Thanks!
I wouldn't call it painful, it's just that the ore generation is not what I'm used to This was also the first time I've looked for something with the prospecting pick. (and not just prospecting to map resources).
Also, don't let my 42 hour mark on this scare or discourage you. I take my time exploring the game. I made my first copper tool around 10 hours.
My main focus up to now was getting ready for winter, so all I have is roughly 3 bars worth of gold nuggets when it comes to the other bronze alloys. I did find decent bismuth and ultra high zinc spots, but I wanted to go for iron as I already found a good spot for it and making bronze just seems expensive in comparison.
I was quoting the wiki on that, I have no experience with the rest.