Building a dredge, welcome comments and suggestions.

[RamMining]

Ok so I am new to the forum and new to gold dredging. I see everyone says to buy there first dredge and I'm not, so save it please.. One of my employees has worked for a dive company and done alot of commercial dredging and built venture jets for there dredges.

I live in Maine where we can dredge up to 4"

I have built 2 pontoons out of 3/4 plywooded and filled them with dock floats. They are 78" Long 14" wide and 11" deep, they are filled with foam for floating docks.. I have a gas powered 3" pump it is brand new never been run got a great deal on it locally from someone on CL. Was new in the box never been oiled or gased. I am having a dock company weld me up a nice aluminum frame to connect the pontoons and support the motor and sluice box. I am using a pvc Y pipe with that is 4" with a 3" in for the outbound water from the pump. I have ordered a sluice box but it is just the jobe 45 river sluice. 10" I know its not big enough and would like the keene 16" 3 stage but can't afford to dump the 650.00 on it so I'm just going to attach the jobe best I can. Perhaps make a 3 stage sluice later on or buy it if all goes well. Let me know what what you guys think?

Should I put a Y pipe 3" out on the pump with a 2" and 1" and make a suction nozzle as well? Running 2" to a the 4" Jet and a 1" to the end of the suction nozzle? Do they make 4" nozzles or should i reduce it to 3" in for the jet with 2" in with the 1" coming in on the suction nozzle? Any thoughts?

Also I live in Maine so any suggestions on places to dredge for mainers? I have a few places in mind already and I hope to have everything set up to use this weekend near a friends house who has found a few gold nuggets in the stream on his property. I will let you guys know how I make out with home made dredge. Frame is going to be ready thursday morning so I'm taking friday off to tweak everything and hopefully have it in the water for Saturday.

I will post some pictures when we get it going maybe even do a video...

 

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[goldgit'r]

I will attempt to offer you some advice but I'm not sure you will take it from the tone of your post.
Filling your pontoons with foam or whatever will not make them float it will just add weight.
You might consider making your frame out of steel instead of aluminum.
A 10'' sluice will not work on a 4'' dredge no matter how many stages you have.
Reed Lukens has a post on here, I think, about building a dredge, if not here it is some where, anyway it is good info and you should read it before getting a lot further in your build. IMHO
Any way good luck with whatever route you choose.

Wes

 

[RamMining]

Last time I checked dock floats, floated under wooden docks. I don't see this being any different. I have accepted the idea I may have to buy floats to make it happen.

The guys who are building the frame are using 2x4 frame with 2" square tubing accross. They do it for a living and build other pontoons. This way it will be rugged and I will save money.

The biggest things is the sluice, do you think a 10" will catch any gold? I am hoping to have it together just to test everything this weekend. I really cant afford 650 for the keene three stage so I'd like to build my own box. Is there any articles or plans for how to build a 3-stage sluice?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[RamMining]

Save weight*** not money. The frame has been the most expensive part so far. I picked up the hoses at Portland rubber yesterday.

 

[goldgit'r]

You need a 16'' wide sluice for a 4'' dredge.
The water flow will overwhelm a 10'' sluice.

Wes

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

heres an article on how to build a dredge sluice
Homemade 3 Stage Under Current Sluice Box catching Gold Nuggets; make plans and design yours

 

[RamMining]

Do you think a 10" will catch any gold?

Also thanks for the link to the article.

 

[goldgit'r]

Your water flow will be over the sides of the 10'' sluice, and will be running so hard it will probably not retain any material at all.
I would suggest a lot more research before going further with your project.
Read all the post on this forum and others and get a good idea of what you want.
If you have never operated a dredge you should try to find someone in your area that would allow you to tag along and see first hand how a dredge operates.
I am telling you this because building a gold dredge is a very expensive undertaking and there is a lot more to building a dredge than just putting a sluice box on a set of floats and pumping water and material thru it.
Do your homework before you go any farther.
I am not trying to discourage you as I too enjoy building equipment but you need a thorough understanding of what you are attempting to build.

Wes

 

[RamMining]

A little late for that. Did I mention I own and operate a construction company am good friends with a dock guy who welds aluminum etc. I tested the pontoons today. They work fine. The frame is awesome! I have all the other componets I plan to get together. I had a company we use that subs bending and fabricating metal for us bend a sick blank 16" sluice with 5" sides and hemmed at the top for better application to the frame. Seems as though lots are to quick to judge around here... I do appreciate the advise although. I'm glad I had them make up the sluice for $55 I've got the rivets and I'm going to weld the the riffles based on what i've read. Order some moss I'll try a few different things but overall I'm going to save a ton. It is well worth for the hobby alone I have this whole long weekend off to perfect it.

 

[RamMining]

I have been reading into and researchering gold dredging the past year. I looked into it last summer. Sense this summer I have freshened up. I have read many of the articles on here all ready. Also I though I mentioned my best employee used to work for a dive company and built them a 6" jet and built the venture pipe too? Maybe I didn't but over all I think this is going to work out good. And you are correct it has been expensive. Even with friends and connections but again. I'm saving at least half.

 

[principedeleon]

From what i can see it looks like you never owned a dredge or know exactly how one is built.

No doubt your dredge will work but there is better ways of doing it. Also you should try to find a dredge pump that has both high pressure and high GPM. Also the measurements that has been given are for that you can trap gold; if your box is too narrow you will probably trap some big pieces but your finer gold will go back to the river. Look at someone who have built a homemade dredge and try to copy. If you dredge lack in anything it will effect the whole dredge. If your jet aint built right you will get a weak suction. If you pump doesnt pumps the needed psi and gpm your jet wont work right. If your sluice doesnt catch gold then your dredge is useless. If you dont have air then you are limited to most places.

I guess you understand.. Listen to the advices if you dont want to fail in your first dredge built.

 

[RamMining]

I appreciate the advice Prin, it is good. I have the bigger box made already. I may eventually buy a set up venturi pipe. But I want to make sure I have the correct pump at that point. I was worried about that as well. Do I need a pump that has like a 3" intake and a 2" output? Is that a pressure pump? Where would I buy one I could mount the motor I have.

Once I have tested it out a bit I may even consider just buying a whole engine air and pump set up. But I want to do just 4' or less streams and rivers I have in mind first before I worry about deep water.

Thanks for the advice, headed back out to get the frame mounted and everything else semi into place. I've found armidilo mining is the only place with really a variety of parts. But there prices seem steep.

 

[principedeleon]

Well you can find some used parts on ebay and save a couple of bucks but it has a process in looking daily waiting for someone to sell what you're looking for. What you need to buy are minimal stuff if you willing to make everything else. If your motor is 5-6.5 HP you can buy a P180 pump from keene and adapt it to the motor. You will most likely need a lathe to do this modification. With the jet i would recommend going with a quad-jet i have a post here with a 4" quad jet i built with the flare attached to it. I must say that it sure gave me good results and well worth the effort of taking the time to build one. For your sluice box reed has some good instuctions on how to build a over and under sluice box. Plus the deepest you can dredge wis about 3' of water and about almost 4' with a snorkal without having to stick your head out of the water to breath for air. You could dredge that way but your production will drop more the half since also you wont be able to closely observe what your dredging which can result in putting unwanted rocks through the hose and not being able to follow up the signs as from where you're finding your gold. If are able to addapt the pump to the motor i would suggest putting a 2" pully on the motor shaft for you can put a air compressor on it even if is not right away.

 

[blichney]

Youll definately need a high pressure pump as principedeleon stated. Id like to mention that keene now is able to adapt their direct mount pumps to fit a 3/4 keyed shaft which 90% of the 6-6.5 hp engines out there are, instead of the proprietary 5/8 threaded honda shaft, provided you have the same bolt pattern. All you have to do is specify that you need it to fit a 3/4 keyed shaft and thell send you the right pump to fit. Again im not referring to the pedestal mount. If your going 4" a p180should do the trick. Good luck on your build.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Hey Ram, good to hear maine isnt giving up! I think your rig will catch gold. Maybe not the ultra fine stuff but as long as you are exchanging material the pickers prob will stay put. If you know of dredgeable ground id be glad to show you a keene in action.

 

[RamMining]

Grizzly, that would be great. I live in Windham and my folks have a cottage house up a little past Sugarloaf. Shoot me a text or give me a call or email me I will pm my contact info

 

[Sick4gold]

There is no better teacher than experience and sometimes failure.
The only way to know if your dredge works is to try it.
There absolutely will be tweaks and adjustments you'll have to make but don't get discouraged.
I would think of this as Dredge 1.0. After trial and error I bet it will be rebuilt many times before you are satisfied but best of luck to ya.
I'm not sure I would have built a dredge as my FIRST one but to each his own.
My biggest piece of advise is to buy a sluice box at least from Keene or Proline.
They have spent the money on R&D so you don't have to. Things like wave classifier punch plates, riffle timing and angle etc. Nothing worse than working hard to move gold over a few feet in the creek.

 

[RamMining]

My gf's cousin was over today, hes a piping engineer for a ship building company. He help me put the venturi and piping together. We put a 2" pressure in for the venturi, reduced the 3" hose and pump pressure ouch to 2" on the venturi, just to hold off spending the money on the pressure pumping for now.


Sick4gold,

The only thing now is I may end up having to buy the flare. Also as far the sluice box goes I just can't afford the 650 3 stage keene right now. And all I've seen on proline is a 10" sluice. Like I said I have had a 16 1/4" by 5" high blank sluice. This week I'm going to try to follow the the build on the link posted earlier in this for building the box.

 

[russau]

as long as your making parts, why not make your own ABS flair for your dredge? use the ABS adhesive and once it cures itll NEVER come apart! ive made quite a few of these and they are fairly EZ to build at home! to be tough/enough, id use 3/16 inch thick ABS. you can heat the edges to bend it or use a brake and bend it very slowly, and for extra streangth/protection id coat the outside edges with the ABS adheasive to fill in any minute cracks that can for if you bend it to fast.

 

[Sick4gold]

The only thing now is I may end up having to buy the flare. Also as far the sluice box goes I just can't afford the 650 3 stage keene right now. And all I've seen on proline is a 10" sluice.

All I am saying is that by the time you tweak this part and rebuild that part and modify this and that and with the time invested it may become equal to the cost of a name brand dredge over time.
The real test is to see if your still posting in a few months or if your a flash in the pan. I'm personally pulling for ya and again wish you the best as I love building stuff. My problem is that by the time I finally get something right it's usually bigger, works 1/2 as well and is near the commercial cost.
"it takes a large fortune to find a small fortune in gold"
Tony Beets

This may not be true for everyone but after all my time and Resources spend it rings true for me. I still wouldn't trade it for anything however