New here - intro & a few quick questions

[Mint_2k]

New here - intro & a few quick questions

Hi.

I'm very new to prospecting. In fact, other than panning for gold, at a gold mine tour in Colorado, I'm 100% new.

I live in Texas, in the NW Houston area, and we like to go camping a lot, and don't mind driving. I'm hoping to cut my teeth by taking a trip to North Carolina for some real prospecting. I was thinking of trying out Lucky Strike, but I've read there are several locations in that area I can try. After a little deliberation, I decided to put a highbanker together. I'm going to use a KEENE A52 sluice and a GMS hopper combo with a 2.5 HP pump.

Does anyone here know if the Jobe sluice stand that bolts to the side Of the sluice box works with the A52 KEENE w/o blocking the riffle tray? Based on what I've read, that sluice stand may cause problems with the riffle lift tray on some models, so I was wondering if anyone here has tried this combination.

If anyone has any other suggestions please chime in - I certainly appreciate the input.


-Larry

 

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[russau]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

yes it will block the riffel tray from completely closeing. but you can make a stand,w/legs with their adjustable setups on a metal base for your sluice and just weld the adjustable leg part onto that frame. i made my own and thats what i did and it works fine. OR you could use some counter sunk screws from the inside out, and counter sink the sluice sides with a nylock nut on the outside and itll work OK if you C.S. the sides enough.

 

[Mint_2k]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

yes it will block the riffel tray from completely closeing. but you can make a stand,w/legs with their adjustable setups on a metal base for your sluice and just weld the adjustable leg part onto that frame. i made my own and thats what i did and it works fine. OR you could use some counter sunk screws from the inside out, and counter sink the sluice sides with a nylock nut on the outside and itll work OK if you C.S. the sides enough.

Thanks for the info. I would not have thought of just welding the brackets to a separate base. That certainly seems like a good option. I don't have the welding equipment, but my neighbor does. I was wary of getting a separate sluice stand because I don't see from most of the advertisements how the sluice attaches to the stand and holds it steady, if it's not affixed to the sluice somehow. I'm probably just paranoid b/c I don't know how it works.

I may try to CS the screws from the inside like you said and see how that goes.

Thanks for the info russau!

-Larry

F it's not bolted to the sluice.

 

[GrayCloud]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

2K, Welcome aboard hand and luck to you on the creek bank.

 

[Mint_2k]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

2K, Welcome aboard hand and luck to you on the creek bank.

Thank you! I've been bitten bad, and ....well, there are not many places in my neck of the woods to do this kind of thing, other than the Llano area. I figured after reading a lot on this forum that I'd take the approach similar to others; process as much as you can creekside and take th cleanup home. I know that I'll only be able to take a few camping / road trips a year, so I'd like to go somewhere where I can really move some earth, and take some back with me along with the cons to get me through the dry spells....

I bought a few rounds of pay dirt to practice on, and I've also read up & tried the BB technique after reading about that here. I'd much rather generate my own cons, so that's when I got the idea to put a high banker together. It'll be a little bit before I hit the road, but I hope to Learn from the folks out there as well..

 

[63bkpkr]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

Hello Mint_2k,
And welcome to "the forum"! Keene sells a frame with adjustable legs for the A52, with shipping ~ $70. I've purchased the CASluicebox Co. highbanker kit for my A 52 and expect it to arrive late next week. I will be using an older Keene 2" dredge motor with the P90 pump on it to power the high banker. IF the California winter does not really take place then I expect to be back in the mountains outside of Sacramento late March to early April. It will be nippy but with the rivers running at high summer levels right now well, it could be profitable if not a good adventure. Have fun! ........................63bkpkr

 

[TerryC]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

Mint,... Follow the advice of 63bkpkr. He is THE field man EXTRORDINAIRE! Bar none. Good luck. TTC

 

[Mint_2k]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

63bkpkr, I'm jealous. I wish I lived in a place that was closer to a real producing area. You'll have to let me know how your conversion goes. I'm still working out the details, but the end (head) of the sluice needs to be closed off in order to send the hopper material down the sluice, and not dump it over the end of the flare. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to fabricate that part.

:-)

 

[63bkpkr]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

Mint,
If you have a few 'C' clamps, a hacksaw, a combination square and a bench or table, other than your Wife's Oak Dining table then you purchase a scrap piece of aluminum and make the end block. OR, get a piece of wood that fits across the incoming end of the sluice and screw it into place. Obviously the wood is the fastest and cheapest way to make the end dam but some people may snicker at it when they see it, don't let that bother you or even tell them that you ARE getting gold. You could put some caulk around the edges of the board to make sure no fine gold goes out because it will if given the chance!

Have fun......................63bkpkr

P.S. - TC, thank you for the compliment!

 

[Mint_2k]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

Wow. You guys are awesome. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom.

I've had my eyes on a table saw and a few other things over at Harbor Freight, here in NW Houston....I may try to use this project an excuse to pick up a few new tools!

I would not even thought of using wood for the dam. that would be easy

I cleaned out the garage last weekend, so there's room in there. I spoke to Astrobouncer in the sluice forum, and he is getting great results from drop riffle sluices. Since the hopper I'm getting will work with any 10", I might try them both and see how they compare. My wife thinks I'm nuts getting so into this, but I tell her, that maybe we can find enough color (with work, lots of practice....and luck) to help pay for the gas that gets us out & about! Either way... I've been camping since my scouting days, and this looks like a blast. I can't believe I stumbled on this site and found a cool group of folks that like this hobby and don't think I'm crazy.

 

[bmarley5780]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

my frame-

the abs sluice just drops in ....

 

[Mint_2k]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

my frame-

the abs sluice just drops in ....

did you custom built it? Very nice. Who did you order the ABS from? I'm looking at several - one from GMS, and another from US prospectors.....both in a 10 inch width. I like the idea of buying it already closed on the end.....makes adding high banker stuff easier, I bet.

 

[bmarley5780]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

Ya, I built it from scratch.

The sluice is from ebay. Pretty much the same thing as the Cali Sluice.

 

[Mint_2k]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

Impressive stand.
I've been having a hard time sourcing a stand for the ABS 10x39
I can't get a reply from the guys at California sluice box.
I may have to resort to building a stand out of wood, if this keeps up, which will be pretty heavy.

 

[OKIE]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

If you are coming to NC, just drive right on past the Lucky Strick, and about 1 mile further and go to Thermal City, super nice peeps there and nice camp ground, they have a full line of equipment there as well. I have heard that LS gets their material from TC. You can get panning sand by the front end bucket load for only $50.00 a load. I went last year and ran 2 loads through my hi banker and came out with 7.3 GRAMS. I will be making many trips this year. I live in Greenville NC. I lived in Houston for about 15 years. I'm from Durant OK. there is a place in OK called K River camp ground, they have gold there as well, I will be hitting that place this year too.
Hope this helps.

OKIE

 

[Mint_2k]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

If you are coming to NC, just drive right on past the Lucky Strick, and about 1 mile further and go to Thermal City, super nice peeps there and nice camp ground, they have a full line of equipment there as well. I have heard that LS gets their material from TC. You can get panning sand by the front end bucket load for only $50.00 a load. I went last year and ran 2 loads through my hi banker and came out with 7.3 GRAMS. I will be making many trips this year. I live in Greenville NC. I lived in Houston for about 15 years. I'm from Durant OK. there is a place in OK called K River camp ground, they have gold there as well, I will be hitting that place this year too.
Hope this helps.

OKIE

I read about Thermal City. I knew it was close to LS but I didn't know LS got their material from there. Thanks for chiming in, OKIE. I'm desperately in need of an insiders opinion since we've never been out there before. The front loaders of material are $35 over at LS, so I was thinking I could move more material with my high banker build, for the money. Is the color better over at Thermal City? I'll definitely pay more if it's worth it.

Very cool that you know a place up in OK. that's much closer that NC to me. Please keep me posted on how well you do, and if you think it's worth it. By the way, what kind of high banker are you using? I'm still putting mine together.

 

[OKIE]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

My profile pic is 7.3 grams thats what i got in 2 loads

 

[OKIE]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

Keenne 3" Hi banker / dredge combo. 1'w X 4'L sluice, deep V matting under my minners moss....but i am changing to the hog wild AR matting this year. We own land on Blue rive in OK, I found some flour gold there about 6 years back with a sluice box and a pan, I'm going to hit it this year with my combo set up this summer, i will keep u all posted.

God Bless

OKIE

 

[Mint_2k]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

My profile pic is 7.3 grams thats what i got in 2 loads

I'm convinced. Thats an Awesome yield.. Im driving up to DFW this weekend, and it looks like the K camp is only 3 hrs from there. That's really close! Can't go this weekend though...it doesn't look like you can hibank there, but you can pan based on their website. That's very cool to have a place that close. Thanks for the info. I can make a long weekend out of that sometime.

Sounds like u have a pretty sweet set up. Mine looks like it'll be drop riffle set up. The lighter the better, since I'm in a smaller car. Heh....should have bought a truck.

Definitely keep me posted. Hope you hit a good streak! Thanks again for the info!

 

[OKIE]

Re: New here - intro & a few quick questions

No problem, I hope you find some color up at KR, Okiebasspro and Jason are from OK and they go there from time to time, they use dredges tho ... we are trying to all get there at the same time this year, OK gpaa goes to KR 2 times a year, I am a GPAA member but have never gone to any of their properties. LOL

God Bless

OKIE