Homemade sluice

[Shenandoah Digger]

Built myself a homemade sluice to try on the creeks on my farm in the Shenandoah Valley. If I find anything I'll upgrade to something good. Hope it works.

 

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[warsawdaddy]

Looks good to me,SD.It should work fine.Gives us an update whenever you can.Have you found anything in those creeks by panning?

 

[sherpa t]

I have a question that seems important but haven't seen addressed.
When everyone is making there sluice's what riffle design are they using and what size (dimensions) are they making the riffles ?? I run an Aluminum fabrication shop so I've got a cnc press brake and made a few sluices up for my self ( yet un tested ) but really I'm guessing on riffle size and type, any in put from the pro's ??

 

[Shenandoah Digger]

Well I'm just experimenting but my riffles are made from half inch L channel, and I space them 5 inches apart. Don't know if it's right or not, but I'm guessing it's at least as good as some of the designs that worked 150 years ago. I'll have to see. Maybe it won't catch anything. To Warsawdaddy, I haven't found anything by panning because I haven't tried it, but I have found some small pickers with a metal detector in the creek bank while relic hunting, so I'm guessing I may find more with the sluice. Hope so at least. Thanks for the reply.

 

[russau]

riffel design really depends on the general size of gold that has been taken from the stream your working. riffel designs have been anything from 2 inch bar stock that positioned straight up and down to the hungarian riffel to NO riffels at all for the places that have only really fine gold like the midwest. riffels can be short or tall or any combo of them. i have made several sets of riffels for each of my dredges that i bring along with me when i go out dredgeing. whatever works best for your particular need.

 

[JamesE]

Shorter riffles also need less flow so can use less of an incline for smaller gold. I made a set of 1/4" that works a lot better than the 1/2" it came with. A lot less velocity through the box and washes well. (power sluicing and slower streams)

 

[silvercop]

if it works as good as it looks you should find gold if it is there