Need clarification on sluice designs...

[idowa]

When I first started getting into gold prospecting about a year ago, I started with a metal detector and got skunked; just way too much metal in the creek beds in my area, so I started panning and found a few flakes.

Then, I decided a sluice box would allow me to move more material and, theoretically, find more gold.


I looked at the professional designs online and decided I could build my own... I built one and moved a lot of material through it with no gold found.


I then decided to build another one that was simpler, so I took three 1"x8"x6' cedar boards, used a saw to cut grooves along the bottom, and put in some riffles made out of finish trim.

I then started seeing gold. Clean-up is easy in that it consists of simply running a bucket of material through it, then sticking the bottom of the sluice in a gold pan and pressure spraying all the fines into the pan and panning the results.

However, after last week's promising color in the sluice at the creek, when I got it home and did the clean-out, all I got was a couple of tiny specks...

So, I'm thinking that my homemade sluice may catch some gold, but is not holding on to it while I run more material through it.

I'm wanting to get a Keene A52, but I'm not clear as to how the clean-up works or how long it takes.

Can I take it to the creek and run buckets of material through it, then go home and do a clean-out without worrying about losing gold by running too much material through the day, like apparently happened with my homemade sluice?

How long and difficult is the clean-out process? Can I stop and easily check the sluice while processing at the creek and see if I'm catching gold?

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[Goldwasher]

Sample first then dig for a while try to clean cracks in bedrock...Clean up of a Keene, Proline, Jobe, consists of removing the riffles and whatever matt, expanded metal,carpet, miners moss combo you have under them and carefully washing them off and rinsing out your sluice into a tub or bucket whatever you have at the creek, your not gonna transport an uncleaned sluice home with you. If your riffles get packed with black sands or heavies you may need to clean up several times a trip.Read as many of the sluicing threads as you can and you will see and learn enoght to get the jist of it. You can run buckets and buckets through a Keene without cleaning out....and you are hencforth forbidden from using the words Pressure wash+ cleanout+ sluice again in the same sentance!!!!! keep at it.

 

[idowa]

Thanks! My homemade sluice has proven in the past to catch gold when running concentrates at home, but sounds like I need to do a clean out creekside every so often to make sure I'm not losing gold...

We've had a lot of rain the past week and all the creeks are near flood stage; which typically means a lot more gold to be found easier when the water levels come down...

 

[KevinInColorado]

For after cleanup get a Le trap, angus Mackirk, Bazooka or similar that is just a quick rinse out. That way you have the option of as may clean outs as needed during the day without it being a whole process. All of these options are more likely for a newbies to use successfully to catch fine gold too. IMO-(The A52 can do great on fine gold but takes more expertise to achieve the same results with -50 mesh gold under most circumstances)

Mine it and recycle it!

 

[Goodyguy]

For easier cleanup get a Le trap, angus Mackirk, Bazooka or similar that is just a quick rinse out. That way you have the option of as may clean outs as needed during the day without it being a whole process. All of these options are more likely for a newbies to use successfully to catch fine gold too. IMO-(The A52 can do great on fine gold but takes more expertise to achieve the same results with -50 mesh gold under most circumstances)

Mine it and recycle it!

Kevin I know what you meant but not sure about the new guy

 

[KevinInColorado]

LOL GG...damn spell check!

Mine it and recycle it!

 

[Hoser John]

Classify to 1/2" to feed that keene and fines retention goes way up to righteous. Pan out at the creek into a tub and recheck your expertise. Run that sluice all day long with no problems whatsoever. Many sluices but only as good as operator. You did not mention detector make model so info needed there to assist also ??John

 

[Fullpan]

Pic of A52 type sluice running 1/4 inch screened material ALL day long - helps to be on the gold

 

[idowa]

You did not mention detector make model so info needed there to assist also ??John

It's a Tesoro Lobo SuperTraq... It finds EVERYTHING except gold...

I'm sure I just need to work with it to get the settings just right so I can learn to distinguish the signals between junk and gold...