Homemade Classifier - Custom for my Keene -A52 sluice

[GoldinSocal]

I decided to make a piece of my own prospecting equipment. I'm actually hoping this will make it easier and faster running buckets and help out my back some by not being bent over with my bucket classifier. The piece inside is angled at about 45 degrees to help material fall and keep from falling directly on my added deep v black mat and the handles on the sides are for picking it up and tossing the rocks bigger than 1/2''.

Took me about 3 1/2 hours and the cost was cheap. Went to home depot and grabbed a roll of 1/2'' screen 2'x5' i forget the gauge but its plenty sturdy for $6.95, a box of screws $4.95, and the wood was picked from the cheapo pile at $.51 cents a piece. So all and all i spent about $15.00 bucks.

Heading out tomorrow to try it out and i will post pics of the Goooooooooooold when i can.

 

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[GoldinSocal]

I added some screws to the bottom to make sure the screen don't fall off though i stapled the $hit out of it. Also went and bought a aerosol can of thompsons water seal so ill add 5 more bucks to the total cost.

 

[TerryC]

I... don't... know... Goldy. That classifier looks to be heavier than the A52. Fill it with rocks and it will be REALLY bad for the back. TTC

 

[golddust77]

good idea I keep trying diff. things and found that a milk creat will sit right on top and you can cut it any way you want im still trying to improve on the ones ive made but have found that its pretty easy to mke a sort of grizzly on the top but larger material falls in path of water flow in box but it would work great on a dredge high banker set up ive used an A 52 for a dredge box and the work quite well here in indiana just the way you get them no dredge riff. or nothing modded just build a box and shoot the water and matterial in here we have to run slow if not you just put it back in the creek. thanks for the pics..

 

[Hoser John]

Keep the screen and throw away all that wood. Bend screen over sluice sides and your good to go---KISS principal always in mining-keep it simple John

 

[SCBUZZ]

Great looking work. Clean. Allot of the above posts are on the money as far as just a classifier goes but for a home made highbanker that might not be too bad. just add the connection for the hose and a spray bar.

 

[GoldinSocal]

As it goes you all are about right in what you've replied.

As for the back no not easier Terry you are correct but not harder either, I could rest the bucket on the edge while i dumped right in. Its a little heavy - not too heavy though, depending. I didn't walk it too far.

It worked out. I liked being able to run buckets faster than when i pre classify. I just fed my sluice a quarter bucket at a time, and chucked the rocks out after every bucket, Picking it up and dumping it was not a problem at all. Can definitely save some time with this cause i can feed the sluice faster.

I might add a spray bar to it Scbuzz, That did cross my mind as well as adding some kind of grizzly on hinges but ehhh i don't know, Once i can get off this DAMN unemployment i can go buy some real equipment and improvise as needed, and yes keep it simple. That is if things don't progressively get worse for prospecting here in California.

There were a couple of GPAA members who camped overnight and weren't having much luck either although they did find 1 picker in one of there pans. They came over and dug next to us for a while.

The gold take wasn't good, a few flakes, of a flake I really done expect much right here off the side of the road, to find the bigger gold i go up another mile or so the the end of the road and hike back at least a mile or so...

Had a good time though me and my uncle just took it easy and enjoyed ourselves and our beers.

GPAA guys camped in the tent

A hole that was started, that i tried to finish.

How far i walked to the river

Just to the left of our sluice

In front of us

To the right of us

My uncle enjoying a morning brewski and the hole he was digging in.

Feeding the sluice and don't mind the two experienced hunters and their BB guns in the background HAHAHA yeah right, experience my a$$ they walked up to see what we were doing practically pointing those damn things at us with their finger on the trigger....

Last but not "least" dohhh!

Until Next Time...

 

[Astrobouncer]

Thanks for the pics man, looks like a nice day out. There's been many a days I would have loved to found even that much.

 

[TerryC]

That's right! Keep it slow but keep having fun. That's the name of the game. On some days you are the winner. Another brewski, please! TTC

 

[TAKODA]

Uncle got him a hole goi'in don't he .

 

[Goldwasher]

looks like decent color for not bieng on bedrock.... just keep diggig, or if you can find a spot where bedrock is showing and start diggin in there.

 

[greydigger]

Source of cheap grizzlies is drying up.
Shopping carts now made of plastic.

 

[gcGold]

Hi Keene
I hope you get this, it has been 2 years since the last post on this.
I went to CA a couple of years ago and I never saw anyone digging holes by the river next to the road.
Is this a place you can go freely without a claim? or some sort of permit?
Don't they have stricted laws about digging gigantic holes? haha.
they do here in WA, they are a little crazy here in WA.
thanks

 

[gcGold]

About Gold mining in CA

Hi GoldinSoCal
I hope you get this, it has been 4 years since the last post on this.
I went to CA a couple of years ago and I never saw anyone digging holes by the river next to the road.
Is this a place you can go freely without a claim? or some sort of permit?
Don't they have stricted laws about digging gigantic holes? haha.
they do here in WA, they are a little crazy here in WA.
thanks