Help catching very flat gold.

[GrizzlyGremlin]

So im working a gravel bar on a sweet inside bend 6 feet from the top of the bar to bedrock. Picture perfect scenario with good gold. My problem is that the bigger gold is super super tinfoil thin. Im running a keene a51 and would have the flakes hit my black mat and stop. Sometimes the flake would dance a little down a rib or two then blow out, sometimes they would stay put for a few scoops then blow out. The riffles didnt catch them either. Over the course of the day my brother and i ran over 12 five gallon pails of dirt classified to 1/2". We watched 1 to 2 of these 1/4" long flat flakes blow out per bucket. Anyone have similar gold issues ever? Such a disappointment. .

 

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[DizzyDigger]

I would try reducing the water flow, as that will allow that small flake to settle
into a riffle, and you can also adjust the slope of the sluice to allow for slower
travel of the material down the riffles. Those bigger flakes ought to park themselves
right on that mat and stay there, and while they might dance a bit, but they should
remain in that V matting.

Not sure how you gauge the correct flow through the sluice, but I generally try to
get the flow to form a big "V", dead center.

Have you got black V matting up front, before the riffles? I use both an A51
and A52, and I honestly think the 51 catches the small stuff better. There's a large,
inside bend in a local river and flood gold collects there every year. It's all in the top
6" of material, and it's as flat and thin as can be. End of the day the front V matting
is loaded with it, and I've never seen any blow out, or show up in the catch pan I put
at the end of the sluice (just to check the outflow).

Also, with gold that small and flat I would classify down to 1/8" before feeding the
sluice, and then save the 1/4"- for panning out separately.

Hopefully several others will chime in here too, as there may be better options than
what I've suggested.

 

[pmgsourdough]

You can cut the water flow, or replace the v matting with 110/1000th of an inch ribbed. The latter has worked for me in catching thin flakey pickers. Slowing the water flow is not an option for me. Slows production. If it wont stay, then let it float away.

 

[63bkpkr]

I can appreciate your problem as I've also had the pleasure of finding a patch of flat flakes though from the sounds of it yours are thinner than mine.

I would think that by reducing the amount of water entering the flare and increasing the angle of the sluice might allow you to hold onto the thin flakes. Start by reducing the water input to the flare. Likely this will cause more fines to build up and if so then steepen the angle of the sluice to allow the smaller amount of water to flow faster and this should clear the fines. This is going to be a touchy operation as everything will need to be just right so it is likely to require the use of easily adjustable legs on the box. As Dizzy Digger mentioned you want to have a "V" in the water at the top of the box. The V will come from the right and left side of the flare so the box needs to be level left to right. With the "V" at the top it will then create an "X" a little further down the box and then repeat til the water exits the box. This V to X pattern indicates the box is setup perfectly level and hence the need for the easily adjustable legs.

With all of this put together the thin flakes should have minimum water fluctuation at the input of the flare and should go over the riffles and settle down in the drop zone at the back of each riffle. I hope this helps as it is discouraging to watch those flakes of gold get dumped back into the river........................63bkpkr

 

[B H Prospector]

Everything said above but I would add that your material should clear out of the box in 15 to 30 seconds. I usr adjustable legs on my a52.

 

[Hoser John]

GG are you sure it's gold and not pyrite?? Catch and check to see with a knife ifn' it cracks,crumbles or just goes crunch under pressure. Don't sound like gold or just waaaay tooo much water but still don't sound right-John

 

[Joel1316]

I've found the same type gold "cheap tinfoil thin gold". It always blows out... When possible I pull/suction it out ASAP into a pan.
This stuff is gold; folds and has a different luster than pyrite.

 

[liftloop]

is there a gold pan under your sluice catching the run off...



liftloop

 

[Fullpan]

There's some flakes that are so thin they act like confetti in a wind storm - and they are too large to nestle down out of the water flow. A very thin pair of tweezers can get them, but it messes up your rythmn of feeding the sluice, so...?

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

I tried catching a flake as it hit the mat and it didnt crumble. Im pretty positive its gold. The pyrite here in NH is pretty dark. As soon as i saw the first one hit i told myself to clean out as i rarely risk a bigger flake but i trusted the riffles instead. I was running fast for sure but had a good v in the flair. Im confident in my equipment but not in common sense i guess lol.

 

[goldog]

I was running fast for sure but had a good v in the flair.

I am also in an area with very flat foil like gold. What works for me is to run the sluice much deeper than most here would recommend. Just below the top of the aluminum. This allows it to be run slower and most of the gold will stay on the ribbed mat or even on the metal at the head. You won't usually get your Vs or Xs but the gold staying put is a good enough indicator to me.