Test box?

[cavers5]

Hi,

I'm just starting to learn about prospecting and I was wondering if anyone knew of any plans for a homemade "test box/sluice?" We need to build three or four small boxes that we can use to set into the streams for a couple of weeks at a time, just to see if there is any gold. We will only be able to check these boxes every two weeks so we need something sturdy and durable. Also, we want these boxes to last awhile and as we will be moving them around to different locations, would aluminum, plastic, or wood be the best material to use? Any suggestions/ideas/plans are appreciated.

Cavers5

 

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[ATGem]

Cavers5,

You could try a piece of black plastic corrugated poo pipe available at most hardware stores like Home Depot. Cut it in half down the length and use long tent stakes to keep it in place. Will be easy to place and move from location to location.

Al

 

[cavers5]

Appreciate it. My son is my builder, so he'll take a look at it. We haven't started yet, but with the price of gold going sky high, it sure would be worth it!

Cavers5

 

[djui5]

They sell them at Wal-Mart too. It's in the RV/Automotive area. They're "crapper" pipes for RV's Cheap too.

Also wouldn't hurt to go out with a pan and do some old fashioned panning of the streams. It's been done that way for centuries

 

[curious4moreknowledge]

If you are just going to test areas, you would be better off doing it with a pan or by a small back pack sluice and spend a few hours in the creek. River traps are better suited for areas where there are heavy rains, little overburdan, and the creek bed turns over often.

My dad and I go out with buckets and classifier screens and a shovel once or twice a week. We classify our diggings down to 1/2 inch (1/4 inch if we decide to spend a little more time out) and bring 5 or 6 buckets of material back home to pan out at our leasure or run it through a clean up system using corrigated rib matting and a recirculating water system. This way we can test more areas in less time.

 

[curious4moreknowledge]

Here are a few links to a River Robber and a couple of clean up sluices to give you some ideas
http://prospecting.atspace.com/belza-gold-catcher.html
http://prospecting.atspace.com/gold-gal-sluice.html
http://prospecting.atspace.com/cleanupsluicenew.html

 

[cavers5]

Thanks for the help. The area we live in does not contain gold, so we have to travel to our gold areas which are more than three hours away. Hence, the reason for asking for portable sluices that we can leave in the streams and check every couple of weeks. This would save us hours of panning, if we can just drop off a few boxes and in different parts of the same creek or different streams while we pan the other creeks. Our time is very limited as we can only travel once or twice a month, so we are trying to find ways to increase our chances of gold recovery!

We appreciate it!
Cavers5

 

[JamesE]

I know this is an older post, butttt, If there's a club any where close, you will learn so much for the dues, even if only a years worth, most are well worth the price of admission. If you give a location, a lot of guys here would probably give you some good ideas on locations in your state.

 

[aarthrj3811]

Cavers5....Get some books and learn how gold moves in the streams. Very little gold will move unless there is a big storm that will turn the bottom of the stream over. Sorry but leaving slices in the stream does not produce....Art

 

[cavers5]

HI,

Thanks! TreasureDiver has been kind enough to coach us! We need all the help/advice/coaching/show-me-hows that we can get!

Any and all is appreciated!

Cavers5

 

[Eu_citzen]

Cavers; Art is right gold will only move when a storm comes by and then there is a chance that your sluices will move to is they are not locked in place. A bigger high banker or dredge might be the way to go if you want to produce.
You might be interested to talk to Don Honcoop about his HB-17 highbanker http://www.honcoophighbanker.com/hb17.html
I have one and I have 2 1/2 hours do drive to a producing spot (except for fine gold)
For me that was the best option.
Although large gold won't move much fine gold moves much easier. Look for "Popandsonminers fine gold sluice".(I provided a link)
That would be your best bet if you really don't have any other option. http://bb.bbboy.net/alaskagoldforum-viewthread?forum=2&thread=694
Plastic would be best suited for durability but 2 weeks you will need a large sluice as it might/will work a lot of material which could decrease what amount of fine gold you get and also it's not classified before which will result in loss of fine gold.

 

[cavers5]

Thanks a lot! TreasureDiver explained the purpose of a sluice to me, so I'm learning, very slowly, but surely!

Thank you for the urls. We'll definitely check them out! My son is looking into material to build us some equipment. If anybody has any good equipment plans to share, puh-leese let us know! We're working in very rough, rugged, bushwhacking-our-own-trails areas!

Cavers5

 

[Eu_citzen]

are you moving in such a bad terrain with a car? If not a mini-highbanker might be a better option for you the larger one can be hard to pack around.
The smaller ones are easier to move around and to carry though they cant handle as much dirt as a larger piece of equipment.Here are some plans for you:

http://miningold.com/dnld.html
I provided more plans at another topic:
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,125638.0.html

 

[fanatic]

One thing I've learned is that the gold doesn't come easily. Theres no substitute for hard work with a shovel and pan until you find the gold. Then worry about buying production type equipment like highbankers and dredges.

Shame on you guys sending a newbie off looking at equipment before hes found his first gold!!!

Joining a club is the best advice I can give to help the learning curve. I've yet to meet a prospector that won't give you good advice if you are a newbie.

Good luck out there and don't get discouraged!!

 

[Eu_citzen]

Shame on you guys sending a newbie off looking at equipment before hes found his first gold!!!

He represented a problem and we tried to solve it.(he has a problem and it needs to be solved or an alternative solution for the problem)
I always say good equipment is half the job. If you got good equipment form start you might not need to upgrade so often.
He does not have to start with the "latest and greatest" piece of equipment but I agree that a pan is a need for every prospector.
(is a pan not a piece of equipment?)

A starter kit with "pay dirt" to practice on might be good as well.
flagold on youtube.com has some videos that might help you a little carvers no the way.(finding gold I think the series is called)

Regards,
Eu

 

[cavers5]

Thank you all.

We're hard workers and can think on our feet as we go, riggin' what we need if we have the materials. We have a pan and plenty of shovels!

No car, we hike it!

Cavers4

 

[rmptr]

Cavers,

it's correct that intense flood periods will create turbulence to get thins stirred up and the gold moving.

The stream bed IS a sluice.

Look for the cracks and crevices in bedrock that will catch the gold when it is moving, or has moved.

Nothing short of a tumultuous earthquake will get gold that has settled into a deep crack.

There is quite a bit of float gold that hasn't yet found a home to settle into...

I know fellows who have staked down old wool carpets in dry stream beds at the end of summer.
Dig em up next year, burn em and pan the ashes.

Other people who have made a cattle guard kind steel grate and anchored it to smooth bedrock, then cleaned it out with their dredge in spring. Probably NOT legal in many places, both methods.

Placer mining is like bee keeping... The bees do all the work, as does a stream. You just gotta figure the best place to go get the goodies!

R M P T R

 

[cavers5]

Hey, thanks, we think those are great ways to try for gold!

Cavers5

 

[Eu_citzen]

Thank you all.

We're hard workers and can think on our feet as we go, riggin' what we need if we have the materials. We have a pan and plenty of shovels!

No car, we hike it!

Cavers4

Then a mini-highbanker would be better for you as they are easier to carry but can't move as much material as a large one.
(I was thinking of Gold Buddy or similar)
You might need more then one pan if you are not alone so you don't have to fight over that lonely pan.
If a quad/ATV is available to use then a little larger piece of equipment would be easier to transport.
Check out flagold on youtube he's got some good videos to get you a little informed.(if you haven't already)
I like to look into roots of nearby trees that are in or close by the water. (some I know could have had contact with gold they work as a lot of traps to catch an hold gold, I think)

 

[slowreaper]

We used to make a gold trap that consisted of a tube and a screened feed tray that worked fairly well and should work for what your talking about. (as stated provided there is moving gold)
The trick is the redirecting of the water and mineral, that is done with the feed tray.
Just for example I will discribe a trap it can be of any size diamiter and length..

Using a 6 inch pvc pipe, measure in 3 inchs from each side. Cut down on each side about an inch or so, then cut out the peice. So the pipe is open on the top. This is the slot that the water and mineral will enter from. 45 degrees from the center of the slot drill a row of 1 inch holes the length of the pipe. This is the discharge area. Note: Too few discharge holes and the trap will not work or it will wash away even if staked good.

At the very bottom of the inside of the pipe secure a 1X2 on edge the length of the pipe or even better if you didn't mangle the piece you cut out of the top.

You will need 2 end caps, 2 eye bolts and a turn buckle. this will hold the caps on, and allow you two of the 3 or 4 anchor points you will need.
That is the trap.
The pan feed is almost if not more important.

Using a stiff sheet metal, cut a 3 sided slot so that the flap fits snuggly into the top opening of the pipe. Angle the flap so it is aimed at the middle of the back of the pipe. secure a screen over the opening in the feed pan. When securing the pan to the trap make sure the edge of the flap opening is slightly past the edge of the pipe opening.

Reinforce the edge facing the flow and make at least one anchor point there so it does not flip over or twist away.
Stake it out and see what happens.

Brad