Thompson Drywasher

[oldkoot]

Thinking about purchasing a Drywasher looking at the Thompson does anyone have any input on them good,bad or other also looked at the Keene but the Thompson is about $300 cheaper also considering the Whippet

 

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[ghostminer]

I'm also going to buy a Thompson for use in the summer on our mine in Plumas County, California. I have never heard a bad word about them & I've read the fine gold recovery is good. They seem to be very well built. It's been so dry in Plumas County the last few years I think it will work as long as material is spread out a day in advance. Guess I'll find out in a few months.

 

[oldkoot]

i have not found any thing bad as far as info either so far I think it would work good for me also being in AZ where I am located my only concern is the weight the area where I would be using it you almost have to be a mountain goat to get there

 

[ghostminer]

I think 23 pounds? Are you getting hand crank or battery? I'm going with battery power & can also be hand cranked. I have been told a 12 volt tractor battery will power it all day. Of course, that's more weight.

 

[oldkoot]

I think 23 pounds? Are you getting hand crank or battery? I'm going with battery power & can also be hand cranked. I have been told a 12 volt tractor battery will power it all day. Of course, that's more weight.

I also was thinking about the 12 volt hand crank model the weight is why I was also considering the Whippet its only 15 pounds with the battery but the price is almost three time the Thompson

a small motorcycle battery would cut down some weight and then get one of those small fold up suitcase solar chargers but then you are back up in weight

 

[jair]

Thinking about purchasing a Drywasher looking at the Thompson does anyone have any input on them good,bad or other also looked at the Keene but the Thompson is about $300 cheaper also considering the Whippet

I have a Thompson, actually it's the best I have had , for one person it's great , even two , I had a keen , very good but two of us could not keep up with it , . And I'm sure most of us do not have enough real pay dirt to run , ( it would be nice , but most don't , at least of the prospectors I know ,) the Thompson I can work at a even pace and enjoy my day , not feel as I did not accomplish what I came out for , ( To Enjoy myself ) , that's what it's really a bought , and I can pack it any ware I want . Very nice and excellent recovery with dry materials .

 

[oldkoot]

thanks for the replies think I'll be getting the Thompson

 

[KevinInColorado]

Good call. I love my Whippet but the manufacturer is just one guy and I think he has way more orders than he can handle.

 

[arizau]

The Thompson appears to be fairly compact when folded up and there should be a way to secure it to a bare pack frame. The extra 15 or more pounds (vs. Whippet) including the frame does not seem too onerous for shorter hikes but then there is the battery to consider. I'm pretty sure the battery that powers the Whippet will power the Thompson too and it only weighs about 2.5# and lasts about 3 hours of operating time for my Whippet. My average hike in, digging/operating time and hike out with the Whippet is about 5 hours and, for me, that is a good hard day for one who is on the plus side of 75. That battery is not cheap but could be a viable option to make the Thompson more portable.

Good luck

 

[oldkoot]

Good call. I love my Whippet but the manufacturer is just one guy and I think he has way more orders than he can handle.

Thats the other thing the 4 to 6 month wait for delivery

 

[Reed Lukens]

Something else to consider is the blower or vac style because the vac itself is a really great tool in the desert. I'm still up in the air on a drywasher, looking at the Pro's and Con's of both. One you need gas, it's a bit heavier, but the blower can be used as a Vac Pac. Plus the motor can be turned down to match the feed size if you preclassify to 1/4" to help retain the fines. Will the vibrostatic really break down the sands and clay enough to get you that much more gold?
Then it can also be used as a highbanker with the water conversion kit... I can see where a person would want both the puffer and the vibrostatic depending on the area, but which one is actually best? The Puffer runs quiet, all day long with the right set up and that to me is a huge selling point. I've thought about the Whippet, the Thompson, the new Keene 160 with all the trimmings for a wet system and a simple Royal Manufacturing system.
I'm still up in the air and right now I'm surrounded by friends with different vibrostatic systems. There really is a lot to think about and having a Vac Pac is a huge plus also.
I'm just trying to make it more difficult
191 Triple Threat Drywasher: Keene Engineering Online

 

[russau]

I built my own D.W. and it worked fine for me! It was with a gas blower and YES it was loud but it worked great for me in the 2 years I dry washed in New Mexico. I built it because I was going to New Mexico for 2 weeks and wanted to try it out. I don't care to dry wash! I sold it years back for $25.00 to a club member at a outing of ours. If I had to do it again I would have a puffer style for LESS noise!

 

[KevinInColorado]

I’ve run both. Had a Keene 151 (blower) on long term loan from a friend and now have a Whippet (electric puffer). The Whippet catches gold better and is SO much nicer to work around. Quieter and much less dusty.

 

[Reed Lukens]

I’ve run both. Had a Keene 151 (blower) on long term loan from a friend and now have a Whippet (electric puffer). The Whippet catches gold better and is SO much nicer to work around. Quieter and much less dusty.

Did you do a test comparrison Kevin? Keene's claims make sense, but I've never done or heard of any actual tests between the two styles.
Keene quote - "With Six Unique Patents to its credit, this series includes Soft Bed Technology which creates a whopping 7 milliamps of constant current, resulting in an electrostatic charge ten times greater than any other drywasher. This unit also creates a positive charge on all dust particles that reacts to the negative charge of the ground, creating virtually a dustless environment. Blast Gate Technology provides for infinite adjustment of vibration and air pressure while Scrubbing Pins separate and liberate stubborn gold and create an even flow of material. The enclosed riffle bed creates a dust free environment and a compact single unit design for an extremely efficient machine." From what I've seen, dustless is stretching it a bit, but it's this quote from Keene on their new style drywasher that makes me wonder if it is better on retention. Being able to convert to a dredge or highbanker for the price over the Whippet just adds to the confusion. I've never seen the new Keene's in action, but plenty of 151's, etc. For me the biggest seller of any puffer is the peace and quiet and for the blower, is the heating action to help dry the material... Personally, peace and quiet wins when talking drywasher, but now with the water conversions available... It's a tough choice. 15lbs or 22lbs for the Thompson over 50+lbs with wheels for the big Keene...

 

[arizau]

Wheels are great but are still limiting depending on distance and terrain especially where I dry wash. Short powerful bursts of air by puffers makes sense to me not discounting being quiet at the same time. Constant air pressure from a blower attempts to keep the feed bed in some stage of constant suspension and I guess is more aligned with commercial dry fluid bed applications but I think those applications also have more regulated feed size/density vs. placer dirt feed.

Convenience rules for me but they both obviously work so have fun making your choice.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I haven’t seen the new Keene design in the field yet Reed, so hard for me to say. The 151, As you probably know, makes quite a dust cloud!

 

[Reed Lukens]

Wheels are great but are still limiting depending on distance and terrain especially where I dry wash. Short powerful bursts of air by puffers makes sense to me not discounting being quiet at the same time. Constant air pressure from a blower attempts to keep the feed bed in some stage of constant suspension and I guess is more aligned with commercial dry fluid bed applications but I think those applications also have more regulated feed size/density vs. placer dirt feed.

Convenience rules for me but they both obviously work so have fun making your choice.

Honestly, if I get a new one, it will probably be the Whippet because I feel the same. The Keene looks nice... and bulky...

 

[rockbar]

For you guys that like the high production capability of the blower type drywasher, but don't like the two-stroke blower noise and stench, you can run your drywasher with an electric blower and a small, suitcase style generator.
I run my Royal Manuf. large model drywasher with a Worx electric blower that has an adjustable airflow dial - powered by a Yamaha 2000 genny. The whole setup isn't light at all, but once set up works really well and is pretty darn quiet. You can easily talk while the setup is running.
No more mixing two-stroke fuel.
The adjustable airflow can be dialed up and down as needed. I dial airflow up when the riffles start loading up.
The genny can power an extra fan if you like to cool yourself, blow dust away from you, or cool the genny. You can now also run a small demo hammer to cut through hardpack. The little Yamaha will run my Hitachi demo hammer with a wide chisel bit no problem... so much better than wielding the heavy rockbar.
Obviously, you can't run the demo hammer and the blower at the same time with one little genny.
Different way to skin the cat. Works for me.
Happy digging.

 

[Seden]

Rockbar, I like the idea of our yamaha 2000 portable generator. I too run my Thompson drywasher off an electric blower but since I haven't been able to afford the generator I power my electric blower with my 92 grand Cherokee with a calibrated rock on the gas pedal feeding a Harbor Freight 4000 watt converter Far as the electric Thompson I run mine off a Lithium battery that is so incredibly light I can hold it up with one finger and lasts for hours. Yes you pay more for the lithium but how much is your back worth in terms of carrying a lead acid battery which I did for years,ugh!

I love my Thompson but as soon as I can save up the cash it's going to be a Whippet for this 63 y.O. prospector!!