Sluice Recommendations for Fine Gold

[PonyPower42]

Hello,
I have just started my journey as an amateur prospector. I live in Ohio and have access to several creeks, streams and rivers. From what I understand, gold can be found in rather small amounts and even smaller pieces. I am asking for help finding a Sluice box that will do the best job with the gold in my area. I will invest $100-$150, for the right equipment. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. I usually go out with friends, we enjoy classifying and making concentrate.... So I'm looking for the best Sluice to set up on site and help us get through more material. Thank you!

 

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[A#1]

Well.....I can tell ya a LeTrap worked good on Michigan gold.

 

[A#1]

Thinkin about it......

I panned to a depressing flake or two.....

I classified, brought home dirt, and sluiced and panned them the best I could.....to a better15-20 flakes all last summer

I saved ALL the tailings/heavies....

I got a USB microscope and a Blue Bowl

I found more gold in my saved heavies, than I I got all season last year.

I ran then thru a Blue Bowl

 

[arizau]

Cabela's has a couple of Angus MacKirk sluices in your price range in their online catalog and I think I have seen some good reviews for them in the past. You might be able to find other vendors that carry them too.

One thing about the LeTrap, if you can find one, is that the back end is closed and it has to be sawed out in order to use it as a stream sluice. I can imagine that effects rigidity. That said, they too have good reviews.

Welcome to the forum and good luck.

 

[OregonGold76]

If done right, they work really well.

 

[oneguy]

I'm also a BIG fan of the Angus Mackirk boxes..... Bought the Foreman from Cabelas and it's a very forgiving sluice, cleanouts are a breeze, tuff, lightweight, and most important it catches the fines pretty damned good imo………...

 

[arizau]

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If done right, they work really well.

Great idea for the LeTrap and if you want to use it in a recirculating configuration with a closed end (as originally molded) some gorilla tape strips will re-seal the opening temporarily.

 

[OregonGold76]

I used a good quality handsaw to cut my La-Trap. The black polymer piece I added for extra rigidity ( used small self tapping screws and good glue to hold it in place ) put grip tape on it so it will hold a rock in place for weight when the water is running fast.

 

[deserdog]

Good idea. I always carried a small piece of plywood that I would set across and put a rock on. The la trap does have a tendency to want to wonder otherwise.

 

[Tahoegold]

Letrap is excellent. I just wanted to add another option. There's a couple of Gold Hog mats that work great on fine beach sands. Ray in Alaska catches nothing but fine gold. He uses Yukon first, then Mother Load. I also have some fine -100 gold in my area. I've been using a couple sluices with Razorback on top and then Motherload. I would just use Motherload all the way down as buying 2 mats costs more and Motherload really catches the fine stuff. And, if watter washes over too fast for a moment, this mat will still retain what was caught. And, you can build any size sluice you need, small or large. It won't matter the size of the sluice, the mat will catch the fines and you can really run dirt/sand fast. The smaller sluice would be great to sample, the larger for production. You'd be surprised how fast you can run water through the mat and still get all the fines.

 

[Duckwalk]

Angus McKirk are SOLID sluices. I used them many a time in a small stream back in GA. They catch the small gold very well. never used a LeTrap but from my research when i was buying a sluice it needs faster water than an Angus McKirk does.

 

[OregonGold76]

They do work well in a faster flow, it’s all about angle of slope in low / slow water.

 

[alaskaseeker]

If you want to capture more fine gold the material you put in the box has to be screened to take out most of the rocks, a longer sluice is more efficient and a good miners moss should be used. Astute old timers built an undercurrent also.....Easy to construct if you are handy and a little research will explain how that works..Just some suggestions.....

 

[Duckshot]

Those drop riffle sluices will definitely catch the small stuff when they are set up properly. Also cleans out real quick and easy. Just stuck the end into a five gallon bucket and use your pan to dump water and get the concentrates out, then when you got a a gallon or two of concentrates pan it all out.

But, for what the maybe ten bucks worth of plastic resin costs Agnus, you could get yourself a couple of four foot 1x4 and one four foot 1x8. Cut dados in the 1x8 and screw the 1x4 on for the sides. I like to cut a 45 degree angle on the scoop end both sides and bottom.

Even if you gotta buy a $50 circular saw to build a wood drop riffle it'll still cost less than an Agnus McKirk.

Just one other option.

 

[johnedoe]

Build your sluice.......
Since you are dealing with fine gold you will need a classifier and this can be built into the system especially if you are going with a high banker.
Then line the sluice with deep V mat ... adjust angle and water flow for best recovery ...

 

[bedrock bubba]

Build your sluice.......
Since you are dealing with fine gold you will need a classifier and this can be built into the system especially if you are going with a high banker.
Then line the sluice with deep V mat ... adjust angle and water flow for best recovery ...

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You just can't beat the deep V mat for catching fine gold! A sluice doesn't even need riffles. Laminar flow is a sheet of water that catches fines over the V mat.

 

[mytimetoshine]

fluid bed sluice works for me

 

[JeffA]

I just got my Angus Mackirk sluice in last week, used it today and got several pieces of fine gold. Super fast cleanout, highly recommend!

 

[Johnnybravo300]

I have 3 Angus sluices-great northern, wedgie and grub stake, and a bazooka 24 inch sniper. Angus are my new faves and super easy/fast and light.

 

[bedrock bubba]

I just got my Angus Mackirk sluice in last week, used it today and got several pieces of fine gold. Super fast cleanout, highly recommend!

Go big or go home. son!