Top 5 Gadgets you would consider a must have

[Deaglebear]

I am new and have a pan and some pay dirt. I love watching videos of different folks showing off their many gadgets and sluices if you could only choose 5 to own besides a pan and classifiers to make life easier which ones would you buy.

Top 5 Favs so far:
1) Blue bowl
2) Miller Table
3) Desert Fox
4) Gold Cube 4 stack
5) Angus MacKirk Predator 3
Runner Ups: Angus MacKirk Alaskan Flair, Foreman II, Grub Stake, Recon II

Yes i realize the bazooka isnt on here (shame on me) as i personally think they are a little out of my price range for the amount of dirt i will be moving ( fairly little ) and the very slow flow of water i have locally.

On another note has anyone ever tried the Angus Mackirk Miller Table and if so is it good? I like how it looks so much more than compared to the green ones!

 

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[goldenmojo]

Warm boots, super sluice pan, shovel, large spoon, snuffer. I built a miller type table and it worked well but i found I do not have the patience to run it.

 

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[Goodyguy]

Buddy that's a really nice rig BUT for me , it wont get to where I want to go! BUT there again your headed out to AZ when you retire this Spring (?) so it would work perfect for you!

Thanks Russ,

AZ will only be one stop, We will also be going to CA, NV, UT, OR, ID, MT, AK, AL, CO, GA, NC, and Canada etc. to prospect, but not in that order.

The motorhome will be towing my jeep 4x4 so I can get to where I need to, plus I'll use the Jeep to carry my dirt bike to go where the Jeep cant go,
after that I guess I'll hike

GG~

 

[1637]

blue bowl and a 12volt keene dry washer.brad

 

[russau]

I don't like leaveing my dredge or equipment where I cant keep a eye on it because of the wacoenviromentalterrorists. SOOOO I camp on the spot where Im dredging ! This year will be my 1st attempt to get back out dredging since I got banged up! HOPEFULLY it wont be the last ! BUT this year will tell all for me!

 

[Goodyguy]

I don't like leaveing my dredge or equipment where I cant keep a eye on it because of the wacoenviromentalterrorists. SOOOO I camp on the spot where Im dredging ! This year will be my 1st attempt to get back out dredging since I got banged up! HOPEFULLY it wont be the last ! BUT this year will tell all for me!

Here's hoping you are able to dredge with no health issues
Sold my dredges so you will have to do the dredging for both of us.

GG~

 

[utah mason]

I don't like leaveing my dredge or equipment where I cant keep a eye on it because of the wacoenviromentalterrorists. SOOOO I camp on the spot where Im dredging ! This year will be my 1st attempt to get back out dredging since I got banged up! HOPEFULLY it wont be the last ! BUT this year will tell all for me!

A enclosed trailer with good lock will help with that. Plus for the retired people who are out traveling full time it gives you a workshop to tinker with things out of the elements.

 

[mikep691]

My order: 1. Gold Saver pans from Roaring camp
2. #2 fiberglass shovel, small D handle shovel
3. rock bars
4. pick
5. A51A sluice and an old 1970's low riffle sluice (both backpackable)
The various small stuff like snuffer and vials goes without saying. Also small bedrock tools, it's like if it fits it ships thing. Since our mining is at one location, some things are built and remain at the claim (stashed in the woods) built with miner designed, redneck ingenuity is a frame that holds the A51A turning it into a haghbanker.

EDIT: I forgot to add lots of Little Debbie snacks, and more beer than can be carried......

 

[Deaglebear]

If you don't think your going to move enough dirt to make a bazooka worth it then what is the blue bowl, Miller table etc... Going to be used for? These are cleanup tools for bulk super concentrate.

4" dredge
2.5" dredge
Highbanker/dredge
Cleanup sluice
Pack frame with a shelf to haul everything.

More than likely moving lower amounts of material in slow moving water. I have been told that the bazooka is for lots of material in high water. plus its outrageously expensive seems like overkill.

 

[Deaglebear]

If you don't think your going to move enough dirt to make a bazooka worth it then what is the blue bowl, Miller table etc... Going to be used for? These are cleanup tools for bulk super concentrate.

4" dredge
2.5" dredge
Highbanker/dredge
Cleanup sluice
Pack frame with a shelf to haul everything.

For slow water and fine gold, you can't beat any of the Angus small sluices! Drop riffles are ideal for prospecting; run a few buckets, pan it out and see if the spot is working (after test panning first to at least determine if there is gold there).

Run slow and steady, this little mini long tom will hold the fine stuff all day long. Here's 2 grams of fine Colorado micron from 9 buckets of 1/2"

View attachment 1402750

thank you so much for the post i love seeing pictures <3 micron is basically what i will be finding as well

 

[Deaglebear]

Already can tell im gonna love goodguy

I went back and re-read your post.
One thing that jumped out at me was you going with a 4 stack cube. You said that you would be moving "fairly little material" so for you even a 3 stack would be overkill.

Also you would not need a miller table a blue bowl or a desert fox. To save $ make a miller table if you really want a gadget. But even that is not needed if you have a pan. I would recommend a snuffer bottle.

A sluice is always a good basic item after a pan. Can be used with slow water flow if set at the right angle.

Of course you are going to need a shovel of some sort #2 or smaller.

A 5 gallon bucket is a basic item.

For your particular situation in my opinion these are the bare essentials after a pan and classifiers for getting started prospecting for gold in a creek.
#1. snuffer bottle
#2. 5 gallon bucket
#3. shovel
#4. sluice
#5. vial for gold


Now for my top five gadgets to have for gadget sake to make life easier after the basics have been covered are as follows......

#1. Bazooka style gold trap
View attachment 1402533

#2. Gold Cube with trommel attachment
View attachment 1402195

#3. miller table
View attachment 1402532

#4. bucket chariot
View attachment 1402193

#5. scoop shovel
View attachment 1402192

I could go on and on as I am a gadget freak.

Go for the Gold
GG~

Well embarassing enough the goldcube 4 stack instead of 3 stack would be because i would be scared i would be losing some gold haha. I figured for what little extra the 4th tray is it might catch some of the extra gold. I do realize that i dont really move enough dirt to own this but its sooooo cool.

i do have a few snuffer bottles so i am set there. how come i dont need a blue bowl or a miller table. These are items i see people using on youtube to clean up even small amount of cons. This is more for a pass time than a money making adventure so i dont mind spending more than i would make too an extent.

i do have a shoven and buckets i didnt even think to include those as a basic item i am not sure which sluice i am getting but i loved the pictures of the long tom and i have heard tons of good things about the pred 3 so i still have the pred 3 at the top of my list for sluices

thanks so much for the heartfelt reply and taking the time to add pictures and such it was so fun to read your response

 

[utah mason]

I bought a blue bowl when I first started because I was worried I wouldn't be able to extract the fine gold. With the proper classification you shouldn't have a problem. If your worried your not getting all of it re-pan it. I made another rookie mistake and bought a set with way to many sizes. At home for final cleanup I use a 100, 70, 50, 20 and a 12 and I'm sure that's overkill. I carry a 4 mesh in my pack, sometimes I switch it out with a 8 mesh. If I'm planning on cleaning out my sluice 3 or 4 times while I'm out I'll take along a 12 mesh and pan it in the field, to reduce the amount of cons I have to pack out.
I made a Miller table for my son to use. Much easier for a 8 year old then panning. Utahavalanche has some videos on equipment building.
https://youtu.be/1EsOYqSWrk0
Pretty inexpensive build. And works well, once you get the flow correct. I think it's quicker just to pan. I like my 10" Garrett smooth bottom finish pan. I've bought a couple of other finish pans, but I always come back to the pan that came with the Garrett kit which was my first purchase.

 

[Goodyguy]

Well embarassing enough the goldcube 4 stack instead of 3 stack would be because i would be scared i would be losing some gold haha. I figured for what little extra the 4th tray is it might catch some of the extra gold. I do realize that i dont really move enough dirt to own this but its sooooo cool.

I do have a few snuffer bottles so i am set there. how come i dont need a blue bowl or a miller table. These are items i see people using on youtube to clean up even small amount of cons. This is more for a pass time than a money making adventure so i dont mind spending more than i would make too an extent.

I do have a shovel and buckets i didnt even think to include those as a basic item i am not sure which sluice i am getting but i loved the pictures of the long tom and i have heard tons of good things about the pred 3 so i still have the pred 3 at the top of my list for sluices

thanks so much for the heartfelt reply and taking the time to add pictures and such it was so fun to read your response

Thanks for the kind words Deaglebear, And welcome to Treasurenet!

There is a big difference between "needing" a tool and "wanting" a gadget. I should know as I have way more gadgets than any practical person would ever "need"

In the case of the gold cube, a four stack is overkill unless you are running 1000's of pounds of material between clean ups as very little gold ever makes it past the top half of the first matted tray even when running 10-20 five gallon buckets full.

As far as a motorized spirial wheel, blue bowl, shaker table or miller table go. I have them all and yes they are cool to use. Although the same results can be obtained with a pan.

I justify their use as I collect many buckets of concentrate over the season to run during the Winter, plus I enjoy operating my "gadgets".

As far as sluices go I have many as there is no one size or type that fits all circumstances.
Over time if you stick with it there is no telling how many gadgets you will find a way to justify the need for. I have 100's
And that doesn't even include the dozen or so gold pans in my arsenal



Go for the gold
GG~

 

[russau]

A enclosed trailer with good lock will help with that. Plus for the retired people who are out traveling full time it gives you a workshop to tinker with things out of the elements.

Yes you are right! I do have a 16 x 7 enclosed trailer to haul and store my equipment and my ATV. Plus its really nice to get into at night or during a storm and be able to stand up and stretch every now and then! My friends refer to me as the traveling hardware store! When you drive 16 hours one way to go dredgeing , you don't want to forget anything!

 

[crusty]

Yes you are right! I do have a 16 x 7 enclosed trailer to haul and store my equipment and my ATV. Plus its really nice to get into at night or during a storm and be able to stand up and stretch every now and then! My friends refer to me as the traveling hardware store! When you drive 16 hours one way to go dredgeing , you don't want to forget anything!

Yup, 7*12 here. Beats a tent!!

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

A Ford 4 whell drive
A gold metal detector
A keene dry washer .
A loaded ice chest and a cold pizza .