Need Help Please

Goodyguy · Sep 3, 2010

Building a dry washer powered by a leaf blower and would like to know how you do the the fan part?
Best way to get the vibration?

And why not just have the base of the angle riffle heading up the sluice instead of trailing so it would create it's own dead air space?
Also how do you control the material flow from the hopper to the sluice?
I'm going to use a v shaped hopper.

Thanks,
GG~

Bunk · Sep 3, 2010

Hey GG,
Get a hold of FrankC, I am sure he will have answers to your questions.
Bunk

Hoser John · Sep 4, 2010

Simply copy a Keene as they copied my units and elliptical offset weights create that righteous panning action you can never attain with a hump a bump piece a antiquated junk-John :icon_sunny:

Goldwasher · Sep 4, 2010

doesnt keene just tack weld a nut to one of the fan blades towards the middle offset a little to make it off balance?

Bunk · Sep 6, 2010

Hoser John said:
Simply copy a Keene as they copied my units and elliptical offset weights create that righteous panning action you can never attain with a hump a bump piece a antiquated junk-John

Wow John, that was harsh! I have both types and I know my 151 will kill two men and a boy, but a puffer does do a pretty good job if conditions are right. For one guy that just wants to get out and have a good time, a puffer will do a good job if you learn how to use it, and they are cheap to. I can get mama to carry a couple of buckets for me but she ain't helping with no blower or large drywasher!
Bunk

Goodyguy · Sep 7, 2010

pvillehunter said:
doesnt keene just tack weld a nut to one of the fan blades towards the middle offset a little to make it off balance?

I think you are right, but then there is no way to adjust how much vibration you get. :icon_scratch:

Goodyguy · Sep 7, 2010

Hoser John said:
Simply copy a Keene as they copied my units and elliptical offset weights create that righteous panning action you can never attain with a hump a bump piece a antiquated junk-John

There are no Keene drywashers, or any other brand for that matter, in Southern Indiana for me to copy off of. :dontknow:

Goodyguy · Sep 7, 2010

Hoser John said:
Simply copy a Keene as they copied my units and elliptical offset weights create that righteous panning action you can never attain with a hump a bump piece a antiquated junk-John

Thanks for the info :icon_thumleft:

I found Keene's patent complete with diagrams:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4615797.pdf

Jack Hamilton · Sep 7, 2010

On my home made fan I used a fart fan about 5" in diameter. I drilled a 5/16" hole in one blade and mounted a couple washers on a bolt and nut. With a leaf blower running about half throttle it shakes the box really well. I first drilled out the center of the fan blade to recieve a bearing from a kids scooter. I drilled the hole and then carefully filed it to fit the bearing nice and snug. I added a bead of silicone around the top and bottom of the fan blade where it meets the bearing and let it dry. Because the bearing came off the scooter, I also used the spacer and the mounting shaft, or actually axel from the front wheel. The mounting bracket is where it got tricky. I was lucky to find a preformed part at the local recycle yard. Drilled that out to mount the fan assembly shaft, and then riveted it to the bottom of my riffle box. If you would like detailed pix, pm me and I will either post them or send them to you. Best of luck on your endeavor, oh...and if you can find a friend with a washer to borrow it is much easier to set one next to you and copy it than to build one from prints. :icon_thumright:

Goodyguy · Sep 8, 2010

Jack Hamilton said:
On my home made fan I used a fart fan about 5" in diameter. I drilled a 5/16" hole in one blade and mounted a couple washers on a bolt and nut. With a leaf blower running about half throttle it shakes the box really well. I first drilled out the center of the fan blade to recieve a bearing from a kids scooter. I drilled the hole and then carefully filed it to fit the bearing nice and snug. I added a bead of silicone around the top and bottom of the fan blade where it meets the bearing and let it dry. Because the bearing came off the scooter, I also used the spacer and the mounting shaft, or actually axel from the front wheel. The mounting bracket is where it got tricky. I was lucky to find a preformed part at the local recycle yard. Drilled that out to mount the fan assembly shaft, and then riveted it to the bottom of my riffle box. If you would like detailed pix, pm me and I will either post them or send them to you. Best of luck on your endeavor, oh...and if you can find a friend with a washer to borrow it is much easier to set one next to you and copy it than to build one from prints.

Great info Jack!

A picture of the mount would help. No one I know in my area has a dry washer, everything here is wet, great for either highbanking or dredging.

I am building this for my trip to AZ the end of October so I am anxious to get started. I have most of it figured out already but am a little hazy on some of the finer details.

Thanks for your help,
GG~

Jack Hamilton · Sep 8, 2010

Here is my own version of the fan set up. I haven't installed this yet, its actually an extra I made and have not added the nut and bolt yet. I think its the second pic that shows one blade marked with an "X". I determined this to be an ideal blade after watching it spin to put the weight on. The mounting bracket design will work if any sturdy material is used. I was fortunate to simply find this at the recycle yard. This should give you some ideas. The bearing, spacers and shaft are all from a childs scooter, the front wheel to be specific. It is shorter than the back wheel. Hope this helps and best of luck.

One other thing, if time is running out you can buy one from keene for around $30 and it is very simple to install.

Jack Hamilton · Sep 8, 2010

One thing that may be of help, I didn't show the scooter. Its the front wheel off of one of these toys. You can find them at many yard sales.

Pull the bearing out of the rubber wheel and save the two bolts, two spacers and one bearing, if you should choose to make your own fan assembly that is. Good luck :thumbsup:

TerryC · Sep 10, 2010

Poor scooter. Poor kids. Kids, KIDS! Grab your scooters and run for your lives! TTC

arizonaames · Sep 10, 2010

You can adjust the amount of vibration, flow rate, and angle with the 151. I really like the Keene 151. Nice design.

Goodyguy · Sep 12, 2010

Jack Hamilton said:
Here is my own version of the fan set up. I haven't installed this yet, its actually an extra I made and have not added the nut and bolt yet. I think its the second pic that shows one blade marked with an "X". I determined this to be an ideal blade after watching it spin to put the weight on. The mounting bracket design will work if any sturdy material is used. I was fortunate to simply find this at the recycle yard. This should give you some ideas. The bearing, spacers and shaft are all from a childs scooter, the front wheel to be specific. It is shorter than the back wheel. Hope this helps and best of luck.

One other thing, if time is running out you can buy one from keene for around $30 and it is very simple to install.

Thanks Jack,

My drywasher is almost finished thanks to your generous help. Decided to make the fan blade myself, I constructed it from a 6" duct damper (comes with a short threaded rod attached at one end) and then cut it to match your pic with the threaded rod centered at the end of one of the blades, put a heavy nut on it and it works perfect!

Went through my scrap pile and found a great mount for it too! Bought the duct damper at Home depot for $3.95 not bad for how well it performs.

I decided to use two rubberized plastic kitchen trash cans one for the hopper and one for the sluice, that ought to cover the electrostatic part. The riffle tray of course is made from aluminum and I made the stand from a 2x4 that I ripped into 3/4" x 1-1/2" x 48" struts.

I also am going to experiment with using a perforated (tiny steam vents) aluminum steam diffuser from a discarded grid plate from one of the steam presses at my wifes dry cleaners, instead of using cloth covered screen. Will have to see how that works out, but in my mind it should be an improvement over the traditional cloth covered screen diffuser. You would have to see it to appreciate the design, the steam vents are not holes that go straight through. Imagine a tiny dent with vent holes coming through two sides of the protruding part of the dent. then imagine about a hundred of those per square inch.

If this works like I think it will, using, and replacing, the cloth will become a thing of the past.

So far total cost including 3" quick connector and 10 foot of 3" RV discharge hose is just over $60, I will post pic's when it is complete.

And Jack, for the help you have given, I will be happy to send you some gold from my first batch of concentrates. :icon_thumleft:

Thanks again,
GG~