Purchasing my first drywasher

[utah mason]

I really like the two speeds of the Thompson. And the hand crank.but I really like the weight of the whippet. They both look like good products. And seem to do well on the fine gold, I wish this were a easier choice.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

A Drywasher is a self classifier -- you shovel the dirt to the hopper that has a screen the big rock slide off the screen to the ground. Don't see why you would pre classify if the machine will do it for you .
Unless you need the exercise.
Mike

If you want to recover the maximum amount of small gold the machine is capable of catching, you classify into a five-gallon bucket, and feed that through. It is an extra step that can help you recover an extra few grams at the end of a 25-30 bucket run. Less build up behind the riffles, less gold being floated over the riffles and off the end of the machine. Many of us run the dirt twice. Note the dirt being captured again in this vid.

 

[bchopeful]

I really like the two speeds of the Thompson. And the hand crank.but I really like the weight of the whippet. They both look like good products. And seem to do well on the fine gold, I wish this were a easier choice.

Hi guys, its been quite awhile since I posted anything and I am now looking at buying a drywasher and rather then make a new thread, I thought I would continue on this as it would be my first drywasher purchase ever. I was looking at 151S Keene for its drying capabilities, but after reading everything here, it sounds like one person would never be able to keep it fed. I live in a semi arid area so I am looking at a drywasher that could also dry semi damp material too. would the leaf blower models meet that requirement?

 

[Hamfist]

recover an extra few grams at the end of a 25-30 bucket run.

[emoji15]

I'm digging in the wrong hole! I'm thrilled to see one gram, total, per 40 buckets. That number is pretty consistent in my spot whether with a Gold Hog Piglet or my Whippet. I do run my material through the drywasher 2-3 times when it isn't bone dry, but no longer pre-classify into a bucket. Maybe I would if the geology at my site were different, but thus far, it has proven to be a redundant step.

 

[utah mason]

Hamfist
You have the best profile photo!
Just beware of the black lung, cough cough

 

[G-bone]

Love my Thompson.
20lbs stock, but also changing legs to aluminum which should drop a few good lbs.
Couple lithium motorcycle batteries at 4 lbs and last all day. Crank back up.
$250 used on Craigslist.

 

[Hamfist]

Hamfist
You have the best profile photo!
Just beware of the black lung, cough cough

Haha!!! Thanks, man!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Hi guys, its been quite awhile since I posted anything and I am now looking at buying a drywasher and rather then make a new thread, I thought I would continue on this as it would be my first drywasher purchase ever. I was looking at 151S Keene for its drying capabilities, but after reading everything here, it sounds like one person would never be able to keep it fed. I live in a semi arid area so I am looking at a drywasher that could also dry semi damp material too. would the leaf blower models meet that requirement?

My Whippet does a fine job of drying out damp material...much to my surprise and pleasure. You just pour the material through several times as stated elsewhere.

Btw, a 151 is what I used to run. WAY too big for one person. A lot of weight and gear to haul too...even over a short distance.


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[arizau]

My Whippet does a fine job of drying out damp material...much to my surprise and pleasure. You just pour the material through several times as stated elsewhere.

Btw, a 151 is what I used to run. WAY too big for one person. A lot of weight and gear to haul too...even over a short distance.


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Are you rerunning grizzly reject too?

 

[KevinInColorado]

Are you rerunning grizzly reject too?

I didn't but it sounds like a reasonable idea!

 

[utah mason]

I haven't been able to see a close up of the electrical area of the whippet. How difficult would it be to add a potentiometer to give it multiple speeds? Or do you think the manufacturer would consider adding one for a little extra $

 

[Bodfish Mike]

Ya want to go faster or slower? I don't know what the optimal speed is -- I have seen some guys run them real slow -- but I don't see what the advantage is. I run mine so it has a good air fluidized flow and sometimes fast is better in my opinion.
Interested in what others think.
Mike

 

[1637]

a lot of the time i just ajust the angle for different kinds of dirt ,not the speed. good luck brad

 

[utah mason]

I have yet to do any drywashing. I've only watched videos, so I'm a true NOOB at this. I figured maybe there was a good reason that the Thompson had dual speeds. Thought maybe slower would be better for fine gold. Good advice in last two post, makes sense.

 

[Hard Prospector]

The Thompson has a two speed motor I believe mainly because Bill uses the same motor originally designed to power automotive wind shield wipers. Most guys I know run their Thompson on the "normal" speed setting...as do I. After playing around with the slow speed setting in different circumstances, I came to learn that if (and only if) I classify material down to 1/8" and running it on "slow", recovery was somewhat better on the finest gold. To most this would not be worth the time and extra effort. But more important than speed setting to catch the fines is; classification, run bone dry material, correct riffle tray pitch and feed rate flow from the hopper.

**I almost forgot one more very important thing. I highly recommend doing clean-outs much more often using puffers compared to forced air drywashers. Their efficiency at catching fine gold also makes them prone to loading up on black sand. I'll do a clean-up every 2-3 "full" five gallon buckets.

 

[Seden]

Hard Prospector, I too have a Thompson and you're advice is spot on. It's the angle that most important than the slower speed. I run mine just below level to where the black sand doesn't clog up the riffles when I'm in an area of small gold . I bought some 1/8" hardware cloth, got some large tubes of J.B.Weld and epoxied the hardware cloth down on the grizzley. The Thompson runs very smooth when you get down to 1/8" and with a decent gold detector should find the small nuggets that rolled off the Griz easy. Get yourself a "Battery Tender" 19 amp lithium battery from Amazon and it will run your Thompson all day with lot's of juice to spare. So light I can hold it up with my little finger unlike the sealed lead acid clunkers I used to drag around,ugh. Getting older you want to think smarter as you can't just go buy a new body if you trash the one your in now so get smart and always wear a mask. Just ask Hoser John how many drywashing friends he's lost because they didn't wear a mask-too many!

 

[Bodfish Mike]

Hard Prospector, I too have a Thompson and you're advice is spot on. It's the angle that most important than the slower speed. I run mine just below level to where the black sand doesn't clog up the riffles when I'm in an area of small gold . I bought some 1/8" hardware cloth, got some large tubes of J.B.Weld and epoxied the hardware cloth down on the grizzley. The Thompson runs very smooth when you get down to 1/8" and with a decent gold detector should find the small nuggets that rolled off the Griz easy. Get yourself a "Battery Tender" 19 amp lithium battery from Amazon and it will run your Thompson all day with lot's of juice to spare. So light I can hold it up with my little finger unlike the sealed lead acid clunkers I used to drag around,ugh. Getting older you want to think smarter as you can't just go buy a new body if you trash the one your in now so get smart and always wear a mask. Just ask Hoser John how many drywashing friends he's lost because they didn't wear a mask-too many!

Ya better be on some good gold as that's an expensive battery.
$210.00 http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-BTL35A480C-Lithium-Phosphate/dp/B00F9LPL5E/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485447915&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=19+amp+lithium+battery

 

[Mad Machinist]

The only thing with these small drywashers is you have to classify to 1/2" and you have to feed it more slowly. Naturally, the riffles fill more quickly, and your material must be really dry to prevent gold loss. I know a fella that carries a full size Keene puffer with a motorcycle battery into his claim a mile or two back in the hills, and run buckets for 7-hours on that battery with time left over. If you are just sampling the small Frank Campagnano drywasher, or the much more expensive Whippet is fine, but if you want to run buckets they are too small.

I'm pretty sure I understand what Terry is getting at here. Follow the golden rule, when everything in the pan (or drywasher in this case), is the same or similar size, gold rules. Same thing applies to a blue bowl, run it too hard and it blows the fine gold right out the drain.

This actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. If your trying to clear 1/2" minus out of the riffles with the airflow, then -100 mesh would get blown out too just based on sheer difference in weight.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Ya better be on some good gold as that's an expensive battery.
$210.00 http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tende...&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=19+amp+lithium+battery

Yea, but if you compare them based on amp hour ratings a standard lead acid 35 amp hour battery is nearly 23 pounds while the one in the link is 3.75 pounds. If I'm humping a pack to the drywashing area, I know which one i want.

 

[Bodfish Mike]

Yea, but if you compare them based on amp hour ratings a standard lead acid 35 amp hour battery is nearly 23 pounds while the one in the link is 3.75 pounds. If I'm humping a pack to the drywashing area, I know which one i want.

Agreed -- but like I said that's an expensive battery.