Installing My Gold Hog Mats

[Andy D]

Getting ready for some weekend sluicing.

 

[Island_Hunter]

Im hoping my mats arrive next week! I feel your excitement! I cant wait.

 

[Andy D]

Tested a couple scoops from my backyard. No gold but all that black sand makes me think it works pretty well.

 

[Fabrication Specialists]

Getting ready for some weekend sluicing.

Does Doc have a new mat install video out? The one I saw didn't say anything about needing a sledgehammer for installation

 

[socalocmatt]

Over the last few weeks I've become more and more of a fan of the goldhog mats. Every cleanout so far has some -100. Just bought some more razorback and UR for a highbanker/larger sluice (I still have some Scrubber left). I love my little a51a with goldhog matting but there are a few spots I'd like to hit harder.

 

[delnorter]

socalocmatt, which of the Gold Hog mats do you have in your A51A? Are you using this as a hand fed stream sluice?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[socalocmatt]

socalocmatt, which of the Gold Hog mats do you have in your A51A? Are you using this as a hand fed stream sluice?

Thanks,
Mike

I use Scrubber and Razorback (S-S-R-S-S). I wish I had set it up as R-S-R-S-S instead but I cant complain with the results so far. I've used it as a power sluice with 2 1100 GPH bilge pumps as well as a stream sluice. As a power sluice I had it angled at about 1.5" per foot. In the stream I adjusted it the best I could to clear a scoop in the flare in about 20 seconds and also looked to make sure there was some good exchange (dancing) going on.

 

[socalocmatt]

Well hell, I read my post this morning and realized I got my Scrubber and Razor backwards! lol

I have R-R-S-R-R and I wish I had set up S-R-S-R-R

<facepalm>

 

[Island_Hunter]

So, i'm setting mine up next week and will have 4 sections of Razorback and 4 sections of Scrubber. How would you set them up? I will be using all 8 sections.

 

[socalocmatt]

I'm in now way an expert on it but I like how the Scrubber helps to mix up the dirt with the water. It really seems to "liquify" the material. That's why I wish I would have started with the scrubber. I would add scrubber to the middle as well so that it can mix things up again. If it were me, I'd go with S-S-R-R-S-S-R-R. That way the material has a good amount of exposure to each varying element of the mat.

Again though, I'm no expert. On their site (What Gold Hog Mat should you be using?) they say:
"In Stream Sluices:
This is a bit tricky. Quite often it is tough to get enough velocity in a stream sluice.
Remember it’s not the VOLUME of water but the velocity / speed. So being able to
get more water and pitch is critical. The Razorback mat was specifically designed for
stream sluices. However, Doc likes to put one or two pieces of Scrubber in as well."

I imagine that either would work great as well.

 

[Andy D]

The sledge hammer is out there cause my kid was smashing open rocks while I was working on the mats. I went with S-R-R-R-S, hoping that will help with some of the slower streams I plan to visit. I even got creative with the last piece of razorback and glued on some small rubber rounded strips from a window screen to try and create my own little nugget traps, figured down at the end it couldn't hurt to change it up.

 

[Island_Hunter]

So my GH mats came in and are installed in the new sluice I made. I used V matting for the first 2' and then went SC, SC, RB, RB, SC, RB, SC, RB. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Now I need to get a pump to run my header box and start moving some dirt!!