Simplistic Sluice Modification

[63bkpkr]

I had a chance today to work on modifying my A52 sluice. This is a simple modification, nothing drastic, mostly to see how it functions in the field.

Why: 1) I found it difficult to move unsorted material from the bucket to the sluice in mid stream
2) Separating the heavies from the fines takes extra work, time and it is bad on the back
3) Some sort of sorting of materials is beneficial to sluicing
4) Having a platform attached to the flare that holds a sifting container seemed to make sense. The container slides left & right and is
easy to lift out of its frame. The modification is light in weight and is easy to put on and take off, 8 bolts total but only 4 need to
come out to remove the system from the flare.

Cons: I will have to provide water to the sifter

Also, I added Nylock nuts to all sluice screws and a full time wrench and screw driver attached via cord to the unit. The #2 screw driver and the 7/16" wrench were the smallest and lightest I could find, screw driver from Harbor Freight $1.96 and wrench from Home Depot set of five
wrenches for $5.35 (only bringing the one).

I hope to test the modification late in September, more input then. 63bkpkr

 

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[Hoser John]

Ifn' ya make it to match sluice configuration(end all slop over the sides) and put hinges on 1 side a simple flip will clean the rocks off and no bending over(shovel works great) and a mutzn' and a putzn' and easily 3 X the volume run---John

 

[eureka77]

For me I would try to make it fit the sluice and make the lip around the basket deeper. Just my opinion for the material I work. Good job though.

 

[63bkpkr]

Yuuup to both responses.

Being new to sluicing the modification is minimal to use a screen I already had just to see how it would change the processing of my rough bucket materials. Your points are well taken as the screen would have more water contact and nothing would be lost as is possible now because of the small size of the sorting screen. The removal of the rough material left in the basket after sorting is then the last problem to be addressed such as a hinge to dump the material on the left or right sides of the flare.

Thanks fellas for taking the time to offer suggestions! 63bkpkr

 

[bedrock bubba]

I seldom sluice anymore, but when I do, I drink Dos Equis!

Yes, I am the most uninteresting man in the world!

Seriously, I have had to adapt my techniques to cope with a bad back.
When I sluice, I screen all my gravel into a laundry tub. While I am sittting in a portable chair. Then I tie my cord onto the tub, and float the tub up to where my sluice is. Then I set up the chair again, and feed the gravel into my box. Much easier!

Its best to bring along a helper, that way, you can just sit at the box and feed it, while he does all the digging, and floating the laundry tub back to you. And while you are feeding one bucket, he is busy loading up another bucket to bring back to you. Efficient!

When I am alone, I snipe cracks with my fun gun. Deep sniping, that way I am buoyant in the water, easy on the back. I get a lot more gold sniping than I ever did sluicing...yep! And the cool river keeps me from over heating on a hot summer day.

Work smarter, not harder!

 

[63bkpkr]

Hello to Takoda and Bedrock Bubba,

You are both using larger containers in different ways and I must agree that with a large container one can really look over the rocks and set them up with mostly fines to sluice. I took in a large container once just for panning in as it was much easier and friendlier to pan in the large square container than to pan in the stream, I could even sit down comfortably.

I might have a chance to get at my spot next week IF the weather clears, rain showers forcasted for Fri-Sunday. I will have to consider the large container thoughts to see if they will fit in with the long hike in and out of the canyon I go into. I was just sitting here letting my mind drift on that and realized that if I had a large container filled with water I could set up a simple frame for the sifter pictured with on my sluice and sort the heavies from the fines that way. It would keep me out of the river, I would not need to bend over I would have a comfortable chair to sit in with good back support. SHOOT I even have the bucket already, time to cut some metal! Thanks fellas for sharing your methods as the general idea is possible for me as well.

Wish for clear skies over the Sierras from 19-26 Sept. I will let you know what happens, 63bkpkr.

 

[AU Seeker]

Nice modification to your sluice, you will like it!


Here is a simple sluice screen that requires no tools or modification to your sluice and work well, this is on an A51, it is a paint roller screen that is used in a bucket of paint to remove excess paint from the roller.

Skip

 

[eureka77]

Nice modification to your sluice, you will like it!


Here is a simple sluice screen that requires no tools or modification to your sluice and work well, this is on an A51, it is a paint roller screen that is used in a bucket of paint to remove excess paint from the roller.

Skip

Hey I like that!

 

[63bkpkr]

AU Seeker, I LOVE Innovation and using an article built for an unrelated field for a new field, a paint strainer screen to a sluice screen now that is Neat! Thank you for the suggestion.

On my modification I found that the lower cross bar I added to the A2 really helped in lifting the unit out of the water AND that cross bar should support a paint strainer screen as well. I will add this to my bag of tricks.

Thanks Skip! 63bkpkr