How to Build a Sand Screw? Cool idea yeah?

[afreakofnature]

I was wondering if anyone has any experience in building a sand screw like/similiar to what is on the Goldclaimer?
Gold Claimer Pictures

We all do some kind of water recirulation at some point, and this would be great to add so you can reduce or eliminate cleanning out that recirc. tub all the time. I have tried to research this for us small scale guys but have found nothing. I got thinking maybe a ship auger hooked up to some bearing run by a pulley to an electric windshield wiper motor?

Lets's try to build one shall we? Ideas, thoughts, or prior builds? It would have to move at least 1/2 inch rock based on most highbanker classifiers.

 

[jog]

One sand screw I delt with at a gravel plant used a hard rubber screw not metal.

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

6" HF $50

[edit]Home Depot $20

Lewis Tools Roto Auger 18 in. x 1.25 in. Diameter Garden Auger-REA-4 at The Home Depot

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

Been trying to figure out how to work one of these into the highbanker sluice output

 

[afreakofnature]

The 300 mesh screen idea was tried by my friend who ran a larger recirc. washplant. You still had to scrape the screen and the tub still had a lot of really fine sludge in it that you had to shovel out. The suction created by that sludge was the worst shoveling I have ever done.

Jog,
I did not know that make rubber ones? Nice, I will have to research that now too.

jc, those might work, I am thinking how you might have to make a metal tube around it too. I like the price on that.

 

[Jason in Enid]

You would absolutely have to have a a tube that the auger fits inside of, and it would have to be a snug fit or else everything is just going to fall off before it ever gets to the top.

 

[elgatodelnoche]

I was thinking the auger was to run horizontally in the bottom of the tub after the water had been turned off.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I was thinking the auger was to run horizontally in the bottom of the tub after the water had been turned off.

How would you get the silt out if it sit horizontally? That would just move it from one side of the tub to another.

 

[elgatodelnoche]

How would you get the silt out if it sit horizontally? That would just move it from one side of the tub to another.

There will be a door that opens on one end. The screw will be turned on. Then the mud will be moved out of the open door. When done, the door will be closed and operations will commence again. I will try to show you the design I have in mind later today after working in my 3d modeling program, Rhinoceros. I am not calling you Rhinoceros, that is the name of my modeling program.

 

[afreakofnature]

I just came across something that might work perfectly. Being in the midwest we use Grain Augers and this might just work for our situation. I am still doing the research but think I might have came up with something.

 

[elgatodelnoche]

Here is a picture of what I envision. For field operations the auger could be hand cranked.

 

[elgatodelnoche]

I believe something like this could definitely be a money maker for the man or men who could produce and sell it.

 

[Jason in Enid]

You biggest problem is going to be trying to keep the door water tight. As soon as it's opened, the seal is going to have sand, mud and gravel all over it making it almost impossible to seal. When you re-fill the container you will be dumping water out on the ground.

 

[afreakofnature]

Here is what I found. The pictures show it as a toy grain auger but this is the size I am thinking. It would not get all the mud out but it would keep in from filling. So you might have 6 inches which is way better than 2 feet. The first pick is the toy I saw. Then I saw the PVC toy on ebay. But that toy design would work for us, I think. At least to try. I got most of it figured out. I am trying to find if they make sealed bearings for use in PVC pipe for the center axle to rotate on.

 

[elgatodelnoche]

Reply to Jason in Enid:

Not necessarily so. It could backed by a rubber gasket and held in place with screws. The screws are undone and the door removed and the gasket and it's mating surface are wiped off before replacing it and driving the screws back in. I do not see a problem in this aspect of the operation. With enough time, I could figure out how to automate that so the hand screwing and un screwing was not necessary, but it would overly complicate things for the small time operator.

 

[afreakofnature]

The only problem I have with your design elgatodelnoche is that you would lose all your water too and it would be for a final clean. I was thinking along the lines of removing the mud and gravel while still maintaining the water. The water and keeping it as clean as i can for the pump were some of my main concerns.

 

[elgatodelnoche]

Yes, my system would require the water to be pumped out into a temporary storage and then put back in.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Keep in mind that any auger made of hard material, and run in a closed, or semi-closed, tube will have to be smaller in diameter than the tube by an amount that is 3 times the size of the largest gravel present. Otherwise it will be constantly jammed by the gravel.
Jim

 

[elgatodelnoche]

Keep in mind that any auger made of hard material, and run in a closed, or semi-closed, tube will have to be smaller in diameter than the tube by an amount that is 3 times the size of the largest gravel present. Otherwise it will be constantly jammed by the gravel.
Jim

Many of the recirc sluice users have a screen over the hopper which gets rid of the gravel and only allows sand and silt into the tub.

 

[elgatodelnoche]

Been trying to figure out how to work one of these into the highbanker sluice output

I envision a grizzly made of whatever size of screen the operator is comfortable with angled to the side so that sand and gravel is diverted to the ground and not allowed to enter the tub. Thus eliminating the constant dumping of classifier screens that are commonly used by operators.