Questions about hand dredges

[MadMarshall]

Digging in a hole in Island bar on the River I quickly found myself in digging in water and was soon standing in 3 feet of water and shoveling in to a bucket that is also submerged. I figured I was losing a decent amount of gold plus spending my time weeks standing in water other problems started to arise.. My feet started getting jungle rot even though I made efforts to keep my feet dry and the water only gets colder as the seasons pass. So I purchased a Gold n Sand Hand Dredge. Much to my disappointment I quicky realized that I spent more time unclogging rocks and trying to find obstructions in the device.. The amount of time I spent messing around with it I could have ran 2 full buckets instead of some half bucket.. I average about 3 buckets classified and ran thru a sluice in an hour, about 20 buckets a day average around a pennyweight or so.. Running the Gold n Sand hand dredge Im lucky to run 10 full buckets and have yet to get a full gram. I have not noticed anything for me to say that hand dredging is worth while other than the kids playing with it.. Is this paticuliar hand dredge just crap or have I bought a novelty item for hobbyists.

 

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[Aurabbit79er]

okay check out my nozzle design. I had the same problem. So I did this.

this one is homemade.
I went for volume.
My gravel trap holds about a half of a pan.
It takes about 3 to 5 pulls to fill the trap.

 

[KevinInColorado]

In defense of the GoldNSand ...like any hand or powered dredge it takes some practice to get good at using it and often some coaching to avoid plug ups. That said, I primarily use mine to clean out the bottom of my holes rather than for overall production. That bottom inch of material is rich so some sort of suction tool is key!

 

[TerryC]

Kevin is putting you on the right track. Also, try a SHRIMP GUN for that bottom inch clean-up. TTC

 

[Aurabbit79er]

Terry, I like your new signature a lot.

 

[Aurabbit79er]

In defense of the GoldNSand ...like any hand or powered dredge it takes some practice to get good at using it and often some coaching to avoid plug ups. That said, I primarily use mine to clean out the bottom of my holes rather than for overall production. That bottom inch of material is rich so some sort of suction tool is key!

Kevin in, that's what I mostly use my dredge for too.
That last bit in the bottom of the pit tends to have the most color in it.
Sometimes I think I should keep on digging down.

 

[MadMarshall]

I suspect that it can have its advantages. I do not expect to hit Bedrock ever digging in island bar. I could be convinced if the hand dredge showed sign's of pulling more gold then shoveling and I have yet to see any evidence that this is the case. I like Aurabbit design with the exception that I cant help but wonder how much material can be ran in a hour? I think unless your are on good gold and the material is close to bedrock then I would give a bucket or two see my average and most likely be forced to move on. I beleive when one decides to dig a gravel bar that it comes down to how much dirt is beining processed. I doubt the hand dredge will never be able to pay for the time spent using it.. Id go as far a comparing it too, if sluices were illegal and we were only allowed to use a pan..Not a very practical way to prospect.

 

[TerryC]

Terry, I like your new signature a lot.

Yeah. That was a time that the tide was changing. I actually MET Charley at a Milwaukee Summerfest show. I was part of the police patrol. We (me and Zombie...his nick name) walked into the trailer behind the stage. Charlie and the band were in there ( I'm sure the statute of limitations has run out) smoking pot. When we walked in, they all held there breath, thinking they were being arrested before the show. After a LONG, tense silence, Zombie asked.... Hey, you gonna give us a beer? TTC