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When you hear the term ”˜prospector’, do you immediately think “there’s gold in them there hills”?

Well, whilst this image of the Wild West Gold Rush stereotype is a common one, it doesn’t do the discipline of prospecting justice. Far from being just another way to get rich quick, prospecting is an important stage of research and exploration, offering geological insight into any given area.

It’s hard graft, no doubt, with lots of walking across new terrain in search of geological markers, and there’s certainly more technologically advanced alternatives to the old way of panning and sifting by hand.

However, for those who find themselves excited by the thrill of spotting that elusive show of gold, as well as those who fancy studying a region’s geology, whilst searching for precious metals in an amateur capacity, doing so by hand tends to be the preferred method.

As with anything though, to do a good job, you need the right tools which, for the pursuit of prospecting, tend to be basic, in the form of pans and sieves. But what does photo etching have to do with it? Well, it’s the most accurate and reliable way of manufacturing the all-important mesh that catches the gold!

Not what you expected?

Well, whilst prospecting is somewhat of a specialist discipline, it can benefit greatly from the precision and accuracy offered by photochemical etching. Plus, here at Qualitetch we enjoy a challenge, and we like putting our skills to good use. So, when it comes to creating meshes suitable for the most delicate of jobs, we see it as an opportunity to put etching to the test.

In terms of prospecting pans and sieves, the mesh needs to be very fine. Yes, there is always the hope that some lucky prospector will stumble across a lump of gold the size of their fist, but the likelihood is that they will have to sift through copious amounts of soil and water to find even the most miniscule slither of gold.

As such, they will need to use a mesh fine enough to let the unwanted substances through, whilst still capturing any gold that might be present. This is where innovative companies like Qualitetch come in.

The fine mesh required for prospecting sieves can only be achieved stress and burr-free through the chemical etching process. Even quality metals, like those used by us, can be challenging to work with in thin sheet form; except when using photo etching. So it makes sense to opt for a reliable process when such delicate materials are at play, and when potential riches hang in the balance!

Of course, prospecting is not the only niche that can benefit from photo etching, so feel free to browse our site or get in touch and discuss your etching options with one of our expert team.