Anyone have experience making a hand dredge for cleaning out cracks?

[Oregon Viking]

Reed, that thing is a beast! You mention plans for your hand dredge...link?

 

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[Reed Lukens]

Reed, that thing is a beast! You mention plans for your hand dredge...link?

Here's the original plans, there were pics at one time but I don't have them. Then at the end of my video, where it shows me at home, I give directions and show how I made mine.

"RE: hand dredge / gold trapper"
Author Zooka

In response to Reply # 1

John Adams' design is by far the best and cheapest, under 15 bucks. And it works better, loses less material on the transfer to bucket or sluice, and is more versatile. I have posted his fine instructions before, I think, and here they are again:
( I am typing the text as that page didnt scan well. )
John says:
"These tips should help:
-The length of the sucker should be long enough that when you pull it back it doesn't pop out the back. THe shaft should be long enough that when you close it you dont smash your fingers. I am 5'8" and my 2 inch is 5'4" to the 45 degree bend and the main shaft is 5'2"

-When you pull it back it does not have to be done fast, just remember to turn the whole thing a little this is the most important part of handsucking.

- Don't worry about how the foam rubber looks just make it a little tight and cut the humps with scizzors till it works smoothly and leave it wet no nbeed to dry the foam only kakes it rot faster.The reason I like fishing line wrapped around the foam is because it works well and can be changed easily and it may take you a couple of trys to get the fit right, but at the price who cares.

-I push the end around in the gravel to feel the crevices and also scoot up the small creeks sucking behind the rocks grabbing the easy flakes first. I set my 1/2 inch classifyer on my blue pan and suck right into it and pan. Also can set a bucket with a rock in it under water with my pan on it.
-Once you see how much these wil pick up you'll see where a short three incher would work. A long 3 is too much for me because of the weight of it when it is full. Even a short one will make using a shovel underwater seem silly. A long 3 say 8 ' is a silent underwater dredge but it takes 2 to 3 people to use.

I hope these work as well for you as they have for me. The one has sucked me 1 1/2 ounces."
Z says:
John is absolutely right on all this stuff.
THe motion one uses with the 45 degree bend is the real trick and that 45 and what it doesfor you is what sets this one apart. As you finish the pull, twist the tube upside down, so the 45 is now facing up, this really cuts down on the material falling back out of the tube as you transfer it to a bucket.
Also, you can feed a stream sluice directly with one of these. Talk about fast way to move gravel! And you can make attachments to get into crevices that you screw on if you put a threaded end on the bottom. Soft or hard PVC end pieces, for the tiny cracks where the gold is thickest.

Then here's the link to that whole thread
Prospectors Cache Forum - Viewing topic #55041 - hand dredge / gold trapper

Then here's my video again and it starts about 26:45

 

[Reed Lukens]

Good evidence,

Watch these videos, and hundreds like them carefully. They show how little material, at great physical expense can be moved by suckers of any type or quality. It is a VERY, VERY HARD WAY TO GET NOTHING unless the material is rich. And as we all know, it rarely is. Sure, you can get some gold by any method. Personally, I like the Gold n Sand quality and design. The flow valves are indispensable in my humble opinion. It is fun....just sayin.

No intent to bad-mouth anyones methods, preferences or products. Just trying to help those who are thinking of making or buying a hand dredge, manage their expectations and find storage space for it... For craftsmen, I would recommend building your own as there is a wealth of information out there. Take the advice of buying quality key components. Start with a very small one. It may end up being your favorite!

Best regards to all, Thurman

I see you're in Florida... We started building a lot more hand dredges out here basically when dredging was outlawed in 2009, it's what we have and it works good here where we have lots of fine gold from the hydraulic pits in the Bear river. I mean... I went from an 8" suction dredge where I could get an ounce every hour in many places to this hand dredge... So you can see our frustrations here but this one works really well if you have a spot that has a lot of fine gold. I've used them for years and basically found that for me, here on the Bear River, which is where I made it for - the bigger> the better. This sucker will pull twice as much or more in 1 load as a shovel will under water and the gold doesn't get washed off. Plus it classifies the material to -3". For here, in this river, this works well

 

[deserdog]

Exactly Reed! The ones I use move much more material than a shovel from underwater. Someplace I put up a bunch of pictures showing how much a super sucker will move per stroke. Showed the material unclassified and then classified.

 

[deserdog]

Another advantage of a super sucker is that you can set your sluice up, and collect material from an area all around. When you turn up the 45, you will not lose material. Try carrying a shovel full of material very far. Or, to me which is worse, fill up your buckets, and then have to empty them into the sluice. Having to handle your material twice is a real production killer!

 

[Oregon Viking]

Thanks Reed!! I have a God-N-Sand but it wears you out! As I watch your vids....it can not even come close to what your beast will do. And being 6' 5" I can make the shaft longer.
Thanks!!
Has anyone tried to put a check valve system on one of these?

 

[deserdog]

I found a post of the test, it is in the gold prospecting section.

 

[Reed Lukens]

Thanks Reed!! I have a God-N-Sand but it wears you out! As I watch your vids....it can not even come close to what your beast will do. And being 6' 5" I can make the shaft longer.
Thanks!!
Has anyone tried to put a check valve system on one of these?

Being 6'5" you should be able to hold a piece of 4" ABS. I can barely hold a 4" and like stated in the Ashworth article, a 6" would really kick it if you are big enough and added a handle. I would make it at least as long as your arms. One of the key pieces is the chair. It takes everything you have to move that back and forth to the sluice. Also for me, the 1½" expanded makes a difference in my sluice as well but if you run a Bazooka, then the 3 or 4" would be perfect As far as the check valve, if you have read that entire link then it talks about the check valve and for one that size and for speed, the 45° works great.

 

[utah mason]

I built a couple of hand dredges. I made two different lengths depending on what I'm doing. 2" pipe. I put check valves in and and about 10' of hose running to bucket. I used the rubber plumbing test plugs for the seal. I tried two different plunger post. One from PVC like all the others. On the other I used a piece of all thread the same size as bolt that runs through. Works ok, if I had do it again I would stick with pvc. Only one more adjustment. On the bucket lid where extra water flows out I'm going to put in ptrap, so when you knock over bucket you don lose all your material

 

[KevinInColorado]

I love the p-trap idea!

You can buy specially designed check valves, built just for our use at gold-n-sand.com

They sell whole pumps but are also happy to just sell parts like valves and seals. Run by Red Wilcox of Gold Cube fame

 

[utah mason]

I'll check out their check values, the ones I bought were about the cheapest ones they have a lowes. Working good now but for how long remains to be seen.