can i get some pointers on my homemade sluice

[Teenagegoldminer]

so im building a homemade sluice box with plywood i already know i need to stain it and add expanded metal so can anyone who sees this give me some pointers on the riffles and other problems you may see


the sluice is 8 1/2 in wide 2 ft long and 6 in tall





how does this carpet look? thanks for the help

 

[ALewis]

Teenage....you look to be on the right track. I have "heard" when using wood for riffles that they can "wear" down over time, might want to keep that in mind (seems like your already looking for metal tho). In my area I searched Scrap metal dealors, metal shop's...finally found the metal "supermarket". they have and can order, so far, everything (aluminum. search around & I bet you'll find something similar.

That said, just my limited experience....I built my first sluice last year, very similar dimensions, used carpet & a little rubber matting... ran it once, and found a little flake. After that I found out about the Fluid bed gold trap's. Unless highbanking, or working in a stream with a trickle, I personally don't think I'd use anything else. (disclaimer: I don't really know what I'm doing, anyway

Keep at it tho. Keep building & runnin. Finding gold in something you built can be a Great Feeling !!!

 

[kevin1]

A classic design, but ALewis is right about those wooden riffles, plan on replacing them with metal ones. Are you mainly after coarse gold or fines? Your current design should trap both fairly well, but lack of a slick plate will affect your feed. Speaking of feed, you won't be able to process much material with such a small sluice, reserve it for sampling new streams while you save up for something better like I did.

 

[panningjack]

I made my first sluice from wood. Better to use a hard wood as particle board will absorb far to much water and become useless after a couple of uses.
Keep at it! Making your own equipment will teach you a lot about how to catch gold. Catch the fines and the rest comes easy.

 

[aarthrj3811]

You need some kind of flare at the front...wood is hard to use as it hard to keep in place....I would just use a poop tube to start with...as a learning tool
HOW TO BUILD A HENRY HENRY "POOP" TUBE

Heres How You Do It

Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes
Purchase these items.

• 1, 1x3"x 8' pine board.
• 1, 8' length or 4"dia corrugated plastice flexible drain pipe "not perforated".
• 1, small pack of flat head wood screws #10 in size.

Now go to Walmart into the Sporting goods dept and purchase a 12vlt boat bilge pump 750 model.
You now have all of the ingredients to build your Henry "Poop" Tube.
NOW FOR THE ASSEMBLY...

• Cut the 8' 1x3" pine board in half into 2, 4' peices. Use one peice save the other.
• Cut the 8' length of corrugated drain pipe into 2, 4' peices. Save one use the other.
• Now take the 4' of drain pipe you are using and split in to 2 halves, by splitting it length wise.
• Take one of the halves of the drain pipe and screw it onto the 1x3"x4' pine board.
• Put the screws into the bottom of the corrugated riffles, 1 every 6" will do nicely.
• Now take the other split half and set it on top of the one you screwed down onto the pine board and snap it in place.

NOW YOU HAVE BUILT A BASIC HENRY "POOP" TUBE...

• You can now use it in a creek or stream to work out your concentrates and fine flour Gold.
• You can add on the bilge pump with a stop valve and some garden hose and by using a
  couple of 5 gallon buckets you can recycle your water and use the Henry Poop Tube at home.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER...

• Remember to set up the elevation from top to bottom at 1" [one inch] per/linear foot of Henry "Poop" Tube.
• NOW...Adjust your water flow so the tube doesn't load up with blondes or blows out all of the material leaving the riffles empty.
• Using a scoop from those dry soap detergent boxes is perfect to feed the tube.
• Load the tube 1 [one] scoop at a time allowing it to clear before loading again.
• Look for all of the Free Gold and Snuffer it out every chance you get.
• Remember to classify your cons down to #20 mesh for use in the Poop Tube.
• Larger than #20 mesh you can pan out easily with either a 14" pan or 10" finishing pan.

You now have one of the most DEPENDABLE TOOLS IN YOUR PROSPECTING SUPPLY BIN...
Total cost to build one is less than $30 and total time to assemble one is less than 2 hours

 

[loco oro]

wood is not the best material,but it is handy and cheap, it does wear out ,but it will last long enough for you to figure out what you want your up grade to be.it is a lil short, and those riffles are going to catch a lot of everything being straight but have at it man,it will all begin to explain itself with some time out there. happy hunting !you will want a flare on it to increase water flow.

 

[goldenIrishman]

When using wood for sluice construction the main thing you have to remember is that you have to really seal it well. Just staining it won't work because stain won't waterproof the wood. Several good coats of polyurethane or spar varnish would work best.

When running your sluice you also need to remember to keep it level from side to side. If the water looks deeper on one side than the other you're not flat. Also keep the pitch of the box as close to level as you can but with just enough angle to move materials along the length without clogging up. The "Rule of thumb" for setting the angle is 1 inch of drop per foot of length on the sluice. This isn't a hard rule as many other things like water flow, type of matting/riffles used and the composition of the materials you're running are going to have to be adjusted for. Play around with it until you find what works for your conditions. Stay flexible! As conditions change, so must your setup.

 

[Teenagegoldminer]

thanks for the advice

i will use polyurethane to waterproof it and this one is meant to be a cheap starter till I can buy a nicer sluice or preferably a highbanker

 

[kazcoro]

If you decide to fit a riffle tray out of metal into this box, keep in mind that the wood will swell as it gets wet. So, your new shiny, metal tray will fit nice and snug in the garage, but you won't be able to budge it after running for any length of time. Make it a little loose, or soak it in water for a couple of hours before you go measuring. Also, after you decide to move on, keep those scraps of aluminum. Never know what you will need them for in the future. I just used a scrap piece from my first wood build tonight...