Gold Nugget Bucket

DizzyDigger

Gold Member
Dec 9, 2012
5,854
11,608
Concrete, WA
Detector(s) used
Nokta FoRs Gold, a Gold Cube, 2 Keene Sluices and Lord only knows how many pans....not to mention a load of other gear my wife still doesn't know about!
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
When I lived in Alaska I had caught fish on a bare hook.... just jigged it along a little....... Man I miss those days.... There you actually went catchin instead of fishin....:laughing7:
On Prince of Whales Island the easiest fish I ever got was a coho salmon with my gaff. It had nosed into a V of rocks and the tide had gone out to a point he had no where to go.... just reached down and picked him out with the gaff.

Bare hook? Sounds like you were fishing for Sockeye. Just a bare red hook
trolled behind a small flasher and they'll pounce on it. Guess it mimics the
shrimp they eat.

Had a day on my beach some years back, and the Coho were so
thick in the river that while you were casting for one, another one
would be resting in the eddy created by the water whirling around
your legs/waders.

When the Chum are running a guy can wear himself out real quick;
soon as you release one you're hooked up again. They run 12#-25#,
and are like trying to haul in a pickup truck that wants to go the
other direction....:occasion14:
 

mulletator

Jr. Member
May 16, 2015
98
118
British Columbia
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Just another "Gizmo"... Mining equipment is a lot like fishing lures..... It catches more miners than gold........:laughing7:

You said it. In the Klondike gold rush the guys who made the real money were the outfitters. Not much has changed.

This looks like a neat product. It looks a little flimsy if you ask me. I don't think it would hold up to the rugged trips that I usually go on. It might make a good concentrator to use in your garage though. Hard to say without a field trial though.
 

ohiochris

Full Member
May 6, 2009
182
48
This bucket system is an interesting idea. I already use a classifier in a bucket and then pan what gets washed to the bottom , but the funnel and fluid bed like action in the cup may just take it a step farther and reduce the amount that has to be panned afterwards. Though my problem is just about all the gold in my area is super fine thin flakes or specks that may float or wash out of that cup at the bottom.
 

SunshineMiner

Full Member
Jun 2, 2014
230
252
Someplace Sunny, California
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Garrett Infinium LS
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Prospecting
That was another thing I was thinking about Ohiochris. Has anyone used this, multiple times, and gotten some decent fines/tiny flat flates that have a tendency to float, out of it?

If he cuts the price to $25 I'll demo it and make a video for the guy >.>
 

jcazgoldchaser

Hero Member
May 8, 2012
899
515
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting


I've thought about making one from 5 and a 3 gal stacking buckets.

rotopan.jpg
 

Oregon Viking

Gold Member
Jan 6, 2014
12,289
38,127
Brookings-Harbor Oregon
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White's prizm IV
Keene A52 with Gold Hog mats
Gold-N-Sand hand dredge
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The inventor was on Shark Tank and now has an investor. They want to sell them at Walmart, Cabela's etc.
price might go down....or..it might go up!
 

Truffles_EOD

Full Member
Aug 4, 2013
143
52
Sarajevo
Detector(s) used
Started with Garrett AT/Gold, 2 x Scuba Tectors for shallow water while swimming along the beaches, now have Equinox 800 and starting to find decent items!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I finally have mine out of customs! will hopefully trial it in the next week or two...
 

et1955

Hero Member
Jan 10, 2015
913
1,784
Shoreline,wa
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Equinox 800
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Awe the great rotopan, bought one when they first came out, all I can say is that it is a great classifier, good also when working clay gravels. When I used it some gold did stay in the trap but the majority of gold went into the bucket and this was course gold I was mining.
 

jcazgoldchaser

Hero Member
May 8, 2012
899
515
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Awe the great rotopan, bought one when they first came out, all I can say is that it is a great classifier, good also when working clay gravels. When I used it some gold did stay in the trap but the majority of gold went into the bucket and this was course gold I was mining.
Where do you think the fine gold will go in that nugget bucket?
 

arizau

Bronze Member
May 2, 2014
2,485
3,871
AZ
Detector(s) used
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.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
More rounded pieces will likely settle and stay. Flattened "foil" pieces may float/skate out though many will stay. Just the nature of the beast.
 

The Gilded Lens

Sr. Member
Oct 13, 2014
476
815
The Sierra Nevadas
Detector(s) used
Garrett 14" Pan, Garrett 15" Super Sluice Pan, Bazooka 36" Sniper,
Hand Dredge
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Dizzy... Now that you say that.. That might not be a bad item to have on hand when you're in a Hands and Pans only area! This would be your bucket/classifier and you still have your pan! You're legal! A BGT would be illegal in such places. There is a place here in California called Knights Ferry that still has some good gold in it. Unfortunately it is a hands and pan area only. I'm thinking this would have actually done me some good as I probably could have processed more material!

A lot of the "hands and pans" areas near me are literally, hands and pans. You are only allowed to dig with your pan, nothing else. No scoops, shovels or trowels. The whole point it to keep you out of there. This bucket contraption would get you into trouble on the Yuba.
 

Oregon Viking

Gold Member
Jan 6, 2014
12,289
38,127
Brookings-Harbor Oregon
Detector(s) used
White's prizm IV
Keene A52 with Gold Hog mats
Gold-N-Sand hand dredge
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All Treasure Hunting
A lot of the "hands and pans" areas near me are literally, hands and pans. You are only allowed to dig with your pan, nothing else. No scoops, shovels or trowels. The whole point it to keep you out of there. This bucket contraption would get you into trouble on the Yuba.

This brings up a question about my favorite river the Smith. (Hands and pans) only.
Doc (Gold hog) has this.

Large Gold Pan - The Hog Pan

It is considered a gold pan. so....does the Forest circus/BLM also?
I have a Garrett 15" super sluice...so I can dig with it?
I can move a lot of material being a "hefty" individual:laughing7:
So is there a limit to how much material you can move with a pan?
Garrett super sluice is just a shovel without a handle. And it's green...:laughing7:
 

The Gilded Lens

Sr. Member
Oct 13, 2014
476
815
The Sierra Nevadas
Detector(s) used
Garrett 14" Pan, Garrett 15" Super Sluice Pan, Bazooka 36" Sniper,
Hand Dredge
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
This brings up a question about my favorite river the Smith. (Hands and pans) only.
Doc (Gold hog) has this.

Large Gold Pan - The Hog Pan

It is considered a gold pan. so....does the Forest circus/BLM also?
I have a Garrett 15" super sluice...so I can dig with it?
I can move a lot of material being a "hefty" individual:laughing7:
So is there a limit to how much material you can move with a pan?
Garrett super sluice is just a shovel without a handle. And it's green...:laughing7:

Exactly!!! I need to bend a metal pan and have someone weld a handle to it and ta da! PanScoop Pro! ©Gilded
Who has a welder?
 

arizau

Bronze Member
May 2, 2014
2,485
3,871
AZ
Detector(s) used
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.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I received a nugget bucket as a gift last year and my first thought was since I have a lot of other equipment I would never use it.

I set it up yesterday just to test it and I am impressed with it's apparent efficiency. I first took about 3 gallons of unclassified sand, silt and gravel from a wash next to my house, ran about a gallon of it then mixed in about a tablespoon of oregon beach sand (all minus 100 mesh mostly black sand) and finished up the run. I dried and classified the concentrates and panned the minus 100 mesh. Found one tiny color and that is about what I usually get when panning the bare black sand that I added since it has already been panned. I kept those concentrates with the one color left in to add to my next test. To make my next test a tougher one, I screened about 3 more gallons of wash material to minus 1/8" and repeated the test adding about a tablespoon more of the beach sand and my previous concentrates. I dried and classified the new cons and panned the minus 100 mesh. Results: 3 minus 100 mesh gold colors. This was not a conclusive test but it is enough to impress me. My guess is it will likely catch anything larger than 100 mesh and it appears to be capable of catching most of the gold smaller than 100 mesh too.

I recirculated water by setting it up elevated in a black mixing tub from Ace and scooped the water with a bucket. The second test took only about 10 to 15 minutes max to run so it probably can compete, volume wise, with some motorized recirc sluice systems (?)

I forgot to add above that I added a handfull of marbles to the catch bowl. According to the instructions, a handfull of marble sized rocks is recommended when running sands.
 

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greydigger

Bronze Member
Mar 28, 2008
1,360
33
Aloha, Orygun
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wishing stick
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Other
Just heard about this today cause I left TV on and Shark Tank came on with sound off and it caught my eye. Read most of the posts. Some mentioned the floaties going away but how do you put Jet Dry in a sluice anyway ? I may have to try this as I can get the grandkids to do the heavy lifting and pan it later at home :)
The bucket lined with a hefty bag can be used as a toilet also. Just a thought....
 

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arizau

Bronze Member
May 2, 2014
2,485
3,871
AZ
Detector(s) used
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.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Just heard about this today cause I left TV on and Shark Tank came on with sound off and it caught my eye. Read most of the posts. Some mentioned the floaties going away but how do you put Jet Dry in a sluice anyway ? I may have to try this as I can get the grandkids to do the heavy lifting and pan it later at home :)
The bucket lined with a hefty bag can be used as a toilet also. Just a thought....

I would say excellent choice for kids. Might do a clean up or two while saving concentrates for better cleanup at home. The glint of gold in the pan at the creek may give them incentive to keep digging and loading.

Have fun with the grandkids.
 

Truffles_EOD

Full Member
Aug 4, 2013
143
52
Sarajevo
Detector(s) used
Started with Garrett AT/Gold, 2 x Scuba Tectors for shallow water while swimming along the beaches, now have Equinox 800 and starting to find decent items!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Any recent reviews of the Nugget Bucket? I've yet to really test it, hoping to try it out in the next week or two out here though.
 

HardHatMatt

Full Member
Mar 15, 2016
139
204
Colorado
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Saw they are now carrying these at Sportsman's Warehouse...I believe it was something like $119.99, for anyone who may be interested.
 

KevinInColorado

Gold Member
Jan 9, 2012
7,037
11,370
Summit County, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Grizzly Goldtrap Explorer & Motherlode, Gold Cube with trommel or Banker on top, Angus Mackirk Expedition, Gold-n-Sand Xtream Hand pump
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Saw they are now carrying these at Sportsman's Warehouse...I believe it was something like $119.99, for anyone who may be interested.

The price has gotten better, nice to see!
 

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