Rotapan - flour/fines modifications

[M3R1IN]

hey i got a rotapan about 2 months ago and its really made my life easier allowing me to pan material faster and classify it in 1 step
It just seems i am loosing fine and flour gold from it probably when i add the water. Anyone have any mods to fix this and any other nifty
mods?
thanks

 

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[Willy]

Yup, a circular bit of very thin indoor/outdoor carpeting at the bottom of the spindle, cut abt. 1/4" less than the diameter of the bottom. Should help. ...Willy.

 

[M3R1IN]

thanks a lot willy. U sure seem to know a lot about prospecting from what i have seen of your posts

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI, try a cheap, none sudsing, house hold detergent. Just add a drop and any fines that are floating on the surface of the water will immediately sink instead of floating off. This is especially important if you are recirculating the water. and it is loaded with clay or soil.

Tropical Tramp

 

[M3R1IN]

yeah thanks, i usually use jet dry as my "wetting agent"
although i dont usually recirculate the water, just add more in from the stream
but i dont use detergents when my used water goes back into the ecosystem seeing as theres some endangered fish in my stream such as bull trout
we want to keep those healthy

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

try draping a thin pice of plastic over the upsteam part of your pan, works about the same, and free hehehe

Works just fine on a table or sluice also..

Tropical Tramp.

 

[M3R1IN]

try draping a thin pice of plastic over the upsteam part of your pan, works about the same, and free hehehe

Works just fine on a table or sluice also..

Tropical Tramp.

Im not sure i understand what you are saying here, sounds intrugueing but i need a more detailed explanation

 

[Willy]

One thing I thought about doing with a Rotapan is to cut some big holes in the sides of the 5 gal bucket and set it in the water deep enough to flood the Rotapan. Presumsbly, the tailings would flow out the sides, water wouldn't get loded with cr@p and would be able to do much longer runs and not have to dump the bucket. ..Willy.

 

[M3R1IN]

again i am confused about this suggested mod
how can one flood the rotapan as required when there are holes in the 5 gal bucket letting all the water out
Im probably just having a proplem conceptualizing this

 

[Willy]

You put the whole assembly in the water (stream, river,lake) deep enough to flood the Rotapan. The water will rise up through the holes in the bottom of the bucket as you lower it into the water till it's sunk down far enough that the water level rises enough to be above the level of the classifying screen in the Rotapan. Put on some chest waders and sit on a rock or upside-down bucket and start using the pan. If that's not clear enuf, I'll just let it rest. ..Willy.

 

[M3R1IN]

ok yeah thats plenty clear thanks 4 the clarification. Sorry 4 being an idiot

 

[Willy]

I got a lotta experience dealing with idiots every day of the year.. starting with the jackass I see in the mirror every morning. Creepy thing is , he's always smiling at me; outta pop 'im one to smarten him up! ..Willy.

 

[M3R1IN]

ROFLMAO
Same here

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI M3,. I was thinking of a rotating pan sorry. Other than that, how do you like the Rotopan?

Tropical Tramp

 

[M3R1IN]

I really like the rotapan. I like how it classifies and concentrates in one step
It seems really robust, ive put mine through hell and back and its still as solid as the day i bought it
i kind of wish the manufacurers would have lengthened the spindle on which the rotating aparatus sits because its hard to find sometimes in the murky water
Its also pretty expensive, but i think its worth it in the long run, especially in Canada because its still classified as a pan and it can be use to process larger volumes when sluicing is against regulations
I'd like to reverse engineer one and see if i couldnt make it more efficient
but i dont have the resources or wielding skills

 

[Willy]

Have you tried using the Garrett Super Sluice pan? I found that I could move about as much material with one as a Rotapan could. Then again, the Rotapan might be a bit more foolproof and easier on the back/arms. ..Willy.

 

[M3R1IN]

nope havent used the super sluice. I do have a grizzly gold pan, but im not exactly sure how to use it properly.... i mean i hope its pretty much the same as any other pan. Im sure as heck not gonna pay $25 for a video on it...Isnt it enough that i bought their product? the least they could do is sell it with an instruction sheet

 

[M3R1IN]

no the rotapan is not like one of those spiral bowl seperators, its all manual
heres some links... At the bottom of the page you will see the actual device
http://rotapan.com/
and on this one theres a cross-sectional diagram
http://rotapan.com/diagram.htm
Im thinking aboutlooking into one of those spiral bowl seperators, but i'll have to save up

 

[pplusent]

I recently picked up a rotopan, but found it to be extremely sloppy. My mine is in the desert so water is scarce and I can't use something that slops water everywhere. I like the idea, so I just corrected it's issues. I added 1/8 in Teflon tabs to each of the arms that hold it to the bucket. Added them toward the top where they contact the spinning bucket. This got rid of the wobble. Then I put a Teflon tab on the top of the spindle and epoxy over top of that sealing and stabilizing the shaft, now dirt cant get in. I also put a Teflon washer at the bottom of the spindle to make is not were the shaft seat. Next I found material clumping under the screen that took forever to clear, so I removed the screen. I now use two bucket top classifiers on top when loading dirt. The screen classifiers are 1/2 in and 1/4 in. The one that sets directly on the rotopan has to be notched to sit on the handles. Now I classify first and can push material to the center. My rotopan now spins smoothly, does not wobble or splash and the sides do not get worn down. It's now easy to use and more efficient. When attaching the Teflon tabs to the hanging rails I epoxy them in place then drill two .25 in holes crosswise and run .20 aircraft SS safety wire though the holes to secure them to the hangers. These tabs are 1/8th in thick by 1 in long and 1/2 in wide.