New to sluicing w/Keene A52 have questions about Bazooka products and cleanup tools

[TheGoldProspector]

Did yer get it figured out TGP?

I did not... I ran a "test bucket" through it...didnt feel/look too good... And the gold was too good coming from the dig to not put it in the keene..

I will say over and over..i believe the bgt Will work better - after i get the highbanker attachment for it.

 

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[bakergeol]

I searched through the forum for threads on classifying and cleaning and came across the many references to the Bazooka products. I then searched for threads comparing the A52 to the Bazooka models but hoped to ask a few specific questions.

I panned for gold for roughly 10 years in Maine (Swift River). Prior to college I purchased a Keene A52 but never felt like I got the right water flow. This past weekend I had the opportunity to return to the Swift River (after 20 years) and managed to find my old sluice. I found a few colors panning and was determined to experiment with the A52 until I got the right water flow. I finally figured out what I think was the correct water flow (much faster than I initially thought) as evidenced by the sluice riffles showing mostly red sand and some small stones. When I did the cleanup I found small colors and a lot of black sand.

With the above as context, 20 years ago my back was not as sore after a day of digging, classifying through a pan grizzly, and then panning down to the black sand. Ha ha - funny how that works. I found 6 colors from about 6 hours of work over two days. On the Swift River we mostly have fine flakes that you pick up with a toothpick. Reading about the bazooka of course I am interested in the notion of not having to classify.

1.) For those who have used both the Keene A52 and a Bazooka gold trap sluice, did you find the Bazooka was capable of capturing gold as fine as what can be captured in the A52?
2.) The material available to me in the Swift River is gravel (definitely not fine beach sand) and I was curious if the Bazooka was a good product for this material? The idea of saving my back from classifying with a hand grizzly is appealing if it really works.
3.) I watched some of the Bazooka videos but what sort of material do you get at the cleanup phase? Is it similar to the material I get cleaning out the A52 (small stones, red sand, and black sand)?
4.) Finally, is there a cleanup tool (other than a $2000 magnetic table separator) that will clean this concentrate down to the gold or will it always end in a pan? I read about various circular machines including those with a catch tube at the center.

Even the 6 colors I found this past weekend has given me a bit of the bug again.

Thanks!

--Matt

You might check out a Canadian forum- I can't name the forum on this site. They have a lot of posts both pro and con about the bazooka versus the A52. No classifying is a big deal for the bazooka but with a price. It means higher water flow is needed. One poster commented that the bazookas are not very effective for gold smaller than 50 mesh considering the high water flow. Considering that you live in Maine which is not exactly coarse gold country- this point should be considered.

Now I expect a howling mob of bazooka lovers to say that the above statement is wrong. I personally don't know as I have not tested the bazooka's tailings on my small wave table yet. I have tested a lot of water gravity devices in this matter and the truth has always been
WTF!!!!

George

 

[KevinInColorado]

As expected I will chime in here...the Bazooka Prospector catches virtually all the gold down to -100 but only a fraction of the gold below that. My real life results are 3X the gold recovery in a Bazooka vs a riffle sluice. Partly due to super-consistent recovery as stream conditions vary, partly due to no time/energy being wasted with classifying, partly due to higher feed rate...you get the idea.

 

[TheGoldProspector]

As expected I will chime in here...the Bazooka Prospector catches virtually all the gold down to -100 but only a fraction of the gold below that. My real life results are 3X the gold recovery in a Bazooka vs a riffle sluice. Partly due to super-consistent recovery as stream conditions vary, partly due to no time/energy being wasted with classifying, partly due to higher feed rate...you get the idea.

I still feel the need to classify..even with the grizleys'... The table cleans faster, and you dont have the flat rocks getting stuck opr passing into the box.

So, my thoughts are, if I choose to classify, im half way back to the riffle system. :/

Kevin..with the 3x gold recovery"...is this from the Same cons:testing a certain amount of known material? Or is it from testing certain holes; perhaps hitting a more potent pay streak? Im curious is all.

 

[Prospector70]

I hope the information below will help.

I time my deck (48 inch Prospecter HWHG) to clear in about 8 seconds. Entire shovel full gone. Big rock here and there you have to poke, no big whoop. Don't doubt it, just know it will catch the tiny stuff too.
I set my bazooka up every time to where I can shovel directly into it. (knock on wood)
I make up to three different dams when doing so.
1. Wing Dam: to lock and rock the sluice with enough water and drop
2. Punk Dam: to punk the current out of the way of where I am shoveling so I can get it out of the water with dirt on it. Careful not to block your wing dam with it though.
3. Swipe Dam: If possible I try to make a swipe dam on the eject side of the bazooka as I shovel. One that helps to keep the tailings pile cleaner, I make this bigger as I dig out bigger rocks. Usually built on the opposite side of the BGT as I am digging. Also don't point it right at the back of it, kind of like an angle like this: \

Love,
Prospector70

 

[Prospector70]

I still feel the need to classify..even with the grizleys'... The table cleans faster, and you dont have the flat rocks getting stuck opr passing into the box.

So, my thoughts are, if I choose to classify, im half way back to the riffle system. :/

Kevin..with the 3x gold recovery"...is this from the Same cons:testing a certain amount of known material? Or is it from testing certain holes; perhaps hitting a more potent pay streak? Im curious is all.

Stop it!
A good portion of the increase in Gold recovery comes from moving more dirt, you can't move more dirt if you are classifying
I wash a shovel of dirt in about 10-15 seconds on average. (Maximum load possible on all shovels)
Try setting it up by clear out time instead. Ideally you want to dump a shovel on it, turn and get your shovel full again, turn and dump it on a clean deck. Repeat until you are in trouble with the old lady.
Take a hooked piece of metal with you to pop small rocks up and out of the grizzly (careful not to move the sluice doing so though lol)

<3

 

[yotaboy86]

Well i second kevins 3x the gold statement due to the fact that my partner uses the a52 and we dig from the same holes and i consistantly get 3x the gold. Maybe i got the better side of the hole you might say...we have dug three creeks and the river here and the cleanout is always the same...me with 3x. I hope you get your bazooka figured out you will love it when you do

 

[Goodyguy]

Finally decided to give my A-52 highbanker dredge combo away to one of my nephews. I wont miss it or the hassle.
Bazooka gold traps are the way to go! No classifying, No riffles, No mats, No worries, Just Gold!
Cleans out in just a few seconds. Can also be adapted to a highbanker with the new highbanker kit.

GG~

 

[KevinInColorado]

Well i second kevins 3x the gold statement due to the fact that my partner uses the a52 and we dig from the same holes and i consistantly get 3x the gold. Maybe i got the better side of the hole you might say...we have dug three creeks and the river here and the cleanout is always the same...me with 3x. I hope you get your bazooka figured out you will love it when you do

I've dug side by side numerous times. Also dug in the same hole with one sluice and then the other. After tons of repetition I'm pretty confident in my results!

 

[TheGoldProspector]

I've dug side by side numerous times. Also dug in the same hole with one sluice and then the other. After tons of repetition I'm pretty confident in my results!

. I will take your word Kevin

 

[TheGoldProspector]

I will be traveling out wed. I may bring both the A52 abd the 30" prospector bgt. Or just the bgt...

I truely desire this to work. !

 

[matt_unique]

Thanks for all the responses and discussions. I am a bit concerned about the type of gold most of you seem to have in year area (larger chunks) vs. the tiny barely visible gold we get on the Swift River. People do of course find nuggets and clinkers but generally it's VERY fine small pieces of gold that fit securely on the end of a toothpick wet by tongue to pick up. The BGT concept makes perfect sense but I wonder if where I prospect it makes sense to focus on creative classifying tools rather than replacing something I know works finding the tiny flakes.

 

[Prospector70]

Thanks for all the responses and discussions. I am a bit concerned about the type of gold most of you seem to have in year area (larger chunks) vs. the tiny barely visible gold we get on the Swift River. People do of course find nuggets and clinkers but generally it's VERY fine small pieces of gold that fit securely on the end of a toothpick wet by tongue to pick up. The BGT concept makes perfect sense but I wonder if where I prospect it makes sense to focus on creative classifying tools rather than replacing something I know works finding the tiny flakes.

You should go check out KevininColo's thread in the prospectors tales. He has picture after picture of super fine fly poop gold he's gotten with his. After all 90% of the gold you will find will be smaller than 1/8 inch.
I've got some too, but not in the quantity he gets it .
As I've said I started with a Keene A51, but the bgt gets me way more gold and the setup for me is quite simple in comparison.
I was sluicing with a friend who I let use my keene and he had a really good looking picker sitting in the assayers matting, end of the day it wasnt there. Hoping he texts me later today saying he found it. He's cleaning out his cons this afternoon too. I'd go back and dig it out but its a well known spot and I wouldnt be surprised if someone else was already there working.
( I test panned my tailings 3 times yesterday by the way, no hits. I won't waste time on that any further, I know my bgt catches the gold I put up on the slick plate )
Good luck Matt! Either way you go, I hope you have fun and get that gold!

 

[vaquero44]

Hello there Matt unique I was on the swift yesterday if you go to my post and look at my vile and check that picker along with the tiny maybe -100 mesh gold that was using the bazooka gold sluice I am very confident now you will not lose any fine gold I'm very happy to say the least after each clean up I just make sure there no leaves no moss that could clog the pipes to the fluid trap.........I'm not sure but maybe next weekend I could meet you somewhere along the river up there and show you just how to set it up... round rocks roll right off flat rocks you do have to skip off the grizzly but all in all my doubts have been laid to rest the BGT works very well....water flow is key!

 

[425jesse]

Use your Bazooka...
Trust your Bazooka...
Love your Bazooka...

With the flow and setup above, I likely got 300+ fly poops in the -100 range...

Use...
Trust...
Love...

 

[Bryan V]

You should go check out KevininColo's thread in the prospectors tales. He has picture after picture of super fine fly poop gold he's gotten with his. After all 90% of the gold you will find will be smaller than 1/8 inch.
I've got some too, but not in the quantity he gets it .
As I've said I started with a Keene A51, but the bgt gets me way more gold and the setup for me is quite simple in comparison.
I was sluicing with a friend who I let use my keene and he had a really good looking picker sitting in the assayers matting, end of the day it wasnt there. Hoping he texts me later today saying he found it. He's cleaning out his cons this afternoon too. I'd go back and dig it out but its a well known spot and I wouldnt be surprised if someone else was already there working.
( I test panned my tailings 3 times yesterday by the way, no hits. I won't waste time on that any further, I know my bgt catches the gold I put up on the slick plate )
Good luck Matt! Either way you go, I hope you have fun and get that gold!

i would be surprised if he lost it. The A52 is a good sluice box. The picker is probably tucked under the first riffle.
I don't think I have ever seen any visible gold in the bottom half of my A52.
I am thinking about buying a BGT but not for gold retention reasons. I don't think it will hold gold any better.
Maybe not even as good, but to be able to skip the classification process and move twice the material or more should net more gold.

 

[matt_unique]

I'm not able to make it back up to Maine probably until the Fall but thanks for the offer Vaquero44.

 

[vaquero44]

well when you do please let me know i'll try to set up something so you can get a good Idea on set up

 

[Prospector70]

i would be surprised if he lost it. The A52 is a good sluice box. The picker is probably tucked under the first riffle.
I don't think I have ever seen any visible gold in the bottom half of my A52.
I am thinking about buying a BGT but not for gold retention reasons. I don't think it will hold gold any better.
Maybe not even as good, but to be able to skip the classification process and move twice the material or more should net more gold.

Yeah he lost it. He just sent me the pic of his blue bowl cleanup. He moved the sluice or something and out it went. I moved my BGT all over the place, and I didnt lose my lil micro picker. I don't know, you will have to try it out a BGT to see for yourself, or meet up with someone who owns one so you can see how it works.
I'm not saying the Keene sluices arent any good, I have one myself. I'm saying the BGT is better. It's easier to set up and clean out, requires absolutely no classification, and with the additional amount of dirt you move you get way more gold at the end of the day. Every Day.
Seems like anyone's ***** about the BGT is about the need for good water flow, which can usually be fixed by building a proper wing dam, or adding more drop. I've never ran my Keene again after using my BGT, however I've loaned it to plenty of friends who want to come find gold with me.

Best wishes for full pans,
P70

 

[kyleeskastles]

I am searching for sluices to purchase as well and have given both the named sluices some thought. So what folks are saying is i can just dig some dirt out of the side of the creek and dump it straight into a bazooka, nothing else to it? And you cant with the A52?