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

[TerryC]

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.

I like that idea, 419! (snicker... I think it was mine, but the idea comes up quite often).

 

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[Oldyoungtimer]

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.

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I think I'm going to start doing that. I ran my sluice all day today and I'm starting to see i need an easier way to clean up. Thanks for the tip nugget shooter.