Input on Semi-Custom Dredge Please?

[starsplitter]

iiiii

 

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[Alaskan Adventurer]

You will want hungarian riffles(larger gold) and something like vortex matting(fine gold) to capture both the fine and larger gold. I am bringing some with me down to Ecuador in a few weeks. The vortex is heavy and fairly expensive, but well worth the cost and trouble. Having a variety of matting in your sluice is the best way to go. The Ecuadorians generally use burlap only, and they do lose a pretty high amount of their gold.

 

[Goodyguy]

It's important that you marry the sluice to the dredge in the most efficient way. A sluice for a 6" or an 8" dredge needs to be designed for your particular application for best results. You may also want it to have gem recovery capability.

Depending on your pumps GPM output, and whether you are using a crash box or a flair and the types of overburden/gravels you will be running, has much to do with the sluice design. Such as.......

Riffle style, riffle height, riffle placement, how long the sluice box should be, how wide it should be, whether to go with an over under design, whether to make it a multi stage sluice or both, what type mat/mat's, whether to use punch plate, expanded metal, the angle of drop, etc.

If I were you, once you get the dredge specs and details, call Heckler Fabricating and let them custom build a sluice to give you the best performance for your particular situation. Keene could do it but would cost way more. (either way it wont be cheap)

I'm with Alaskan Adventurer on the use of vortex mat. However I believe that you both would be better off using a modified Clarkson riffle setup instead of the Hungarian style, Read the report below and see why.

Sluice Design


Sounds like you are having the adventure of a lifetime and I wish you all the best!
GG~

 

[russau]

why change out your box and buy another? post some pics with info/ measurements! theres lots of info that needs to be given before any advice can be returned. is it a flair,crashbox,size of sluice,do you use a damper on the headend of the sluice,types of riffels,matting, what speed do you run the engine! ETC.........so you see,theres lots of info that needs tobe given first.pictures help a lot.

 

[Hoser John]

Amen as pretty radical to just dump. Are you over/under sluice using a flair suction nozzle or powerjet. To get a decent answer we need info as none supplied-John --over under rocks small gold

 

[starsplitter]

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[sourdoughtom]

Hey starsplitter....I'm new to this site, so bear with me....I'm 71 yrs. old and spent about 10 yrs. dredging from AZ to AK....My brother and I are thinking of moving to Costa Rica or Ecuador....can you give me some insight to the rules and regulations for small time dredging down there.....Thanks, sourdoughtom

 

[Fullpan]

star, in what way, specifically, are the dredgers pirates? We could use a few tips to hold back the enviros here.

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

Knowledge is your friend. Only you are going to know & understand the conditions at your site and the type of gold expected/being recovered. Plus it sounds like knowing your local materials and build skills are going to be key.

Watching a tv show, Gold Rush, where they visited some local operations in Guyana, my first thought was "buy those claims for nothing when they move on and clean the tailings piles of all the fines they missed".

» Double-screen Classification System in Dredging

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Plan and design your own home made suction dredge for gold mining

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Just some different things out there.

Also look up 'shaker table', 'blue bowl', 'gold wheel', 'cleanup sluice' for cleanup.

 

[sourdoughtom]

Thanks for the input Star....Not much good on the language.....I spent about 8 years in Costa Rica up to 2008, but never picked up the language...guess you call that old timers' disease....I understand the Pacific beaches are supposed to be pretty good...have you heard anything about that area?.....From what I've been reading, I think you are about right about CR.....The only advantage to there is I know people that speak English....my brother tries to tell me that I'm goo old to continue dredging, but my mind sure says I'm not.....hence, I want to try Ecuador....by the way, my brother was Air Force too.....he spent 3 tours in Nam.......good luck on your venture...will try to keep in touch.....Thanks again.....

 

[Hoser John]

No more ming legal in CR as environutz taken over and closed down the mines. John

 

[bill-costa rica]

mining in costa rica has always been hard, you can pan and sluice. no motorized mining. hi banking and dredging are done legally. this is a sorry state of affairs for a miner. I have a 10 inch dredge and a shaker screen just sitting. going to have to go to another country to mine.

bill in Costa Rica

 

[Hoser John]

Thanx Bill for clarification as I painted with too wide a brush. Hope your dredge gets wet soon and may need to return to CR as never no more dredging here bud and like any addict I need a fix!!! Still get the heebie jeebies though thinkn' 'bout climbing into the water with them gators/caymon/toothy critters after my last Tortugera encounter-John

 

[starsplitter]

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[Alaskan Adventurer]

I bought enough Gold Hog matting for the sluice of a 6 inch dredge we are going to have built. If you come to Vilca, you can see the matting in person. Should be there around the 2nd or 3rd of Nov.

 

[nickmarch]

Think about getting away from a sluice and trying a large fluid bed. Something along the lines of...

http://www.mine.mn/Robin_Grayson_gold_recovery_method25.pdf

Method and apparatus for separating gold and other heavy materials from ore

Instead of having a constant flow out of the bottom drill a large hole on top on the high side of the tank for the lighter stuff to flow out. At the end of the day drain from the low side to get your gold, then drain completely.

You can dredge and/or shovel and/or backhoe all at the same time. This setup can handle a lot of material fast.

 

[Gringo72]

Hi star
Are you Enjoying Ecuador?
I was wondering can you operate bigger then a 4" with a artisan license?
Take Care
Gringo72

 

[FAR NORCAL DAN]

miners moss over ribbed rubber mat and expanded metal layed on top and riffles.

 

[Gravel Hog]

miners moss over ribbed rubber mat and expanded metal layed on top and riffles.

That There Be Good Advice, JACK!

 

[hookturn]

It's a good looking sluice but. Here's an site you should look at. This riffle study was done by two prosectors that have many years experience. http://www.hecklerfabrication.com/files/sluice-build-partIII-2.pdf
Also the Clarkson riffle test here:Clarkson Riffle Test.
Both of these should help you re-design your sluice. Here is a site for some pretty darn good mat. Much better than
Vortex or miners moss. I've been using it and it works great, not good for real large gold but fantastic for fines. Find this here: Gold Hog - Gold Prospecting Equipment - Sluice Mat
I definitely agree about going through old tailings. I do this on the Klamath river, the Rogue, and the South Umpqua. Most of the guys use a Keene suction dredge right out of the box. Absolutely terrible set up. Looses about 50% of the gold. I find guys that have had their dredges in the same spot for a couple 3 days and when they move I go in and suck up thier tailings... I get huge amounts of fines... I love it