how many 5 gal buckets do you run before sluice clean out

[mattfink]

I'm using a royal manufacturing folding backpack sluice aprox. 9" x50" how many buckets should I run before I do a clean out? how many do you run before you clean out your sluice?

 

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[KevinInColorado]

1. Depends on how much black sand and other heavies is in the material being worked

2. Depends how much I am sampling vs mining

3. Depends how nice the sluice is running as currently set in the river (if I'm not thrilled with the flow, v pattern,etc, I will pull it out, clean out and reset fairly quickly)

4. Depends on whether there is someone with me that I want to show gold to ASAP to build enthusiasm

5. It just depends ;-)

 

[TerryC]

Here's what I do (for what it's worth). Set the sluice up. After you notice alot of black sand build-up, put a 5 gal bucket at the discharge end of the sluice. Now, starting at the top-most riffle, dislodge the sand using your fingers. Working down to the last riffle, collect the sand in the bucket for panning later. You can keep this up for long periods. Then, the final clean-up goes into the same bucket you've been using to collect the sand in. In other words, no need to shut the sluice down till you're ready for final clean-up. TTC

 

[Fullpan]

80 buckets or dusk (quittin time), whichever comes first. Oops, just saw you're from min., not calif., - nevermind as fly poop
is a different story.

 

[mattfink]

Here's what I do (for what it's worth). Set the sluice up. After you notice alot of black sand build-up, put a 5 gal bucket at the discharge end of the sluice. Now, starting at the top-most riffle, dislodge the sand using your fingers. Working down to the last riffle, collect the sand in the bucket for panning later. You can keep this up for long periods. Then, the final clean-up goes into the same bucket you've been using to collect the sand in. In other words, no need to shut the sluice down till you're ready for final clean-up. TTC

so in other words just rinse it out every 2 buckets or so and break it down for clean up every 6 buckets or so? I should also mention that its wisconsin gold which is flour gold....

 

[mattfink]

80 buckets or dusk (quittin time), whichever comes first. Oops, just saw you're from min., not calif., - nevermind.

lol thanks!!!!!

 

[TerryC]

so in other words just rinse it out every 2 buckets or so and break it down for clean up every 6 buckets or so? I should also mention that its wisconsin gold which is flour gold....

Sorry for the delayed reply. Tim came over so I had to "wup" him at chess. In WI? I'm from WI so I know you have to leave the sluice in the water till you get one gram of gold or 6 months, which ever comes first! Just kidding! No, just continue to clean out the riffles till you're ready to call it a day then shut down and pan the cons.

 

[mattfink]

Sorry for the delayed reply. Tim came over so I had to "wup" him at chess. In WI? I'm from WI so I know you have to leave the sluice in the water till you get one gram of gold or 6 months, which ever comes first! Just kidding! No, just continue to clean out the riffles till you're ready to call it a day then shut down and pan the cons.

hahahahaha ok!!! thats about it though I'm pretty sure it would take longer than six months to get a gram but gold is gold thankfully the creek we've been hitting has been flowing all winter so there is a chance......lol!!!!!

 

[Hoser John]

Since your dealing witn nuttn' but fine mesh gold preclassify to 1/2" minus to increase your retention. Always classify dry when possible as much easier,lighter and feed till the sun goes away-John

 

[KevinInColorado]

I'd suggest classifying smaller 1/4 or 1/8 even better and doing it wet as dry classifying leaves too much fine gold on the larger rocks (and u need a dust mask due to fungus spores and silica which can damage your lungs). Wet classification will mean heavier material but tossing out the larger pebbles means moving less material so just carry partial buckets of 1/8 instead of full buckets of 1/2!!

 

[nuggetshooter323]

As long as your riffles and expanded metal arn't packed with black sand, you can keep going. As it gets pack with black sand, the conditions for losing gold become worse.

 

[Oldyoungtimer]

After a little while i notice my black sand starting to ''wash'' out a little. Does that mean I'm losing gold or is it concentrating my gold? I get worried when i get my second bucket ready to run through sluice and i see some material gone. I tried slowing flow down by wedging a rock in front of flare, but then i get worried when i see all the action come to a halt. I wish i had an expert with me for one day to show me lol. But thankfully i got my friends at tnet net to give advice. Anyone got any advice on my conundrum?

 

[MadMarshall]

Losing enough gold will make most men an expert after a bit.. I think that since rarely will your sluice have perfect running condntions I thinks it's a matter of FEEL!! I have a backpack sluice and it's paid for itself easly but it has also given me my share of suffering.. For me I can not predict how many bukets I run mine all day to sumtimes 4 clean ups in a day..I often suck up the gold in the blackmat after every bucket ran and I watch my sluice as if searching for it's very soul..

 

[nuggetshooter323]

If your worried about whether your losing gold, reduce your angle of your sluice. Then when you see the black sand accumulate up to the point it starts to wash out, do a quick clean up. You and I might have different definitions of a quick clean up, for me it would be pick my whole sluice up and tip it into a tub or five gallon bucket. With another bucket, wash water through the sluice without taking it apart. Once all the black sand and other material is washed out, set the sluice back where it was in the water, and continue on sluicing. Don't pull the whole thing apart piece by piece, until the end of the day. You can also make a black ribbed mat sluice and put it out the back side of your sluice to see if your blowing gold out of your primary sluice.


.

After a little while i notice my black sand starting to ''wash'' out a little. Does that mean I'm losing gold or is it concentrating my gold? I get worried when i get my second bucket ready to run through sluice and i see some material gone. I tried slowing flow down by wedging a rock in front of flare, but then i get worried when i see all the action come to a halt. I wish i had an expert with me for one day to show me lol. But thankfully i got my friends at tnet net to give advice. Anyone got any advice on my conundrum?

 

[nuggetshooter323]

I know the picture is kind of jacked up looking, but here's mine. It's about 12" wide and 36" long, I made the long handle on top so I could lift it straight up out of the water.

 

[TerryC]

View attachment 762264



I know the picture is kind of jacked up looking, but here's mine. It's about 12" wide and 36" long, I made the long handle on top so I could lift it straight up out of the water.

63bckpkr has a good idea.... put another handle across the sluice just like the one near the end. Onother one across the flare-end and you have a handle at the top and bottom. TTC

 

[mattfink]

<img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=762264"/>

I know the picture is kind of jacked up looking, but here's mine. It's about 12" wide and 36" long, I made the long handle on top so I could lift it straight up out of the water.

Could also run a california sluice at the end of your sluice a few of us around mn and wi do that because of the gold being so fine but we never find any gold past the main sluice...just do it a precaution.

 

[NuggetN8]

I only do a cleanup when I'm done for the day. I have a homemade sluice though. It's heavier than any other sluice but it works great. 4ft long 24 riffles forget how wide.

 

[Fullpan]

Funny how pics can distort - looks like 16ft long!

 

[419GottaMinute]

Here's an idea from smeone on this forum, I forget who:

When you start noticing riffles full of black sand, lift the bottom of the sluice just enough to slide a 5 gallon bucket on to it, then starting at tje top riffle, drag your finger side to side, working your way to tne bottom riffle. Then pull off the bucket. Voila! Easy cleanout with removing your sluice box from the stream.