Classifier Issue...SOLVED
Thanks to Ducky, I believe I've [finally] found a decent solution
to my classifying problem. (Now, we're not talking about "class"
here, as I have no problem at all with it, and in fact have some..
...
it's mostly 3rd Class...but at least it's class!)
Classifying is not only a time taker, but it wears out my carcass
with all the shaking and dumping, etc. Initially, I built an oversized
classifier out of a 38 gal. tub, and it worked quite well, however
there's still required bending over and shaking a 10 gal tub full
of aggregate, then dumping the dreck and refilling.
Great for a young, healthy fellow with a strong back. I don't know
anybody like that, and my grandsons aren't old enough yet
to come out and work with Papa. I considered hiring this fellow
to do the hard work 'cause he's strong as an ox, but not too
bright ....
After seeing how fast the Bazooka could eat material, I decided to
build the highbanker type top for the Gold Cube. It worked, but
poorly. I would dump in half a bucket at a time, meaning I've got
to set the bucket down, and then bend and pick it up again. No
problem to do a few buckets, but when you're goal is to move as
much material as possible a few buckets won't cut it...try more
like 40-60 buckets. It also messed with the water flow into the
Cube, and the Cube isn't too tolerant of running on low water flow.
So now what...
Ducky was kind enough to ship me a couple pieces of the server
door punch plate, and the initial plan was to incorporate a piece
of it into the highbanker unit. Chewed on the issue for a bit, and
while looking over the punch plate pieces I realized they could easily
be connected along an overlapping edge.
Messed around with it a bit more, and found that the two pieces
would fully cover the top of a 38 gal. tub. I've got a pump and hose,
so all I'd need is a spray nozzle on the end for washing the material.
So, I set about making it a reality..
Measures out at 33" long and 23" wide, so there's a massive punch plate
area for washing material.
First I had to hacksaw off about 2" from one of the panels so they'd be
the same length, then I connected the two by drilling 3/16 holes through
the overlapping edges, and then bolting the two. Also made 2 brackets out
of sheet metal, and connected them for added support down the middle where
the joint is. Now it fits the top of that tub as if tailor-made for it.
In order for it to be truly efficient I'd need to add either a spray nozzle on
a hose or a spray bar. I decided to make my own spray nozzle, as that way
material can be washed much more efficiently, and faster than if I had to push
it all under a spray bar. By dumping a 3 gal. bucket of mixed aggregate into the
center of that large space, all I have to do is spread it out, wash it down
and push it off the end. Repeat.
I truly enjoy sitting by the river and feeding material to the Gold Cube,
and the "highbanker" type of a setup will keep one guy working non-stop,
either digging or feeding the machine. Classifying is a time and energy
drainer, but it's a critical step in working most any placer gold deposit.
With such small gold you really need to wash the material well, and I've
tried several methods...this should be the least labor intensive, but also
the fastest and easiest way there is to classify a volume of material next
to running a bunch of gas burning equipment.
Spread it out, wash the small stuff through the punch plate and slide
the rest off the end.
My pump puts out 1100 GPH (at the pump) and I use 8' of 1-1/8" ribbed
plastic hose from the pump to the cube, so I wanted a nozzle that would
be very efficient, but also easily installed/removed from the 1-1/8" hose.
It also had to create enough pressure on the line to get a heavy spray,
while not creating too much back pressure which might damage the pump.
Dug out my big bag of assorted PVC fittings and short pieces of various
sized PVC pipe, and started fiddling around looking for a solution. Turns
out the 1-1/8" flex hose end will fit quite snugly into the end of 1-1/4"
PVC pipe, so now all I had to do was make an end cap into a spray nozzle.
Drilled a bunch of 1/8" holes in the end cap, and glued it on to a 6" piece
of pipe, plugged the hose into the other end and I had a very efficient sprayer.
Great water flow with plenty of smooth pressure to wash the sand/mud off of
any pile of rocks, but not so much it blasts the loose material off the punch-table.
Tested it out by dumping a full 3gal. bucket of mixed bank material over the
surface, and it took no more than 30 seconds to have it washed
very well,
and the over sized material just slides off the end. I can also dump the dreck
simply by lifting up on the boarded end and dumping the unwanted rocks.
Had thought about adding a spray bar to my manual trommel, but with this
method I can probably hand wash the material faster, and far more efficiently
than the trommel, with less overall effort.
If anyone's got any better ideas then feel free to share 'em. My dad always
told me "Don't work hard, work smart!". Well, any way you slice it mining
is hard work, but sure don't hurt finding new ways to do it better, faster,
run more material and get more GOLD as a result!
.
)
Still, I 
