55 Gallon Fluid Bed Highbanker

[Goodyguy]

I see I'm not the only one with fluid bed fever!

Lost track of the things I've converted into a fluid bed.
Once you get hooked you start to see every container as a potential FB, even made one out of an old mailbox

Fluid Beds Rule

GG~
____=_=
/ l .,[____],
l--- L- -OlllllllO-
()_)--()_)-o-)_)

 

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[Mad Machinist]

I see I'm not the only one with fluid bed fever!

Lost track of the things I've converted into a fluid bed.
Once you get hooked you start to see every container as a potential FB, even made one out of an old mailbox

Fluid Beds Rule

GG~
____=_=
/ l .,[____],
l--- L- -OlllllllO-
()_)--()_)-o-)_)

I hear you on that one. Went digging through the scrap pile and found what I think is an old plenum off of a gas furnace. Should make a nice fluid bed.

Back to America Unearthed.

 

[QNCrazy]

Made another modification to Minny tonight. I cut in a new discharge hole on the opposite side of the original one and added some brackets to flip the deflector plate the opposite direction. I also crated a discharge hole cover from the scrap piece of the barrel. While running Minny in the area I've been working, the discharge hole faces upstream. With this new mod, I can switch which side Minny discharges from.

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Made another modification to Minny tonight. I cut in a new discharge hole on the opposite side of the original one and added some brackets to flip the deflector plate the opposite direction. I also crated a discharge hole cover from the scrap piece of the barrel. While running Minny in the area I've been working, the discharge hole faces upstream. With this new mod, I can switch which side Minny discharges from.

View attachment 1136343
View attachment 1136344

Just to check that I haven't lost my marbles ... those photos are not of the same thing, right?

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

Just to check that I haven't lost my marbles ... those photos are not of the same thing, right?

Ya better start looking. Looks like the outside and inside of blue, 55 gallon plastic barrel with cover plate over the exterior to me.

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

I see it now. At first glance I took those black marker lines as saw cuts. Now where are those darn glass balls ....

 

[SunshineMiner]

Hello from a fellow DGD QNCrazy! Finally saying hi on the TNet! I'm the younger guy who drives the golden astro van if that rings a bell..

Thanks for the videos! Nice to see it in action instead of just on the floor at the hall :P I wonder how Minny would do if you just set a trommel over her and let it dump into her :P

 

[QNCrazy]

I was wondering that myself. I have been making several modifications and a trammel is on the list.

 

[QNCrazy]

Here are the mods I did last night. I added a water pressure gauge as suggested and made a new, better fitting, deflector plate.

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

It would be harder to read that gauge if it were vertical, but also harder for rocks to break it

 

[fowledup]

Couple questions for ya. Have you tried running it with both exhaust ports open? I had cut both sides of mine out thinking it would aid in faster cleanouts of the lighter material, don't know as I'm still not ready to test yet. Hadn't thought of a cover for opposite side - another Good Idea!. What pressures are you looking at on the fluid bed vs spray bars. Are you going to put a gauge on the spray bars as well to aid in consistant fast easy set up each time- set your upper and lower pressures and let it fly. I will be interested to see the differences in pressure amounts on mine vs. yours as I'm going to run a 1 1/2" pump and have one size smaller piping all around since my fluid bed is about 1/2 - 2/3 the size of yours.

 

[QNCrazy]

To answer your first question, I can't run with both drains open as the material would run off the deflector plate and out the drain hole. Now my reason for the pressure gauge is primarily for when I'm running the suction nozzle. Saturday I will be running Minny as a highbanker and monitoring the pressure until I achieve optimal performance in the fluid bed and make note of the pressure. Keep in mind my pump runs at the most 50% throttle when running as a Highbanker. Then on Monday, when I am running the suction nozzle with the throttle at 100%, I can use the lower ball valve to adjust the pressure in the fluid bed. I hope that makes sense.

 

[vaquero44]

hey what an idea on this .....want some vid in action

 

[QNCrazy]

Vids are on this thread. Do a search for"Minny". I've posted several. Or search YouTube for "55 gallon fluid bed highbanker" and subscribe. I will be posting more vids next week.

 

[vaquero44]

yes I did find them very interesting for sure

 

[Jjhall68]

QNcarzy
This is a great thread, thanks for sharing especially for sharing as it developed. For me it makes a huge difference to start at the beginning. I will build one this week out of a thirty and a fifteen gallon drums (I have both) and try to test them next Saturday. I am working on a way to recover pyrope garnets and I think being able to adjust the fluid bed might be just the ticket.

All the best,
John

 

[fowledup]

QNcrazy- Hey man if ya get a chance when yer not suckin up gravel would you post a close up picture of your bottom drain. I have two or three ideas I'm playin with but find myself in "analysis paralysis" thanks much.

 

[QNCrazy]

QNcarzy
This is a great thread, thanks for sharing especially for sharing as it developed. For me it makes a huge difference to start at the beginning. I will build one this week out of a thirty and a fifteen gallon drums (I have both) and try to test them next Saturday. I am working on a way to recover pyrope garnets and I think being able to adjust the fluid bed might be just the ticket.

All the best,
John

John, I built one out of a thirty this week and tested it yesterday. I did the plumbing in 3/4". 3/4" was fine for the spray bars but not the fluid bed. I'm still testing. I'm going to make the fluid bed 1" and see how that works. Here are some build pics.

 

[QNCrazy]

QNcrazy- Hey man if ya get a chance when yer not suckin up gravel would you post a close up picture of your bottom drain. I have two or three ideas I'm playin with but find myself in "analysis paralysis" thanks much.

Fowled, it's real simple, I drilled a 2" hole and use a plastic knockout plug. I think I got a pack of three for $2 at HD. I'll try to post a picture tonight.

 

[Jjhall68]

QNCrazy,

Thanks a million, that is exactly what I was going to try so you saved me a step right off the bat.
I am planning to build mine upside down and use the 2" bung that's already made into what's now the top. I am going to put a 2" ball valve into that with male threads on the side going to the drum. I know this will hold a palm full of unfluidized material and that there will be heavies that will hang up around the lip but I think I can get most of the material to flush out this way. Your thoughts?

John