Carpet or Moss?

[Rebel73153]

Which is better for catching Fine gold. We have mostly flour gold around here. In your sluice box, which is better for catching more of it, ribbed carpet or miners moss. Or, do any of you use ribbed rubber matting the whole length of the box with moss over top? Which is the best bet for SMALL gold? Also, how about the LeTrap plastic sluice? Does it do well on Small flour gold? Thanks for any info.

[TheHarleyMan2]

I got some rough top conveyor belt for my sluice I made. I went out a couple of times after I made my sluice and I use rough top conveyor belt, no riffles, no other matting. Same as the gold cube uses. It will catch all the fines and black sands!

There isn't much flakes or pickers here in Texas and there is a alot of fine flour gold, so there is no need for riffles. But many members of the GPAA here has sluices and highbankers with matting and riffles.

[Rebel73153]

Thanks for the reply. You folks down there In Texas been getting hit hard by fires. I have cousins and an Aunt and Uncle in the Splendora area. Hope you get some rain soon.

[Goodyguy]

Which is better for catching Fine gold. We have mostly flour gold around here. In your sluice box, which is better for catching more of it, ribbed carpet or miners moss. Or, do any of you use ribbed rubber matting the whole length of the box with moss over top? Which is the best bet for SMALL gold? Also, how about the LeTrap plastic sluice? Does it do well on Small flour gold? Thanks for any info.

If all you have is fine and flour gold I would just use the ribbed carpet, no riffles, no miners moss, no expanded metal, classify to 1/4", adjust the water flow and reduce the angle to prevent washing out the heavies, don't over feed the sluice, also do clean ups before the carpet gets overloaded.

Sometimes I just use the ribbed rubber the whole length but don't think it will trap the micro gold as well as carpet. Always keep a piece of the ribbed rubber mat in front of the carpet to see the fines getting trapped. If you see them making their way to the carpet, then either slow the water flow or reduce the angle of the sluice. If the ribbed mat gets loaded up quickly then speed the flow or increase the angle.

The vortex mat that TheHarleyMan2 posted is also good for trapping fines.

Go for the Gold,
GG~

[Rebel73153]

Thanks GG. Sounds like good advice. I thought maybe ribbed matting the whole length, with the miners moss on top the last 3' would work well to catch the fines as well as the rare larger pieces? What you think?

[Goodyguy]

Thanks GG. Sounds like good advice. I thought maybe ribbed matting the whole length, with the miners moss on top the last 3' would work well to catch the fines as well as the rare larger pieces? What you think?

How would you hold the miners moss down without using a riffle tray?

As long as you classify to 1/4" and follow the above recommendations the ribbed mat or the carpet will catch all the nuggets and pickers without any miners moss.

If the fines are getting trapped then there is no way the pickers and nuggets will wash out!

The trade off for getting more of the super fines and flour gold is having to classify smaller and run your material slower and doing clean ups more often than if you were only after the pickers and nuggets.

When using riffles, miners moss, and expanded metal while running 1/2" material or larger the water flow and angle must be increased to wash the larger material down the sluice or else the riffles load up. What happens then is that some of the flour and fines get washed away as well.


GG~

[Rebel73153]

Hadn't thought about holding the moss down. Ok, so some Deep ribbed rubber matting to begin followed by some ribbed carpet and nothing else? What holds the carpet in if i don't use the riffles? If i glue it down i can't get it out to clean it. Or, would it just be better to use the LeTrap sluice?

[Goodyguy]

Hadn't thought about holding the moss down. Ok, so some Deep ribbed rubber matting to begin followed by some ribbed carpet and nothing else? What holds the carpet in if i don't use the riffles? If i glue it down i can't get it out to clean it. Or, would it just be better to use the LeTrap sluice?

I have not used a LeTrap sluice so I have no firsthand knowledge of it's capabilities for trapping flour gold.
Hopefully someone will be along shortly to enlighten us

[Rebel73153]

Thanks for the replies GG. I hear that the LeTrap is really good for fine gold so maybe i will go with it. Easy clean up too as there is No carpet or matting to clean.

[Goodyguy]

Thanks for the replies GG. I hear that the LeTrap is really good for fine gold so maybe i will go with it. Easy clean up too as there is No carpet or matting to clean.