Gold Well Vortex Sluice

[LP13]

Right now I am looking at putting a Highbanker together..... Considering what your getting for your money I dont think the Goldwell is overpriced at all. I like the hoppers from some of the other manufacturers better though. Will a Keene, Proline or Jobe hopper fit on the Goldwell Sluice?

I think you are referring to a 'power sluice' hopper. I think generally speaking a power sluice configuration with wash bars, etc., in the feed hopper is considered a power sluice, at least that's what I see them called most frequently on the internet. We will be releasing a large hopper type feeder for the 12" sluice at some point in the future. I think the 6" is a bit too small to justify a power sluice setup for it, although it does process material much faster than standard sluices. Perhaps a flare that will widen the highbanker would fit the need?

 

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[Rdg Sluicer]

I think you are referring to a 'power sluice' hopper. I think generally speaking a power sluice configuration with wash bars, etc., in the feed hopper is considered a power sluice, at least that's what I see them called most frequently on the internet. We will be releasing a large hopper type feeder for the 12" sluice at some point in the future. I think the 6" is a bit too small to justify a power sluice setup for it, although it does process material much faster than standard sluices. Perhaps a flare that will widen the highbanker would fit the need?

lol.... I always thought it was the other way around but anyway I think we are on the same page. I admit that I havent looked yet today but I dont believe the major manufactures carry a 12"... though I could be wrong. South Yuba Mining Co makes a 12" hopper though so that might be an option. How soon do you think you will have the hopper LP13?

 

[LP13]

The hopper is a relatively simple thing to build. I do want to put a bit of thought into it and make sure it is quality like the rest of the sluice is. But I could build a custom one any time I need one. The one problem I have is that most hoppers have water bars around them inside and they plug up if people don't filter their water well enough. Our first sluices used a water bar, and they would always get plugged up. That's why I went to the waterfall box. It doesn't plug up and so you don't have to stop to unplug things once you get going. I know that people should filter their water better, but they don't, so I try to design things with that in mind. So if I am to build a hopper that provides water also, I have to figure a way to provide a steady flow that doesn't get plugged up. But just a stainless hopper without water supply to it is easy enough, and I suppose somone could just get some PVC and make a water bar and set inside it if they want.

 

[Rdg Sluicer]

The hopper is a relatively simple thing to build. I do want to put a bit of thought into it and make sure it is quality like the rest of the sluice is. But I could build a custom one any time I need one. The one problem I have is that most hoppers have water bars around them inside and they plug up if people don't filter their water well enough. Our first sluices used a water bar, and they would always get plugged up. That's why I went to the waterfall box. It doesn't plug up and so you don't have to stop to unplug things once you get going. I know that people should filter their water better, but they don't, so I try to design things with that in mind. So if I am to build a hopper that provides water also, I have to figure a way to provide a steady flow that doesn't get plugged up. But just a stainless hopper without water supply to it is easy enough, and I suppose somone could just get some PVC and make a water bar and set inside it if they want.

I don't think I have to worry about the spray bars clogging too much, the creeks I work are crystal clear, and I am not anticipating using it as a recirculating system. On the PVC if you dont glue the spray bars into your valve piece its a quick easy fix if they get clogged and you can adjust them as well. I realize your fm Ariz but are you by chance going to be at the mining summit next weekend in N Calif?

 

[deliveryboy]

Well I don't know about all the drama of this products release, but I as well thought this was ridiculously out of my price range. Knowing Frank aka SGT personally from our club, I know he does well with gold, he assured me he has recovered many times his money with the gold well. Being a skeptic I thought I would never get one. As fate has it, i came across another friend selling his to get a Detector and jumped on the deal My Tesoro Lobo for the 6" x 36" old style with spray bar. I have only used it a few times so far but am truly amazed, I ran a bucket last night of tailings I saved just for testing this sluice and low and behold I pulled out 2 tiny pickers and 10 small flakes that I must have missed on my highbanker. It is very forgiving with the angles and you can run dirt very quickly, I too have only one problem with it....Im out of dirt!! LOL this thing is ridiculous on how much you can run.

 

[AzViper]

I was at the gold show in Mesa this year and saw the Gold Well first hand. If you know me I am all about quality in any product and as Clay mentioned earlier the Gold Well is all about quality. The sluice will outlast any other sluice on the market. I would be proud to own a Gold Well and someday I might bite the bullet before the bullet bites me.

 

[425jesse]

That means a lot coming from Viper.

 

[Oregon Viking]

I remember on the GPAA forums, all hell broke loose!
I don't know if the same people are still involved with the Gold Well.

 

[AzViper]

I remember on the GPAA forums, all hell broke loose! I don't know if the same people are still involved with the Gold Well.

It was in this heart to heart conversation with LP13 I realized the man behind the Gold Well was an honest man working for an honest dollar. What happen over in the GPAA forums I have no clue but suspect the same as what happen in these forums. Many of us thought LP13 was behind the multiply post under alias names when in fact we had it completely wrong. LP13 share things with me that most would not share with a family member let alone a complete stranger in me. I am totally glad he has risen above the ashes and is on his way to stardom with his outstanding line of products. Sure there have been many obstacles along the way for him, but he has prevailed because he and believes in his products. As I said earlier the Gold Well Sluice is quality in every aspect, it’s second to none.

 

[Oregon Viking]

It was in this heart to heart conversation with LP13 I realized the man behind the Gold Well was an honest man working for an honest dollar. What happen over in the GPAA forums I have no clue but suspect the same as what happen in these forums. Many of us thought LP13 was behind the multiply post under alias names when in fact we had it completely wrong. LP13 share things with me that most would not share with a family member let alone a complete stranger in me. I am totally glad he has risen above the ashes and is on his way to stardom with his outstanding line of products. Sure there have been many obstacles along the way for him, but he has prevailed because he and believes in his products. As I said earlier the Gold Well Sluice is quality in every aspect, it’s second to none.

That is good to hear.
people get blamed for sh*t they did not do, or say, all the time.
I like the sluice.
The technology, the time and research into finding something that will prevail.
I hope the Gold Well can reach the bazooka status!

 

[AzViper]

Here is some information on the Gold Well Sluice that may answer some questions we all have wanted to know. Again I have no connection to Gold Well products or its owner, but found this information that may be of interest to those wanting to know more of the sluice.

The Gold Well Vortex Drop Riffle Sluice works by creating a gentle, vertically oriented vortex. This vortex keeps material in the spiral shaped Wells in motion, causing light material to be flushed out easily and concentrating heavy material. When a piece of gold crosses this vortex, it finds no stable bed to rest on and like a heavy object dropped in a bucket full of ball bearings being vibrated around, it drops to the bottom, where it stays, because there is no force coming up from the bottom to flush it back out.

Horizontal grooves are not designed to trap gold, they are mixing Wells. The slots create turbulence sufficient to cause light material to be forced up into the upper laminar flow regions of the water flow so they will be quickly removed by the water stream flowing through the sluice. The heavier materials move more slowly through the sluice, along the bottom where it is forced to cross the spiral Wells where it is trapped. The horizontal wells will of course trap larger pieces of gold. The Vortex Drop Riffle Sluice thinks it is a concentrator and is truly new and improved technology!

The 6” Vortex Drop Riffle Sluices are made of 6061-T6 aluminum which is very durable. 12” Vortex Drop Riffle sluices are considered production or commercial sluices and are manufactured with 7075-T6 aluminum, one of the toughest alloys of aluminum available. The Goldwell sluice is the familiar gravity sluice type operation with some subtle and important differences. Most notable is that the sluice does not generally require as much water flow as other typical sluices, and that the angle of operation for successful capture of gold is extremely forgiving, making it easy even for novices to set up and operate effectively.

There are four basic adjustments to consider when using any sluice, including the Vortex Drop Riffle sluice. They are LEVEL, ANGLE, WATER FLOW and MATERIAL FEED RATE. Your sluice should be level, set at an appropriate angle for the water volume/flow rate and material feed rate desired. Much of this information is also included in the Owners Manual that is provided by the manufacturer with each sluice.

LEVEL: Every foot along the sluice, at the junction between two collection bed plates (the plates with the spirals in them) is a small V-shaped groove between two rows of spirals closer together than the rest. When processing material, you should see a small amount of black sands accumulate there. This is an indication groove. When set up properly, the black sands from one side to the other of the sluice should appear fairly even in this groove, appearing like a dotted line. If it is more pronounced on one side than the other, the sluice is not level. It might also be caused by a difference in the water flow from one side to the other of the sluice.

ANGLE: The sluice has been tested from 2 degrees through 25 degrees, and performs admirably throughout that range. This sluice has even been operated at a 45 degree angle and still captured gold, including fine gold. But for most purposes the angle of use should probably fall in the range of 5 to 15 degrees, depending on needs. (For reference, 1.5 inch per foot of length equals 5 degrees. 3.5 inches per foot of length equals 15 degrees) Steeper angles produce a higher water velocity and a lower quantity of material at cleanout. Shallower angles will result in a lower velocity, forcing a lower feed rate of material but may be optimal for extremely fine gold such as recovery from tailing piles. There is no absolute rule of thumb here. Simply, the sluice placed at any angle between 5 and 20 degrees will perform admirably and recover gold of all practical sizes extremely well. 10 to 15 degrees will give a good feed rate and water velocity combination that will fit most needs. 5 degrees will serve well for processing materials such as crushed rock or tailings which contain a lot of ultra-fine gold. The relationship between angle and flow rate of the water will ultimately determine the proper feed rate at that combination of conditions. Spend some time testing your new sluice at different angles and feed rates to become familiar with how it works and what works best for you. Do not operate a Goldwell sluice to the specs of other types of sluices as it may not perform as well as it could. Most sluices are operated at 1 inch of drop per foot of length. The Gold Well sluice can operate at angles less than and far greater than this!

WATER FLOW: Once the desired angle and level are established for the sluice, you will want to adjust your water flow. The flow is in the proper range when particles in the vortex pockets show circular motion. To do this you should set the water flow rate low, add a few scoops of dirt, then while watching the sluice pockets, slowly increase the flow rate UNTIL you see the material in the gold wells begin to rotate. This then will be the minimum water flow that you want to maintain in your sluice for proper operation. The water flow volume will be different for different materials. If the bulk of the material you are processing is light, you may want to run enough through the sluice first to get some heavy black sands built up, then adjust your water flow for the black sands, not the lighter silicon dioxide sands (generally the light colored sands).

Water flow through the sluice should be between 2 and 8 gallons per minute per inch width of sluice. So a 6 inch sluice should have a water flow of 12 and 30 gallons per minute. The water flow should not go below this. A 12” sluice should have 24 to 96 gallons per minute supplied, but have been run as high as 150 GPM. Just because your valve or throttle or pump speed control may have a "wide open" position, keep in mind that does not automatically mean that wide open will be the best flow rate for the material your are processing.

The worst condition that you can have is scrubbing out the wells in the sluice! If the spiral wells are not keeping material in them (let the water run for a bit and see if the wells totally empty out), the sluice has either too much water velocity or too much angle or both. Scrubbing of the top row or two of spirals in normal. Only larger gold should be able to rest in these rows unless you are running at extremely low velocity and angle for super fine gold recovery. TIP: Adding a small amount of dish soap or Jet Dry to the water to break surface tension may reduce losses of ultra-fine gold when processing crushed ore or using the sluice in areas that have a high concentration of ultra fine gold. Do not add so much that the water gets foamy.

PROCESSING MATERIAL: The maximum feed rate is determined primarily by the water flow rate and the angle of your Vortex Drop Riffle Sluice. Increasing angle or water volume will allow a greater volume of material to be processed per unit time. If you have a lot of extremely fine gold, like when you are processing tailings, you may want to reduce the angle and increase the flow rate to keep a reasonable feed rate. If you are used to a normal sluice, you will find that the Gold Well Vortex Drop Riffle can process more material faster than you are used to. IF material is building up and staying for a period of time on the flat areas of the sluice between the wells, you are feeding the sluice TOO fast.

The sluice is designed to process unclassified materials provided enough water depth is delivered to the sluice to move the large material through the sluice. If sufficient water can not be delivered, either classify the materials to 3/8” or less and/or increase the sluice angle to help large material to move through the sluice. Classified materials will have the highest recovery, however, that is not to say that unclassified material will have poor recovery. To the contrary. In all the tests done so far, even unclassified materials, the recovery rates are still in excess of 95% for most gold. In some tests involving crushed ore from a vein, where the gold was 400 mesh and finer, the recovery was around 80% but that was due to the fact that gravity type systems do not typically do well in recovery of gold that is so small it is capable of staying in suspension in the water flow.

When working with materials that compact easily or are extremely sticky, such as material with a lot of clays in it or jagged crushed rock, check the Wells from time to time by taking a small probe and seeing if the material in the bottom of the Well moves around freely. If it does not move easily and is compacted, you may want to empty the sluice more often, or add some soap to the water to keep clay from re-adhering to itself in the sluice.

The sluice may be run at a wide range of attack angle. You should test the sluice at different angles to see what is best for the material that YOU are processing. Like any sluice, there will be an optimum water flow and angle for the material you are working with. One way to test this is to carefully pan out some samples of processed material (dirt that has already been put through the sluice) and look for fine gold there. Another way is to re-process the dirt and see if there is gold captured on the second pass.

CLEAN OUT: To empty the sluice, you should have a 5 gallon bucket or a small tub to stand it up in and flush it out into the bucket or tub. DO NOT spray it with an aggressive jet-like stream of water, as this may spray the water out and away from the sluice, as well as gold. Simply flood the pockets with adequate water, starting at the top and work to the bottom, then repeat until you are satisfied that all material in the sluice has been transferred to the bucket. From there you can then transfer it into a gold pan or some other final separation device. The quantity of material (black sands and unwanted silicate sands) will be about half of a cup. This greatly reduces the amount of material needing to be removed to get to your collected gold, and as a result, greatly reduces losses in the cleanup process.

CLEANING THE SLUICE: The sluice boxes are made from aluminum and stainless steel and will not corrode significantly in normal environments. Contrary to popular belief, salt water does NOT CORRODE ALUMINUM! However, salt water DOES create galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals, which DOES cause corrosion.) After use, rinse the Goldwell sluice in clean water to remove black sands and other minerals that contain iron, lead, silver, etc., which will cause corrosion over time if wet and left in the sluice. Do NOT use cleaners that contain ammonia or have a ph higher than 7 (alkaline). Use an acidic cleaner such as vinegar or vinegar and water to clean the sluice up if you want to clean it or an aluminum cleaner or polish.

Waterfall heads should be opened from time to time and cleaned of sediments in the bottom (flush out good with a water hose). The sediments will not interfere with proper operation and will only deposit in the quiet areas in the waterfall head where water flow is not significant.

WARRANTY: The manufacturer makes no warranty express or implied regarding buyer's success in capturing gold as the manufacturer does not have any control over the actual operation of this device by you, or the gold content (or lack thereof) in any material that you may be processing. The Gold Well Vortex Drop Riffle Sluice is sold AS IS and it is up to the consumer to determine if this device is suitable for your purposes. Cosmetic defects caused in the manufacturing process and handling are not considered to be a defect in workmanship or materials. Printing on the aluminum parts by the manufacturer of the aluminum is intentionally not removed to show proof of origin of manufacture of the aluminum, i.e., Made in the USA. The manufacturer will repair or replace any defects in the sluice at no charge for up to one year once they have determined that the defect is not a result of abuse. Manufacturer further states that they may choose to replace or upgrade your sluice rather than to repair it. Customer pays the shipping to manufacturer in Arizona, and they will pay return shipping back to customer.

ATTACHING YOUR OWN PUMP & HOSES: If you want to use a pump and hoses you already have or want to purchase those parts locally, keep in mind that pumps should be bilge or trash type pumps, designed to pump water that may contain debris. Other types of water pumps may work but may deteriorate much faster from pumping dirty water that contains abrasive fine sediments and organic material that may be recirculated in a closed system.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Good info. Now if only it was $100 cheaper to compete with other options

 

[AzViper]

Good info. Now if only it was $100 cheaper to compete with other options

Kevin, I hear where your coming from but those who buy the GW are buying a product that will last far longer if not a lifetime over any other sluice. It's not for every budget, but after seeing the sluice firsthand and watching every video I can put my eyes on I can see this sluice in my arsenal. For those on a budget all I can say is save your $$$ until you can buy the GW.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Good point AZ.

 

[Khrysos]

I knew the day I had the 1st successful run of my Khrysos Vortex sluice design, (after failing developing dozens of other designs); that I needed to patent it, or give it away! Plus it is in its infancy here in this video & will be years before the 1st industrial version developed & marketed. The prospectors who love my design have been my best resource in improving it & making it better. One thing EVERYONE wants is it to be affordable. Cause IF it works as good as everyone says & I charge to much, the mouse will find away to get the cheese! So, if one has a patent they defend it. If some one is over charging, others will take a reamer bit, or stepped conical drill bit & a piece of wood & go to town! E-bay will be the test of time. I welcome every suggestion to improve my product in every way, especially manufacturing. I have worked with allot of arrogant engineers in my day. I refuse to believe I'm the Best of the Best But with others help, we can be great! Don't worry, this is new & in a few months, the next new will cover us like a tailing pile! Time will tell, but payment plans on a sluice, I think the knock off guy in canada will make BANK. Choice; sell a few for $$$$$$$, or one to everyone for $. Their is a reason why everyone over 12 owns a cell phone, they give them away & make millions. It's called math!

 

[Goodyguy]

I knew the day I had the 1st successful run of my Khrysos Vortex sluice design, (after failing developing dozens of other designs); that I needed to patent it, or give it away! Plus it is in its infancy here in this video & will be years before the 1st industrial version developed & marketed. The prospectors who love my design have been my best resource in improving it & making it better. One thing EVERYONE wants is it to be affordable. Cause IF it works as good as everyone says & I charge to much, the mouse will find away to get the cheese! So, if one has a patent they defend it. If some one is over charging, others will take a reamer bit, or stepped conical drill bit & a piece of wood & go to town! E-bay will be the test of time. I welcome every suggestion to improve my product in every way, especially manufacturing. I have worked with allot of arrogant engineers in my day. I refuse to believe I'm the Best of the Best But with others help, we can be great! Don't worry, this is new & in a few months, the next new will cover us like a tailing pile! Time will tell, but payment plans on a sluice, I think the knock off guy in canada will make BANK. Choice; sell a few for $$$$$$$, or one to everyone for $. Their is a reason why everyone over 12 owns a cell phone, they give them away & make millions. It's called math!

Exactly

 

[LP13]

The knock off guy in Canada makes my prices look cheap lol!

Hey thanks Viper that was nice of you to post what you did.

To answer what happened in the GPAA forums, a few people made public false accusations that my brother had cooked a video (he's not smart enough to,) and I took offense as nobody falsified any results, and I hammered the people for calling us publicly 'liars, frauds, cheats, etc.' This got the forum trolls' panties in a bunch and they got others unknowingly involved, others that were eager to jump on the band wagon who were likely bored and wanted a war or something. Me not being one to back down, or tolerate being called a liar, I refused to give in to it.

A lot of people have bashed me for my price, or that I make my sluice from aluminum instead of plastic. Well, the cost of plastic molds is very high. Unlike David who must spend a lot of money to make a change in his design, I can in a week, have a design change done and parts out and in my sluices for the cost of a few hours programming.

Unlike cell phones David, people are not buying sluices every year, or at least those that buy quality ones aren't. Don't forget that little 'contract'. They aren't giving you a phone, you are paying a big price for it. Hundreds of dollars, it's just hidden in the monthly charges.

By the way David, I noticed in your video that you processed a bucket of 'sand' in about 5 minutes through your Khrysos sluice that is about the same size as my 12". Suppose you put that bucket through your sluice in around 20 or 30 seconds, like I can with a 12" Gold Well (similar size to yours), what will happen?

 

[DizzyDigger]

LP13: After reading the endorsement from Keith I don't know
why anyone would buy a knock-off version of your sluice. My
days out on the river are few, but if I was healthier I'd be saving
up for one of yours.

Khrysos might have an interesting design, but from what I can
see he's doing everything possible to ride your coattails in
order to sell his.

You've made your case, and don't need to challenge anyone
to prove yours is superior. You're going to be successful,
and hopefully at some point the volume of orders allows
you to save some production cost which you can pass on
to the buyers.

 

[LP13]

Thanks Dizzy.

Oh for those that might be interested in it, here is a video Derek Eimer (who is in Happy Camp fighting for miners rights and has a case in the courts) did on Indian Creek. This is what I was referring to when I referenced David's sluice processing a bucket in 30 seconds or less. Around 2 minutes in they stuff a bucket through the sluice in 7 seconds. Well in reality it was 2/3 bucket. Classified to 1" only. They used a Keene sluice to slurry the material prior to entering the Gold Well but the gold collection was happening in the Gold Well not the Keene.

HM Research - Manufacturer of the Gold Well Vortex Drop Riffle Sluice

 

[Goodyguy]

Hard to believe that the ribbed mat in the Keene didn't catch any gold .
But I really like the setup, especially the 12"x60" goldwell.