Drywasher Ideas

[Fabrication Specialists]

Good day my fellow prospectors,

My back is SLOWLY healing but I'll be working on my production drywashers here soon. I just wanted to throw out some questions to the forum (my "team" if you will of fellow prospectors). Ok I'm definitely going to be building an all aluminum, bellows model, hand crank with 12 volt option that will mount to a metal pack frame. The pack frame will have a shovel mount on the pack frame and other handy mounts so you can truly pack into the back country to easily sample areas. My larger size unit is where I would like the forums feedback. Everybody and their brother makes large blower style drywashers, so I don't feel I can add much to this arena, so my larger units will also be a bellows model. My reason for this is mainly quieter operation and keeping with the traditional bellows for operation. This will also be all aluminum, folding, yet also have wheels for ease and portability. I'm a Briggs and Stratton dealer so I have access to anything and everything for small engines and have a line on a small 2.4 horsepower Industrial/Commercial engine to power this unit. I will also change the muffler to a "low tone" for the quietest possible operation (the blower "buzzing" sound drives me CRAZY, now I'm sure the "flap, flap" of a bellows model drives others crazy but the engine will definitely be quieter). Now I'm thinking a little larger then the Keene 151 for max production with 2 people, but that's where some of my questions come in. What would my fellow prospectors be in the market for? Is there room in the market for a large bellows model, or would you folks like a moderate size bellows model aimed more at 1 person operation but that could also support 2 shovels? This unit will be portable, retractable wheels to easily roll around, yet fold out of the way when the unit is in operation.

I'm building at least 1 big bellows unit for myself but I want to market these for YOU, my fellow prospector, so let me know what you want, need, desire, ideas, suggestions? I'm open and accept ALL ideas or comments so let me have it!

Thanks, Chris

 

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[AzViper]

Chris,

The drywashing forums are really slow. Meaning they do not get the attention that other forums get so your replies will be slow to arrive. Drywashing appears to be limited to a handful of states in the west. Maybe once summer hits and the soil dries out more prospectors will be incline to post.

I would be interested in seeing what you come up with. Keith

 

[Joe Z]

Chris,
I've seen your work on other forums and you do some top grade work...... I am like you and cannot take the sound of a leaf blower so a bellows type is more in line to my liking with the 12 volt option .... The larger one would be great for a one man operation or two out of shape people. LOL
Hope your back is feeling better as i have gone thru two back surgeries already with great success.....
When do you plan to have the smaller 12 volt ones available?______
Joe

 

[Fabrication Specialists]

Good evening folks,

Thanks JoeZ and AzViper. I'm still moving a bit slow as my bones finish "fusing" so it's going to be a little while before I get these going. Right now my custom equipment work is keeping me busy and I'm trying to keep my head above water keeping up with those orders for now. When I can work longer and get caught up I'll be hitting the drywashers hard and I'll be posting my progress on the various forums. I've had a few requests for a larger model (bigger than a 151) but I may just build those when someone wants a large model. I was leaning towards a medium-large bellows for a "production" model if you will as I'm not going to offer a bunch of different sizes, just a 12 volt, hand crank, portable, back pack model and a larger gas engine powered model for the "ambitious" prospectors. I'm not even going to worry about the blower models as Royal Manufacturing builds some great looking units and lord knows the market is flooded with cheaply built and sold blower units. I'm not going to get involved in that arena as I've even seen some for under $200 on Ebay and such and I just can't compete with that price for the level of quality I insist on in my products. The fact I won't use plastic fans, cheap RV sewer hose, electrical conduit for legs, etc I just can't compete in that market.

Thanks guys for the input and I'll keep you informed when I get some progress made on my end!

Have a great weekend, Chris

 

[Joe Z]

I've always lived by the PATD (Pay Attention To Detail) theory and you seem to run the same..... I won't mention names but there is a well know guy that builds wooden puffer drywashers up in the Flagstaff Area and he really makes nice stuff and affortable. He only makes the hand operated back pack models now so if you are going to make it aluminum with optional dc motor, that's a nice...........
It took about a year for all the nerves in my back to heal nice and comfy, hope your feeling better
Joe

 

[AzViper]

Chris its amazing the crap on the market. Terry makes a big deal of the DW that his school uses and the weight of the DW. Quality is first and foremost in my book. The added weight of the Royals is due to the quality and material used. That bogus fan and emt legs is a joke. As I have said if the prospector does their homework its a no brainer what DW to buy. I would like to see some of your work firsthand. I have yet to get my DW as its on backorder and have yet been billed for it.

I know the feeling of the back surgey, I had surgey on L4 and L5 and having back issues this week with Sciatica down my left leg...

 

[roadrunner]

I am building one for myself right now.
Dont know about size, but a one person,backpack with a 12 volt option would be great.
Hand crank for sure.
I could post a pic or 2.
Pretty basic and crude, but it is with all free parts.
Aluminum would be great also.

 

[Hard Prospector]

The one man backpacker interests me, 12v bellows sounds good but has been out there for some time. What I would like to see is that same DW that could run on a cordless/portable 18 or 20 volt leaf blower motor or even a 110v electric leaf blower motor(I could plug it in to my super quiet Honda EX1000 generator) I like how the blower processes dirt but I cant stand the 2 stroke noise or fumes. This is the one area that the DW has not quite evolved yet everything is available to make it so.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Chris its amazing the crap on the market. Terry makes a big deal of the DW that his school uses and the weight of the DW. Quality is first and foremost in my book. The added weight of the Royals is due to the quality and material used. That bogus fan and emt legs is a joke. As I have said if the prospector does their homework its a no brainer what DW to buy. I would like to see some of your work firsthand. I have yet to get my DW as its on backorder and have yet been billed for it.

I know the feeling of the back surgey, I had surgey on L4 and L5 and having back issues this week with Sciatica down my left leg...

I think like many newbies AZViper, you just don't have enough knowledge or experience to judge any drywasher yet. I use the AZ Desert Gold drywasher because it is well made, light (13-lbs), fast, and better at catching gold than many of the higher priced, heavier drywashers on the market. When you have more experience, we will debate it further.

 

[AzViper]

When you have more experience, we will debate it further.

There is no debate Terry. The use of a computer case fan to create vibration and airflow is enough for anyone to look the other way and run, but (this is the case of the DW you recommend Terry).

If you want to compare the quality I will point it out to you again Terry, but with even more facts. For starters the Royal is just built better period. Now lets talk about the price, the Royal is $46.00 cheaper to purchase. Made of heavier gauge material (.063 instead of .050) of which adds to the weight, (Its seems this is your pet pea). When (WE) are shoveling dirt I and others want a product that will hold up.

Zinc plated legs (Royal) verses painted legs (on the DW you recommend Terry), hmmm what happens to paint being bounce around in the back of a truck getting into the back country. The Royal legs are square tubing of which are stronger than round tubing (on the DW that you recommend Terry). The Royal legs have spring load pins allowing the using to select height position and have the ability to colapse the legs into a more compact position for storage.

Sorry I did not post any photos of the DW you recommend as there is not much to post, no up close photos showing any details on their website, no spec's listed on the website. (I suppose the buyer is just to assume the size, weight, quality, etc.) The spec's I have posted were gathered by me through emails from the builder of the DW you recommend. Bret said the DW is 15 pounds not 13 pounds that you keep claiming.

On another note, look at the first photo below. The Royal drywasher has the 3" air inlet position in the center of the air-box, not on one end such as the DW you recommend Terry. This creates a positive even airflow across the entire air-box. Keene Engineering Drywashers, Gold Buddy Drywashers, Thompson Drywashers, etc. all have the air inlet in the center of the air-box and all are using quality fans, not a computer case fan.

Bottomline - Not all drywashers are created equal and in this case the Royal Drywasher is better built, will handle whats thrown in the hopper, built to last, heavy duty, made of quality parts, and made on a CNC machine that is precise.

Terry there was no need for me to point this out again to you as it was already discussed in the thread AZ Claims thread. I know the truth hurts and sometimes you just need to except that the Royal drywasher are a better value when you compare the two drywashers. I suppose this is why Royal is backlog on delivery as they are being purchased whether you like it or not.

Royal Drywasher (Explorer) $349 .00
Size of Hopper: 15” x 18”
Size of Recovery Box: 7” x 18”
Aluminum Gauge Size: .063
Hardware: Stainless Steel
Legs, Riffles, Classifier are all made of steel and Zinc plated
Weight: 20 Pounds
















Arizona Desert Gold: $395.00
Size of Hopper: 10.5” x 24”
Size of Recovery Box: 9” x24”
Aluminum Gauge Size: .050
Hardware: Steel
Legs are steel and painted, Riffles look to be made of Aluminum, Classifier made from steel.
Weight: 15 pounds

 

[DizzyDigger]

I've decided to go with the Large Royal Drywasher, as the design and construction is superior
to most of the other units I've seen, and odds are high that I'll never be using it too far from
my truck so the weight is not an issue.

Just completed building a trommel, and I wanted a unit that can handle a good volume of
material. With the trommel I can classify a 5gal. bucket to 1/4" in less than 10 seconds,
and although I can't feed it that fast, at least I can classify several buckets at once
and run the material as the machine can handle it.

I looked at the AZ Desert Gold as well, and although it's a fine machine I feel the
Royal was my best bet for the cost.

 

[AzViper]

I've decided to go with the Large Royal Drywasher, as the design and construction is superior
to most of the other units I've seen, and odds are high that I'll never be using it too far from
my truck so the weight is not an issue.

Just completed building a trommel, and I wanted a unit that can handle a good volume of
material. With the trommel I can classify a 5gal. bucket to 1/4" in less than 10 seconds,
and although I can't feed it that fast, at least I can classify several buckets at once
and run the material as the machine can handle it.

I looked at the AZ Desert Gold as well, and although it's a fine machine I feel the
Royal was my best bet for the cost.

Mike the large Royal is what I am purchasing as well. I posted the smaller Royal for comparison as it was more inline in size to the DW Terry is recommending. It’s very obvious Royal Manufacturing is dedicated in producing quality products. Their entire line of products is of quality.

From Royal’s website,

Based in Santa Ana, California in more than 23,000 square foot production facility, Royal has been making precision sheet metal products for over twenty years. We have the equipment and experience needed to satisfy all of your precision sheet metal fabrication requirements.

With our 60 acres of gold claims in the southern California desert with 20 acres of this having a plan of operation from the department of interior, we can run heavy equipment and run test on our products that we manufacture.

 

[Terry Soloman]

More advice from a person that has never used a drywasher. AZViper, in a couple of seasons when you know what you are talking about, we will talk.

There is no debate Terry. The use of a computer case fan to create vibration and airflow is enough for anyone to look the other way and run, but (this is the case of the DW you recommend Terry).

If you want to compare the quality I will point it out to you again Terry, but with even more facts. For starters the Royal is just built better period. Now lets talk about the price, the Royal is $46.00 cheaper to purchase. Made of heavier gauge material (.063 instead of .050) of which adds to the weight, (Its seems this is your pet pea). When (WE) are shoveling dirt I and others want a product that will hold up.

Zinc plated legs (Royal) verses painted legs (on the DW you recommend Terry), hmmm what happens to paint being bounce around in the back of a truck getting into the back country. The Royal legs are square tubing of which are stronger than round tubing (on the DW that you recommend Terry). The Royal legs have spring load pins allowing the using to select height position and have the ability to colapse the legs into a more compact position for storage.

Sorry I did not post any photos of the DW you recommend as there is not much to post, no up close photos showing any details on their website, no spec's listed on the website. (I suppose the buyer is just to assume the size, weight, quality, etc.) The spec's I have posted were gathered by me through emails from the builder of the DW you recommend. Bret said the DW is 15 pounds not 13 pounds that you keep claiming.

On another note, look at the first photo below. The Royal drywasher has the 3" air inlet position in the center of the air-box, not on one end such as the DW you recommend Terry. This creates a positive even airflow across the entire air-box. Keene Engineering Drywashers, Gold Buddy Drywashers, Thompson Drywashers, etc. all have the air inlet in the center of the air-box and all are using quality fans, not a computer case fan.

Bottomline - Not all drywashers are created equal and in this case the Royal Drywasher is better built, will handle whats thrown in the hopper, built to last, heavy duty, made of quality parts, and made on a CNC machine that is precise.

Terry there was no need for me to point this out again to you as it was already discussed in the thread AZ Claims thread. I know the truth hurts and sometimes you just need to except that the Royal drywasher are a better value when you compare the two drywashers. I suppose this is why Royal is backlog on delivery as they are being purchased whether you like it or not.

Royal Drywasher (Explorer) $349 .00
Size of Hopper: 15” x 18”
Size of Recovery Box: 7” x 18”
Aluminum Gauge Size: .063
Hardware: Stainless Steel
Legs, Riffles, Classifier are all made of steel and Zinc plated
Weight: 20 Pounds

View attachment 767536

View attachment 767537

View attachment 767538

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View attachment 767542




View attachment 767569

Arizona Desert Gold: $395.00
Size of Hopper: 10.5” x 24”
Size of Recovery Box: 9” x24”
Aluminum Gauge Size: .050
Hardware: Steel
Legs are steel and painted, Riffles look to be made of Aluminum, Classifier made from steel.
Weight: 15 pounds

 

[Goodyguy]

Even my homemade out of wastebaskets $65 drywasher beats tossing dirt up into the air with a blanket



GG~

 

[AzViper]

More advice from a person that has never used a drywasher. AZViper, in a couple of seasons when you know what you are talking about, we will talk.

More advice from a person that has never used a drywasher. AZViper, in a couple of seasons when you know what you are talking about, we will talk.

Terry,

Your amazing, you keep promoting a drywasher that simplely not up to par and yet the photos do not lie. I doubt we will ever talk. I have an open mind and able to absorb unlike you who appears to be very narrow minded. As I have said a number of times, for those who are out shopping if they do their homework they will make a sound choice, they do not need me or you to make that choice for them. I have only presented and option with details of quality, material used, etc.

As an Engineer the drywasher is not a complex machine Terry. Very few moving parts and the design is very basic. As I said earlier there is not much that someone can do to improve on the design other than build the drywasher with pride, offer the buyer a drywasher that is second to none, and built to last. Royal uses quality hardware while maintaining precision in tooling.

It’s very obvious you are connected at the hip with AZ Gold. You missed your calling, you should have been a preacher!!!

 

[Fabrication Specialists]

Calm down boys, I'm just looking for ideas for my line of drywashers and seeing what folks want or desire in a unit. Terry likes the AZ Desert Gold, AZviper likes Royal, heck I miss my old Gold King drywasher from years back when I was growing up. We all have opinions on different units and who likes what, but no matter how much drywasher dust you throw on eachother there is NO right answer, it's all personal preference. I prefer quality in everything from what I buy to what I fabricate, be it prospecting equipment, building performance small engines, heck even making dinner. That's just how I was raised, do it right the first time. Some folks have no choice but to go cheaper due to their financial situation and honestly I'd rather have someone buy a cheaper unit if that's all they could afford so long as they were out prospecting and having a good time. Isn't that what it's all about anyway? Getting outside, making new friends, creating memories and even finding some gold!

Again just MY opinion on the subject. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone with this but sometimes people lose sight of the big picture (having fun with family and friends, finding gold) when they're so determined to be right.

Sorry if I offended anyone and have a great weekend, Chris

 

[AZgoldhuntr]

Mines bigger, no mines bigger, no mines bigger!

This guy asked a question about drywasher ideas and it gets all crazy up in here!

 

[Joe Z]

I wonder how many would like something a little larger than a sampling/backpack unit but not quite as big as a full size Keene, still be a bellows type and run off a dc motor and a hand crank.....I have yet to see something like that and it would be easy for one person to operate and move around being aluminum

 

[MrLee]

I live about 5 miles from Royal. I like their equipment and just bought another small sluice from them for the kids. It's nice be able to drive over there and just pick up what I need. I can vouch for their facilities. I was surprised to see how big it was and that they are actually a sheet metal company specializing in custom metal fabrication. I'm glad their business is growing in regards to the prospecting side of things. I haven't used one of their drywashers, but a fellow club member has the big one. I'll ask him about his experience.Just my 2cents.

PS, they have a patent on their wall for the folding sluice. I own one and my only complaint is the seams do not seal properly hence it can create a vacuum to suck fine gold out the bottom. Of course the solution to this and all other of life's problems is...... DUCT TAPE!

 

[AzViper]

I live about 5 miles from Royal. I like their equipment and just bought another small sluice from them for the kids. It's nice be able to drive over there and just pick up what I need. I can vouch for their facilities. I was surprised to see how big it was and that they are actually a sheet metal company specializing in custom metal fabrication. I'm glad their business is growing in regards to the prospecting side of things. I haven't used one of their drywashers, but a fellow club member has the big one. I'll ask him about his experience.Just my 2cents.

PS, they have a patent on their wall for the folding sluice. I own one and my only complaint is the seams do not seal properly hence it can create a vacuum to suck fine gold out the bottom. Of course the solution to this and all other of life's problems is...... DUCT TAPE!

You are a very lucky man MrLee to live so close to Royal. You are correct in that Royal is a sheet metal company first. The owner is the one behind their entire line of prospecting equipment as he is a prospector. He has created a nice secondary business within his bread and butter business.