Underwater sluice

[Gold999]

Hi,

I found a gold beach located under a meter of water and would like to mine it and put a sluice directly under the water.
Otherwise, I have to transport the gravel to the bank to wash it.
Is this doable with a sluice normal or with a fluid bed sluice? who's already done it ?

 

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[Goodyguy]

Hi,

I found a gold beach located under a meter of water and would like to mine it and put a sluice directly under the water.
Otherwise, I have to transport the gravel to the bank to wash it.
Is this doable with a sluice normal or with a fluid bed sluice? who's already done it ?

Can not operate a normal sluice or a fluid bed 3 feet under water or even a foot underwater without a considerable drop to the sluice and a sufficient water flow over the sluice and even then it would not be very efficient. I would suggest something like the Gold Hog flow pan or one of the knock offs for sampling.

If the water has a fast enough flow you could possibly use a regular sluice with long enough legs to raise it up to a proper level.
You will have to use a special scoop to dig material off the bottom without it washing away like it would off a regular shovel.

For any kind of production you will need to find a way to use a dredge even if it's just a small 2"
A highbanker is easily converted over to have dredge capability.

Another option is to make and use a hand dredge but its kind of slow going, it's best at sniping out underwater cracks and crevices......

GG~

 

[Phil]

If you get caught. they will make an example of you.

It's not worth it.

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

If you get caught. they will make an example of you.

It's not worth it.

Would you elaborate on this? I would expect his location in our grand world has a great deal to do with the validity of this.

In California I’m sure you may be onto something. Anywhere outside of communist control and the rules are far fewer.

 

[Phil]

Would you elaborate on this? I would expect his location in our grand world has a great deal to do with the validity of this.

In California I’m sure you may be onto something. Anywhere outside of communist control and the rules are far fewer.

If dredging is legal in his state, why would anyone want to build an underwater dredge?

 

[Goodyguy]

If dredging is legal in his state, why would anyone want to build an underwater dredge?

According to his profile and the flag under his handle he is in *Ariege France.

Lots of reasons for not using a dredge other than legalities.
Cost or availability or ease of transporting it to the location just to name a few.

GG~

*Ariege is a department in southwestern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It is named after the river Ariege and its capital is Foix.

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

If dredging is legal in his state, why would anyone want to build an underwater dredge?

I agree with goodguy. I have piles of prospecting equipment yet don’t care to pay for a dredge. From his question I’m guessing he’s fairly fresh to the prospecting hobby and learning as we all do.

Hard to say but as great as a dredge is it also requires a certain level of commitment, or at least willingness to part with a fair bit of cash.

 

[Phil]

Well...........I guess I just busted myself by assuming other people had the same idea I did. LOL



Gold999, check out the Bazooka.

https://gouldeng.com/bazoo.htm

 

[monte_rivers]

You can try a fluid bed concentrator. Here is a DIY version. I built one and it works well under water, though processing rate is a slow compared to sluicing. It requires classification, especially for fine beach gold, I imagine.

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

Makes me wonder if a guy could take several sections of ridged tube and make a shoot of sorts. A wide opening on one end funneled into a 3” plastic pipe. Several sections may be needed to guide material down stream and over to a side where you could discharge into a pile....

I guess some elevation change would be needed.

 

[Gold999]

Thank .
Unfortunately in France, the use of dredges is prohibited.
Too bad because the contents are around 10 g per m3.
I'm going to try the ramp on feet.
I also had to think of a ramp on a float, supplied with water by a bucket.
To dig I use an American shovel, in pickax mode.

 

[Gold999]

I don't want to build an underwater dredge, only a underwater sluice

 

[Gold999]

I built a dredge exactly 37 years ago. At the time we could use it freely. Gold diggers were considered harmless and somewhat folkloristic curious beasts.
At the time, I dredged on the beaches at concentrations of about 1 g per m3. And gold was cheap at $ 10 a gram.
But following fights between gold diggers
who thought they were in the Far West :-) , the public authorities banned them.
I had stopped and having returned to prospecting for a few years, I found grades dozens of times higher.

 

[Gold999]

Thanks, I will try

 

[Gold999]

The history of gold diggers in Ari?ge. (In French)
Modern era
Historique de l'orpaillage moderne en Ariége - Association des prospecteurs auriféres du Salat

In the past

Historique de l'Orpaillage en Ariège - Association des prospecteurs auriféres du Salat

My dredge,before :-)
Chercheur d'or en France, les dragues aquatiques

 

[Gold999]

I have an indirect possibility.
I pass the alluvium underwater on a box 60 cm X 40 cm by 20 cm deep, or 48 liters surmounted by a grid, located under the water.
The sifted sand at 7 mm makes less than 15% of the volume of the whole material.
It is filled with the equivalent of 48 liters * 1/15% or 300 liters of everything.
And I go up the sifted sand, in a ramp either on feet or on a float, in this case the ramp fed with a bucket.
With 10g at M3, that should be good.

Indeed with a dredge, it would be royal.
I sucked in practice 2 M3 per hour with the one I had.

A disadvantage. Here the legal period ends at the end of October and for the moment, it is raining and the water has risen.

 

[Goodyguy]

Good luck, and please post a photo or two of what you come up with, along with your results.

Would be great to learn from your experience.

Je te souhaite'
GG~

 

[ncclaymaker]

A few years ago, I saw an underwater dredge on "Bering Sea Gold" that has cut loose from its' mooring. It had the advantage of not having to lift stone, sand and whatnot to the surface to process on a sluice. It was found the next season and a short demo was made. It does exist, it may even work. If someone can figure it out, then perhaps we can un-californicate the state somewhat by using our brains to end-run the legislators. The name of the sluice is the "Dragon". Run a search on Google for Bering Sea Gold, then Dragon or Glenn LeBaron. Should answer some if not all of your questions. BTW, bring about $50K in spare change to build it.

 

[russau]

I also saw that episode of Bering Sea Gold and I wanted to built that "Dragon" sluice BUT then again like so many other things (Bucket list ) I wanted todo that never got done.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I really heavily doubt you need 50k to replicate that thing. It’s basically just a subsurface sump to sluice system. You’re still stuck with the inefficiency of an underwater sluice.