Is V Matting enough?

[Joel1316]

I'm building a sluice box that will be 8" wide X 30" long. Material will be classified down to at least 1/4". I'm thinking of using V Mating for the whole sluice?
What problems would I run into? Do I have other DIY alternatives?

I was looking at Gold Hog mats but is a bit pricey.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Joel, you have no problems. I did the same thing. Holds gold very well. The other major benefit is that you can run your sluice stupidly slow and catch ALL of it. Unless you have to deal with major sand you can do one clean out a day. Also if you can, try 2 different sizes of mat. The deep v looses nothing the micro v and vortex and miracle mat are all proven by me. Docs matting may also work. Pricey but some love it

 

[Joel1316]

GrizzlyGremlin,
I've got some deep V matting already, I can get micro V found at local hardware stores, maybe.
I appreciate the input, very much appreciated!

 

[goldenIrishman]

If you're going to be running only "V" matting, you're going to have to keep the angle on our sluice more towards the level side. Classification should be as small as possible so the materials don't clog up the matting. If you can set up your mats in sections it will make it easier to figure out which angle and flow works best. I use straight carpet and have it in three sections. As a rule I get 99% of my gold in the first section of carpet. If gold starts showing up in the second or third section I know I have to either flatten out the drop angle or slow down the water.

While Docs matting may be a little pricey, it's one of the best surfaces for catching gold you can get! With it's varied surfaces and different areas to catch gold in it is very effective. Look at it this way... If you have the same surface all the way down the length of your sluice and the gold isn't caught in the first part of it, why would you think that the same surface further down the box would catch it?

 

[kevin1]

I'd do it as an alluvial style, but not a straight box.