Why dont people use shakers more?

Dr. Meh

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Oct 15, 2013
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Why don't people use shakers more?

Is it possible to have a series of different classifiers stacked on top of eachother attached to a shake table type thing that can gradually move all the heavy material to the bottom/center? Similar to the shake methods for gem hunting. I realize it won't be clean or very pure yet but it seems like a logical solution for dry areas without water (other than a drywasher).

What am I missing about this idea that might not allow it to work?
 

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Goldwasher

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You would constantly have to tend it as each grades cup would fill. a multi stage dry screen could work if it side dumped. but, what about in between size pieces of gold in areas with larger coarse gold. The type of classifier you mention is available to size already recovered and cleaned placer gold.
 

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Dr. Meh

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Oct 15, 2013
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You would constantly have to tend it as each grades cup would fill. a multi stage dry screen could work if it side dumped. but, what about in between size pieces of gold in areas with larger coarse gold. The type of classifier you mention is available to size already recovered and cleaned placer gold.

Hmm.....what if the material were already classified? So it would be more about just separating the heavies out or condensing them to the bottom/center of a container?
 

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SHoward

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IMG_20140814_170417600.jpg The " Earth Quake classifier " allows you to stack multiple standard size screens ( that fit on a 5 gal bucket) at one time, you can run it wet or dry.
 

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Dr. Meh

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Oct 15, 2013
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The " Earth Quake classifier " allows you to stack multiple standard size screens ( that fit on a 5 gal bucket) at one time, you can run it wet or dry.

Why can't something similar be used not just for classifying material but for actually working the gold and platinum?
 

Rawhide

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I have found taking a vibrator out of a old recliner and attaching it to a pan can make dry screened dirt dance like water. Not exactly what your talking about. But it works. I classify the dirt down first. I live in a desert with lil water available. I know you are asking why. Because I can.
 

Prospector70

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Hehe you wanna watch yer fingers with that thing! I love it!
 

jcazgoldchaser

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That doesn't help at all but thanks.

I'd rather shovel it once and let gravity take care of the sorting. Energy, processing speed

If the area has flower gold, why would I want to have to clear a bunch of classifiers? Size, processing speed

Why carry that extra weight in? Energy, weight

There's videos out there with the speed panners that don't even classify because it's quicker {for them} to simply pan.

Shovel, pan.
 

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Dr. Meh

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Oct 15, 2013
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I'd rather shovel it once and let gravity take care of the sorting. Energy, processing speed

If the area has flower gold, why would I want to have to clear a bunch of classifiers? Size, processing speed

Why carry that extra weight in? Energy, weight

There's videos out there with the speed panners that don't even classify because it's quicker {for them} to simply pan.

Shovel, pan.

And if you're in an area without water and drywashing isn't feasible?
 

jcazgoldchaser

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And if you're in an area without water and drywashing isn't feasible?
Well, you posted in panning, so one would assume water. Water, even panning is creating a liquid fluid bed. Drywasher creates a fluid air bed. You would need to create similar with the vibration. Somehow allowing the gold to drop down, without bouncing back up into the mix.

But back up, what's stopping the drywashing but allowing a vibration separator?





Drywashing is about volume, well so is panning, but drywashing is comparatively inefficient.

To simply, quickly separate to the fines, roll of 1/4" wire mesh, window screen and couple of poles make something you can throw dirt at till you fall down.

2923.JPG

Run the detector over the gravels to make sure a golfball nugget didn't slip by (check out 'Follow the drywashers')

Drywashing, slightest dampness of the material will cost you gold. People will run the pile twice or leave it out to dry after digging. I don't see you just getting it to settle with just vibration.



This would be a lot of fun:



There's also winnowing

harp-06-s.jpg
 

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Dr. Meh

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Oct 15, 2013
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Well, you posted in panning, so one would assume water. Water, even panning is creating a liquid fluid bed. Drywasher creates a fluid air bed. You would need to create similar with the vibration. Somehow allowing the gold to drop down, without bouncing back up into the mix.

But back up, what's stopping the drywashing but allowing a vibration separator?

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqatU0PRy9Y"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqatU0PRy9Y

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLFdS-W7n-U"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLFdS-W7n-U

Drywashing is about volume, well so is panning, but drywashing is comparatively inefficient.

To simply, quickly separate to the fines, roll of 1/4" wire mesh, window screen and couple of poles make something you can throw dirt at till you fall down.

<img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1041227"/>

Run the detector over the gravels to make sure a golfball nugget didn't slip by (check out 'Follow the drywashers')

Drywashing, slightest dampness of the material will cost you gold. People will run the pile twice or leave it out to dry after digging. I don't see you just getting it to settle with just vibration.

This would be a lot of fun:

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVM_DKOmCS0"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVM_DKOmCS0

There's also winnowing

<img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1041234"/>

Yes, I posted in panning. But I also assumed people would read what I posted especially about the dry part. Given the subject matter, this was the most appropriate category.

Now, the layer of air and what not makes sense if I wanted the contraption to eliminate the non-heavy material like a pan or drywasher does. The way I'm seeing it though is a large container that shakes all the heavies to the bottom with the lighter material still on top. After some time shaking, one simply removes the top layers of light material with a shovel and keeps the bottom heavy layer.

This should work at least in theory, right? Or am I missing something?
 

chlsbrns

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. The way I'm seeing it though is a large container that shakes all the heavies to the bottom with the lighter material still on top. After some time shaking, one simply removes the top layers of light material with a shovel and keeps the bottom heavy layer.

This should work at least in theory, right? Or am I missing something?

In theory it looks like it will work.

It appears that no one here has tried it so if you want to see if it works you should try it!

Some things to consider:

You will have to keep the contents of the whole container fluidized/moving at all times. Fluidized bed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What are you going to use for power? Electric? Gasoline? Leaf blower? Vibrator? Air compressor?

If you can bring some buckets of water you could try:


And recycle the water.

Or use air to create a vortex.
 

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Dr. Meh

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Oct 15, 2013
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In theory it looks like it will work.

It appears that no one here has tried it so if you want to see if it works you should try it!

Some things to consider:

You will have to keep the contents of the whole container fluidized/moving at all times. Fluidized bed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What are you going to use for power? Electric? Gasoline? Leaf blower? Vibrator? Air compressor?

If you can bring some buckets of water you could try:

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuejIDMgnrQ
And recycle the water.

Or use air to create a vortex.

My dad is actually building a prototype of it right now but before he got too deep in it, I wanted to get other people's takes on it to see if there's something we hadn't considered.

As such, I can't tell you what he's using as the shaker (he's funny about confidentiality and what not on all his ideas) but I will say that it is gas powered and the shaking is pretty intense on the dry runs so far. Before we lug it out to the field and put some material through it, we wanted to make sure we considered all the angles.
 

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Dr. Meh

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Oct 15, 2013
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Oh and let me ask two more questions to get your guys' opinions:

1. If we use too much material, is it possible for the weight to be so compact at the bottom that the heavies can't work their way down?

2. Is it possible that the shaking may displace cavities toward the bottom that would be filled be lighter material thereby actually lifting some of the heavies back up? Sort of like the old science experiments where you can move stuff up from the bottom by shaking it. Or is the weight differential so great between the lights and heavies that it won't matter?

I realize people may not know the exact answers to these questions but opinions would be appreciated.
 

chlsbrns

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I don't think that you will be able to snake any container enough to keep everything fluidized. Side to side, up and down also matters.

The soils size wet dry moist or a combination is going to matter.

It's likely that you will have compaction on the bottom if you can not keep everything fluidized.

You are going to need air to keep everything fluid.


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