Rocker box

[bigjoek]

Hey i was wondering if anyone knows of anyone producing rockerboxes, I've seen the gold grabber , but I don't need all that. Ivr made a wood one, it works but Its heavy. I want an aluminum one lighter weight and more durable. Any leads? Or anyone on here make them. I'm in Washington and I'm trying to work some high benches and there is little to no water

 

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[gold tramp]

Sorry but I agree with Clay and N-Lionberger. What you describe and I quote "my apron is a piece tin" is now nothing but a slick plate. A properly constructed apron or "sag" is usually canvas, stretched and suspended within a removable frame which is tilted. When in use, the deepest part of the cloth hangs just below the frame's bottom edge and that end of the cloth can be close to vertical forming a perfect gold trap.

Do you have a rocker that you use or are you just in agreement with your friends, do they use a rocker box ? Call it what you will slick, I actually use one so I think I know what I'm talking about, Google pics of old rocker boxes, then tell me thats not how they are built...
I keep mine with the modified slick plate works better than a crappy piece of cloth.... Don't be sorry lots of folk don't agree with me...
Gt...

 

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[et1955]

Sorry but I agree with Clay and N-Lionberger. What you describe and I quote "my apron is a piece tin" is now nothing but a slick plate. A properly constructed apron or "sag" is usually canvas, stretched and suspended within a removable frame which is tilted. When in use, the deepest part of the cloth hangs just below the frame's bottom edge and that end of the cloth can be close to vertical forming a perfect gold trap.

Apron that is modified to have a sag, this is reginal mod, your way be right for your area but not for other areas, smart guys adapt to your mining conditions, mining the Yukon beaches is a lot different than mining the desert. As stated Arizau, miners adapted to there mining conditions and there so many mods to the rocker box, no one answer is correct except the one that works for your area. Simple as that, also the old timers used a lot of different materials on there apron but I am sure that as clay said French Ticklers wasn't. LOL

 

[gold tramp]

Apron that is modified to have a sag, this is reginal mod, your way be right for your area but not for other areas, smart guys adapt to your mining conditions, mining the Yukon beaches is a lot different than mining the desert. As stated Arizau, miners adapted to there mining conditions and there so many mods to the rocker box, no one answer is correct except the one that works for your area. Simple as that, also the old timers used a lot of different materials on there apron but I am sure that as clay said French Ticklers wasn't. LOL

A piece of cloth was much easier to come by back in the day, I've seen them with both tin and cloth I still would use the tin apron no matter where I mined as it's the riffle that captures values without them it would rock your material right out the end..
Gt ..

 

[John-Edmonton]

Hey i was wondering if anyone knows of anyone producing rockerboxes, I've seen the gold grabber , but I don't need all that. I've made a wood one, it works but Its heavy. I want an aluminum one lighter weight and more durable. Any leads? Or anyone on here make them. I'm in Washington and I'm trying to work some high benches and there is little to no water

I have built three, with the medium size getting the most use.

Here's the basic design.

Here's some rocking results!

 

[Clay Diggins]

A piece of cloth was much easier to come by back in the day, I've seen them with both tin and cloth I still would use the tin apron no matter where I mined as it's the riffle that captures values without them it would rock your material right out the end..
Gt ..

A properly constructed sag will capture more gold than your riffles. Most experienced rocker box users prefer one sag in their apron but with practice and skill it's possible to run two sags in your apron.

I learned to construct my sag from a very experienced rocker box miner in the 1970's. It took months of tries to come up with a sag configuration that worked for my style. It does not lose gold. In fact although a rocker box is slower than just about any other method except panning it will catch a greater percentage of gold than a sluice box.

Without a properly constructed sag you will lose gold no matter what you put in it's place. I don't know of any rocker box manufacturer that provides a pre configured sag that works. In my experience most provide a loose apron with no sag. Trying to use the box in it's original configuration would lose all your gold. You need to create the sag yourself.

If for your purposes you need to keep the black sand I can see where your hand fed sluice with riffles might work better but without the sag it is just a sluice.

Rocker boxes are particularly effective in situations where the gold is rich but there is no surface water and the material has a lot of clay. In that situation the rocker box is your best bet.

 

[Vance in AK]

A properly constructed sag will capture more gold than your riffles. Most experienced rocker box users prefer one sag in their apron but with practice and skill it's possible to run two sags in your apron.

I learned to construct my sag from a very experienced rocker box miner in the 1970's. It took months of tries to come up with a sag configuration that worked for my style. It does not lose gold. In fact although a rocker box is slower than just about any other method except panning it will catch a greater percentage of gold than a sluice box.

Without a properly constructed sag you will lose gold no matter what you put in it's place. I don't know of any rocker box manufacturer that provides a pre configured sag that works. In my experience most provide a loose apron with no sag. Trying to use the box in it's original configuration would lose all your gold. You need to create the sag yourself.

If for your purposes you need to keep the black sand I can see where your hand fed sluice with riffles might work better but without the sag it is just a sluice.

Rocker boxes are particularly effective in situations where the gold is rich but there is no surface water and the material has a lot of clay. In that situation the rocker box is your best bet.

I will add that I have seen pictures of some of the old 1800s boxes with removable burlap lining the floor (outfeed) of the box.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Riffles in a rocker are not really riffles like in a sluice they're like cheater riffles in a gold pan. almost all the old time rocker boxes had a lip at the end of the box, the trough portion is used like a gold pan to catch heavies that get past the apron but if the sag is right not much gets past it.

 

[N-Lionberger]

A few people have put slick plate tin diverters under the hopper box to put the slurry at the back of the trough in lieu of an apron, I assume Gold Tramp is suggesting that he made an apron with a sag to catch the heavies out of tin as his experiments with a cloth apron flopped like a wet noodle. I have no special buddies here that I know of. I have built and ran a few rocker boxes and am of the opinion that what most people consider to be riffles like in a sluice box operate on back current eddys to sort the heavies while obstructions in a rocker box act to separate the heavies with a jigging action from the rocking like in a gold pan. Material is stratified down and the lights are allowed to float off with the right application of water. I used burlap under some pretty extreme short spaced 1” block “riffles” in my trough when I was a kid based on later rocker designs like from the depression era found them to be a waste of time in favor of a couple obstructions after the apron and a different operational mindset.

 

[et1955]

Ok sag supporters show me a pic of it, also remember the old timers adapted there equipment for the type of gold found in there area. From mining the beaches to rivers, course gold to very fine gold, prove it.

 

[Bonaro]

Rocker boxes are slow and comparably inefficient to many other devices.
In Washington you can do recirculation systems outside of the wetted perimeter. I would suggest a mini highbanker set up in a tub with a bilge pump. Your results will be better

 

[N-Lionberger]

I don't see how recirculating water in a tub with a mini highbanker is more efficient than a rocker box. Mini highbankers already have questionable fine gold recovery ad in recirculating muddy water and dealing with mucking out the tailings. For letting the silt drop out before the pump its best to have a few tubs connected with bulk heads or U pipes. All that stuff and the battery to lug around.

 

[et1955]

I don't see how recirculating water in a tub with a mini highbanker is more efficient than a rocker box. Mini highbankers already have questionable fine gold recovery ad in recirculating muddy water and dealing with mucking out the tailings. For letting the silt drop out before the pump its best to have a few tubs connected with bulk heads or U pipes. All that stuff and the battery to lug around.

With no offence your lack of experience is showing, muddy water is not an issue on our beaches here in Washington state, as for lugging a battery and a tub to the beach is a matter of about 150ft, no problem but now illegal.

 

[N-Lionberger]

With no offence your lack of experience is showing, muddy water is not an issue on our beaches here in Washington state, as for lugging a battery and a tub to the beach is a matter of about 150ft, no problem but now illegal.

I didn’t realize we were talking beach sand here, the original poster was curious about sampling high benches so I figured he’s out in the hills. Rocker boxes don’t work well at all on beach sand I have tried.

 

[Assembler]

I don't see how recirculating water in a tub with a mini highbanker is more efficient than a rocker box. Mini highbankers already have questionable fine gold recovery ad in recirculating muddy water and dealing with mucking out the tailings. For letting the silt drop out before the pump its best to have a few tubs connected with bulk heads or U pipes. All that stuff and the battery to lug around.

With a lot of screening first maybe the rocker box could work mush better. Not what most want to do up in the hills. A pan should do better if use correctly.

 

[et1955]

I didn’t realize we were talking beach sand here, the original poster was curious about sampling high benches so I figured he’s out in the hills. Rocker boxes don’t work well at all on beach sand I have tried.

Rocker boxes have been used for a long time on the beaches and that includes during WW2 soldiers mining on the beaches of Washington state to make extra money, the old timers used them up on the beaches of Nome Alaska. Sags - Aprons, sags for course gold, aprons and riffles for fine gold , adapt your equipment to your mining conditions, never assume that works in one area works in another.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Rocker boxes have been used for a long time on the beaches and that includes during WW2 soldiers mining on the beaches of Washington state to make extra money, the old timers used them up on the beaches of Nome Alaska. Sags - Aprons, sags for course gold, aprons and riffles for fine gold , adapt your equipment to your mining conditions, never assume that works in one area works in another.

All the gold bearing beach sand locations I have dealt with had very small gold and an abundance of black sand it’s just like trying to pan the stuff it’s a pain. I could rocker the stuff with the addition of gravel to the apron and trough. Just because they did it does it make it the right way?

 

[Assembler]

All the gold bearing beach sand locations I have dealt with had very small gold and an abundance of black sand it’s just like trying to pan the stuff it’s a pain. I could rocker the stuff with the addition of gravel to the apron and trough. Just because they did it does it make it the right way?

This is why some people will use a electrostatic plate process with say around 25,000 -30,000 volts D.C. to excite / charge different minerals to help with the separation process. This is usually done with bone dry materials.

See my warning about how with enough current can stop your heart and kill you.

Maybe with enough screening down the materials you can use a wet shaker table process. You will have to be the judge about if this is cost effective / time effective for the amounts you recover.

 

[Assembler]

This is why some people will use a electrostatic plate process with say around 25,000 -30,000 volts D.C. to excite / charge different minerals to help with the separation process. This is usually done with bone dry materials.

See my warning about how with enough current can stop your heart and kill you.

Maybe with enough screening down the materials you can use a wet shaker table process. You will have to be the judge about if this is cost effective / time effective for the amounts you recover.

My impression of the electrostatic process is very fast to use and not as much screening may be needed. However no to lode deposits are the same.

 

[gold tramp]

I will add that I have seen pictures of some of the old 1800s boxes with removable burlap lining the floor (outfeed) of the box.

I use the burlap under my boxs three riffles or cleats if you would rather call them. When I'm done rocking I just roll it up with my values n black sand, throw in a bucket wash them when i get home.
If we ever get any rain here I make a short video of the rocker in action, I have yet to find any gold gettin lost out the end of my box it's usually right under my tin plate, behind the first riffle.
My box is set up so as Im rockin it I have a cleat that the rocker hits giving a good bump action which aids settling the black sands.
I think I said it before it takes some practice to get the rockin action down pat. It's kinda like panning in a way one has to keep the water moving back n forth as to wash out the light materials if this makes sense?
Since it's still fairly dry here goin to spend last day of the year drywashin yes it's power by Armstrong I'm using a hand crank, maybe get lucky find a nugget, might swing my bleeper, but probably just enjoy some placerin.
Gt....