Bazooka seems the best but can it be improved?!

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Master-Peter

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Apr 19, 2015
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Go for it!!

I'll do, thats sure.

If you want to improve the Bazooka. Only way buy two. To match the conditions. I did makes things so much easier.

If I'd live in the US with cheap freight I'd probably have pulled the trigger at least twice. Unfortunately I come from Europe and have to deal with high freight cost plus high taxes. So the Zooks here would be about twice as much as in the US. At least there self making becomes a option.
 

AMP_kbell

Jr. Member
Aug 5, 2015
47
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Galt, CA
Primary Interest:
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We have a removable tray fluid bed sluice at AMP and we use the squared fluid bed. It actually makes it more difficult to manufacture than the Bazooka.
I am in the process of updating the removable tray system so there aren't currently any videos on our website. The update will be completed by December. I put the old video on our YouTube channel - here is the link: https://youtu.be/Y2YithR76f4
 

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AMP_kbell

Jr. Member
Aug 5, 2015
47
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Actually there wasn't very much material put into the machine. it was about a two gallon bucket plus another half one. I didn't let it clean itself out - I just dumped the bucket in and yanked the tray out. This was one of my old videos I used for instruction demos.
 

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daniel2015

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Sep 28, 2015
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Wow! Now I'm also highly interested in building one of these!
 

Aufisher

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May 12, 2013
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The Golden State
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Whites Goldmaster V/SAT. VibraProbe. Bazooka 48" Prospector Sluice. Shorts. Chickens + Goats + Goldhounds. 35' Chris Craft Caribbean motorsailer. FISH OIL + BURLAP
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I like the removable trap idea but I run all day without clean ups and can see the gold sliding down the plate. I think the Bazooka grizzlies work better as well. There does appear to be a lot of blonde material compared to running 20 buckets through the Bazooka. I dump out 5 gallons buckets in about 30 seconds.
 

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Master-Peter

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Apr 19, 2015
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Wow! Now I'm also highly interested in building one of these!

Hey, great to see another "Kraut" over here. Welcome :occasion14:.

I like the removable trap idea but I run all day without clean ups and can see the gold sliding down the plate. I think the Bazooka grizzlies work better as well. There does appear to be a lot of blonde material compared to running 20 buckets through the Bazooka. I dump out 5 gallons buckets in about 30 seconds.

Jep. From watching the video me too think grizzlies are the way to go.
 

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Master-Peter

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Apr 19, 2015
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Lost treasure in the virtual world :-(

Now when I was just restarting reinventing the wheel my harddisk crashed :BangHead:. So treasure hunting will be quite binary these days. My attitude of "backups are for *****s only" bite me in the ass somehow. So for the next days I'll be trying to salvage data between bad blocks. Then I'll know if my original plans and other more valuable data survived or if I'm simply thrown back to the drawing board ... at least with a new CAD version.

So now I'm enjoying another episode of "Learning by pain". At least I'm happy to have the tools and the background to make it happen. Otherwise I'd loose a lot of valuable data or pay some smarter guys a lot of money.
Here it comes handy that I've been in the computer biz since the first IBM clone hit the market. On the other hand I have to read most documentations at least twice nowadays, to remember only half of them. Price of age or booze or both :icon_scratch:.

Will be back after screening and scatching bits and bytes from a motherf#*$ing Windows7 harddisk that does not even start.
 

daniel2015

Jr. Member
Sep 28, 2015
31
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Can someone with the bazooka prospector please post a picture of the diverter baffle (that one past the grizzly bars). Want to build one myself and want to make sure I have all the details.
And yes I would love to buy one but with all the tax, customs and shipping to europe it gets ridiculously expensive.
 

daniel2015

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Sep 28, 2015
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I've made today a simple design based on the Bazooka Mini Trap Sluice. Everyone with access to a small table top CNC or Laser Cutter could make it. Had to guess the dimensions based on pics and some info from the forum. Here's the preview. Would love to do that for the prospector but need someone who can give me some details.

mini_gold_sluice_trap_small.jpg
 

GFBurke

Jr. Member
Sep 1, 2015
33
19
South Idaho
Detector(s) used
X-Terra 705 gold.
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All Treasure Hunting
To answer the original question, I believe the answer is 'yes'. But only slightly in my case. We only have fine and flat here for the most part. Even 'larger' bits are flat.
I just got my 36in in the mail and this is what I'm doing to it before I even take it out. Makes sense for me, so it's happ'n. I may even do it on my Hog Pan - at least 1/4in mesh (so it's 1/4 square holes instead of long slots).
 

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arizau

Bronze Member
May 2, 2014
2,485
3,870
AZ
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Beach High Banker, Sweep Jig, Whippet Dry Washer, Lobo ST, 1/2 width 2 tray Gold Cube, numerous pans, rocker box, and home made fluid bed and stream sluices.
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Prospecting
To answer the original question, I believe the answer is 'yes'. But only slightly in my case. We only have fine and flat here for the most part. Even 'larger' bits are flat.
I just got my 36in in the mail and this is what I'm doing to it before I even take it out. Makes sense for me, so it's happ'n. I may even do it on my Hog Pan - at least 1/4in mesh (so it's 1/4 square holes instead of long slots).


First I have to say I don't own an original zook. I think that your/the idea of covering the grizzly with mesh will create a problem of smaller stones hanging up and/or clogging the mesh more so than the grizzly already does. Not only is the mesh likely to clog it will probably hang up some of the larger stones thus requiring more hand clearing of the grizzly area. Basically all you are doing here is classifying and the sluice is already self classifying and reportedly capable of capturing fine or flat gold so based on that, your mod is likely not necessary. I cannot imagine how the mod will help capture odd shaped or flat gold anymore than it is already capable of doing despite the size of the introduced material. As an afterthought.....About the only way I can see it helping is if it holds up some rocks that are mud coated (trapping fine gold) long enough for them to better wash IF that is an inherent problem to begin with.

Anyway, good luck and enjoy your new toy.
 

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GFBurke

Jr. Member
Sep 1, 2015
33
19
South Idaho
Detector(s) used
X-Terra 705 gold.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
requiring more hand clearing of the grizzly area.
This will be true! :)
Although, not any different than these other homemade ones being shown in this thread. It works great for people who do it, but the ideal way would be to add in parallel bars in-between the existing bars. I just don't plan on finding 1/4 nuggets! ;)
 

Goldwasher

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May 26, 2009
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Sailor Flat, Ca.
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SDC2300, Gold Bug 2 Burlap, fish oil, .35 gallons of water per minute.
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This will be true! :)
Although, not any different than these other homemade ones being shown in this thread. It works great for people who do it, but the ideal way would be to add in parallel bars in-between the existing bars. I just don't plan on finding 1/4 nuggets! ;)
Howdy:hello:...! That gold trap you have right there:treasurechest:....I built it...or most of it I guess. Its a good one, promise:thumbsup:
The last thing I do before I hand it off to ship is put on the tag to seal the deal. I have no 1/4 inch rabbit hutch wire to send...and even if I did it has no business with your Bazooka. Or bars between the bars. The pebbles that collect and exchange in the trap will do the same thing your imagination is proposing right now!
You live in the Gem State you say....Don't discount 1/4 inch nuggets:tongue3:.....Just shovel into her as is and get to some bedrock.
 

GFBurke

Jr. Member
Sep 1, 2015
33
19
South Idaho
Detector(s) used
X-Terra 705 gold.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
She is sexy... I just have bar envy.
k. FINE. :laughing7: I'll try this on the hogpan and see how the classification differs. Sandy here and those dag'0n large flat rocks!
 

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