Blue Bowl Techniques

[Millz90]

So i finally got my Blue Bowl set up and running but i wanted to get opinions of others that have ran a Bllue Bowl to make sure everything is running like it should be....lol

The first thing i did was classify the materials down to 70 mesh. Then i put a scoup in the bowl and turned it on until i seen the blondes moving. It looked great but then when i went back and looked again it started looking like a star but it took a LONG time.
So i started doing a little more research and a few videos on YouTube said to have the water about a 1/2" from the top of the bowl.....Well i tried this and it picked up the blondes alright as well as EVERYthing else in the bowl. So im assuming that was to fast......?

I am really looking for fines so i thought i should be running it just above the actual hole in the bowl....is that correct? and it will just take a long time? Did i have to much material maybe?

Any advise would be appreciated.

 

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[Asmbandits]

I have a blue bowl and this is my input on using it, I thought it worked more on its own as you put your cons in and run it and it seperates and done deal but this is not the case. The best way to use it properly is to be patient, start slow and seperate in stages. I Made a mark about half way up the bowl, this is where I bring the water level, to seperate the blondes. Run it a few times at this level, between each time use a snuffer bottle to blow the cons to the outer edge, then bring the water level to the mark, always watch it, it's not a good idea to set and walk away.. once you have just black sand and gold again blow the material to the outer edge then carefully add flow until you start to see the black sand move away, your gold should stay put, it may move very little but as long as it's separated enough that you can snuffer it without sucking up black sand it's done its job. I think of it more like panning but without the physical labor. Hope this helps.

 

[Millz90]

Yeah thanks! I never really walk away but it is a slow process. Does ur process catch 50's and 100's. Just wondering if im wasting my time because thats about all im finding is smalls

 

[Asmbandits]

Yeah thanks! I never really walk away but it is a slow process. Does ur process catch 50's and 100's. Just wondering if im wasting my time because thats about all im finding is smalls

Yes it will catch all of it down to the smallest spec, yet the smaller the gold the more time and work it is to separate. What I do is pan my cons until I have just black sands and gold, then pick/suck out the easy stuff and throw the rest in another container and run that through the blue bowl on a rainy day. Usually once you get it down to black sand and you run it until you see the black sand in a spiral formation you are pretty much done, the gold should be separated enough around this stage that you can snuffer it. If you try to run it until all the black sand is gone usually the gold mostly ends up in the black sand or out of the bowl with it. This is my experience at least..

 

[specksandflecks]

I have a few 5-6? gallons of blue bowl tailings that I need to re-run. Mostly because I was impatient and didn't classify down far enough. Hand classifying 30 50 100 mesh has always been one of my least favorite mining related things to do.No different than anything else though pay now or later...

-50 Should be an interesting test for my letrap setup. I know it can recover since it already has, interesting part will be how well it can separate from heavies.

BB is a great little clean up device, to get the most out of you might want to concentrate>BB or even concentrate>concentrate>BB.

 

[Rdg Sluicer]

I have a blue bowl and this is my input on using it, I thought it worked more on its own as you put your cons in and run it and it seperates and done deal but this is not the case. The best way to use it properly is to be patient, start slow and seperate in stages. I Made a mark about half way up the bowl, this is where I bring the water level, to seperate the blondes. Run it a few times at this level, between each time use a snuffer bottle to blow the cons to the outer edge, then bring the water level to the mark, always watch it, it's not a good idea to set and walk away.. once you have just black sand and gold again blow the material to the outer edge then carefully add flow until you start to see the black sand move away, your gold should stay put, it may move very little but as long as it's separated enough that you can snuffer it without sucking up black sand it's done its job. I think of it more like panning but without the physical labor. Hope this helps.

I have spent a lot of time this winter playing with my BB just to get it figured out. Mostly running old cons that were not suppose to have gold. Your description is pretty much right on good job.

 

[Millz90]

So when u say you made a mark half way up the bowl is that like a little over the funnel part?

 

[Oakview2]

How to Process Gold Concentrate

 

[Asmbandits]

So when u say you made a mark half way up the bowl is that like a little over the funnel part?

I spent quite a bit of time playing with the flow and running cons, for the material that im running it seems that running the water level constant at my mark of 3" from the bottom of the bowl does the best job of separating out everything but gold and black sand. After ive ran it down to just black sand cons I switch out my tailings bucket and separate that carefully and end up with just black sand and gold. I then save the black sand and also save the heavier black sands that remain in the bowl in a separate container. The picture with the gold shows what it looks like when ive completed separation ( actually this photo I just panned down a few samples at the water and sucked up the fines in the snuffer and and ran quick when I got home so there is still lighter sands in it). This is what it should look like, also the finer the gold the more sand you may end up with still in the bowl, you just want to remove it far enough to suck it up with a snuffer is what you should keep in mind.

 

[AzViper]

I had a blue bowl setup as seen in this video and sold it. At the time I thought it was the ticket until I built the Miller Table. Built a Miller Table and never looked back. The bowl is slow and picky on the water level.

​

 

[delnorter]

Nice workmanship AzViper. I recently had the pleasure of trying the miller table you made for Jeff95531.

I do have a couple questions;

I see the one in the picture above the matting is only along the bottom of the sluice. On the one Jeff has, the matting goes up the sides of the sluice as well. Is there a benefit of one over the other? Ease of installation?

Can you briefly explain how to best install the cap and glass vial through the sluice bottom and mat?

For those interested, this miller table really is an easy tool to separate your gold from black sands. Right down to really small gold. Just brush the gold into the vial. I'm going to build one.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[QNCrazy]

When I bring my cons home, immediately classify to -30, -50, and -100. I level the bowl run water and check level. Then I add 1/2 cup at most of -30 material, let it settle, and check level one last time. For -30 I run the water at the top edge of the bowl. For -50 a 1/4" from the top of the bowl. For -100 1/2" from the top of the bowl. -30 and -50 clean out really good. -100 are harder to remove all the black sand. I sometimes use a magnet after the blue bowl.

 

[Millz90]

Thanks for all the info. Huge help!

I think a lot of my problem is that the dirt is really clay like. Its the gray thick stuff and it just piles up and needs broke up it seems.

 

[Goldwasher]

1. Come home from creek stop truck open camper
2. go inside assure wife you are alive, retreive beer
3. go to clean up shack turn on blue bowl (instructions used for fire long ago worthless)
4. go back to truck get pack
5. check blue bowl its running at about 3/8 of an inch below rim perfect.
6. classify making a 30 mesh a 50 mesh and a 100 mesh batch.
7. put 30+ in pan set pan next to your panning tub(if you insist on blue bowl then crank it up to almost overflow)
8. add a tablespoon of -30 (original setting!) go pan a little come back add tablespoon go pan repeat
9.for - 50 drop water 1/4 inch repeat above feeding 3/4 of a tablespoon at a time for -100 a little less water a little slower feed.
10. after each batch and snuffing session run everything(gold) all sizes together at the low setting. Snuff again. I have a leaverite snuffer I use to get the pesky stubborned stuff after I've removed the gold. And I use it to get the last b.s. out of my finish pan its easy to recheck dumped in a pan later.

After years of using the blue bowl from desert to mountains I can do the above in 30 to 45 minutes ( dredge cons take longer)

I have a brass faucet and pvc pipe so I can have precise adjustment, and always run a battery with a charger. And at least a 750gph pump I use an 1100gph now.
The key is feed rate and letting material clear your more likely to lose fines if you add material to a pile of b.s. that is very dense and stratified already.

I have used a blue bowl to seperate thousands of dollars of gold from other heavies and I bet that I've " lost " less than 20. Believe me I've checked I got over it.

I do have a black magic I want to set up and try out if I can make it faster I'll switch.

 

[Millz90]

When I bring my cons home, immediately classify to -30, -50, and -100. I level the bowl run water and check level. Then I add 1/2 cup at most of -30 material, let it settle, and check level one last time. For -30 I run the water at the top edge of the bowl. For -50 a 1/4" from the top of the bowl. For -100 1/2" from the top of the bowl. -30 and -50 clean out really good. -100 are harder to remove all the black sand. I sometimes use a magnet after the blue bowl.

How long do you run it and do you do it in phases. Run for a while lnow everything back to the outer edge?

Im wonder more about the 100 @ 1/2" from the top.

 

[AzViper]

Mike,

Not to hijack this thread I will reply to you PM. Blue Bowl has been overcome by technology where simple is better. Watch for my PM.

 

[AzViper]

From BH Prospector on running con in a Blue Bowl:

This is how I do it dog and I don't loose any gold. I classify my cons to 1/4, 1/8, -20, -30, -50, and -100. I first run the -30 by putting one 1/2 cup of material in the bowl. The water should be running up to the brim. run all of each classification before starting the next. Then run the -50 at one tablespoon at a time and drop the water lever 1/4". Then run the -100 also uwsing the tablespoon and drop the water level another 1/4" or 1/2" from the brim. Run each scoop until there is very little left then add the next scoop. When done with each classification just let it run until all that is left is the gold. Clean the bowl after eash classification. The vortex will pull all of the light sand and black sand out leaving just gold.

 

[yotaboy86]

I run my beach sand cons from my gold cube in the BB all at once which is about a cup and run the water level about an inch from the top until i am down to a little gold ring thats about 80% gold 20% black sand i then snuffer it out and separate in my pan which takes seconds and the beach gold is all -100. I find that the beach gold really sticks to the bb..i havent tried my black magic (miller table) yet on beach cons i dont care to much for it

 

[yotaboy86]

Nice workmanship AzViper. I recently had the pleasure of trying the miller table you made for Jeff95531.

I do have a couple questions;

I see the one in the picture above the matting is only along the bottom of the sluice. On the one Jeff has, the matting goes up the sides of the sluice as well. Is there a benefit of one over the other? Ease of installation?

Can you briefly explain how to best install the cap and glass vial through the sluice bottom and mat?

For those interested, this miller table really is an easy tool to separate your gold from black sands. Right down to really small gold. Just brush the gold into the vial. I'm going to build one.

Thanks,
Mike

Hey mike i would be willing to get rid of my black magic miller table if you are interested it does not have a spot for a vial though

 

[delnorter]

Hey Keith, understood. Thank you for the PM.

Yotaboy86, thank you for the offer, but as I work for the highway department I have access to unwanted aluminum highway signs and thought I'd try my hand at building a table. You know, the tinkerer thing.

Mike