Hibanking for fine gold

[Astrobouncer]

Just a short little video I put together when I was hibanking today. Didn't find anything big but that's how it goes sometimes. Working some private property.

 

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[gold nuggets]

Maybe it's just the way the camera shows the water flow down the sluice part of the high banker Astrobouncer, but it looks like there is more than plenty water coming off the end. What did you find in the rubber tub at the end of the sluice when you checked it for gold loss? Just curious..........Gold Nuggets

 

[Underburden]

I have to agree with Nuggets, water looks way too fast in the video. I'd definately re-run the tailings.
Noticed you got more gold when you took some slope out of the box...I used to run my Proline near flat when processing flood gold. Also ran the motor at less than half throttle.
Love your vids, keep them coming.

Bob

 

[Astrobouncer]

I only found 8 little -100 mesh in that back cement mixer tray, and one +60 mesh.But I still agree with both of you, I think its blowing some (perhaps many) fines out of that tray as well. The test pans didnt match what was in my cleanups. But I didnt find a lot in the rock tailings either. Still there should have been more fines in there. I was averaging 6 to 15 fines a pan, so there should have been a lot more in there after 7+ buckets. The problem is that hibanker isnt setup for just fines, its allowing bigger then 1/2 inch rocks in there. And the punch plate should extend another foot at least. I cant slow the water down any cause I need that speed to get rid of the 1/2 inch gangue. The real solution is better classification but its not my highbanker so I gotta make do. Tomorrow I will try to flatten it some more and see how that does, plus run a smaller sluice under the back that classifies to 1/4 inch.

 

[Goodyguy]

Since all the gold is fine it may be worth classifying your material before you run it. Or since It's not your equip. you could easily put a 1/4" inch hardware cloth over top of the 1/2" factory grizzly as an easily removable temporary fix. Then you could adjust the flow and or angle as you watch how the material moves down the sluice

GG~

 

[russau]

well done Astro! but slowing that pump down and placeing a rubber damper on the feedend of the sluice will help flaten your water/deplete the air/trubidity and help the fine gold to drop out of suspension.but your pans are looking good!and tep, id rerun the tailings!

 

[TerryC]

Pretty good pan for just 7 buckets.... maybe..... raise the highbanker up with a couple of 4x4's so you can put a sluice at the end to catch the fines. TTC

 

[Astrobouncer]

Thanks for the comments guys. Russau I recommended that same stuff to the owner of the hibanker (about the rubber damper). Also Goodyguy, great minds think alike, check out my part 2:



I only got to get out for 3 hours today so only ran once. Lots of fines again. There was only 6 -100 mesh in the back tub when I panned it out. I tested the material I was hibanking by panning out a full half of a five gallon bucket and it just didnt have as much gold in there as I thought it would. So I dont think I was losing much after all, just the ground was not as good as the couple test pans seemed to indicate. Anyway hope you guys enjoy. I know its a short video but I didnt have much time today.

 

[Goodyguy]

I always enjoy seeing gold in the pan!
To me that's a pretty fair haul for only three hours work single handed.

Wish I could find a place up here in Indiana that would supply a yield like that.

GG~

 

[russau]

i wish that stream was in my backyard! heck id invite everyone over for a party! BYOP!

 

[Goodyguy]

i wish that stream was in my backyard! heck id invite everyone over for a party! BYOP!

Have Pan Will Travel
GoodyGuy~

 

[Oakview2]

Astro

I recall that you built some fluid traps in the past. What if you ran all your sluice material into the trap given the amount of fines. Looks to be 100 +- in your panned material from the tub. I often go to a spot with lots of gold in the 70 to -100 and have thought of doing the same thing. Good health and good hunting... Ps thanks for the videos, love seeing your creeks and rivers in your state and of course the results...

 

[Goodyguy]

Astro

I recall that you built some fluid traps in the past. What if you ran all your sluice material into the trap given the amount of fines. Looks to be 100 +- in your panned material from the tub. I often go to a spot with lots of gold in the 70 to -100 and have thought of doing the same thing. Good health and good hunting... Ps thanks for the videos, love seeing your creeks and rivers in your state and of course the results...

Oakview,

I can tell you from first hand experience that is a great idea : fluid bed at end of sluice

Here is another: Add a trap

 

[russau]

GG i agree with the fluidbed on the tailings side of the HB sluice. i had one i made on the tailings side of my O/U 4 inch dredge and that location wasnt very good! as the FB loads up with BS and fine gold it gets heavy,very heavy, and you can just imagine what comes next!im wanting todo a midsection FB on another O/U sluice

 

[Goodyguy]

GG i agree with the fluidbed on the tailings side of the HB sluice. i had one i made on the tailings side of my O/U 4 inch dredge and that location wasnt very good! as the FB loads up with BS and fine gold it gets heavy,very heavy, and you can just imagine what comes next!im wanting todo a midsection FB on another O/U sluice

I think most homemade fluid bed traps have way too much capacity. I doubt they should ever be over 1" deep and hold no more than a pound of concentrates, after all if it's placed at the end of a sluice it only needs to catch the runaways.

With that in mind I have an idea to just add 3/16" punch plate at the end of the sluice with a length of vortex mat under it to catch the strays. That way the tailings just go right off the end and you don't have to add an additional hose to supply a fluid bed.

Instead of a fluid bed trap It'll be an over under vortex bed trap. I'll post photos when I have it completed and tested
I've been thinking about it for awhile. Time to git er done.

GG~

 

[Astrobouncer]

Hey guys here's part 3. I have panned, re-panned and checked tailings much more then is shown on the video, losses are beyond minimal. I went through and dug the tailings for half an hour the other day panning them and barely found 4 specs. In my opinion its not worth adding a fluid bed with so little loss. I have done that in the past on some of my other highbankers, and it just aint worth it on this one for what im losing. The highbanker is setup slightly different than even what is in this latest video as that was a couple days ago and I have since flattened it out some more. Also the flow might look fast, but if you put your finger in there, its less turbulence then even how I run my sluices. I have episode 4 done as well (with even less loss then the 2 -100 mesh found on this one) but I am going to wait a couple days to upload that episode. In this episode you can see how little loss it has as of a couple days ago. Anyway hope you enjoy and thanks for the comments.

 

[Goodyguy]

You did say in an earlier post on this thread that the highbanker you are using has a vortex mat in it correct?
If so, then that could explain why you were experiencing such little gold loss, even though the highbanker was not set to maximum efficiency early on.

Still though..... I hate to see even 1 tiny speck in my tailings up here in glacial gold country

GG~

 

[Astrobouncer]

Yeah it has vortex matting where the normal rubber matting would be, under the punch plate. Then miners moss over grooved carpeting after the punch plate and under the hungarian riffles. I know what you mean about gold losses, but this area is flat loaded, there's gold everywhere you pan. Almost any spot has gold there, its just most of it is small. In fact, I have yet to do a pan from that area that has no gold in it, except for in the tailings.

 

[Goodyguy]

I'm sure that I could learn to live with acceptable losses in those conditions
Be thankful you don't have to work all day for a half gram like most prospectors in Indiana do, that is unless they are running a dredge

 

[nsdq]

cool happy high banking