drywasher vs a highbanker

[spawn00x]

Hi, I live in a desert area and am thinking of getting a drywasher or a highbanker. I know most people would use a highbanker but the area I will be working has a lot of fine gold. If I use a highbanker it would be something like a gold buddy or maybe a Jobe that would recirculate the water. Just wondering what you all think.
Thank You

 

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[russau]

id say it all depends on the terrain your working most of the time. i have both and 2 dredges.

 

[Hoser John]

Desert is the last place for a highbanker. Just go for detector or drywasher--leaf blower driven,elliptical offset weighted fan driven models for fines retention-tons a au 2 u2 -John

 

[golddigger14s]

Water is always better, but if you use a drywasher make sure the dirt is DRY!

 

[rmptr]

Yup, great advice, so far!

Hauling water for an operation out in the desert is a hard thing to do.

An electrostatic bed on a drywasher is great for fines, but it's gotta be really really dry to work properly.

However, if you've got a proven spot, and can hi-grade the deposit, I'd think a combination of a drywasher used as a classifier feeding a spiral wheel might be good, depending on your particulars.

Good luck!
rmptr

 

[spawn00x]

Thanks. For being the desert the place that I go to always seems to get moist once you start digging down. Plus there is a lot of Caliche and sometimes red clay.

 

[rmptr]

OK!

That's a bit more info...

I've seen respectable deposits that could be accessed in the clay, once you break a hole down through the caliche hardpack.

Once again, unless you have a proven location....

I would undertake a sampling process.

Study, and map your area of interest.

Clear overburden and take samples from specific spots of your choice.

Get a bunch of 5gal plastic buckets from a painter, fill and label each of them from your selected spots, logged on your map. Cart those samples to some place advantageous for water classifying. (especially when in desert!)
Log your results carefully.

The gold spinner wheels are good for cleanup on samples, and in recent years I've heard a number of good things about the Blue Bowl.
You can also build an elutriation chamber which also classifies by water flow.

Many people put their diggings out on plastic sheeting to dry it for running through a duster.
Me? I don't like the durn dust!

Best
rmptr

 

[spawn00x]

Thanks, I really dont like the dust either, thats why I want to go with a recirculating highbanker. I helped work with a drywasher and walked away looking like I had slept in the dirt. Been thinking about getting that Blue Bowl Also.

 

[silvercop]

i agree go with the drywasher in the desert. a highbanker would be too much trouble.

 

[arizonaames]

This...

 

[arizonaames]

and this....

 

[rmptr]

Looks like a fun operation there, Ames!

 

[golddigger14s]

Water is always better, but in the desert go with a drywasher. If used properly they do get the gold.

 

[extractor]

Drywasher is much easyer, remember H2O in the dessert atracks Bees

 

[Gelmac]

and this....

in the post No. #10

What is that thing? I assume it is a rocker box , no? if it is , then is that a motorized rocker box, because I see a motor in the side?

Looks Cool , though.

 

[Hoser John]

A fool and his money are soon parted-when working dry areas work dry and ifn' ya don't like gettn' dirty then mining might not be your thing?? To move the most materials effectively is the name a the game and suck it up to take it home hahahaha. Work,concentrate and recover and go home DONE and not just begun-John

 

[Fabrication Specialists]

Drywasher is much easyer, remember H2O in the dessert atracks Bees

H20 in the desert attracts all kinds of things...scorpions, rabbits, snakes, oh my!

 

[AzViper]

Thanks, I really dont like the dust either, thats why I want to go with a recirculating highbanker. I helped work with a drywasher and walked away looking like I had slept in the dirt. Been thinking about getting that Blue Bowl Also.

I am in your boat in regards to the desert. Here is a link to my Blue Bowl... Video on page two of my thread. The setup has been an evolving project but its finished. If you have the means to haul water I have seen a number of recirculating systems in the desert. Why not have both a drywasher and a recirculator at home.

Blue Bowl <<<----Link

If you go with a gas powered drywasher you will want to visit my thread on building a Vac / Blower. This gives you another option at crevicing while having a blower to run your drywasher.

Vac\Blower <<<----Link

 

[kazcoro]

From my limited experience, the dry washer moves a literal ton more dirt in a day than a recirc. If the area you are in has only fines, and you can't find a chunkier area, you may be better off with a recirc. The dry washer will collect some small fines, though. I really look at it as how wet/dry is your material. That should be your defining feature.