M-3 GoldenIrishmans Monsoon Mining Thread

goldenIrishman said:
I went and picked up the parts I need to do the rehab on the plenum/riffle box today. Unfortunately Jan also decided it is time to get the garden put in. Any of you that are into gardening and living in the desert know that means only one thing. Lots and LOTS of soil amendments have to be added. In other words, I spent a good part of the day hauling B.S. to mix into the garden area. Now we all know that I'd much rather have been working on getting the drywasher fixed up and ready to go. I've decided that a fitting punishment for Jan would be to skip the shower tonight and go to bed in my current aromatic state..... Yes... I'm a cruel person at times! Muhahahahahaaha!!!!!!
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Hmmm, "good things" will not come of this ;)
 

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Yes they will Kevin!!! Think of all the fresh veggies I'll have to work with in the kitchen! Homegrown veggies ALWAYS have more flavor than that junk you buy at the stores. WE did strike a deal though. I do the digging and planting, she does all the watering ( a much longer on going process) and then I'll do the harvesting and cooking of the bounty that's forthcoming.
 

goldenIrishman said:
Yes they will Kevin!!! Think of all the fresh veggies I'll have to work with in the kitchen! Homegrown veggies ALWAYS have more flavor than that junk you buy at the stores. WE did strike a deal though. I do the digging and planting, she does all the watering ( a much longer on going process) and then I'll do the harvesting and cooking of the bounty that's forthcoming.
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I think he meant the going to bed with out shower ; )
 

utah mason said:
I think he meant the going to bed with out shower ; )
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LoL RIGHT!!

...if you don't remember that good things can happen in bed then maybe it's beyond the point where it matters ;-)
 

KevinInColorado said:
Hmmm, "good things" will not come of this ;)
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Besides, a good hot shower will make you feel a lot better and more appreciative if good things do come of the shower.... :)
 

I was kidding about skipping the shower of course guys! After working with that stuff I couldn't go to sleep without one. To say the least that "compost" is rather pungent.

I started doing the rebuild on the drywasher today and it's coming along great. I reworked the front suspension system for the plenum/riffle box and got all the air leaks taken care of so the air is going through the cloth and riffles instead of the holes in the box. I also figured out that the reason it hasn't had enough vibration is because of the suspension on the rear of the box. The way they had it setup it was binding against itself. I'll need to pick up two more springs and move their mounting point a couple of inches higher so the box can move freely. That should fix the problems that plagued the previous owners and turn it into a good recovery machine like it should have been to start with.
 

More progress on the drywasher rebuild. Got the springs this morning and reworked the suspension. The box now moves freely but it still doesn't have the amount of vibration it needs. off the top of my head, I see that I've got three choices at this point. A: install more weight and hope that it's not so much that the fan can't start turning. B: make up an arm to mount the weight to so it is moved further away from the pivot point of the fan and again hope that it will turn with the air from the blower. C: install a larger fan to increase the orbit of the weight(s).

The current weight is nothing more than a medium sized bolt attached to one of the fan blades. I've got plenty of lead that I could form weights out of that would be cast in the shape of the fan blades, drilled and attached with a small bolt with a lock washer. I have a feeling that the larger sized fan with a heavier weight is going to be the way to go. Either way, the fans are cheap and easy to get at the local swap meet for a buck or two.
 

I'm sure you will get it worked out soon. Don't forget to test the action when the riffle box is loaded with material if you are not doing so now.
 

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That was what got me thinking more weight. Without a load on it it shakes like crazy but as soon as it got some weight on it it slowed waaaayyy down. So weight to counter act the damping action of the load weight makes sense to me.
 

After pulling and examining the existing fan in the plenum box I decided to do a double whammy on it. First off a trip to the swap meet to pick up a 4-1/2 inch fan to replace the tiny little 3 inch one that was in there. During the exam I weighed the bolt on the old fan and found it came in at 19 grams. On the way back we stopped in at the local tire shop and I picked up a 3 oz stick of stick on wheel balancing weights. the guy there was cool and just gave them to me. Because the weights are further from the pivot point of the fan I'm going to start with 1-1/2 oz and see how that works. I can feel a big difference between the two fans just by spinning them in my hand. Once I've gotten it installed and tested, I am considering drilling a hole through them and the blade and running a small bolt with a lock washer through them to make sure they stay in place. Keep the fingers, toes, arms, legs and eyes crossed here guys!
 

Nasty
 

Well there is only one thing I can say about that drywasher. That being.....

"IT LIVES!!!!

The larger fan and more weight did the trick. Next step is going to be a field test this week. I could do it like Doc from GoldHog with a weighed amount of gold etc etc etc, but I'm not taking a chance in loosing the gold I worked so hard for.
 

goldenIrishman said:
Well there is only one thing I can say about that drywasher. That being.....

"IT LIVES!!!!

The larger fan and more weight did the trick. Next step is going to be a field test this week. I could do it like Doc from GoldHog with a weighed amount of gold etc etc etc, but I'm not taking a chance in loosing the gold I worked so hard for.
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Plant one seed......maybe it will grow!:laughing7:
 

LOL... Just because I was an infantryman doesn't mean I am an animal. Of course some would argue that point. I don't fear dirt or getting dirty but if there's a shower available of course I'm going to take advantage of it. I'd much rather be spreading and working in fertilizer than tromping through rice paddies again.
 

Heading out today to do the field testing on the drywasher mods. We will be hitting the Griffith Claim since it's close to the homestead. Stay tuned for updates!!!
 

Well the drywasher worked for about 30 minutes before the stick-on weight decided to slide/shift due to centrifugal force to the point that it was rubbing on the fan housing. Further mods needed will be required in the form of drilling through the weights and installing a small machine bolt to hold them in place. I guess that the sticky stuff is designed to hold onto metal not the plastic that the fan blades are molded from. Live and learn. I'll get it drilled and bolted into place after I've had my coffee here. :coffee2:
 

Nawww.... I've got some small machine screws that will do the trick. Even have lock washers for them. Now with my luck I"ll get the weights attached and be running only to have the fan blade snap off or something. :BangHead:
 

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