The "Gold Drum"

[Hard Prospector]

I saw this thing on You Tube, looks like a cement mixer that this guy "churched out" to reduce and separate dry placer. I kind like it, what do you guys think?

 

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[Goodyguy]

 

[AzViper]

I watched his other videos. Like on a trommel we use a back wash plate to keep the slurry from exiting out the front just as he has used on the gold drum. He has a 1 inch lip on the front edge of the outer basket and a trommel basket in the center. The only way he can get a clean out is to scoop the con out the front working around the center trommel basket. A better concept would be to have a door on the bottom back edge that can be opened to drain out the con. This could be a simple slide chute much like on the bottom of a hopper on a drywasher to adjust the flow.

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

I think there was some concern about once the gold reaches the bottom and towards the back wall, the wall and material on top of it is going to drag it up and put it back on top of the material.

I think he claims the center cleans itself as it fills up, but you could reverse helix the inner tub:

 

[jair]

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2_mgcOld-8 YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA8A2bB0_-A

that's something as I am working on , I guess I'm a little late .

 

[Goodyguy]

It works similar to a spiral wheel only without the spirals.

 

[jair]

It works similar to a spiral wheel only without the spirals.

I was basing mine off of a cement mixer drum .
I think his would fit the bill better .

 

[AzViper]

It's an interesting concept where improvements could be made in the design. Jair don't you already have a dry trommel that you feed a drywasher? The only comparison I see this gold drum to a spiral wheel is they both angle over the axis of the shaft and both rotate. Outside of that check out his updated project. You sure can't shovel dirt like this onto a spiral wheel.

As David Wilson states in the video, "Just scoop it out and pan it" but you are dealing with half inch and smaller con. Anyone else notice the Arizona Plates. He has claims around Black Canyon City area.

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[AzViper]

Look on Craigslist and buy yourself and old cement mixer and remove the cone and paddles inside and construct yourself a trommel cage of expanded metal or a piece of 16" pipe and start drill holes. Very simple concept.

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Craigslist special. Look to be the ideal mixer to build a gold drum from. Big and deep even after you remove the cone. Hell Tucson is full of used cement mixers, what does that tell you? The trades are struggling for work. Mixer of all sizes and price range.

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The more I look at this design the more I like it. After watching all the videos it cleans itself in both the trommel and the drum. With the 1 inch lip this should retain all the gold and if nuggets larger than 1/2 inch should stay at the bottom of the expanded metal basket. I would have to try this on a very small scale drum to see what happens to the fine gold if it gets carried off and over the 1 inch lip when running dry material. Running wet material I have no issues as I believe AU will remain in the drum.

 

[AzViper]

The second post by Goodyguy those gold drums are nothing more than cement mixers from Home Depot with the cone removed down to the rolled edge. Watch the video and then look at this link, Same gear box, same electrical box, same stand, etc.

HOME DEPOT MIXER

 

[Hard Prospector]

Viper, where do you suppose he came across those steel center baskets? At first I thought it was fabricated to fit but now I'm thinking he found them someplace and just bolted it into the center of the drum. It looks a lot like part of a commercially made fire ring.

 

[AzViper]

He fabricated that basket from expanded metal by rolling the metal in rollers then welding the back on. Really not hard to do. You could buy a NEW 30lb propane cylinder and do the same thing and just drill a series of holes as I did on my trommel. The cylinder already has a bottom with a ring that would weld to the inside bottom of the cement mixer. Just cut the top off to the proper length and you have a Gold Drum.
.

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[Hard Prospector]

A cut-off 30 gal propane tank is a great idea, looks like I'm starting a new project. How far would you have the center classifier "extend" beyond the lip of the drum?

 

[kazcoro]

I have seen a few guys using these on the claims. I wasn't impressed at all. Seems really inefficient. All of the material just rolls around. I don't see how it could compete with my lil Gold Buddy drywasher. I honestly see the "gravity dump" vac sitting on a tripod over a drywasher being a more viable concept?

 

[Hard Prospector]

I want it mainly for breaking up and somewhat classifying those nasty hard iron crusted clay clods. I have no doubt a lot of fines and flake get tossed out of that thing but I think it captures the pickers well(you could always run the tailings through your drywasher to recapture any fines)

 

[AzViper]

I have seen a few guys using these on the claims. I wasn't impressed at all. Seems really inefficient. All of the material just rolls around. I don't see how it could compete with my lil Gold Buddy drywasher. I honestly see the "gravity dump" vac sitting on a tripod over a drywasher being a more viable concept?

Keith I disagree with you. The gold will be retained in the big drum until you are ready to pan it. With the outer lip the gold cannot travel up and over the lip. The center basket where you shovel the dirt, clay, rock, etc. will tumble until it breaks up enough to pass through the holes. You could run an entire weekend and never do a clean out due to the angle and gold being at the bottom back of the drum. Obviously running wet will be better but running dry you don't have the dust flying either. The tumbling action you will not get in a drywasher.

 

[AzViper]

A cut-off 30 gal propane tank is a great idea, looks like I'm starting a new project. How far would you have the center classifier "extend" beyond the lip of the drum?

It's going to depend on the angle. As for the holes I would not extend the holes beyond the outer drum as you want the classified dirt to fall into the drum. I would extend the center classified tub about 4 inches so that anything larger that 1/2 inch does not fall into the large drum during the rotating cycle. The guy has a good video of the rocks exiting the classified area. What do you have to loose. Very cheap to build and operate. It works like a trommel with out a sluice box. You do a clean out whenever you want. Running it wet though you almost assured that you will not loose any gold, dry you may loose some really fine gold, but again it depends on the angle, and speed.

I have the drill pattern if you want it that I used on my trommel. Just print out a bunch of patterns and stick to the propane tank using spray adhesive. Use a center punch to mark the holes and drill pilot holes followed by using a 1/2 inch Unibit. Should be much easier drilling the propane tank over the rolled cylinder I drilled.

You can also run a few steel runners from the front to the back on the center tub to created action to help break up the clay balls.

 

[kazcoro]

There is so much to improve on this design.

 

[AzViper]

I agree but it's a cheap alternative to building a trommel, set up correctly will work whether running wet or dry. The idea of running all day without a clean out is inviting.

 

[Gold-drum]

https://youtu.be/YFjBpUeERvA