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I Went 700 Feet Underground to Mine a Forgotten Metal
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- Published on Mar 4, 2026
- In this video, we dive deep into the Zinc Era of Cerro Gordo. A period of time that doesn't get near the attention as the silver era, but was longer, and in many ways more productive.
I head down to the 700 level of the Union Mine to retrieve some smithsonite, refine the smithsonite all the way down to zinc, and use the zinc for it's most common uses. Along the way, we learn a lot more about the history of this famous mining town.
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Mailing Address: PO Box 490, Lone Pine, CA 93545
THANK YOU!
Here is a link to win the handmade coin from this video. It's FREE to enter: kingsumo.com/g/1ggqrj1/win-a-handmade-cerro-gordo-coin
Brent, just a suggestion.
I saw you struggling with your full 5 gal. bucket of rocks. (Not the first time)
A single bucket puts unnecessary torque on your lower back.
Next time bring two buckets and when one is full empty 1/2 into the other bucket.
carrying 2 buckets of equal weight is far easier from a physical exertion perspective.
And when negotiating narrow parts swing one in front and one behind.
You can experiment with this in the lift building before going down again?
BTW always love your Great content!
@MadDog-1961 you are 100% correct. I believe he should take buckets for each level. Leave them next to cage & go to next level. Stop & pick up on assent to the top. Also walays additional sample quantity.
@JohnMoses1897 The old adage. (Work smarter NOT harder)
Does NOT imply don't work hard!
Lift with the legs NOT with the back!
But I'm young and tough!!
The problem is the damage is cumulative and it WILL come back to haunt you! :)
Great thing about being up there when it is to hot. You can go down the mine and it will be so much cooler. I can definitely see you chilling in the water on the 700 lvl.
Are you sure that your Zinc Oxide isn't contaminated with lead?
It is quite possible that mine also contains indium, gallium, and/or germanium which are often found with zinc. Also, those tailings piles might contain significant quantities of rare earths. They are now finding that mine tailings from the Nevada silver mines often contain recoverable quantities of rare earth minerals. And finally, they are finding that clay deposits in old mine drainages also often contain considerable quantities of rare earths.
I keep on hearing about XFR machines which can be used to analyze ore samples for metal content by seeing the different elements present.
I know nothing about test equipment, but if I were this guy I would be checking it out. Does he own the mineral rights? I know other mine tailings inCalifornia Have been mined for rare earths in the recent past which may be soon resumed. The last losing was due to the price being undercut by hiñese production.
rare earth aren't exactly rare, theyr'e just hard (i.e. expensive) to extract. So no private company is going to just do that.
@latlatkoactually, private companies do, will. It’s just that there seems to be a lot of up front investment and yet price is very erratic. There for a low cost producer, China at this instant, can close out or close down the competition. And we have now closed out my memory of mining economics learned at the knee of my 1913 Utah born mother.
@latlatko That is true to some extent. The minerals themselves are not rare, it is the processing that is the difficulty. There are a couple of companies in the world, in Australia for example. that are working on exporting processing technology. However, using material that is basically already mined and is just sitting in piles waiting to be used reduces the expense and environmental impact paperwork considerably.
For those unaware of the history - coins originally were allowed to be cut into fragments as payment. A whole coin had its value and lower values were achieved with a simple snip. The smallest denomination was 1/8th (pieces of eight). Another term for 1/8th was a "bit". Think of it as a penny - the smallest one could charge. For a dollar coin, 1/8th is 12 1/2 cents so that is the "bit" and "two bits" would be 1/8 plus 1/8 or 1/4 or a quarter. Eventually the denominations were struck as unique coins and the snipping ( which could easily be used to cheat ) was outlawed. Coins also saw their rims embellished to prevent shaving off a little bit and this cheating the recipient of their full value.
That explains why there's 8 bits in a byte. Had no idea computing was related at least slightly to old school currency practices. That's pretty sweet
No, not really. Early computer code was hexidecimal and its relationship to binary which gave the number for bits and bytes.
@TgWags69 - Actually most early computers were coded in Octal. Hex gained dominance in the 1970's with microprocessors. Many early systems had what would be today "strange" integer width - like 22 bits etc. It was an artifact of the Von Neumann move to merge data and code space into one memory to save costs. The Data and address width as such merged too. The data width was generally decided based upon the precision of the math the system was to perform and flag bits associated with the results of sequentially pipelined calculations (in software). So for example you might have the result of an add operation and its carry or zero bits also in the data store (memory) to then feed back with the next variable. Some of these architectures were incredibly complex. Example Cray Research's implementations were brilliant and based upon actual cycle times of the processing system - all made out of discrete gates. All this is why, if you look up an ASCII character table from the period there was the character - its hex value and its octal value. There were also the days of Cobol (for business) and Fortran (for Engineering) dominance. With Pascal as newbie and "C" was but a twinkle in the eye.
@dennisfahey2379 Pre-dates Me 🙂👍
When I was a bank teller in Canada back in the '80s, if a customer had half a bill of any denomination, we had to give them half the original value and send that half back to the Bank of Canada with "mutilated" money.
Another use: Zinc blocks are bolted to the underwater side of ship hulls to prevent corrosion. Battleship New Jersey has hundreds of them from their recent drydocking period. They changed from zinc to aluminum ones because the ship is moored in fresh water in Camden NJ.
And now I have one of them :)
@edasm4113Ryan in a mine or Brent in a 16 in turret? Or both
Sacrificial anodes is the technical term. 😊
Coins are made of zinc
Wow Brent! Your story telling and editing skills have grown. I was absolutely riveted for this whole episode😊
Hey Brent, as a metallurgical chemist( long retired) I really enjoyed your inventiveness in extracting the zinc and the way you processed it to create your products. Well done! I love your curiosity and drive to explore. That keeps me coming back!
Meee Too
I should go back to college to be just like you
Fun Fact: My Mom was a welder in the shipyards during WW2! She welded Galvanized steel below the decks of large warships! At the end of the day they handed out quarts of milk for the welders to drink to neutralize the effects of the zinc in the galvanized smoke! Later when I was a welder we would grind off the galvanization off the area to be welded before welding anything galvanized! then we would spray-paint the weld with galvanized paint!
Which ship yard? Is she still around? Lots of places would love to hear her story and get it on camera.
😂🤣😂🤣 Dude really..............
Yeah, milk doesn’t really work for zink off gas!
@JoshuaBullock88 Given they gave her milk to "neutralize the effects of the zinc smoke", I doubt it.
I have also welded zink coated walkway gratings on offshore gas platform and we needed full breathing welding mask. The fumes wasn't great to breath.
I have hiked and climbed in eastern mountains for over fifty years. Plants used to just be green plants to me. Once I began to learn how to identify them and learn about them give them a name, like you say they just jump out at you and you recognize them for the depth of their story. It is so amazingly rewarding. The Judy Kuhn song Colors of the Wind from Disney’s Pocahontas speaks to this, “every rock, and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name”.
What is more exciting than birds planting a wildflower or other plant in my garden. I transplant plants from side of road to home. The new apps that I.D. plants from a cell phone foto are wonderful.
Brent, your passion, committment, literal blood, sweat & tears, allows us all to feel how special Cerro Gordo is!!!!
Tru fact
Well done Brent. My father worked in a galvanising workshop in Hobart Tasmania in the 1960,s where I worked in the welding shop next door. I used to watch the hot dip method where the item was dipped in sulphuric acid to clean, then washed and then hot dipped in tanks about 30 feet in length and about 6 feet deep. I was excited as you were when watching this video. Wonderful stuff. Thank you.
As a zinc miner from Tennessee, I really appreciate the history of the mining and uses of the metal. I never gave it much thought before becoming a miner, but every piece of metal you see (everywhere you look) has been mined.
Sunday evening with no kids, an ice cold beer and a new video from Brent... Sunday night made!!
Damn right brother
I’m having a pour of Bourbon as well! But yes!
Also, I’m curious how they know their isn’t another giant vein of minerals in the surrounding mountains. There has got to be a fortune there just waiting to be discovered!
dont have wife and kids - everyday its sunday
Exactly
@kaneda015god bless you for now
Oh my gosh! THIS was your best episode yet! Your excitement is infectious! It’s really cool how you’ve been able to connect the dots and identify things in the timeline! I can tell you had fun with your zinc experiments! You also did a GREAT job in explaining the processes! Well done, Brent! You had my full attention the whole time!
Thank you so much!
You know it's a good day when Brent post a new video.
Exactly my thoughts!! Even told my husband, who has never watched the videos, "Brent from Cerro Gordo has a new video!!
50th lke
@SamOlds2999 Trust in Jesus Christ, not antichrist.
+
I hope and pray that folks change their view and invite the Lord Jesus Christ into their life to rule and reign.
+
Satan is referred to as the prince of the power of the air for good reason, he owns the airwaves on planet earth and is the god (little g) of this world. It is my hope and prayer that you choose the God (Big G) of heaven who controls the destiny of your eternal soul.
+
(Matthew 10:28 > And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.)
+
(Proverbs 9:10 > The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.)
+
(2 Corinthians 4:3-4 > [3]-But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
[4]-In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.)
+
(Romans 10:9-10 > [9]-That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
[10]-For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.)
+
(Romans 10:13 > For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.)
+
(Ephesians 2:8-9 > [8]-For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9]-Not of works, lest any man should boast.)
+
(Revelation 3:20 > Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.)
+
Is Jesus knocking at the door of your heart? Is this your opportunity for eternal salvation? If it is, I hope and pray that you open the door and invite Him in to your heart and life, in Jesus' name. Amen!
+
All glory be to God in Jesus' name. Amen!
All blessing to the Lord our God. Amen!
@pamabernathy8728 Trust in Jesus Christ, not antichrist.
+
I hope and pray that folks change their view and invite the Lord Jesus Christ into their life to rule and reign.
+
Satan is referred to as the prince of the power of the air for good reason, he owns the airwaves on planet earth and is the god (little g) of this world. It is my hope and prayer that you choose the God (Big G) of heaven who controls the destiny of your eternal soul.
+
(Matthew 10:28 > And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.)
+
(Proverbs 9:10 > The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.)
+
(2 Corinthians 4:3-4 > [3]-But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
[4]-In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.)
+
(Romans 10:9-10 > [9]-That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
[10]-For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.)
+
(Romans 10:13 > For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.)
+
(Ephesians 2:8-9 > [8]-For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9]-Not of works, lest any man should boast.)
+
(Revelation 3:20 > Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.)
+
Is Jesus knocking at the door of your heart? Is this your opportunity for eternal salvation? If it is, I hope and pray that you open the door and invite Him in to your heart and life, in Jesus' name. Amen!
+
All glory be to God in Jesus' name. Amen!
All blessing to the Lord our God. Amen!
He really nailed this one!
I was not expecting not only a science lesson, but actual science experiments! That's so cool that you can chisel out some rocks from the mine, grind them up and put them in a liquid, then run some electricity through the liquid and get metal out.
Brent, I've been watching since the beginning of your channel. I know how hard it was when you first started YT. The confidence and joy you now have is so inspiring! I'm so glad you have kept going - despite setbacks like the fire and the road washing out multiple times. Now you have marathons and bar-b-ques, a book and silver coins. And Joy. Bravo.
Thx Brent...Cerro Gordo needed someone like you with passion for reviving the past of this mining district.
Well done.
Bravo Indeed
Zinc is a very important material to protect steel from corrosion. The corrugated metal siding you see at Cerro Gordo on roofs and walls is colored grey from the zinc coating. Nails used outdoors are typically zinc coated (electro galvanized, or hot dipped galvanized) to form a "sacrificial coating". Even things like barbed wire, metal posts, water piping, metal buckets, air ducts, were galvanized with zinc. Oddly enough today its used in pennies and pot metal castings, complex car parts.
Yup. Nick a penny and submerge in HCl, you get a really cool thin copper shell....all the zinc goes into solution, leaving it hollow.
No offense, But I honestly didn’t think I would be such a fan of the channel. Also due to massive claustrophobia issues. But the history, revival, and seeing you mine and process your ore has been super super fascinating. Thanks man and God bless!!
@schwags1969 Trust in Jesus Christ, not antichrist.
+
I hope and pray that folks change their view and invite the Lord Jesus Christ into their life to rule and reign.
+
Satan is referred to as the prince of the power of the air for good reason, he owns the airwaves on planet earth and is the god (little g) of this world. It is my hope and prayer that you choose the God (Big G) of heaven who controls the destiny of your eternal soul.
+
(Matthew 10:28 > And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.)
+
(Proverbs 9:10 > The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.)
+
(2 Corinthians 4:3-4 > [3]-But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
[4]-In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.)
+
(Romans 10:9-10 > [9]-That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
[10]-For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.)
+
(Romans 10:13 > For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.)
+
(Ephesians 2:8-9 > [8]-For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9]-Not of works, lest any man should boast.)
+
(Revelation 3:20 > Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.)
+
Is Jesus knocking at the door of your heart? Is this your opportunity for eternal salvation? If it is, I hope and pray that you open the door and invite Him in to your heart and life, in Jesus' name. Amen!
+
All glory be to God in Jesus' name. Amen!
All blessing to the Lord our God. Amen!
@schwags1969 - yes he has a very contagious energy about him.
I’m a line operator for a zinc plating factory. I push the buttons and run the bars full of parts and zinc plate them. I never realized how many things were plated until I stared.
The process is pretty cool. We run the parts through 2 different soaps then they go into hydrochloric acid to strip all the rust. Then they go into the zinc tanks. The electricity pulls the zinc onto the parts and forms the protective coating. Then they get dipped into either a yellow dye tank or a clear / silver tank.
We have zinc balls in the zinc tanks. Bigger than golf balls but smaller than apples. The current and acidic makeup pulls zinc from the balls to plate the parts. I played my axe head once 😅 looks awesome!
I love chemistry, so what is the acid that is pulling the zinc into solution and then the electrolysis that's plating it
@MuwaUWU the zinc tanks are made up of boric acid, potassium chloride, brightener, some additive for the brightener, the zinc from the zinc balls, and water. We add hydrochloric acid when we need to drop the ph of the tank.
I passed by Cerro Gordo three days ago after coming down from Yosemite, I saw someone heading up the road to the mine and thought it would be cool to visit one day when the town is completed!
I went from watching an old abandoned mining town to Bill Nye the Science Guy. I love it!!! You are going all out Brent! Knowledge is power.
Zinc very important oil additive for classic cars ! Can’t wait to stay in the hotel!! Thanks for your endeavor to preserve and promote Cerró history !!
It's in all of our coins too. A ton of hardware is zinc coated too.
@namegoeshere2805 I had a great science teacher that ended up being a NASA employee named Dave Olson. We used to heat up modern pennies on the Bunson burner and drop them and watch the zinc squirt out!
one of the many minerals the body likes . good for hair somehow and in every cereal. core component of chrome. versatile as heck.
@namegoeshere2805"galvanised steel"
The only channel that i can watch thats story driven and informative. Noone else can keep me coming back and back. Great job!
Try watching David Paulides on his RUclips channel Missing 411. He has written several books, has many videos, (around 800) concerning different topics and does public speaking and radio station talks. He's a retired detective. He has also made 3 movies. These two are my favorites. Brent and David.❤❤❤
Just what I needed on my Sunday afternoon!
Man, at some point I need to make it out that way....as a rockhound, I was drooling watching some of these videos about galena and especially after seeing the gorgeous blues and greens in that smithsonite....I need to get some in my collection, especially coming from a historic site like Cerro Gordo....I was just out collecting iron pyrite and flourescent sodalite yesterday.
wow That was so much info about zinc. Between that and how they extracted silver- I am amazed. Thanks for the deep dive into these products. Never to old to learn something.
Brent, great seeing you with a big smile and really enjoying yourself learning new things. The history lessons you pass along while educating your audience just helps draw us in to your excitement of your growth. Be mindful of the dangers involved while mining, and the dangers involved while processing. So cool to see you making more coins the old fashioned way, really gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride in your work! You Sir, are making life memories going down the path of your choosing that few people in modern times can fathom much less appreciate. Keep moving forward and stay safe.
So cool to see your successes.
I give you a 10 on oxidizing.
I give you a 10 on sunscreen.
I give you a 10 1/2 on coin printing
Wow cool stuff! You’re amazing. You’re videos are magnificent
This geologist is glued to this channel! This episode had me so intrigued!!!
So VERY INTERESTING!!! I learn so much from your channel!!! 🥰🎶❤️❤️❤️🎶 🪨 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
It’s great that you’re showing people where things come from and that mining and modern conveniences are so intertwined.
Amen, too many in our society take take take without understanding that we finite resources and can never be recovered again.
Love the passion you put into these videos. Well done from Leicester - England.
I discovered your channel a few weeks ago and have been enjoying the mine vicariously. Your enthusiasm jumps off the screen!
Love the topic. Educational and entertaining!
In the early 1970s I worked at Rocky mountain news in Denver colorado. At the news they use zinc plates to do all of the printing
It’s interesting to see your experiment’s in mining the different rock and smelting it down into something you can use. Really gives a perspective on how much rock these guys had to pull out for the various products.
In the oldest cemetery in Denver, CO there are a few monumental tomestones cast out of zinc. They have survived the passage of time far better than stone.
Long time no hear nice to see your still alive and doing well 👍
Zinc is used for casting a lot of stuff, pot metal, zamak, are zinc alloys
Used to galvinize steel. Prevents rusting.
Really interesting stuff but I have one comment: Dude, get a rock crusher! Surely someone in the US would have an old one they could donate? VIEWERS?!? Poor Brent over here trying to crush up rocks like it's the 1100's, with a hammer.
This is one of Brents most fascinating videos. Thanks for all your hard work. Enjoyed.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you
Thank you!! I was so excited seeing you would be posting today.
You might be able to make your own galvanizing spray in a manual spraybottle I'd ask the guy from the nilered chemistry channel or another chemistry based youtube channel like the one from the periodic elements videos.
Love every video you do in the mine
I love watching your channel lately. As a mineral collector in Australia my mouth waters! I would love a nice crystallised piece of Smithsonite.
Have you taken a blacklight, uv light down your mine? Long wave or shortwave? I bet you will find some exciting fluorescent specimens as well!
Getting ready for work on a Monday morning, enjoying some of Brent’s great content 🎉🎉
I enjoy all of your videos! This one, combining chemistry into the geology lesson, is one of my favorites! Thanks for this awesome lesson about zinc!
Glad you enjoy it!
I love your uploads! I have been watching your channel since the beginning. I don't comment very often, but I just wanted you to know that i appreciate everything you post! I am hoping to be able to come visit and help in some way soon. 🧡✌️
Thank you so much! I appreciate you sticking with the channel so long!
@GhostTownLiving🧡✌️
i still get positivly surprised by your videos. i really love how you take your time, and talk about the history and facts about the place and process that you go through in your videos. keep up your awsome work. i hope to some day being able to come visit Cero Gordo!
Brent, you missed your true calling which is professor. Every video you produce is a learning for your viewers. I feel that anyone who isn't subscribed to your channel is missing out on a fantastic experience. Keep up the good work.
Oh wow! Thank you. I really appreciate that. Both my parents are teachers, so that means a lot
My favorite high school teacher was a guy who traveled to Russia back in the fifties. He took photos that could have gotten him in prison. The only teacher who inspired me to really dig into school. He taught history.
If you learned something, he's a teacher. No need to waste six figures.
Love the metallurgy. Back in y2k I managed a geothermal zinc extraction plant. We extracted zinc from brine using IX, SX and EW. I gotta see CG again. I was there 45 years ago.
Does stagnant air not worry you?
Hadn't seen ya in long while became amazed at what U've accomplished on Ur excursion into the past like a time traveler and being out in that neck of the woods so to speak at this particular time in Our Overwhelming process of Worldwide Awakening really cool.
Anyone elce getting breaking bad vibes from this episode?
And looking at the videos of the hills/mountains makes me feel nice yk
Hey Blair! Another thing that we did to heat water for bathing. We used a 75 gallon steel tub burried in sand and we used to roast ore before crushing and then hydro shock in cold water. Then it would crush like sugar releasing gold. Also found out that if we had basalt rocks up to 30 pounds in fire that when dropped in tub it would fizz like big alkaseltzet and some kind of magic happens on the heat transfer. You can step in tub 1/2 hour later and get scalded. Just add mafic rock. They will not explode in roast. No rock ever did.
When soaked rocks are heated above the boiling point of water they can explode, especially if heated quickly.
Water expands 1600x when it turns to steam, if it can't escape fast enough the pressure builds until detonation.
Hot, dry rock dropped into water shouldn't explode, just thermal shock fracturing the stone.
Loving these videos, used to work up in the north west of Western Australia, I get it with the heat, 52C is hot.
Cheers from down under.
Hey Brent, you could do a big map of the mines and add where you got each rock from on the map.
Wow was just about to search this channel for any new vids when I got the notification pop up and clicked straight away 😂
Welcome! Hope you enjoy the new one!
@GhostTownLiving always do! Thanks
Very interesting how many different techniques there are to extracting
I've seen a heatsink compound for transistors that is white and made of zinc oxide. also zinc oxide is used to make an over voltage protection circuit that flashes over at high voltages.
Smithsonite is one of my favorites--I found a brilliant clear aqua piece near Cerro Gordo about fist-sized.
Also trace iron, manganese, and cobalt make smithsonite orange and pink.
I would imagine there is a TON of good rock hounding in the area! Once it cools down I may head out that way for a few weeks.
@socialentropy2993 Indeed! You may need permission from Brent for these, but do you need any spot recommendations?
Why am I getting flashbacks of breaking bad?
@timothyelloway1201 Lol
i see many tools and pieces in your shop. You might do a video on how these were used to do things or make things for the mine.
I was up in Cerro Gordo 8 days ago (July 21; the road up to the town is...memorable) and got to see some of the zinc featured in this video in the staging workshop. I didn't get to see Brent (which is a shame since we were carrying his book around hoping it could get signed, but he's a busy man) because he was off doing chemistry in another part of the town, but I did get to feed the goats. If you've got a vehicle with decent clearance, some form of all-wheel drive (yes, I did need it since there were parts where at least some of my tires lost traction), and happen to be somewhere near Lone Pine, I recommend visiting just to see what it's like. You might want to email them beforehand, since the first time I went up during my son's spring break (back in March), the road up to the town was closed off to film a car commercial.
oh wow! thank you for coming up. I wish I would have been able to sign the book too. I was probably pretty deep in recording this video on that day. Thanks for feeding the goats!
Great show dude. More power to you.
My late Mother (born 1919, on the small family ranch in Brawley, CA) had a large collection of white pennies, used during WW2. She was very angry; my 4 older siblings discovered them in our garage in Pasadena, probably in the early 1950's. They bought candy with them. Family was poor, so that was a big deal. About which they kept quiet.
Now I will ask Ms. Google if those were zinc pennies!!
Interesting! I wonder if it was!
During WWII 1943 steel cent (aka Lincoln Cent) was also coated w/ Zinc @ the SF
and Denver Mints - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943_steel_cent
@GhostTownLiving Just checked with Ms. Google. The WW2 white pennies were steel.
I was not blessed with a safe or "good" childhood.
I did learn to keep myself as safe as possible, from a young age.
Only sad part is that I have been driven by feeling secure, to some extent, as an adult. Worked out well for me. Been with my dear husband since 1978. Two great sons, now middle aged.
Sons are both adventuresome, via world travel (accomplished in opposite ways) but also both happily married, only once each, & financially very secure.
ANYWAY, I did have the privilege to learn about life during the Great Depression (again, Mother was born in 1919), and about civilian life during WW2. US perspective from my Mother, & perspective from LONDON from a dear friend who was born in 1909!! That's my favorite way to learn history (plus accurate & well researched historical novels & good videos by historians.)
I loved science in school. You, Brent, are now my FAVORITE SCIENCE TEACHER!!!
I enjoyed HS & college chemistry & biology, & microbiology, & anatomy & physiology. Got my BA in experimental psychology in 1978 (summa cum laude, despite working 2 -3 jobs the last 3 years). Went back to our local community college for a 2 year nursing degree, so I could practice as a mental health RN -- guess it suited me, retired after 40 years only due to badly damaged spine, from 2 childhood accidents & no medical care afterwards.
Oh, one exception I made about learning about history . . . as soon as we knew that Covid 19 was a pandemic, I immediately found 2 excellent books, each written by a different medical historian.
WOW. 25% of the volume of each work was reference sources. All original & international. Medical records from the Army physicians who treated first cases of the Pandemic of 1918. Erroneously & inaccurately referred to for decades as, "The Spanish Flu." The 1st case was traced to a young man from a farm in Kansas. Due to WW1 & movement of US troops, it became a world wide pandemic.
Too much detail to explain why it was labeled, "Spanish Flu."
Did you know that in San Francisco, during the Pandemic, going about the streets without a face mask led to immediate arrest & jail?
Just fascinating.
Blessings, Brent, & all.
We use zinc oxide in the pottery business in our glazes. Thanks for all the videos over the years. Love the adventure!
Interesting! All sorts of uses for this stuff
Interesting! Thanks for sharing another great video with so much knowledge! We use zinc in the south for cannonballs! We can reuse them until they get deformed by solid object like rocks. Then we just remelt and pour over. 😊
Been subbed from nearly the beginning, like Brent getting out of dodge during the pandemic. For some reason these vids have fallen out of my recommendations. But I'm glad I found them again and I'm loving the production of these newer vids! Keep up the good work Brent, love your Cerro Gordo pasion!
Hello good Morning Brent, hacia tiempo que no pasaba por aquí, me alegro verte, " El tiempo no llega " Saludos desde Puenteareas😊
I have watched most of your videos since you started and enjoy all of them. I am a history nut and enjoy learning about everything. Cerro Gordo dragged me in like a magnet. Thank you for all you have accomplished and will continue doing.
With the HCl method you're supposed to comvert it to ZnCl, disolve that in water and then use electrolysis. But you can use a titanium anode since that should be tolerante to the hydroxide ions it creates.
after watching every single episode of ghost town living.. and it's one of my favorite shows ever i feel like Brent's a family member to me i watch all of them and always thumb up and i hope this always continues as the legacy Brent wants it to be.
the earliest episodes our very first visit's down into the darkness.. the sense of fear and peril was so intense
I worked in a factory doing electrolytic zinc plating when I was 17. Later in life I got to visit a plant that did hot dip galv for products we sold in another business I worked for. Electro plating is a pretty dirty industry. Normally for nails we would do them on a barrel line where they'd get tumbled in barrels with holes in them in the bath between the anode and cathode. Normally the last step would be a bath where they'd be dyed which added a protective layer that prevented the zinc layer from oxidising and turning dark grey and keep it shiny. Either blue or yellow. Always had to be super careful as there were baths of hot sodium hydroxide solution and hot hydrochloric acid solution to get oil and rust of the pieces before plating. Cleaning out the trap trays beneath the lines was a really filthy job. Barrels of orange jelly mud full of chemicals and metal ions you'd shovel out wearing rubber boots goggles and long gloves. My old man hooked me up with the first job after getting expelled from school as a punishment.
from your smile i see that you had hard life
Remember Dan Hurd? He uses feathers and wedges a lot…itvworks great for these layered things!
Your videos make me smile. Your interst and excitement is great
Brent, I knew way back you were a good teacher. Thank you.
Thx for the old school chemistry class!
Thx for all you do to preserve and the history you bring forward to all of us!
❤ your channel. 👌
⛏⛏⛏🇺🇲
It’s just when I watch these videos it makes me feel like I missing out on so much 😭🙏🙏🙏
LaHarpe Kansas is my home town. The e is silent. During the zinc boom they thought they had an unlimited supply of natural gas to run the furnaces. It’s an interesting history to look up.
Blessings on you Brent. Keep going and doing.
Be happy and be well. 💗✨🕊️🙏🏼
I love that you made your own company scrip from zinc you mined and refined yourself! 😁
Love the "evil scientist" soundtrack whilst mixing! 😃
You could use the zinc oxide for some old school white-wash/white paint,to paint fences and stuff around the mine,like the old days!
I grew up south of you in Ridgecrest. Spent my youth backpacking and fishing all along 395. Your videos take me back!
As you spend time down in the mine, have you ever experienced any odd occurrences (paranormal)?
...you should have a radioactive sensor...you never know what's down there...and also a XRF Spectrometer to scan elementary mineral composition
love that old fly press.
I want the zinc coin!! That would be very cool.
You are so smart and inspirational Brent. Awesome
Very cool video Brent. Don't forget zinc vitamins.❤
Hope to fur babies are doing good, wish u show them more.
If you want to try making your own brass, take a trip to the keweenaw peninsula in Michigan! Old mines that were pulling metallic copper out of the ground, and it’s really easy to find. Would be a fun continuation of this project!
I dream someday to visit you and see your accomplishments it's so cool I totally agree with all of your principles and ideas and concepts Good show man catch around hopefully I'll get to come see you one day
Have you ever thought of restoring some of the tracks and carts to help you move stuff closer to the lift?
Something needed is high-quality oil and acrylic paints. Painters use zinc oxide to create their own oil paints.
I am so excited to see all you doing!
It's fascinating!
Curious to see what you going to do in the future!
Very interesting !
❤
If i was younger I would have traveled there to see everything!
Love watching you explore the mines and metals and history of Cerro Gordo.
It is educational and very interesting. Dan
My Uncle worked at a ZINK smelter in Blackwell OK. He gave me a 4 oz. ingot. The smelter closed in the 70's When you said the the ore was shipped off to the Midwest I was hoping Blackwell smelter was one of them.
I want to come out and work through the winter in spring what do I need to do?
tuning in from Nova Scotia - there's a building material we often specify for its historical ties to local ship-building called Muntz. Muntz is a really beautiful metal that was used for boat hulls. It's a mix of copper and zinc. I don't know much about why it's chemically different than brass, but it's a very unique material that patinas differently to brass or copper, while being resistant to salt corrosion.
What it must be like living everyone’s childhood dream of having a whole town to themselves with a mine in it!!!
My hometown is Webb City Missouri once the largest producer of Zinc. Grandfather worked the Yellow Dog mine its largest source. During WW2 he worked the Oronogo Circle Mine, the world's largest open pit zinc mine.