The Ultimate Home-Built Thread

russau said:
i dont think sandstone polishs up very well. but nice find!

I don't think he posted the sandstone photo. However the prized Llanite (granite) polishes up beautifully!

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Hey Buddy, that is a nice Llanite bowling ball!!! :laughing7:

Here is a pic of my little gold spec, it is almost the size of a pin head and the rock that is compacted sandstone. It crumbles, but not as easily as sandstone. It appears to be schist.
 

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Looks like typical layered sandstone to me .... just compacted is all, that explains the hardness.
Sandstone "schist" would have mostly shiny flakes.

*technically, layered sandstone is a schist.

Schist:
A highly foliated (meaning bands of light and dark), medium-grained metamorphic rock that splits easily into flakes or slabs along well-defined planes of mica. The mineral composition of schist is varied and is often reflected in the name given to the rock. For example, a schist that contains garnet is called a garnet schist. A schist containing mica is called a mica schist.

If it was really hard and composed of granitic particles it would be called "Gneiss". (pronounced "nice")
Gneissic rocks are usually medium- to coarse-foliated and largely recrystallized but do not carry large quantities of micas, chlorite or other platy minerals. Gneisses that are metamorphosed igneous rocks or their equivalent are termed granite gneisses, diorite gneisses, etc. Depending on their composition, they may also be called garnet gneiss, biotite gneiss, albite gneiss, etc.


Not trying to be a know it all...... Just a student of Geology as a hobby.

GG~
 

Nice job Harley. GG is right, that Lano is a mineral hot bed and there is just no telling what you may find there. :thumbsup:
 

Thanks GG! I did crush up some of the sandstone. Guess what??????

80% sand
19% magnatite
1% black sand

Go figure! I should have called it leaverdere rock! Oh well I am learning anyway!

I did manage to cut down the tube on my hand suction dredge. Much better with the cylinder at 16 inches rather than 24"!
 

i thought this was the rock he was refering to, but i see it was the other rock thats not shown that was the sandstone.*********** I did find a gold flake and my detector sounded off on a rock that is compacted sandstone, (schist), and another one that has what looks like silver in it like someone shot it with a shotgun pellets!

Here is the 2 pictures of the rock


[/quote]
 

Re: The Ultimate Home-Built Thread - Hand Dredge

Thought I would post my latest DIY project. :sign13:

A hand dredge with interchangeable nozzles that pumps either into a bucket or else directly into the sluice :icon_thumleft:

handdredge.jpg



hopper.jpg
Sluice crash box, no hardware, just cut and fold



seal.jpg
Suction seal made from two 3" discs of leather between plastic washers.
Much much less friction than a rubber seal and does a better job too :icon_thumleft:



Go For the Gold
GG~
 

Re: The Ultimate Home-Built Thread - Drop Riffle Sluice

Decided to make a large drop riffle sluice. 6 feet long by 14 inches wide. ( had to get a shop to bend the aluminum channel) The flare is a whopping 24 inches wide :o (I bent it on my small brake)
I used vinyl soffit that I found in the middle of the road (must have fallen off of a truck) and cut into 14" widths.
The channels are 1/2" x 1/2" and are spaced 3-1/2" apart.


dropriffle.jpg




GG~
 

GoodyGuy said:
russau said:
i dont think sandstone polishs up very well. but nice find!

I don't think he posted the sandstone photo. However the prized Llanite (granite) polishes up beautifully!

thats sweet lookin GG, reminds me of something i buy at the deli sometimes :laughing7:
 

Re: The Ultimate Home-Built Thread - Hand Dredge

My fix to eliminate rocks jamming the outflow check valve on a hand dredge. :icon_sunny:

Now I can suck up any size rocks or gravel that fit into the nozzle without the use of a screen or restrictor even up to nearly 1" diameter when using a 1" diameter nozzle! :hello2: (I almost never use over a 1/2" nozzle)

"The Goodyguy Fix"
Simply remove the discharge check valve from the wye of the suction tube and place the exposed flapper at the discharge end of the hose making sure there is nothing that gravel could hang up on. Flapper valves only, not spring loaded valves.

Works great and you don't have to worry about the angle of the hand dredge.
Be sure to use or make a check valve that rests on an angle insuring a proper seal that wont hang open.


Notice the angle of the valve flap.
Gravity holds it closed even if it's not quite level, such as when you angle the sluice up to 4 inches of drop.
[attach =1]

handrev.jpg handdredge1.jpg



Go for the Gold
GG~
 

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Re: The Ultimate Home-Built Thread- Folding sluice box

Decided to make a folding aluminum sluice box since I only have a small sheet metal brake.
Also wanted it to be at least 6 feet long and fit into a 5 gal bucket for easy clean up.

Made the riffle trays from all aluminum. Pop riveted 1/2" tall riffles to 1/2" x 1" angle aluminum for the rails and then glued ribbed rubber onto the bottoms of the riffles to fill the gap thus preventing material from washing underneath of them.

The whole thing folds up to a small easy to carry package and only weighs 11 lbs. including the 17" wide flair that also fits nicely inside.

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Happy Prospecting
GG~
 

here are a few pictures of what I have made......just playing around with different configurations....
 

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Nice work Buddy and DanB. :thumbsup: You boys may want to start another career manufacturing sluice boxes. :laughing7:
 

DIY Fluid Bed Gold Trap

Tired of losing the flour and fine Gold off the end of your highbanker or sluice ?
Then build a combination sluice/fluid bed trap to end the lost gold blues!
No Riffles, No need to classify, No lost gold.

My version does not load up with rocks that have to constantly be cleared off the grizzly as on the commercial models.
The reason is .....I designed mine to be flat and level with the sluice by dropping the bed of the sluice just in front of the trap instead of building an uphill grizzly, that way there is nothing for the larger gravel to get hung up on.

gt3.jpg


I also installed a plexiglass cover over the trap so I could monitor the operation during testing.
diverter.jpg



Placed at the end of a high banker sluice for a final gold catcher you will be assured of capturing any missed gold.
gt1.jpg

Of course you have to supply water to the stratification tubes but since you already are using a pump for your highbanker just run a separate line to them with a control/shut off valve and only allow about 9 gallons (plus or minus) per minute into them. (adjust as needed)
manifold.jpg
Adjustable bottom cover removed for photo.

scoop.jpgadjscoop.jpg


Or just use it all by itself as a stand alone fluid bed hand sluice...either way you trap the gold :icon_thumleft:
Total cost of materials to build it $35 Peace of mind knowing that you wont lose any gold.......Priceless
gt2.jpg


trap3.jpg
The trap is 2-1/2" inches deep. The holes in the stratification tubes are 1/8" dia. and are spaced 1/2" apart and go through both sides. The 5/8" OD 1/2" ID CPVC tubes are centered 1" off the bottom of the trap and are spaced 2-1/2" apart on centers from center tube.
The trap over flow is a 3/4" opening while the trap intake is a 1/2" opening. The 1/2" expanded metal is fastened underneath the 1/4" plexiglass.


trap6.jpg
Adjustable legs came off crutches.

When the water velocity through the stratification tubes is adjusted properly all the material in the trap stays in suspension except for the heavier gold, it stays on the very bottom while the lighter material continually keeps running out the overflow end of the trap.
Self clearing leaf guard......
lg4.jpg
Made from 1/2" heavy duty hardware cloth.




Go for the gold :icon_thumleft:
GG~
 

Last edited:
You may have missed your calling. :thumbsup: Are you too dang old to start another career? :laughing7:
 

GrayCloud said:
Are you too dang old to start another career? :laughing7:

Gettin' mighty close :tongue3:
 

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