Classifying

[Indianametal]

I think we all agree on pre-classifying the material for better recovery. However crawling through the site I see some say to pre classify dry, and others say wet. For us non desert prospectors why do it dry? Why do it wet?

 

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[wingmaster]

If you do it dry there's less weight, if your getting your material from a creek bed of course its going to be wet so you don't have that choice. When running the material you want it soaking wet that way when you drop it in the sluice you won't have the chance of the material making through the sluice without the gold dropping out, you'll want the gold dropping out at the beginning of the sluice to make sure the sluice has the best chance it can to hold all the gold. With how fine the IN gold is being soaking wet is going to be critical on how well your sluice catches the gold. I would worry classifying dry that some gold would be stuck to the bigger stuff I'm classifying out, I'm thinking some say dry because of the weight as they might be carrying the material a good distance before running it. Someone who's got more experience will be along to comment be for to long but thats what I took from the people doing it dry. HH

 

[Prospecting P.]

if the soil im digging in is wet then i keep it wet, waters heavy tho

 

[Vance in AK]

If I can do it fairly easily always wet as it washes the small stuff off of the big stuff & brakes up clumps that might not go through a classifier dry. In my opinion the best classifiers for doing it bankside are still 5 gal buckets filled ith water with some type of screen or another bucket with proper size holes drilled in it to fit inside the water filled bucket. Set the classifier down in the bucket & shovel in a few scoops. Jig it up & down & spin it back & forth a few times & then dump the oversize by the hole to fill it back in. In nugget country run the detector over the oversize when you are done.

 

[Doitlaynstyle]

If you wet the rocks while classifying you have a better chance of washing the gold of the larger material. Gold sticks like glue sometimes and you may miss some by classifying dry...

 

[Indianametal]

Thanks for the wet classifying comments. Anybody wanna chime in on dry classifying advantages.

Me personally I am a wet classifier. After seeing a couple comments on dry classifying I did a search and found nothing. Hence the thread I figured it would be good for a beginner to stumble across to answer questions they may have.

 

[KevinInColorado]

If gathering dry material which you will move a distance before processing, then classify dry to minimize weight. Everything your classifier catches gets washed in a single bucket of water. That way you get the best of both worlds. If wet processing your material, as said elsewhere you should soak the material in the buckets well before processing it.

Good luck and good gold!

 

[MadMarshall]

If your hands wont get to cold to work, then I say Always classify wet when you can.... As for the advantages of dry classifying what advantages can one have at possibly loosing gold

 

[B H Prospector]

I started to classify dry mainly because I have to carry the buckets some distance. I would then wash the material classified out (waste material) to get what I missed or stuck to the larger material. I never found a flake washing it. I no longer waste the time washing.

Good Luck!

B H Prospector

 

[MadMarshall]

I started to classify dry mainly because I have to carry the buckets some distance. I would then wash the material classified out (waste material) to get what I missed or stuck to the larger material. I never found a flake washing it. I no longer waste the time washing.

Good Luck!

B H Prospector

Well if the material you are classifying is dry then dry classifying is suffecient.. but if your digging in wet material or muddy then I would most certianly wet classify if possible even if I had to cover some distance to get too my sluice.. but like all things this is all subject to change depending on material..in regards to gravel bars and pockets generally that is my rule of thumb but if my material is coming from me breaklng rocks and bedrock I wire brush all non river rock before it gets run thru the sluice..... and also it seems to me that its better to run wet material thru your sluice opposed to dry..but like in most things depends on the OPERATOR I have seen people run/clean their sluices in the craziest ways but who knows I may be the one that is crazy!!!!

 

[B H Prospector]

If you are working in a creek ofcourse you are going to classify wet. I'm not going to dry it out first.

 

[Joe Z]

Wets the best way to me but classifying dry makes me sick...... the dust particles in the desert is not good to me... I do classify down to 1/2 inch dry in the field then wet classify at home down to 1/4 or 1/8 or more.
Joe

 

[sidvail]

I'm finally taking the plunge and buying better classifiers. I'm thinking of a 4, 8, 20 and 50. Am I on the right track?

I'm getting a hell of a lot of black sand and eventually want to run it all through a blue bowl or spiral wheel. Should I pick up a 100 mesh also?

 

[B H Prospector]

Until you are ready to work your super fine cons I wouldn't worry about calssifying finer than a #8. Once you are ready to proccess finer material then get -20, -30, -50, and -100. The minus 20 gets run through a mini sluice, the -30 through -100 through a blue bowl or similar proccess.

Good Luck!

BH Prospector

 

[pmgsourdough]

BH... i cannot believe that you would classify dry in our area ( by the way, i appreciate you keeping an ear open for me. I am using a mobile device here on Sand Creek, and its challenging to respond to private messages). Indianmetal..... i scream wet, wet, wet..... unless you are in the desert!

 

[sidvail]

BH, thanks. I'll just pick up the 4 and 8 for now. That's got to help more than my 1/2 inch.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I'm finally taking the plunge and buying better classifiers. I'm thinking of a 4, 8, 20 and 50. Am I on the right track?

I'm getting a hell of a lot of black sand and eventually want to run it all through a blue bowl or spiral wheel. Should I pick up a 100 mesh also?

I think those four are perfect actually...that's exactly what I really use from my collection. 4 and 8 out in the field, 20 and 50 at home for finish panning. Get the set!

 

[Goodyguy]

I'm finally taking the plunge and buying better classifiers. I'm thinking of a 4, 8, 20 and 50. Am I on the right track?

I'm getting a hell of a lot of black sand and eventually want to run it all through a blue bowl or spiral wheel. Should I pick up a 100 mesh also?

You are on the right track!

I have found that 30 mesh works just fine on a miller table and a miller table is faster than a blue bowl or a spiral wheel, cheaper too!

For the really tiny micro gold (sub 100) a blue bowl is the answer but unless you have a lot of it you'll spend a great deal of time recovering just a few bucks worth of gold.

GG~

 

[KevinInColorado]

You are on the right track!

For the really tiny micro gold (sub 100) a blue bowl is the answer but unless you have a lot of it you'll spend a great deal of time recovering just a few bucks worth of gold.

GG~

...so get what you can out of the -50 with the gear you have and save the remaining material in a bucket until either you have a full bucket (then buy fancier toys!) or you find a friend who will let you run your material on his fancy toy (a likely outcome, if you just ask, since most of us boys like to play with our toys...girls too!)

 

[sidvail]

LOL. The set it is! I was thinking the same thing about the 4 and 8 - field work. I do want to start playing with fine concentrates though. Hence the 20 and 50. I thought those would be sufficient, but wasn't sure. I really want to get a handle on the classifications as I've recieved so much advice on it's necessity for recovery. Time to get serious I guess.

So a miller table is easier and less expensive? Hmmm.

I'll have to look through the threads and find a good plan.

Once again, I owe you all my thanks. If you guys aren't careful, you'll turn me into a real prospector. Shame on you