Keene A52 Question (Newer Prospector)

[BadgerGold]

Hello everyone! I just joined Treasurenet finally, I have read probably a dozen or more threads just searching google for different gold related things... My name's Ben, I live in WI which isn't great for gold mining I know.. But I will hopefully be doing some traveling this year.

Anyways, I am a newer prospector and have a Keene A52 Sluice box being shipped to my house as we speak. The question I have for all you knowledgeable folks who have used the A52 before is this, what kind of setup have you found works best for the A52 particularly for catching FINE gold? Does the stock green carpet with the hungarian and large riffles work just fine? Or should I spend the money and get some miner's moss? Any other setup ideas that you would suggest, please let me know! I plan on using it here in WI a lot, mostly for practice setting flow cleaning up etc. before I go somewhere with good gold. I want to be a pro at it, but I also want to be using the best system for this area. It should be here monday and I'm going to take it out the minute I get it even in this freezing snowy weather, I'm too excited!

Also, any of you WI folk know of any good areas, I'd love to hear it. I have some ideas on where I want to go so PM me and we can share ideas.


Thanks alot!

--Ben

 

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[wingmaster]

I've got the A51 keene sluice and it works good on the fine gold, I'm in Indiana so the gold here is the fine glacial gold and the carpet works good. HH

 

[BadgerGold]

Good to know, thanks for the reply!!

 

[BadgerGold]

Went panning on the Menomonee River today in Menomonee Falls... freezing cold the ground was too solid... I dug a little behind some bedrock in the stream and found a whole lot of black sand and no gold. Can't wait to try Arkansas next week!

 

[63bkpkr]

BG,
The wash down bucket is important, a classic 5 gallon bucket works BUT the A 52 will not go all the way down into it and this can cause the bucket to crack. I purchased a rectangular about 5 gallon bucket at a large hardware store and my A52 goes all the way to the bottom of the bucket no problem.

With water just breaking over the top of the riffles and the sluice box level (side to side that is) you should have a pattern form as the water goes down the sluice. At the entrance you will have a "V" form as the V gets to its point it will start making an upside down V that will then make another V or you will have the first V and then it will look like X's. When you have this pattern the box is setup properly.

Here's the A52 in the rectangular Recycle Bucket. Fill it at least half full before standing the sluice box up in the bucket as the weight of the water will help to keep the entire thing from falling over. Winds have something to say about this as well. I used some light rope for a handle on my blue bucket. Best of luck............63bkpkr

I added two crossbars at the flare of my A52. The lower one comes in handy as a handle for picking the box up out of the river. It makes a good handle helping to keep control when lifting the box with water in it and adds stability when walking the sluice back over slippery boulders to the bankside for cleanups. Putting a hold down rock at about the mid point of the A 52 helps to keep the river from washing it away.

 

[B H Prospector]

Hi BG and welcome.Being a Viking Fan and You probably a CheeseHead I really shouldn't give you any help but I will. LOL! Every thing 63 said is good info and dead on. You have purchased a very versitile and reliable sluice. It will catch fine gold very well and it is sturdy. I have been using one for years and like it very much. It is versitile because you can get conversion kits to change it into a highbanker or a dredge with out spending too much more money. I would suggest buying the adjustable legs for it. Then you can set up in deeper water if you need to.

Good Luck!

B H Prospector

 

[Hoser John]

When dealing with miniscule glacial gold preclassification really increases your recovery,1/2" works kust fine,some folks even down to 1/4". A little more work but just do it and see for yourself as proven by you for you always best-John

 

[BadgerGold]

BkPkr: That was one of THE best explanations for proper sluice setup that I have ever read. So many websites were so vague, and there's alot of people on Youtube that are doing it WRONG. The best video I found was of a gentleman who made like a 9 video gold series and the episode with sluiceboxes showed him with a similar model to the A52 and troubleshooting the sluice. When he finally dialed it in, he had it exactly the way you described, not a whole ton of water going through it with the V lined up in the middle etc. I really appreciate the info about the 5 gallon bucket as well, I have the perfect bucket that I'm now going to bring on my trip to Arkansas that the sluice should fit into. I wouldnt have known to do that, so you probably saved me some frustration! Thanks alot again and I will let you know how that trip turns out.



B H Prospector: I am absolutely a cheesehead, and love my Packers but appreciate the info! What kind of legs do you recommend? Doc from GoldHog sells some nice skinny looking legs that look decent but they're pretty expensive especially since it looks like I could make them myself... I am pretty good with my hands and may be able to make some but I wasn't sure if there was a brand that you use with your Keene that maybe aren't quite such a hit to the wallet. Take care

I'm so glad I joined this site, everyone is very kind and it's so nice getting to hear experienced prospectors' ideas on all the different aspects of prospecting. Thanks again everyone!

 

[BadgerGold]

I just have one question for you Bkpkr, do you use the green carpet the keene comes with? Also, the picture looks like you removed the expanded metal or "hungarian" riffles in your sluice is that just a preference? I'm probably just going to use it stock the way it comes for now... and tweak it as I become more experienced but I was just curious what you do...

 

[B H Prospector]

I bought my legs from Keene. I actually got them from my local prospecting store but he ordered them from Keene for $59.95. You could make them yourself but after buying material you may have more into it. Check keeneengineering.com. The legs are made for the A52 sluicw and the A51. I use the carpet that comes with the sluice and the hungarian riffles.

Good Luck!

B H Prospecting

 

[63bkpkr]

Badger,
The A 52 in the picture is stock, everything there that came from Keene, carpet, expanded metal, riffles, everything. Of course it did not come with the gold, I added that! The sunlight was bright making it hard to see due to glare from the box and off of my head.

The legs from Keene are well worth Their price. If and when you get around to it, check out casluicebox.com for their highbanker attachment for the A52, also worth the price. The motor and pump will need to come from elsewhere. A Tanaka motor with pump or Honda with pump are very nice units and smaller/lighter than harbor freight. I wish the folks at casluicbox provided the aluminum block for the rear of the sluice but it seems the dimensions of the A 52 vary quite a bit making each block sluice specific in size, darn. Good luck, glad the info was useful..........63bkpkr



Each picture is another find from the same area. Started using my GMT and gold pan, then purchased/brought in the A52 w/pan. There was still gold there when I left for the season, just ran out of time. Have not been back to continue the search but I will get back there. Oh, and I back filled the site and in doing so built a brand new collector of heavies should the river bring some on by.

This is me sitting on top of all the boulders I put back into the trench I'd dug. This was taken late in 2010. Note the black thing in my left armpit, that is the insurance policy I carry with me, a .454 Casull. Where I go is very wild with lots of bad bears, do not even care to shoot one but if I have to I know the animal will go down.

Oh, for grins and giggles check out batpan.com. This is the pan I used back then and I really do like it as it pulls the black sands that are magnetic out of the mix so one does not have to deal with it in the final cleanup. All my other pans stay home safe and dry since I purchased the batpan.

Also, as you can see in the pictures I pulled some fine gold using the A52. If there is too much water flow, like the riffles are really submerged, one will loose gold out of the A52. I lost a really nice flat nugget because of this, sigh. Beginners mistake!

Oh, in the second picture of the gold, there is a rusty thing sitting on top of the dime. Those are two pieces of gold cemented together by RUST. When/if you see rust on rocks with 'stuff' caught in the rust use another rock to scrape the stuff off as it could contain some gold. FYI

Shoot, just too much info for one sitting to recall. When it comes to moving good sized boulders treat your body with care as straining muscles including tearing them is not good for the human body. A 5 to 6' pry bar comes in very handy, take small bites when lifting it, prop the boulder with another rock and take another bite and repeat. For really moving boulders purchase the 4 Ton cable hoist from Harbor Freight, do not waist your money on the 2 ton. Also use a true tire "chain" as a boulder bra, it works sooooo well in moving large boulders. Yes you will need another length of cable with hooks on it and some extra sturdy chain, 5/16" to 3/8", is very good to have and maybe even a Good snatch block will be required if you are working in a tight area and can not get a good straight pull on the item you desire to change its location. Boulder moving is Hard Work and is likely the cause of the shoulder surgery I had earlier this week. Do not destroy your body, it is painful and expensive to repair.

Okay, I'm going to try to be quiet.

 

[BadgerGold]

BkPkr,

First of all, don't "be quiet" you're a prospector who's been doing this for awhile and ANY knowledge you share is extremely valuable to me/anybody else reading this post!! Second, you are seriously living my dream... Freelance prospecting out in the wilderness hiking, camping, maybe fishing etc. I wish I was out in California to lend you a hand/do it myself! I'm only 23, so maybe someday I'll get out there after I put in my 25 years in the fire service and retire with a nice pension :-)

Honestly, if there's ANY more tips or instructions you have about the Keene A52 or anything else that you would like or feel like sharing please let me know... You could write a book for all I care, I'd read it! I feel bad not being able to help you out, but I'm just getting started in my "Prospecting" career. My grandpa used to pan gold as a hobby in southern IL and showed me how when I was very young so I am very experienced as a panner, however sluicing/dredging/finding spots with gold is something pretty new to me and reading excerpts and watching Youtube clips can only give one so much information... I have learned more from you and a few other threads on TNet than I have all of my life! I can't tell you how much I appreciate you and others taking the time to give newbies like myself tips, and even sharing your stories. I was reading another thread you wrote the other day, about how you hike where there aren't many trails. I enjoy looking at the beautiful photos including a crystal clear picture of a baby trout!

Don't ever feel like you're rambling because I enjoy reading about it and can put into practice the tips you give. One more question I have would be, could you maybe post a photo of your A52 set up with the IDEAL flow? I know about the 1 inch per drop, looking for the v then X etc. I saw one video of an A52 that was posted on here, I think you even commented it was like "Keene a52 single bucket demo" and he had a nice V but the flow looked pretty quick... Any ways now I NEED to be quiet lol!

Take care, and thanks again (Herb, I believe?)

 

[63bkpkr]

I do not actually have a picture of my own sluicebox showing the V to X pattern however the two below show it especially the green plastic sluicebox. I believe the metal box is the A51 as it looks short to my eye to be the A52. It also seems like the metal box has a bit more water going through it than needed, a bit high over the riffles.

Back in 2010 I was asking a lot of questions about sluicing, therefore look in the sluicing section, and the folks on Tnet really shared a great deal with me. If you can bring up historical posts look for mine (63bkpkr) beginning July 10, 2010 through Feb. 20, 2011 and if nothing else check out the post dated Sept. 29, 2010 as it is 3 pages long with many good inputs. 2010 was my year for really finding gold though it was not that much but I finally read the river right and kept at it till I knew how to use the detector with the pan as well as the sluicebox. Reading a river is an important ability and then putting the simple instructions to use seems so obvious but I had to force myself to do it. If you can find the posts you will read words like this in the post, I mean the downstream end of a boulder how hard is it for someone to look there especially when it was right across the river from my camp, DUH!

Thank you for your kind words about me being of help. The folks on Tnet taught me that as they shared with me so I'm trying to give back..............63bkpkr/yup Herb

Also I've an old post I've updated, Picture presentation from prospecting, in the gold prospecting section with a few more pictures, I like pictures! Its several down from your post.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmbWB...eature=related

 

[63bkpkr]

Badger,
A thought just came to me - When your sluice comes pay close attention to the direction of the expanded metal as it works better in one direction than the other. Second sorta the same thing with the carpet, I recall one side is ribbed and the other side is smooth, mine came ribbed side up.............63bkpkr

 

[BadgerGold]

Ribbed side would go up (if it isn't already) correct? As far as the expanded metal, the edge or lip of the metal should be facing downstream, so that the metal is creating little micro riffles correct? By the way, thanks for the videos showing the ideal flow. My sluice SHOULD becoming today and even though it's about 20 degrees, with snow on the ground I'm still going to the Menomonee River to sluice and run some dirt hahah.


As always, thanks again for your help BkPkr,

Ben "BG"

 

[63bkpkr]

Yes Ben on both counts and you are welcome. Such enthusiasm needs to be appreciated and I'm glad to share what I know.
....................63bkpkr/Herb

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

You got the best stream sluice on the market in my opinion! Everyones advice is perfect, but once you get out there and see the first pieces of yella show up in you black mat you will be a believer! Get out there and scoop as much material as you possibly can. Careful tho. The yellow in the black mat is a very addicting substance! Use with caution lol!

 

[63bkpkr]

GrizzlyGremlin
GG you are so right! The first time I saw gold on the black mat I was mesmerized by it. While I was adding more I looked down and saw this lovely flat nugget still on the metal flare just waffling in the current before I could get my poor amazed brain to do something it flew down the sluice, too much water in it, sigh............63bkpkr

 

[BadgerGold]

Well I'm back from my trip to Arkansas. The sluice worked great!!! I'll just come right out and say it, I did not find any gold... The river was very high and I could not get to ANY of the good areas that I wanted to. I basically just dug some dirt in the river and along the side... Oh well, It was a great experience and I had the sluice dialed in PERFECTLY. I had alot of problems at first because the river was high and the sluice kept being sunken to deep... eventually I just put it up against a small waterfall that was already made naturally and it worked like a water pump you'd use in your garage!! I found some shotgun shot, alot of black sand and a small red garnet but not one speck of gold... Next time I'm going to get out to that nice sand bar and hit it hard! Just thought I'd update you guys... I think I may invest in a sluice stand so that I don't have to spend so much time finding the perfect shallow area/moving rocks around etc.


PS I love the Keene A52 people ***** about how heavy, cleanup etc. You know what, It's a little big but its SO sturdy cleanup is a breeze and it works awesome. Going to just stick with the stock riffles/carpet because I haven't been able to prove it doesn't work as well as moss etc. Take care everyone!


--BG

 

[Fabrication Specialists]

I bought my legs from Keene. I actually got them from my local prospecting store but he ordered them from Keene for $59.95. You could make them yourself but after buying material you may have more into it. Check keeneengineering.com. The legs are made for the A52 sluicw and the A51. I use the carpet that comes with the sluice and the hungarian riffles.

Good Luck!


B H Prospecting

Good evening,

Jobe also sells a leg kit I use on some of my equipment, they're pretty well built and have held up well for my customers.The retail on the Jobe kit is also $59.95 and like B H said I looked into making them myself in the shop, but once you figure in metal cost, time cutting and welding the brackets all up, it's cheaper for me to just buy them if a customer wants. Also they're plated, which I can't do in my shop so that helps too. My only tip is the Jobe kits come with round head bolts to mount it to the sluice and I always throw those away and use a 1/4"-20 stainless steel countersunk or recessed heads so they sit flat when mounted in the sluice box and don't interfere with the riffle assembly opening and closing.

Just my little ideas,
Chris