gold cube trommel

[stephenhansen2]

new to gold prospecting but not to fabrication. i just finished my custom trommel that feeds my gold cube. i was wondering about rpm of the trommel. it is an 8in tommel that flairs to 10 in over about a foot of run. i have an electric motor that turns 33 rpm's. is that enough speed? i will post some pics here soon. i still need to test it. i have a pond / gravel pit on my property that i have discovered holds a lot of flour gold hoping this makes classifing easier. this being the only draw back of the hold cube i have noticed.

 

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[Goodyguy]

From one fabricator to another, Welcome to T-net!

Drum speed is a relative factor along with angle, length, feed rate, and spray gpm.
The purpose of a trommel is to wash all the gravels clean before they exit the drum as tailings.

You want to keep the material in the trommel tumbling long enough for the spray to wash the gravels completely clean. A steeper angle will cause the material to move faster through the drum allowing for a faster feed rate and less angle will keep the material in the drum longer requiring a slower feed rate.

If you are running the slurry into a gold cube the idea is to not overwhelm the capacity of the cube. You want the rpm's, angle, feed rate, and spray gpm's to match the capacity of the cube.

You will also want to maintain at least a 4:1 liquids to solids ratio entering the cube for best results. If the slurry is too thick you could loose gold. Better to run a thin slurry rather than too thick.

You stated that your motor runs 33 rpm. The drum speed will depend upon the gear ratio between the size pulley on the motor and the drum diameter at the drive. (that is unless it is direct drive)

Correct rpm's will depend upon the length of the drum from entry to slurry exit along with the type material being run. The shorter the drum the faster the rpm's will need to be. The harder the gravels are to wash clean the longer they need to stay in the drum (less angle)

If the rpm's are too fast a centrifugal effect takes place and the gravels wont tumble. Too slow with a steep angle and the gravels dont get rotated enough before exiting to break down the slurry into separate particles.

Hopefully this will help you to understand what you are trying to achieve and will put you on the right track to fine tuning your set up.



GG~

 

[Justbent]

pics are boring,....shoot a video.
I wanna see this trammel that flairs 2" over a foot.

 

[AzViper]

pics are boring,....shoot a video.
I wanna see this trammel that flairs 2" over a foot.

Jay I kinda want to see the flaring cylinder as well... Interesting..

 

[stephenhansen2]

the collector is sized to the gold cube with the trommel rotating over the spray bar that delivers 1400gph. i dont know how to post video or i would sorry. i will have more pics when i throw it on a stand and run some dirt thru it.

 

[Justbent]

Right on man. That looks pretty cool. Now I wanna see it spin and water applied. You need to start you a U tube channel, then copy the link to your clipboard. Then in Treasurenet you post a web link. It's easier on a pc than a mobile device. So are you a tube bender or did you find that perfect fit by accident?

 

[stephenhansen2]

i worked all over in the fabrication end of manufacturing. anywhere from designing medical implants to making robots so i have a broad arsenal of tools. claiming to know just enough to get myself in more trouble then it worth usually. lol. i actually cut and broke then welded that pipe. i don't have a bender. the whole assembly beaks down in four parts set together with about six wing nuts so the whole deal would bout fit in the front seat of your car. im gonna try and run some dirt toady and will see if i cant get that utube channel to work. the way u explained it seems pretty cut and dry. thanks again for that and all the other info i have gotten. real life experience is invaluable and when it comes to prospecting, i fall short so i am happy to be enlightened with anyone else learning curve so not having to make atleast every stumble on my own. all though i seem to take more away from things that dont turn out right the first time. got to learn to to enjoy the journey right. :-)

 

[Goodyguy]

Cool looking build

Wondering why you chose to make a conical shaped classifier?

I suppose it would allow for a more level drum due to the angle of the classifier, but too level of a drum will not allow the material to make it to the classifier. ( I've seen gravels walk backwards uphill if the drum is not angled downhill enough)

My worry is that once the gravels hit that classifier they may not stay long enough for the most efficient classification.
It will be interesting to see how your test goes.

GG~

 

[stephenhansen2]

test went great. there is three agitator bars in the drum that have a 15 deg lead so it screws the material in or if i reverse it it keeps it in longer. the spray bar also has the ports angled so it helps feed as well. i will post a vid here a bit later.

 

[425jesse]

That is an awesome build man!!

Cheers!

 

[stephenhansen2]

i dont know if i did this correct but here is the link to the utube video of my trommel's first run.

 

[Bonaro]

Freakin sweet! Metal air duct, cyclone fence parts, Stake pocket anchors...and my favorite, Crestwell tools universal joint for a motor drive.
Sir, I respectfully bow down to your superb ingenuity!

The speed looks ok but the lift bars in the drum may be a little tall, hard to see. It looks like your material is being lifted partway up the side of the drum then dropped into the bottom as if falls off the lift bar...(think clothes dryer). If you feed bank run material int this, over time the larger rocks will beat the daylights out of the drum. All the lift bars really need to do is make the rocks roll over
Test with a little more spray water to see it it improves

Nice work!

 

[stephenhansen2]

i will try increasing the water a bit with a few more spray jets as well as decreasing the beater bar height. that for the info.

 

[Justbent]

i dont know if i did this correct but here is the link to the utube video of my trommel's first run. Video Link: http://youtu.be/GeR-3vselqc

Ya that's what I'm takin about. Way better than pictures. Looks like your ready for the gold test.

 

[Goodyguy]

I see you are loosing water off the front end of the drum. Wouldn't hurt to add a back flow preventer ring around the front end.
Also a spray bar into the hopper would help feed material as well as helping to liquify it.

Lookin' good

GG~

 

[stephenhansen2]

ya i all ready added a spray bar to the hopper. i still need to add a ring on the front as well as a some valves to control how much water i want where. otherwise i am really happy with the set up. havent had any jaming issues. it doesnt overwhelm the cube at all. in fact having it enter the cube as a slurry it feeds way faster then putting it on the slick plate as a solid. being able to have the trommel level it feeds well with the beater bars and spray then exits at a good pace with the conical design. for preliminary results i couldnt be happier. usuall

 

[Goodyguy]

ya i all ready added a spray bar to the hopper. i still need to add a ring on the front as well as a some valves to control how much water i want where. otherwise i am really happy with the set up. havent had any jaming issues. it doesnt overwhelm the cube at all. in fact having it enter the cube as a slurry it feeds way faster then putting it on the slick plate as a solid. being able to have the trommel level it feeds well with the beater bars and spray then exits at a good pace with the conical design. for preliminary results i couldnt be happier. usuall

A trommel fed Gold Cube ....... love it
Great Idea on the conical classifier especially with the short drum needing to be level to slow down the material to insure proper washing.
The rpm's looked good as well.
I'm impressed.

GG~

 

[stephenhansen2]

Here's the second run of the Trommell.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Looks like a winner . Maybe you can sell that design to Mike and Red!

 

[AzViper]

Don't you just love it. Standing in water with electric cords hanging over the water... WOW...