Bazooka - Ribbed Mat in the Slick Plate?

[alienbogey]

I picked up my pair of Bazooka's today and, looking at them, I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to put in a short strip of ribbed plastic matting on the slick plate just below where the material will be dumped.

My thought is that it would be used as a tell-tale, i.e. it would hold some color, if there is any, to give you an idea how you're doing with the material you're running.

I did this with the flare on my aluminum sluice and it works great—if I'm not seeing color there after running some buckets then I probably need to find a new spot.

I'm worried that with the out-of-sight gold trap on the Bazooka I'd have to pull the whole sluice out of the creek to empty it into a bucket, then pan the cons, just to get a quick how-am-I-doing check on things.

Experienced Bazooka guys: Thoughts?

 

[Astrobouncer]

I would recommend you don't do it. I tried it on a couple I built and it caused material to hang up meaning I had to bend down and clear it by hand lots more then usual, especially with big rocks. And it didnt work as an inspection mat because the bigger unclassified rocks just blew out everything in it as it passed down the sluice then stopped at the mat. Sample with a pan, and once you find ground good enough to sluice then work it with a bazooka.

 

[Goodyguy]

Astrobouncer is exactly right. Always use your pan to locate pay streaks before going into production.


GG~

 

[alienbogey]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I understand sampling with a pan before setting the sluice up. However, I'm talking about keeping an eye on how things are going while working that spot, or trying a new spot within reach of the sluice where it is already set up.

With my ribbed matting on the flare of my aluminum sluice bigger colors and pickers show up. I keep track of them. Say, a half hour of shoveling and I have 3 visible flakes. Another half hour and 6 flakes, another and 9 flakes—the spot is still producing. Another hour and no flakes—it's gone dry. I can tell without doing a cleanup on the sluice and going through the hassle of taking it all apart, panning the cons, putting it all back together, and getting it replaced and tuned to the water flow.

Now, on the one hand the Bazooka should have a much quicker clean up so maybe it won't be such a pain to take it out and check the cons, but on the other hand the boil box is completely out of sight. Thus, my desire to again have a visible how's-it-going indicator.

But, as I said, thanks for the replies. I may give it a try anyway, and I might end up taking it out just as Astrobouncer did.

By the way, Astrobouncer, I just got done zip-tying in some mesh to the grizzly as you recommend.

 

[KevinInColorado]

The clean out is so quick and easy, I just do that to confirm I am still on the gold.

Mine it and recycle it!

 

[Davidail]

I agree with Astrobouncer and KevininCoorado I tried the matting on my Mini Bazooka and the material did stick, ended up removing it several hours after using it. Don't know what size Bazooka your using, I am using the Super mini and I like to use it along with a gold pan and small bucket to do all my sniping and sampling way faster than just panning and looking for pay dirt. The clean out is very fast, and I like to use a 1/16 classier to make it much quicker.

 

[dagreat]

I have ribbed V matting at the top where the drop zone is for about Six inches down towards the grizzly. It works great. Some small flakes and pickers will sit on it long enough for me to see it and keep going. To each their own, but I like seeing some gold as we go!