Setting a sluice in a small stream and leaving it.

[watersteps]

I would guess that most people would say "that won't work" . Well here is my idea, I want to place 1,2 or 3 sluice's in a small stream on my own property. Now, I live in Potter County, PA. and the stream is about 600' long. I don't have a sluice or know which type to build, but what the heck if it works while I metal detect other areas, why not?
The last thing is, is there any gold in Potter County, PA.?
Anyone got any ideas?

 

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[DiamondDan]

I really thought this entire thread was a running joke with all the posters putting false credence into progressively more riduculous gold-finding methods.... This is not a joke?? WOW....

Wait wait.... Just use your long range locator after having someone photo dowse an aerial picture of the creek. Are there any squiggly marks in rocks, or trees that are bent over in weird ways? Perhaps there is a buried Spanish suit of armor worn by a skeleton nearby.

 

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[Jason in Enid]

Thanks for the honest feedback.
I understand I have little to no chance of finding any gold, the thing is I am trying to find it. I don't have to find gold I will live without it.
I will place more sluices in this stream, some will be of a different design some will be the same.
The first sluice has been in the stream for 7 days I will keep checking it and when it looks full to me I will clean it and let everyone know how I make out.

I get it. We have native gold here in Oklahoma. It's the size of "fly poop, quartered" but we have it in the right spots. I have spent a lot of time and some money in the search for it. I look at it as experience and testing. If you can capture gold in Oklahoma, then you are doing it right and you can confidently prospect anywhere. I also learned the old adage of "the best gold is on bedrock" is NOT always true. There was a lot of manual labor involved in that quest.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I really thought this entire thread was a running joke with all the posters putting false credence into progressively more riduculous gold-finding methods.... This is not a joke?? WOW....

A few were having fun based on a raging "debate" that went on for several years here. If you werent around for that fun, you wouldnt realize it was posted as "tongue in cheek".

 

[watersteps]

After checking this thread for questions, I went back to the main forum for Gold Prospecting and noticed a person in Buffalo NY was finding gold.
Guess what Buffalo is not that far North of my stream!!!! Yes I know all the streams in NY do not flow South. Hey, the "Gold Hunting Gods" may be sending some my way!
Be Happy, Have a Nice Day, Look for Yellow.

 

[watersteps]

Well DiamondDan you are hitting on a lot of the possible finds in this area. Marks on rocks, yep we got'em, trees bent over, yep we got'em, aerial photos, no that won't work too many bent over trees all over the place.
No Spanish armor but how about several million in gold within 10 miles of my stream? And how about the Indian Silver mines within 6 miles of my stream? Oh, don't forget the many, many mason jars full of silver hidden by an old farmer within 20 miles of my stream? (It ain't really my stream mother nature owns it.) And guess what, this ain't a joke either. Well I already told you guys too much and I need to get to work building another sluice that won't catch any gold.
Nothing wrong with just kidding around right?
Have a nice day.

 

[watersteps]

Well guys you are hitting on a lot of the possible finds in this area. Marks on rocks, yep we got'em, trees bent over, yep we got'em, aerial photos, no that won't work too many bent over trees all over the place.
No Spanish armor but how about several million in gold within 10 miles of my stream? And how about the Indian Silver mines within 6 miles of my stream? Oh, don't forget the many, many mason jars full of silver hidden by an old farmer within 20 miles of my stream? (It ain't really my stream mother nature owns it.) And guess what, this ain't a joke either. Well I already told you guys too much and I need to get to work building another sluice that won't catch any gold.
Nothing wrong with just kidding around right?
Have a nice day.

 

[watersteps]

Well after 2 weeks of the sluice setting in the stream I pulled it out and took it to my workshop. After cleaning it out I realized that I have to think about what I'm doing before I do it! First, I set the sluice in the stream backwards, I forgot to clean out all the aluminum chips from drilling holes when building the sluice. I also will not use the miners moss for this very fine flour gold anymore.
I panned the paydirt in the big pan and then in the small pan, I found a bunch of flour gold and one small pc of gold. I still have a pint jar full of sand, black sand, and flour gold to process.
I have to find or invent a better way to collect this flour gold. I built a miller table but I must build a better one with a hole in it to slide the gold into.
I believe a round spiral grooved pan that turns slow with water running through it will be the best method.
I will take some pics and post them later.

 

[Bejay]

Your best bet would be to cut riffles in bedrock in a known producing area. There are spots I go to every year that act like permanent riffles, cracks that replenish. I agree that a flood current would remove most any placed sluice device, but I would bet that if you were to create riffles or artificial cracks in the right place on the right river in bedrock you may have a chance of this working.

Way back in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and early 70s my Grandfather had some placer claims in Southern Oregon. He had a friend and his wife as claimant neighbors who lived in a log cabin on their claim (dirt floor....straw beds etc) I won't go into great detail about his placer mining other than to say he carved riffles in the bedrock of his small stream. He built a huge log dam up the creek quite a ways and he used to trip the dam and wash out the stream bank areas so that it flowed down over his chiseled out riffles in the bedrock. His name was Glen Young and he extracted a lot of gold off his claim. He would wash boulders the size of cars down over his riffles. The USFS finally put a road up into the area and it crossed the creek he worked. The USFS took him to court a number of times....as the boulders would wash out the bridge. They kept telling him he was washing out the gold over his riffles...but he knew better. He moved his cabin 4 times...because he wanted to wash out where it sat. The last time I saw him was in 1973 and he was 82 years old and still going strong.

Another old timer way to find out if a creek has gold in it is to coat a heavy screen of metal (about a 12x12 inch piece will work) with mercury. Put it in the creek and allow the water to flow through it for a month or so. If there is gold in the creek the screen will turn goldish color.....per some old timer miners and my Granddad.

Bejay

 

[firebird]

There's an old episode here of Gold Fever where Tom Maisie mentioned that "old-timers" would leave sluices in culverts all season and then come back later on to gather up the gold trapped in it. I don't know how legit it is or if this is another one of those salted episodes, but he found nuggets in that culvert.

https://www.goldprospectors.org/Learn/Video/VideoId/382/UseHtml5/True

 

[arizau]

Another old timer way to find out if a creek has gold in it is to coat a heavy screen of metal (about a 12x12 inch piece will work) with mercury. Put it in the creek and allow the water to flow through it for a month or so. If there is gold in the creek the screen will turn goldish color.....per some old timer miners and my Granddad.

Bejay

Hmmmm. Maybe lends credence to burlap and fish oil?

 

[watersteps]

OK, well I guess I'm not the only one that ever tried this setting and leaving method of finding gold. When I redo my sluice I will set it back in the stream.
Now, I have to get back to inventing a flour gold separator.

 

[RTR]

OK, well I guess I'm not the only one that ever tried this setting and leaving method of finding gold. When I redo my sluice I will set it back in the stream.
Now, I have to get back to inventing a flour gold separator.

Classify the material and run it on a Miller Table.

 

[mofugly13]

Well after 2 weeks of the sluice setting in the stream I pulled it out and took it to my workshop. After cleaning it out I realized that I have to think about what I'm doing before I do it! First, I set the sluice in the stream backwards, I forgot to clean out all the aluminum chips from drilling holes when building the sluice. I also will not use the miners moss for this very fine flour gold anymore.
I panned the paydirt in the big pan and then in the small pan, I found a bunch of flour gold and one small pc of gold. I still have a pint jar full of sand, black sand, and flour gold to process.
I have to find or invent a better way to collect this flour gold. I built a miller table but I must build a better one with a hole in it to slide the gold into.
I believe a round spiral grooved pan that turns slow with water running through it will be the best method.
I will take some pics and post them later.

I’m happy that it worked, despite the naysayers.

 

[goldenmojo]

Being one of the it’s possible but not with the effort group I would like to see pics of the flour gold caught.

 

[watersteps]

I will post pics as soon as I can collect them out of the pan or off the table. Right now I'am looking at a Blue Bowl.

 

[AuMetal]

Don't put alotta cash into it, because they can walk off. but, 3 ft long, 1-2 ft wide depending on width or area of stream, lug loops on 4 corners to sink hooked rods thru to hold in place. fine indoor/outdoor carpet cut to size of base pan L/W, wire mesh 1/8 to 1/4 in cut same, frame fit same to go over top of that with rifles made of angled metal where tailing metal is angled at 30-45 deg off bottom. look at a regular modern sluice and this will make sense. check gold country stream art work on where gold lays in a stream in where to place it such as curves, gravel bars. better to place before winter sets in, check after spring melt. dry areas such as slots, ravines, and cuts where water flows during melt, but dry otherwise are better focus. of course, goes without saying -- check to see if your area bears gold first.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

When AI gets more advanced and robots are taking over all the jobs I'm going to buy the Prospector model robot.
I can just turn him lose to go dig everyday even when I'm at work. Sounds way easier and he can make his own payments.

 

[watersteps]

While I'am re-building my sluice I ordered a Blue Bowl kit. Has anyone taken their flour gold and melded it down with a torch?

 

[bc5391]

Here is one some old timers s left, it is about 20 feet long x 3 feet wide, the riffles can be seen on the bedrock, the sluice was anchored to the bedrock so it would not float away in the storms.

 

[Jason in Enid]

While I'am re-building my sluice I ordered a Blue Bowl kit. Has anyone taken their flour gold and melded it down with a torch?

Be very careful trying to use a torch. You need to make sure the gold dust is covered with a flux, otherwise you will most likely blow the dust out of the crucible and all over the ground around you.