NEED ADVICE!

[Coin Head]

what do i need to do to make a sluice box work for a 4inch dredge set us is there a special kind of sluice, special design or what. I know u need nozzles and hoses for a four inch i already have those just need a sluice box and don't wannna buy one from keene for 695$

 

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[Honest Samuel]

I do not blame you.

 

[ratled]

Graigslist, mining store that sells used gear, E bay etc. If you don't know what you need you really should be looking to buy.

ratled

 

[winners58]

best to buy used bits and pieces off craigs list, eBay etc...
I built my own sluice, bought a half sheet of aluminum had a sheet metal place bend it for me
then bought just the riffle set and classifier screen for the 4"mini from Keene, got the gold grabber jet flair from Alan Trees
you'll need a jet log or suction nozzle, the other way to build one is to have nozzle or jet dump into the top of a high-banker set up.
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[russau]

I made lots of sluices in my time and I prefer using ABS 3/16 and bend it using a heat gun and a sheet metal brake to bend. If you don't heat it enough or bend it cold it will form small cracks at the outside edge. this can be fixed by appling some ABS adhesive to the outside of the bend for strength! The ABS I bought was 1/2 the price and liter than the aluminum . I'm all in for weight reduction ( I'm 70 and beat up!) If you need to add any ABS for a flair or a crashbox the ABS adhesive welds this together and wont ever come apart! BUT also the alum. is much more durable than the ABS !

 

[Bonaro]

I think all of us have built our own equipment at one time or another and the main reason is to save money over the cost of new. I have built sluices, rockers, highbankers and dredges. They work but all had a backyard look and feel.
It has been my experience that once you add up the cost of materials and the time and frustration involved in fabrication, re-working and trial and error testing...you end up wishing you had bought something. For years my friend and I would drag the DIY dredge out of storage in the spring, cut it apart and weld it back together to get it ready for the summer. We finally bought a used dredge and life has been much happier plus we had a lot more time to prospect.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I went the used route and discovered that Keene sluices from 40 years ago are really crappy on recovery of everything and also really heavy. I'm with russau on the ABS plastic route I have made a couple prospecting accessories with the stuff and you don't even need a sheet metal brake, I have had great results with blocks of wood.

 

[Jason in Enid]

what do i need to do to make a sluice box work for a 4inch dredge set us is there a special kind of sluice, special design or what. I know u need nozzles and hoses for a four inch i already have those just need a sluice box and don't wannna buy one from keene for 695$

You think Keenes are expensive? Unless you are an experienced fabricator, you will end up spending a LOT more doing it yourself.

You say you already have hoses and nozzles? You need more than that. You need to start with the proper frame and flotation to mount everything to. Next you need a good 5 - 6 horse engine with a direct mount high pressure water pump (trash pumps dont work well enough at this size of dredge) you also need a good air compressor, reserve tank, regulator for hookah use and hoses because long-arming a 4 inch dredge nozzle is pretty much a waste of time and resources. In order for your motor and pump to be able to draw a suction at your nozzle, you have to get a jet-log. Make sure the HP input is matched to the output of your water pump. Now, you will need flair that goes between your jet and your box. Good ones arent cheap and cheap ones arent good.

Got all of that equipment? Now you can focus on your sluice box. A 4 inch dredge moves a LOT of water. Your box needs to be wide enough to mount your flair at the head. It needs to be tall enough that you aren't overflowing the sides, I would recommend 4 - 5 inch tall sides, it depends on the recovery style you want. Which brings us to your last consideration, but THE MOST important one. How are you going to recover the gold? Do you want a single layer recovery or an over-under? Hungarian riffles? reverse riffles? expanded metal? gold-hog mats? Sooooo many considerations to think about and most of these things have to be tuned to work together.

You are really better off buying a used commercial-made dredge and learning it before you delve into the maddening world of building your own better mousetrap.