Hand dredge/crevice sucker parts question

[ohiochris]

I built a crevice sucker using this guys directions




Problem is , pipe insulation is to fragile to use as the seal on the plunger , it dont last long and it comes apart. I tried a piece of swimming pool noodle next , since its similar but has no cut along the side , it too didnt last and was not sealing the inside of the tube well at all after a couple tries in the river. I did find it necessary to lubricate it with petrolieum jelly , but I dont think it should break down the foam material does it ? Any ideas on what else would make a good seal on the plunger ?

[prospectordamon]

tennis ball cut in half...

[ohiochris]

The tennis ball idea was gonna be my next attempt , but I happened to see a video where a guy used an expandable "check plug" , with the wing nut to crank down and expand the plug , after seeing it was like $2.99 at Lowes I bought one and modified the top edge and wingnut so they would fit into the 1/12" pipe , attached it to the plunger , and it works like a charm This thing works awesome. I also went back and cut the angle off the tip and instead I heated the very end up and crimped together so that its flat with about a 1/2 inch slit at the very end. From my experience at the river yesterday it seems like this would work better than the angle.

End result , I got a pretty good hand dredge for $11 in parts at Lowes ( would have been a few dollars less at Menards , and if you already have PVC cement it will be a few dollars less than that) , plus $2.99 for the check plug. And I still have half enough parts left over to build a mini-sucker if I want to later. Its a good deal , save money , build it yourself.

[ohiochris]

The same guy in the video also has a neat little design for a home built sluice box. I think I will give that a shot next.