Best way to cut vortex

[okbasspro]

Am looking for the best way to cut vortex mat. I have a 3ft x 100ft roll I need to cut down to resale at local areas. I want good strait cuts so it fits nice. I have cut thick mats before with less than stellar results. Thanx for any help you guys can give me.

 

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[Goodyguy]

Am looking for the best way to cut vortex mat. I have a 3ft x 100ft roll I need to cut down to resale at local areas. I want good strait cuts so it fits nice. I have cut thick mats before with less than stellar results. Thanx for any help you guys can give me.

Easy.... Just use a straight edge and a box cutter (with new blade) and cut from the bottom (backside) of the mat.
I have cut a lot of vortex mat that way and get a perfect cut everytime.

That is the way it was recommended to me by the conveyer belt supply company that I use and it works great.

GG~

 

[Sick4gold]

If this is going to be a regular thing maybe invest in a paper trimmer like the art teacher used to use to cut construction paper back in the day.
Not sure if it's worth the investment or not but sure will cut nice straight lines

Swingline ClassicCut Lite Paper Trimmer - SWI9312

 

[mouseman]

Try gold hog web site he cuts mats all the time

 

[okbasspro]

Easy.... Just use a straight edge and a box cutter (with new blade) and cut from the bottom of the mat.
I have cut a lot of vortex mat that way and get a perfect cut everytime.

That is the way it was recommended to me from the conveyer belt supply company and it works great.
GG~

Thanx GG I will give it a try this is a one time deal.I wanted some mats and will use the rest to help out some fellow miners that cant or do not want to spend the high dollar people charge for Vortex.There is a big GPAA meet at one of the places I go and will offer it to them cheap.Do you cut it long ways down the roll or side to side.I have heard that it is angled towards the center of the belt.

 

[russau]

OK every peice of Vortex matting ive seen has the matting slightly crooked if you look straight down the mat! its made that way for the convyor belts ability to grip the bottoms of the product its moveing. AND Mike Pung says the Vortex matting in the Gold Cube works either way its in this device. it still creates the vortex it needs to save fine gold. and all Vortex matting isnt the same.but they probly all work just fine!

 

[Goodyguy]

Thanx GG I will give it a try this is a one time deal.I wanted some mats and will use the rest to help out some fellow miners that cant or do not want to spend the high dollar people charge for Vortex.There is a big GPAA meet at one of the places I go and will offer it to them cheap.Do you cut it long ways down the roll or side to side.I have heard that it is angled towards the center of the belt.

All rough top conveyor belts are not created equal. As Russ au stated in his post the rows of pockets going across the belt tend to run at a sleight diagonal angle rather than going absolutely straight across the belt.

Some belts have more angle than others, If the rows run at more of an angle than you like you can straighten them out by using a square to line up the rows before cutting the mat from the belt. However if you choose to do that you will waste quite a bit of material depending on how much off square the rows are with the long straight edge of the belting.

To answer your question about which direction to cut the mats off the belt, you want the rows of pockets to go across the mats so that means that the mats will run lengthways of the belt. This should be obvious once you see the belting.


GG~

 

[MikeMike]

I was wanting some for my other dredge highbanker and a stream sluice. Can i get some from you and what sizes can I get from you ?

Thanks

[\/]ike

 

[okbasspro]

I was wanting some for my other dredge highbanker and a stream sluice. Can i get some from you and what sizes can I get from you ? Thanks [\/]ike

Mikemike I can't sell in the forums but if you pm me we can get something worked out bud.

 

[MikeMike]

I'll PM you.

Thanks.

 

[russau]

those paper cutters WONT cut Vortex matting. they have a gauge that will prevent anything that has any thickness to it from going in. UNLESS you remove that (wire)gauge. i have one and tried to cut a peice of 1/8 inch ABS plastic and it wouldnt do it!i thought i was close to breaking the cutter,so i stoped!its not made for anything that is heavy duty or thick!good thought though!

 

[goldhog]

Goodguy is right.

Turn over, use BRAND NEW, blade, cut the back.
Buy the SNAP POINT blades so you can snap a new one often.
Buy a good long T-Square.
And yes........ you'll see the pattern change and NOT be square so I would suggest you try your best.
Most people want it square, just be aware of that.
So, make that clear you square up the sides.... not the top if that makes sense.
Doc

 

[okbasspro]

Thanks Gg Russau and Doc. I will square it up best I can when I resale it will be cheap if they don't like it they don't have to get it. I wanted some for my projects just so happens I got a lot of it. Can't see throwing it out if someone else can use it and I can recover my cost. I will be giving some to friends also.

Many Thanx to everyone

 

[DesertNuggets]

I used a razor on mine and it was easy as pie.

fabric backed vortex.

 

[omnicron]

I love vortex in my under current section of my dredge. It captures to supper fines (micron) gold like there is no tomorrow. With that being said...I was concerned at first that the piece I had was not "square", but it was how it was. It's almost one whole row off but after using it as it was (cut to size) I do not believe it matters.

 

[Goodyguy]

I love vortex in my under current section of my dredge. It captures to supper fines (micron) gold like there is no tomorrow. With that being said...I was concerned at first that the piece I had was not "square", but it was how it was. It's almost one hole row off but after using it as it was (cut to size) I do not believe it matters.

I actually run vortex (rough top conveyor belt) the whole length on all my sluices including on my 4" dredge that has a 16" X 5' sluice and will never go back to miners moss (nomad) or carpet. Of course I am still open to using other mats in addition to the vortex, such as the ones Gold Hog produces.

Although I did cut the vortex mat for my dredge to make the sides square up with the rows ( just because I'm a bit of a perfectionist) and even though the rows of the vortex mats I installed in my DIY gold cube run at a slight diagonal and work great as is, I still may replace them with mats that have perfectly straight rows just because.

GG~

 

[omnicron]

I actually run vortex (rough top conveyor belt) the whole length of all my sluices including on my 4" dredge that has a 16" X 5' sluice and will never go back to miners moss (nomad) or carpet.

Although I did cut it to make the sides square up with the rows ( just because I'm a bit of a perfectionist) and even though the rows of the vortex mats I installed in my DIY gold cube run at a diagonal and work great as is, I still may replace them with mats that have perfectly straight rows just because.

GG~

I've considered removing my 2nd stage riffles completely and running just vortex but fear of missing the one piece of big gold left missed by the old timers stop me! Plus I don't want to spend any more money on this 4" as next years project will be a 6" and am strongly considering gold hog mats. GG I'm kind of the same way, some things really bother me to the point that I "change or fix" it but at 43 years old, I'm learning to choose my battles! lol

 

[Goodyguy]

I've considered removing my 2nd stage riffles completely and running just vortex but fear of missing the one piece of big gold left missed by the old timers stop me! Plus I don't want to spend any more money on this 4" as next years project will be a 6" and am strongly considering gold hog mats. GG I'm kind of the same way, some things really bother me to the point that I "change or fix" it but at 43 years old, I'm learning to choose my battles! lol

Not sure how your system is set up but on mine all the riffles sit down onto the vortex mat. The first six riffles are underneath a punch plate that has 5/16" holes that is spaced 1/2" above those riffles and the last four riffles with no punch plate over them will catch any large gold that gets past the first stage.

Here in Indiana I don't have to worry about any large nuggets getting away but you would be surprised at the size of the lead sinkers I find sitting on the vortex mat behind those last four riffles. I've even found lead sinkers stuck in the holes in the grizzly as well.

Too bad lead isn't worth it's weight in gold

GG~