Found my first gold ever today, too excited not to share!

[MrGneissGuy]

Hey guys I just wrote out a lengthy post, but I apparently got logged out so it didn't save. Anyways, it was a great day but I'm now exhausted from all the digging and moving rocks. I took this video for my wife and friends, but I decided to put it on youtube for funs, so take a look. I was also wondering about the angle of my sulice for any of you experts that actually read this. They say you want an inch of fall per foot of sluice, my sluice is 24" long so I did 2" of fall. It seemed very steep, and people I met told me to make it less steep. Anyways, I caught the biggest gold out of anyone of the day, so I duno.

https://youtu.be/chF1joNGx7s

Edit 1: After reflection and testing I realized I was basing my 2" of fall off height of my sluice box's walls. Turns out they were 2.5"...oops...

 

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[goldog]

Alright! Now you are one of us. . The water looks nice. Congrats on the gold. Didn't see you poking around at "notgold". So you're on the right track.

Didn't see you feeding the sluice. So I can't tell you how it's running. But it looked mostly clear with a little material hanging on the "riffles". So I'd say it's ok. How quickly were you feeding it and how did it clear?

 

[nh.nugget]

Alright! Now you are one of us. . The water looks nice. Congrats on the gold. Didn't see you poking around at "notgold". So you're on the right track.

Didn't see you feeding the sluice. So I can't tell you how it's running. But it looked mostly clear with a little material hanging on the "riffles". So I'd say it's ok. How quickly were you feeding it and how did it clear?

He's not one yet we've got to see him pass the initiation test! Then he'll be one of us! LOL!

 

[Digzit2]

Great video, congrats on your first gold.

 

[Aufisher]

Looks fun! Congratulations on your first color!

 

[MrGneissGuy]

Alright! Now you are one of us. . The water looks nice. Congrats on the gold. Didn't see you poking around at "notgold". So you're on the right track.

Didn't see you feeding the sluice. So I can't tell you how it's running. But it looked mostly clear with a little material hanging on the "riffles". So I'd say it's ok. How quickly were you feeding it and how did it clear?

Ya so I tried to run it really slowly at first. Also, after a few days now to reflect, I realized that the sides to my sluice are actually 2.5" tall, I thought they were 2". That means I was doing about 2.5" of drop for 24" which is really interesting that I found that piece of gold still. Anyways, I was feeding it really slowly but as it got later in the day and some people were heading my direction I started to feed it faster so I could go home. Probably too fast but I was tired.

 

[MrGneissGuy]

He's not one yet we've got to see him pass the initiation test! Then he'll be one of us! LOL!

Go on...

 

[bcfromfl]

The thing I was most pleased about hearing in your video were the words, "test pan." That's the key to getting on the good stuff...keep testing, then run those buckets!

You're definitely going to want a longer sluice. Then you can step up the water flow and process more material quicker.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Is the prospector initiation anything like ECV initiation?

 

[goldog]

Oh yea, the initiation. Hard to believe we still make people do that. Oh well, I guess we All had to endure it.

You'd be surprised how much the gold "wants" to stop. In my opinion measuring and leveling (with a level) are a waste of time. If it clears what you're trying to get rid of and leaves what you want it's good.

If the water is about even side to side it's level. If the dirt washes down the middle in some reasonable amount of time (5-15 seconds depending on your taste) leave it alone. The "V" in the water flow will work itself out.

There are a wide range of depths you may encounter. On a smaller sluice I prefer deep. The top or plus or minus a little. Doc insists that it be shallow like an inch or so to really get the exchange. I'd want four or five feet of sluice and hog mats for that.

 

[mendoAu]

If you processed that hole thru that sluice then ya need a bigger box. Check out some "grizzly bar/sluice boxes" with google. Gotta hand it to anyone that hauls 5 gallon buckets of dirt. My back hurts just watching. I like that black mat but it just won't hold gold if you continue putting rocks in all day. Back it up with a couple feet of expanded (the heavy stuff, not that little wussie stuff that comes with the Keene's) and some miners moss and check back with your results. And ya don't have to find gold to be a miner...just the dreaming qualifies you.

 

[nh.nugget]

Go on...

All new prospectors have to pass it. It usually involves pain, embarrassing moments. or something just plain stupid! we've all done it including myself. It's a right of passage you'll know when you pass! LOL!