Video link to my new device.....

[Jim in Idaho]

Here's a link to a video I did last fall at Bonanza Bar on the Snake. The prototype was built using a cutoff 55 gallon drum. Diameter is about 22". The units I'm selling are 18". They weigh about 11lbs. Made of painted mild steel, with some moving parts made of stainless. Time to let this cat out of the bag...LOL. Looking forward to comments, good or bad. It doesn't look like much, does it? Hard to believe how well it recovers the ultra-fine gold, even fed nearly bank-run material. And very little water for it's size. The bed is 254 sq.inches.
Jim

 

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[Jim in Idaho]

Got the first aluminum frame done today. Cut parts yesterday, and welded it up today. Welds are ugly, but tolerable for my first aluminum welding. It's not as tough as I thought it would be...assuming you don't mind ugly...LOL Sure is LIGHT!
Jim

 

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[63bkpkr]

Hi There Jim, I'm rooting for you and the three people that will be doing the first outside evaluation of Your Invention! May all of you be winners!!.........63bkpkr

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Here's a couple of pics of the aluminum version. Found out I read my scale wrong last time (moron), on the steel units. I read kilograms thinking it was pounds. Steel unit are about 22 lbs....not 11 and 14...those were the Kg numbers. The aluminum unit weighs in at 11.5 lbs.
Now I'm working on the new solid-bodied unit. That will weigh more, but will be much less labor to build, so the price can go down quite a bit. Still have 2 of the steel units on hand. Probably the only steel units that will be built. May be future collector's items...LOL. Test offer still stands. Will also sell them outright for $250ea. + shipping.
Jim

 

[johnedoe]

That is a very interesting bit of equipment there Jim.....

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Thanks, John. I'm wondering if there are bench deposits on the coast where it might be legal to use it. I was thinking dry, but maybe it would be too damp. Might still work damp, assuming there is very little silt or clay at the beach.
Jim

 

[CyHawkGold]

Hi Jim,

Sounds interesting.
Do you think it would work on the glacial gold found in the cricks here in Iowa?

I might be interested in trying one of the steel ones.

I've been trying to get all the gear needed for a prospecting trip out to New Mexico or Arizona this summer. But might be able to carve out some funds for this idea.

Let me know. Thanks - CyHawkGold

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Hi Jim,

Sounds interesting.
Do you think it would work on the glacial gold found in the cricks here in Iowa?

I might be interested in trying one of the steel ones.

I've been trying to get all the gear needed for a prospecting trip out to New Mexico or Arizona this summer. But might be able to carve out some funds for this idea.

Let me know. Thanks - CyHawkGold

I don't know anything about Iowa gold, though I was born at Iowa City...LOL. I can't imagine your gold being any tougher than the gold in the Snake. This unit recovers flour very well. On my trip to Bonanza Bar I recovered gold I'm sure was sub-300 mesh. My offer on the two I have built still stands, if you want one.
Jim

 

[johnedoe]

Thanks, John. I'm wondering if there are bench deposits on the coast where it might be legal to use it. I was thinking dry, but maybe it would be too damp. Might still work damp, assuming there is very little silt or clay at the beach.
Jim

Actually we can use power on the beach...sorta.... it just has to be above the high tide line or in the vegetation line which ever is most evident.
So a recirculator setup to run the beach sands would be possible.
Of course in Washington you can use power right on the beach.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Actually we can use power on the beach...sorta.... it just has to be above the high tide line or in the vegetation line which ever is most evident.
So a recirculator setup to run the beach sands would be possible.
Of course in Washington you can use power right on the beach.

Oh, I thought you couldn't use power on the beach, in Oregon, period. Maybe there's hope for it there after all....LOL My daughter and family live in Seattle. Guess I'll haul one over there this summer, and give it a try. I've read there's some gold on the extreme southern beaches.
Jim

 

[johnedoe]

Oh, I thought you couldn't use power on the beach, in Oregon, period. Maybe there's hope for it there after all....LOL My daughter and family live in Seattle. Guess I'll haul one over there this summer, and give it a try. I've read there's some gold on the extreme southern beaches.
Jim

That is true between the mean low water and mean high water line....
But if you are above the mean high water line / Into and above the vegetation line you can run power there....
But you end up having to pack material to the equipment.... Needless to say you don't see much of this.

I would love to bring my beach high banker over to your area and test it out there.... I think it would surprise you....
Just getting it setup here with low water flow to get things leveled out.....

 

[Machkin]

Nice builds Jim. Would a lubricant/grease on the underside of diaphragm where blades meet reduce the friction, which would help with the wear/breakdown of diaphragm? Or is the wear on the diaphragm from the rough materials on top of diaphragm? Just wondering.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Nice builds Jim. Would a lubricant/grease on the underside of diaphragm where blades meet reduce the friction, which would help with the wear/breakdown of diaphragm? Or is the wear on the diaphragm from the rough materials on top of diaphragm? Just wondering.

Possibly...the UHMW plastic lifting plates are self-lubricating, but I imagine any additional lubrication would help. The wear is from the rubbing action underneath, but if that were reduced, the wear from the rocks would eventually show up. But visqueen is cheap, so it's not a big deal.
Jim

 

[Jim in Idaho]

That is true between the mean low water and mean high water line....
But if you are above the mean high water line / Into and above the vegetation line you can run power there....
But you end up having to pack material to the equipment.... Needless to say you don't see much of this.

I would love to bring my beach high banker over to your area and test it out there.... I think it would surprise you....
Just getting it setup here with low water flow to get things leveled out.....

View attachment 1571285

It would probably do OK, John, but a lot of ideas have been tried, that people thought were foolproof, only to be disappointed...LOL The Sweep Jig, so far, has them all beat. At least in my experience. The flour in the Snake is tough!
Jim

 

[Reed Lukens]

You're about 5 hours from here Jim, I'm at the LDMA Blue Bucket Mining Camp and we're going to have a GPAA outting here from May 23rd to the 28th. If you want to get some exposure and have a bunch of people check it out, then think about coming over for the outting. We'll set you up in your own area and there's no charge for venders if your an LDMA member. Karen and I are caretaking the camp this year and we have a ton of great looking hi-bar material already stacked by the ponds.

 

[johnedoe]

Oh, I thought you couldn't use power on the beach, in Oregon, period. Maybe there's hope for it there after all....LOL My daughter and family live in Seattle. Guess I'll haul one over there this summer, and give it a try. I've read there's some gold on the extreme southern beaches.
Jim

If you do get over this way you have to get to Benson Beach state park at Cape Disappointment. You can run power there and the gold is pretty plentiful as far as beach mining is concerned.... That would be a real test for it in beach material and conditions.

Benson beach Washington......... Sometimes the black sand is on the surface, sometimes you have to dig down a little bit to get to it.



Here is the last few minutes of a cleanup from Benson beach by another fellow.....
The vid is supposed to start at the 8:27 minus mark. if not just fast forward to it.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Now THAT is some serious black sand. Would love to have that here. A lot of that gold is MUCH larger than anything we have in the Snake. I'm going to have to get down there, someday.
Jim

 

[johnedoe]

I have been thinking about the wear issues you have..
1st round and smooth all edges and corners of the paddels.
2nd use a tough material with light lubricant as a sublayer between the visqueen and the paddles/lifting plates.
The self lubricating qualities of the UHMW is limited.

Anyway just a thought.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Thanks, John. I do round, and smooth the edges, of course. I don't think lubing would ad much. Don't think I haven't thought long and hard over the diaphragm issue. I finally decided it comes down to this: You either use a very tough, but expensive, and difficult to locate material that lasts quite awhile, or you use a cheap, very common material that may not last as long, but is simply, and cheaply replaced. In keeping with my own philosophy about prospecting gear, I went with cheap, and simple. Generally, but not always, I use 2 layers of the 6 mil visqueen...just as an insurance factor to prevent losing the cons in the event of an unexpected failure. Also, don't want to dump water on the motor. I'm getting at least 2 hours of use on each diaphragm. Since I recommend dumping cons at intervals of no more than 2 hours, that works. A purchaser of the unit is, of course, free to use whatever diaphragm they wish....all we're talking about here is what I provide when new. I've tried a bunch of different materials, and they all worked. I think people should use what they have. A layer of canvas, with visqueen over that, would work well. Lots of things will work.
I don't see changing out the diaphragm as a big deal. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I'm going with. When I got into this, I wasn't figuring it was going to make me rich. If it sells, great. If not, it's not the end of the world. It works for me, and recovers more flour than anything I've seen before. What can I say? That's why I offered the test sales....I wanted to see how it did in other locations, and for other people.
Jim

 

[gravelsucker]

Instead of using stiff blade-like pieces to cause the membrane to move up and down... try a couple of rollers made of PVC. Significantly less friction, heat buildup and abrasion to the membrane.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Can't use rollers. The offset arms preclude them. The rate of roll varies with distance from the center. See post #19 in this thread.
Jim