Dredging screen

[mazzy74]

Picked up a small trash can at the dollar store today and it's wire mesh with 1/2" openings. Would that be a good idea to use it on the end of my dredge nozzle? I think it'd definitely cut down on major clogs but I don't know. Opinions?

 

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[Fullpan]

What "sounds good on paper", doesn't always work out. In this case your going to beat yourself up having to "chuck" everything over 1/2 inch, not to
mention rocks getting stuck(suction) on the opening.

 

[Goodyguy]

Picked up a small trash can at the dollar store today and it's wire mesh with 1/2" openings. Would that be a good idea to use it on the end of my dredge nozzle? I think it'd definitely cut down on major clogs but I don't know. Opinions?

Just wondering what size dredge you are working with and whether you are using a suction nozzle or jet log?

What I use is an exhaust pipe reducer that slips over the end of the suction nozzle and reduces the opening diameter by a total of 1/2" (a quarter inch all the way around) seems to work great at keeping the clog ups down to a minimum, and it's easy to remove when working smaller gravels.

I cut the reduced end off so it is only 1/2" long.

Some guys drill a hole through the nozzle and run a 1/4" bolt through. But that cuts down the size gravels allowed by more than half.

GG~

 

[Jason in Enid]

This will defeat the purpose of the dredge. The advantage a dredge gives you is that IT handles the gravel and rocks up to a certain size. The bigger the dredge, the less "work" you have to do. When you put a screen over the nozzle you are effectively turning it into a 1/2" dredge.

 

[mazzy74]

Good points. Thanks guys. It's a 4" dredge but I do get what you're saying about turning it to a 1/2" dredge. Yes it does pull a lot of material but wouldn't it work better in a sense that everything is already classified? I do like the reducer idea though to keep down clogs. And it's a power jet.

 

[Jason in Enid]

If you changed out all your riffles for expanded and reduced power from the motor you could work it like a pre-screened sluice, but you are going to seriously reduce the yardage per hour you can run because you will be spending so much of your time moving cobbles by hand.

Gold mining is a matter of moving material. You move more material with a sluice than a pan, and you move more with a dredge than a sluice. The larger the dredge, the more you can move. The idea is to move MORE not less. If your dredge is set up correctly, you should be capture the majority of the gold. Yes, you will lose more than with a sluice or a pan, but in working 100Xs more material you are coming out far ahead.

 

[Fullpan]

Something else to try just for grins - put a 3 inch section, 3 feet long in the nozzle opening, and secure it with wire about halfway in. If you get a plug, it is
much easier to remove from a 3 foot section of hose, rather than twenty feet. Of course you'll be sacrificing production, as the guys said above.

 

[mazzy74]

Thanks. I'm really lookin forward to movin a lot of material I just was thinking of different ideas

 

[Goodyguy]

Spending time removing plug ups slows down production as well. It's up to you to weigh the trade off options.
The reducer works best for me.

GG~

 

[russau]

best bet is to learn to "see" what kind of gravel/rocks that cause your plugups and throw them out BEFORE they get to your nozzel!and learning to NOT hog material in the first place will help you suck up more material and eventually be faster.

 

[Hoser John]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAMEN Russ-learn and prosper. Sounds like this fella needs a face mask/ viewer tube and a blaster nozzle to increase his production and lets you NOT hog materials.Nothing robs more time,energy and blasts the gold right outta your dredgebox then plugups. Simply hook up a 5/8" non kink waterhose to your pump hosebib--attach a control valve to a lawn sweeper nozzle(tiny fireman nozzle) and away you go as cleans them cracks righteously,melts inpacted gravels and dissolves them gold robbing clay balls too-John

 

[mazzy74]

Well I was gonna use that hookup for a water heater. Anyone have an opinion on that?

 

[Jason in Enid]

Well I was gonna use that hookup for a water heater. Anyone have an opinion on that?

Yep, get a "Y" attachment for the hose bib on the pump. You don't need a lot of volume through that heater, so it won't impact the blaster nozzle much.

 

[mazzy74]

Ok. I already thought about that part. And I figured also using a valve so i can control the water pressure to the blaster nozzle and regulate the pressure of water to go towards heating. I have an idea on a heater I can build but I'm not sure if it'll be a good idea or not. Any ideas on building a water heater?

 

[okbasspro]

Yep, get a "Y" attachment for the hose bib on the pump. You don't need a lot of volume through that heater, so it won't impact the blaster nozzle much.

Jason is right not much flow needed I have a Y splitter on mine

 

[mazzy74]

Bass I can't find that heater online how does it work?

 

[W4MRK]

My personal opinion only, but if you want to run a blaster and a heater, get the high pressure blaster from Keene that attaches to the high pressure output of your dredge pump and keep the hose bib attachment dedicated to the heater. This would eliminate pressure fluctuations in your heater system, and be a much better blaster in general.

 

[mazzy74]

I can't find the blaster on keene's page

 

[Jason in Enid]

I can't find the blaster on keene's page

I never liked there blasters anyway. THey don't let much water through at all. You need to build you own. Go to a hardware store and buy the following:

brass 3/4" quarter turn valve with a long handle (double male) <5/8" valve will work also but it restricts a little more water flow>
brass "sweeper" nozzle
3/4" to garden hose adapter (double female) <5/8" if you went with the smaller valve>

There you have an awesome blaster nozzle!

 

[W4MRK]

I can't find the blaster on keene's page

On page 36 of their full catalog (It can be viewed online as a .pdf) It is called a high volume pressure outlet and works as a Y attachment to the high pressure output of your pump where it pumps to the jet log, not the built in hose bib connector. It makes the old blaster system look like a play toy.