Sluicing questions.

[sfast1]

Hi All,

I've been reading over a lot of these forums trying to perfect my sluicing. In the back of my mind there is always the feeling that I'm losing too much gold. Then again, maybe I'm just not getting much gold across my sluice It's probably an age old question.

I prospect just north of Los Angeles. That area has been worked hard for years with dredges. That may be why we find do find gold, but all small flake. Gold is gold and I'm completely happy to have a pan full of fines.

When dealing with flake gold, what is the best sluicing technique? I have a Keene sluice and also a Bazooka. When I use the Keene I feel that the grids get clogged up a lot and I have to continually clear them with my hand. Is this proper technique? Or should I just keep running classified material?

With the Bazooka, you dont need to classify, but you do need some heavy flow to get the larger material to clear the grizzlies. I worry that with this fast flow I may be losing fines. I almost feel that using a sucker pump I can get good fine material and then run the bazooka slower.

Any thoughts?

 

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[Goodyguy]

Always, always, classify down to at least 3/8" (one quarter inch is even better) into your keene sluice to help prevent fine gold washout!
Clearing the riffles by raking your hand/fingers across them will also cause some of the fine/flour gold to washout!

The bazooka should trap all the fine gold even with the fast water flow.
You could always run your keene sluice into the bazooka for a safety trap.

That's what I do when I run my highbanker.


Homemade gold trap used as a safety at the end of the sluice.
See: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,428462.0.html for details.

Go for the gold
GG~

 

[Lanny in AB]

Good advice from Good Guy. Sometimes I'll run my hand lightly down the riffles (from upstream to downstream) if I'm really hogging the material through in order to process as much pay-dirt as I can if I'm short of time.

By the way-- in relation to the aforementioned information, if you can't see the top of your riffle bars (you probably know this), you're pushing the dirt too fast.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[63bkpkr]

sfast 1,
Your question has been asked by most if not all of us new to sluicing, I know I did. Like you I asked it on this forum so there is a wealth of
information available to you. Way down the list of threads from yours dated February 15, 2011 you will find a post "Trip & Results with Modifications to A52 Sluice" or something close to that by 63bkpkr, that's me. Open it up and start reading many of your questions will be answered and possibly a few you've not thought of yet. The members of T-Net really poured out a lot of information for me and I'm still thankful for their sharing, hope you find all the info you need.

Regards, 63bkpkr

 

[Lanny in AB]

Follow-up on 63's advice--it's golden!

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Goodyguy]

sfast 1,
Your question has been asked by most if not all of us new to sluicing, I know I did. Like you I asked it on this forum so there is a wealth of
information available to you. Way down the list of threads from yours dated February 15, 2011 you will find a post "Trip & Results with Modifications to A52 Sluice" or something close to that by 63bkpkr, that's me. Open it up and start reading many of your questions will be answered and possibly a few you've not thought of yet. The members of T-Net really poured out a lot of information for me and I'm still thankful for their sharing, hope you find all the info you need.

Regards, 63bkpkr

Here is the link to "Trip & Results with Modifications to A52 Sluice" http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,354011.0.html

 

[heartlander27]

If the only gold you have is fine try using ribbed matting or raised expanded metal over carpet or MM. Classify down to 1/8" and run in slower water, fast water and fine gold don't mix. VERY IMPORTANT. Remove the riffles from youre keene and add the metal or ribbed mat. Mix and match see what works for you. Just make sure you clamp the metal down tightly against the carpet. There is a lot of talk about conveyor belt for fine gold, you could try that. Standard riffles arent meant for fine gold, they are more a general purpose system. Just my opinion.