Ponderings on a radical high banker design

[Gold:Au]

I will preface this post by stating that I have never used a high banker. But having said that, the maker of a recent youtube video I watched made a statement lamenting the fact that the problem with them is that there is no feedback on the richness of the dirt being shovelled in until you do a clean-up.

Now, I have been investing a lot of time recently into designing a wash-plant, and coming up with novel solutions to problems that don't exist and one of the many I dismissed as being a stupid idea may actually be a solution to this problem.

Imagine vortex matting running the length of a high banker sluice. Instead of ending at the discharge of the sluice, it is a conveyor loop that wraps around a tail drum before running up the underside to then wrap around the head drum and connecting to the top edge of the matting.

You run the sluice as normal, with slurry coming off a slick plate and being dumped onto the upper section of vortex matting, flowing down the matting before flowing over the tail drum end discharge.

Once you have finished a section of dirt, you turn the water off, place a pan of water under the tail drum so that part of the matting is submerged, then just pull the matting down and around the drum so that it cleans itself into the pan, leaving a new section of matting ready to go.

This means a "cleanout" can be done in literally seconds, allowing the user to regularly check how much gold they are getting.

There will be extra weight and complexity of course, more than twice the amount of matting, tail and head rollers, a redesign of the top end slurry handling, but it may be a useful product.

What says the brains trust?

 

[russau]

In your post you didn't mention any classification diameter's of "drum"(trommel) . what would keep the fines from getting blown out of the sluice while trying to keep the nuggets (if you were to have that problem!)

 

[Mine Shaft]

Do you have any Blue Prints in the making ?

 

[IDAu]

I wouldn’t use it. Sounds like a lot of weight and extra stuff to break. The first section of v mat in mine is a good indicator.

The more experience I get with different stuff the more I think people are trying to reinvent the wheel. And the more I go back to whats Worked forever. I have a stack of dream Matt collecting dust I won’t even put my gold cube because I don’t see the point.

But it’s cool to tinker and problem solve.

 

[Gold:Au]

In your post you didn't mention any classification diameter's of "drum"(trommel) . what would keep the fines from getting blown out of the sluice while trying to keep the nuggets (if you were to have that problem!)

You would run it as you would run a standard high banker, this modification is to the way the matting is used.

Do you have any Blue Prints in the making ?

Just in my head, I have no intention of following through with this idea as I do not use high bankers.

I wouldn’t use it. Sounds like a lot of weight and extra stuff to break. The first section of v mat in mine is a good indicator.

The more experience I get with different stuff the more I think people are trying to reinvent the wheel. And the more I go back to whats Worked forever. I have a stack of dream Matt collecting dust I won’t even put my gold cube because I don’t see the point.

But it’s cool to tinker and problem solve.

Yeah, I hear ya, this is my thinking as well. But if someone is tinkering and problem solving and this concept leads them to a solution, then I thought it would be good to get it out there into their ideas toolbox.

 

[Oregon Viking]

I'm building a larger version of this and it cleans out fairly quick!

 

[russau]

Good video !

 

[Oregon Viking]

Good video !

It's kind of long and I'm not tech enough to only show just the cleanout.

 

[Quinc]

Sounds similar to a gold cube. Gold cube has multiple mats and you could take out just one if you wanted too.


Whatever you build keep it simple and light as possible.

 

[Gold:Au]

Got a gold cube a couple of years back (along with the trommel for shits and giggles) and while I like the modular design, it is difficult to easily inspect the matting, let alone with the trommel attached. But it does the job for clean-up.

If I were prospecting with the thing, I'd have three modules in the stack and a separate frame for the trommel that would allow the top module to be removed for inspection/cleaning.

 

[Assembler]

Got a gold cube a couple of years back (along with the trommel for shits and giggles) and while I like the modular design, it is difficult to easily inspect the matting, let alone with the trommel attached. But it does the job for clean-up.

If I were prospecting with the thing, I'd have three modules in the stack and a separate frame for the trommel that would allow the top module to be removed for inspection/cleaning.

Going back to the high banker set up could one just have three short individual sections of the total length of the high banker sluice with different mats?
The idea is for a quicker clean out of the first sluice mat.

One would have to make there own stand / stands.

I think the idea of having a separate frame stand for the trommel is best as far as inspecting and clean up goes.

 

[Quinc]

The little high banker I use has 3 separate mats. Each one pops off for easy cleaning/inspecting. Might give you some ideas on your build:

 

[Gold:Au]

Going back to the high banker set up could one just have three short individual sections of the total length of the high banker sluice with different mats?
The idea is for a quicker clean out of the first sluice mat.

One would have to make there own stand / stands.

I think the idea of having a separate frame stand for the trommel is best as far as inspecting and clean up goes.

You could easily do that, although my design allows you to potentially do the clean-up with water still flowing over the sluice. (if that is something you are willing to trade simplicity and weight for)

I think the gold cube is good for beaches and clean-up where you have a flat working surface and are processing bulk dirt, but not so useful for "prospecting". (or being used in the tropics) However, it does get points for speed and simplicity of setup.

 

[Assembler]

You could easily do that, although my design allows you to potentially do the clean-up with water still flowing over the sluice. (if that is something you are willing to trade simplicity and weight for)

I think the gold cube is good for beaches and clean-up where you have a flat working surface and are processing bulk dirt, but not so useful for "prospecting". (or being used in the tropics) However, it does get points for speed and simplicity of setup.

Have you thought out how the conveyer belt mat in the sluice box is going to be sealed up against the sides?

The idea of the gold cube is to classify the material first for best results.

 

[Assembler]

One possibility for sealing the sides of the mat is a narrow piece of foam rubber along the edges and pressure applied by the side walls?
Maybe the sides move in enough for some pressure against the foam rubber when the water flows through the sluice box.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I can’t see that working all that well. Riffle ladders get jammed up with grit as it is. Also you have to physically wash those mats out the concentrate won’t neatly fall out like you describe. If I’m worried about the richness of dirt being fed the box I’ll just do a quick sample pan.

 

[N-Lionberger]

You could easily do that, although my design allows you to potentially do the clean-up with water still flowing over the sluice. (if that is something you are willing to trade simplicity and weight for)

I think the gold cube is good for beaches and clean-up where you have a flat working surface and are processing bulk dirt, but not so useful for "prospecting". (or being used in the tropics) However, it does get points for speed and simplicity of setup.

You’re totally wrong about the gold cube. It’s an excellent prospecting machine.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I use my cube with trommel very successfully on the Arkansas River and Blue River in Colorado. I’ve also been very successful with it in Alaska at places like Anchor Point and Resurrection Creek. It’s a great tool in the field.

BTW, my first mat is a Dream Mat, held down by the accessory Gold Cube sells. (Sidebar: the next two mats are standard vortex mats.) The Dream Mat tray accessory from GC allows you to remove the mat WITHOUT any disassembly of the stack of trays! So I can pull it out, dump it in a pan, get a sense of how the gold is looking, shove the mat back in and continue digging. Amazing.

PS I my cons from a trip to the Arkansas River a week ago, a caught a ton of -125 mesh gold!

 

[russau]

It's always good to hear from you Kevin ! Its been a good while since I've been out to Colorado and Wyoming . Old age has caught up with me and those trips were tearing me up ! I sure miss them and the guys I hooked up with out there every year !

 

[Gold:Au]

The Dream Mat tray accessory from GC allows you to remove the mat WITHOUT any disassembly of the stack of trays! So I can pull it out, dump it in a pan, get a sense of how the gold is looking, shove the mat back in and continue digging. Amazing.

That actually sounds pretty neat.
Out of interest, what sold you on the GC over a highbanker?