Stansport 50" Folding Sluice

[BenjiDaa]

Hi,
I just bought a Stansport folding sluice. It's a 50". I'm wondering if it's very good. I'm not sure if I should open it yet. I paid $150.
Thanks.

 

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[johnedoe]

You mean this one?
Folding Sluice Box

 

[BenjiDaa]

Yes

 

[BenjiDaa]

Specifically this one, but same thing.

 

[BenjiDaa]

 

[WesternMassGold]

Hi,
I just bought a Stansport folding sluice. It's a 50". I'm wondering if it's very good. I'm not sure if I should open it yet. I paid $150.
Thanks.

Well i got the same 1. It does a pretty good job , but you gotta make sure you have a fairly fast water flow. it doesnt do well in slow water. I also suggest you classify down to at least 1/4 inch before putting it in to the sluice.
I just modified this sluice with Goldhog matting and can't wait to try it out.Another 2 weeks or so before all the ice is gone here and the River banks are thawed out and safe to walk on .
I will let u guys know how the modification is working out once i tried it.

 

[coolfinie]

.... I just modified this sluice with Goldhog matting and can't wait to try it out.Another 2 weeks or so before all the ice is gone here and the River banks are thawed out and safe to walk on .
I will let u guys know how the modification is working out once i tried it.

I will be looking forward to reading your comments about that particular mod, since I have the exact same upgrade in mind myself, but so far haven't found anybody who has already tried it.
Are you planning to leave the riffles off (what I plan to do) , or to put them on top of the GoldHog matting?

 

[WesternMassGold]

I will be looking forward to reading your comments about that particular mod, since I have the exact same upgrade in mind myself, but so far haven't found anybody who has already tried it.
Are you planning to leave the riffles off (what I plan to do) , or to put them on top of the GoldHog matting?

I am using the Razorback up top , 4sections , no riffles or exp. metal then use the bottom part with the carpet and riffles and exp metal to see if anything gets past the Goldhog mats. I also bought the larger flare ( 20" ) to allow more water flow.
Once i have tried it i will post a picture of my set up and the result of the efficiency . I actually had a friend make me a custom 30" box that i combined with the Folding sluice box parts so i didn't have to drill holes into the original.

 

[coolfinie]

..... I also bought the larger flare ( 20" ) to allow more water flow. ....

Good idea about keeping the flow high. It makes sense with the GoldHog mats.

 

[WesternMassGold]

Ok so here is the lowdown on the Backpacker/Goldhog mat conversion. Went out the first time yesterday. Took a while to set it up correctly. You really gonna need a good flow of water to have it work right.
So as previously mentioned i have 4 sections of Razorback but i added a riffle in front of it to smoothen the waterflow and preventing the sand running down the mats all at once.
i did a 4 hr and a 3 hr clean out. After removing the sluice from the River i only saw 2 small pieces ( -50) sitting on top of the Goldhog mat.I was gettin mentally ready for a big dissapointment.
So i cleaned out the bottom part with the replacement rug that i bought from a local hardware store and found 2 pieces in it after the 4hr run and 1 piece after the 3 hr run.
Then I cleaned the Goldhog mat and saved it in a seperate bag to clean at home. Not so easy cleaning them. i suggest u get a cheap nylon brush at the Dollar store.
Anyhow, i had about 1and 1/2 cups of cons from the Goldhog mats and panned it out 1 teaspoon at a time.
Holly Crap!!!! I had my biggest clean out ever . !! ( 74 pieces) All pieces range in size from -50 to about -150. The most i ever had in the original sluice carpet was 12 pieces.This mat definately catches fine gold if set up correctly.
Here are some pics. I did have a seperate box made for the Razorback since i didnt want to drill holes in my Nice Sluice, then added the bottom from the folding sluice at the end for the Rug and riffles.

 

[coolfinie]

Thanks for the update. it's appreciated.
How high did you make that riffle up at the top? It looks about 1/2 inch in the photos.
Was it mainly sandy material you were sluicing?

 

[arizau]

Thanks for the update. it's appreciated.
How high did you make that riffle up at the top? It looks about 1/2 inch in the photos.
Was it mainly sandy material you were sluicing?

Look on Doc's (of Goldhog) forum "goldprospectingforum.com" for suggestions on how to attach mat. I think he would discourage a riffle as that disrupts the flow and may deflect the material up and some may not have a chance to settle in the swift flow before it washes out. He shows how to make an aluminum ramp type connection somewhere in a video or a post. I connected about a foot of low ribbed matting to my goldhog mat and just clamp it to the end of my homemade sluice. Serves as an indicator mat and allows for some pre-sorting. Works well for me.
Good luck

 

[WesternMassGold]

To answer 2 questions .. 1. I screened to a quarter inch and the riffle is 1/2 inch. 2. You cant see it but i did make an Aluminum ramp to lead up to the riffle . I did see the upward motion of the water at my riffle and i was thinking of trying it without the riffle next time.
Also there was 3 pieces that made it past the Goldhog mat and ended up in my rug. At 74 pieces total that comes to about 5% loss rate which I hope to improve upon.
The mat is attached with 3 screws on top and another screw and washer 2/3 down the mat . No sand got under the mat.Actually if u look at the combination sluice picture u can see the ramp leading into the riffle.Just klick on the picture and u can see it enlarged.
The riffle was made by using a piece of 90 degree angle aluminum piece and i put in a vice to bend it open. Simple but effective.
My next step is to equip the bottom part with UR mat and riffles. Just waiting for the custom box.At the end i will have 2 sluices for when i take my nephew with me.

 

[WesternMassGold]

So i went out on Sunday and used the sluice without the riffle up top. Not liking it. sand slides onto the mat all at once and kinda clogs it up until it finally clears out. that means the gold has no chance to settle. got alot less gold this time.
Going back to the riffle set up. # 1 it smoothens the water flow and # 2 it spreads out the material before sending it over on to the mat in a more controlled way. less cloging up for sure.
Only got 13 pieces.

 

[coolfinie]

That first ramp would also act as a pretty good nugget trap.

 

[WesternMassGold]

That first ramp would also act as a pretty good nugget trap.

Yes it would. But we dont have nuggets here in Mass. If I would find a piece the size of a PEA that would probably be a Massachusetts record lol.