It's pretty simple. -[Ken] Yes, it is. 936 00:37:32,689 --> 00:37:34,448 [Freddy] A piece of square tube, a welding blanket, 937 00:37:34,448 --> 00:37:35,793 and two bungee cords. 938 00:37:35,793 --> 00:37:37,275 Five percent of your gold or more. 939 00:37:40,275 --> 00:37:41,896 Last bucket. 940 00:37:41,896 --> 00:37:43,103 [Will] Okay. 941 00:37:43,103 --> 00:37:47,103 [upbeat music playing] 942 00:37:51,758 --> 00:37:53,965 [Will] I think Dad, he's trying to make sure 943 00:37:53,965 --> 00:37:55,448 that there's a safety net. 944 00:37:55,448 --> 00:37:56,482 That's what parents do. 945 00:37:56,482 --> 00:37:58,206 They create safety nets for their kids. 946 00:37:58,206 --> 00:37:59,206 We've really bonded. 947 00:37:59,206 --> 00:38:00,413 He's a good dude. 948 00:38:00,413 --> 00:38:02,241 He's appreciated and loved. 949 00:38:05,206 --> 00:38:07,172 [Mike] I like that Dragon Breath. 950 00:38:07,172 --> 00:38:08,172 That really dries it out. 951 00:38:08,172 --> 00:38:10,448 But you don't know how it's gonna go. 952 00:38:10,448 --> 00:38:12,689 So, let's weigh it up and see what we got. 953 00:38:15,620 --> 00:38:17,896 [dramatic music playing] 954 00:38:17,896 --> 00:38:19,586 [Mike] Oh, look, here they come. 955 00:38:19,586 --> 00:38:21,310 -[Juan] Hey, guys. Hey, everyone. -[Erin] Hey. 956 00:38:22,482 --> 00:38:24,310 During our first test run, you guys got a quarter ounce 957 00:38:24,310 --> 00:38:25,482 and you wanted to double that, right? 958 00:38:25,482 --> 00:38:28,000 Yeah. You know, if you're gonna wish, wish big. 959 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:29,275 [narrator] Freddy and Juan's fixes 960 00:38:29,275 --> 00:38:33,206 must double the 0.25 ounces from the first test 961 00:38:33,206 --> 00:38:36,689 or they agreed to waive their $15,000 fee. 962 00:38:36,689 --> 00:38:38,448 [Juan] Now, Will, would half an ounce 963 00:38:38,448 --> 00:38:40,137 be enough for you guys to be down here? 964 00:38:40,137 --> 00:38:42,379 -Half an ounce would get us down here. -Yes. 965 00:38:42,379 --> 00:38:43,896 -[Juan] Yeah? Okay -For sure. 966 00:38:43,896 --> 00:38:46,379 [narrator] Half an ounce would mean Mike, 967 00:38:46,379 --> 00:38:50,034 Will, and Erin could earn over $300,000 a year, 968 00:38:50,034 --> 00:38:52,517 enough to pay off Mike's big debts 969 00:38:52,517 --> 00:38:54,137 and live on the rest. 970 00:38:54,137 --> 00:38:57,586 -Well, proof will be in the pudding, huh, Juan? -[Erin laughs] 971 00:38:57,586 --> 00:38:59,827 -[Mike] Oh, my goodness. Look at this. -[man] Zero her out, Fred. 972 00:39:01,793 --> 00:39:03,551 There's double right there. 973 00:39:03,551 --> 00:39:04,586 -[Will] Nice. -[Freddy] Over double. 974 00:39:04,586 --> 00:39:05,827 -That's 0.60. -[Mike] Are you kidding me? 975 00:39:10,620 --> 00:39:12,000 0.75. 976 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,689 [narrator] The second wave brings in a whopping 977 00:39:16,689 --> 00:39:18,448 200% increase. 978 00:39:18,448 --> 00:39:23,896 The Robinson Mine can earn as much as $2,850 a day. 979 00:39:23,896 --> 00:39:25,517 -Exactly three-quarters. -Come here, guys. 980 00:39:25,517 --> 00:39:27,034 -Give me that. -Pretty dang good. 981 00:39:27,034 --> 00:39:28,413 What do you say, Freddy? 982 00:39:28,413 --> 00:39:30,275 -Thanks a lot. -[Freddy] That's pretty darn good. 983 00:39:30,275 --> 00:39:32,034 [Mike] That's good gold. 984 00:39:32,034 --> 00:39:33,310 [narrator] With his season extended 985 00:39:33,310 --> 00:39:35,344 to at least eight months, 986 00:39:35,344 --> 00:39:38,000 Mike could earn nearly $700,000 987 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:41,068 a year, allowing him to pay his debt and provide 988 00:39:41,068 --> 00:39:43,000 enough money for Will and Erin 989 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:44,793 to come in on the business. 990 00:39:44,793 --> 00:39:46,896 -[Will] I appreciate it. -[Freddy] No problem. 991 00:39:46,896 --> 00:39:48,586 [Erin] There's no question anymore. 992 00:39:48,586 --> 00:39:51,655 We don't have to even... The decision is made. 993 00:39:51,655 --> 00:39:53,379 We're gonna be new neighbors, Mike. 994 00:39:53,793 --> 00:39:55,586 How you feel about that? 995 00:39:55,586 --> 00:39:57,448 I'm gonna have to buy another camper. 996 00:39:57,448 --> 00:39:58,620 [laughter] 997 00:40:00,413 --> 00:40:02,137 [Mike] I was totally blown away. 998 00:40:02,137 --> 00:40:03,689 I used to teach chemistry. 999 00:40:03,689 --> 00:40:06,172 I'm a lab guy and a lecture guy, you know? 1000 00:40:06,172 --> 00:40:08,137 So, to do this kind of a change, 1001 00:40:08,137 --> 00:40:10,862 and then it become a reality? 1002 00:40:10,862 --> 00:40:13,103 When family like what you're doing, 1003 00:40:13,103 --> 00:40:15,172 and you've convinced them that it's worth their while 1004 00:40:15,172 --> 00:40:17,689 and it could be their livelihood to come out here, 1005 00:40:17,689 --> 00:40:20,000 it gets you right there. 1006 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:22,103 [Will] Arizona smile is what they call it. 1007 00:40:22,103 --> 00:40:26,137 When you see it in the pan and it's just a gold ring. 1008 00:40:26,137 --> 00:40:28,517 Or you see it on your wife's face, 1009 00:40:28,517 --> 00:40:29,896 when your life has changed, 1010 00:40:29,896 --> 00:40:32,620 that's what you call a Arizona smile. 1011 00:40:32,620 --> 00:40:34,965 [Juan] Well, it's been a tough week for Freddy and I, 1012 00:40:34,965 --> 00:40:36,241 but we got it done. 1013 00:40:36,241 --> 00:40:38,068 The great news is now they got what they need 1014 00:40:38,068 --> 00:40:40,448 to be able to be successful in the future. 1015 00:40:40,448 --> 00:40:43,068 The American West was built because of gold mining 1016 00:40:43,068 --> 00:40:44,379 and gold. 1017 00:40:45,206 --> 00:40:48,689 One thing gold does to people, it inspires them. 1018 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:49,724 We're really happy. 1019 00:40:49,724 --> 00:40:51,172 -Thank you. -I love you. 1020 00:40:51,172 --> 00:40:53,172 -[Will] I love you, baby. -[Erin] Love you. 1021 00:40:55,482 --> 00:40:58,482 [blues music playing] 1022 00:40:58,482 --> 00:41:00,620 Since Freddy and Juan left, 1023 00:41:00,620 --> 00:41:02,793 we were getting really good dirt. 1024 00:41:02,793 --> 00:41:04,655 The last run that we actually did 1025 00:41:04,655 --> 00:41:06,793 was really high in recovery. 1026 00:41:06,793 --> 00:41:07,793 More than a gram a yard. 1027 00:41:07,793 --> 00:41:10,034 So, we were doing really well. 1028 00:41:10,034 --> 00:41:12,275 August is the monsoon season. 1029 00:41:12,275 --> 00:41:14,793 We're waiting on that now with bated breath. 1030 00:41:14,793 --> 00:41:18,103 That's when we expect to be using the dryer a lot. 1031 00:41:18,103 --> 00:41:21,172 Will and Erin are excited to come back 1032 00:41:21,172 --> 00:41:23,068 and planning and working that direction. 1033 00:41:23,068 --> 00:41:24,379 [Will] You know, we've got the mine, 1034 00:41:24,379 --> 00:41:25,896 we've got each other, and we've got family. 1035 00:41:25,896 --> 00:41:27,620 And getting that gold in the ground 1036 00:41:27,620 --> 00:41:30,551 and having all that fun and it was just an experience. 1037 00:41:30,551 --> 00:41:31,896 It was very important. 1038 00:41:31,896 --> 00:41:34,241 The hugest shout out to Freddy and Juan. 1039 00:41:34,241 --> 00:41:37,172 This has opened up huge things. 1040 00:41:37,172 --> 00:41:38,310 [Will] I'm a welder now. 1041 00:41:38,310 --> 00:41:39,482 It's badass.