HOMEMADE QUICKSAND CONCENTRATOR

[Oakstrails]

I hope this works!!!
I''ll be panning the cons in the morning. Just couldn't wait to post. I wanted to buy one but also couldn't resist the temptation of constructing one. Not a good video but it seems to be working. I will try to post my results and maybe some better video.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Astrobouncer]

It looks pretty good and fluidized but what size material are you feeding it? And what kind of pump?

 

[Oakstrails]

For my Homemade Quicksand Concentrator, I concentrated down with a 12 × 16 mesh kitchen strainer from the dollar store. (Had to count the mesh so I could reply. LOL)
I am using the cheap 12 volt Harbor Freight bilge pump. I had the valves full open.
See the Harbor Frieght link below.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-gph-bilge-pump-66095.html

It was kind of fun building it.

 

[PYRATE]

arrrrr

 

[Oakstrails]

More on my Homemade Quicksand Concentrator.
The following video is showing the fluid bed. It works real good. It captured a grip of heavies and black sand. I could also see a bunch of the super fine flour gold I am dealing with in the area I got the cons from.
I might buy the original. One, because they work. And two, I want to see how close I am to the original model.

 

[Oakstrails]

Love my concentrator. Now just got to get into some serious color.

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

Problem I have with the commercial version is it is so tall, you end up with more material.

Problem I have with most of these contraptions is the way in which the material is added, the additional classifying step, and the amount of remaining material.

Notice in your video, some of the material is added closer to the edge depending on where it is in the scoop. There is also the large 'plop' effect of adding a blob from a scoop which displaces a large amount of water and suspended material. Also, the water continually streaming over the edge means if any gold floats, it is likely to go out the waste.

I'm thinking you want some sort of way to add the material as far from the discharge as possible. In the case of this round overflow,.. the center {or if you're creative, the bottom}. First thing that pops into my head is a funnel. Large opening to dump material into from a scoop and able to dispense the material to the center.

Since you are already are pumping water, lets kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Put the classifier in the funnel and send some water into into funnel/classifier. Now you can plop your material in the classifier and the water will break it up and the falling water will carry the material to the center of the fluid bed.

Last, put the funnel outlet below the surface of the water. Now the material has to submerge prior to overflowing the waste.

 

[Oakstrails]

I think your spot on. Check out the "hydrocon" above.
Below, is my first quicksand project. Failed, I think due to not enough water in the funnel and I also reworked the 3/4 inch pvc riser. I might go back to the original like my pic below but have more water flow through the wye somehow.

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

[video=youtube;GtcYI-HoZQI]Below is my first quicksand project. Failed, I think due to not enough water in the funnel and I also reworked the 3/4 inch pvc riser.

View attachment 682635

Much like that only the a smaller wye and the funnel higher than the outlet {more}. That's a toilet flange so that's 3" or 4"? Also not planning on a riser. Styled towards the electrical box fluid bed classifier in the round.

Goal is for the 1-1/2" cap on the bottom to contain the concentrate.

 

[Oakstrails]

Much like that only the a smaller wye and the funnel higher than the outlet {more}. That's a toilet flange so that's 3" or 4"? Also not planning on a riser. Styled towards the electrical box fluid bed classifier in the round.

Goal is for the 1-1/2" cap on the bottom to contain the concentrate.

Sorry I didn't get back sooner but started a "Hydrocon" type project.
I like what your talking about. Did you make one like what your referring to? If so could you PM or post a pic. I really like this fluid bed stuff.

 

[Goodyguy]

From one fluid bed junkie to another ..... keep up the good work guys
I've lost count of my FB projects but still cant keep from thinking about creating more

GG~

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

Sorry I didn't get back sooner but started a "Hydrocon" type project.
I like what your talking about. Did you make one like what your referring to? If so could you PM or post a pic. I really like this fluid bed stuff.

Looking forward to pics of that. I need to get one of these ideas to a working state. If you've ever seen an episode of hoarders, you'll have some idea of what hitting 5 or so thrift stores every couple days or 4 and bringing home a couple new 'iders'.

One of these showed up on the last trip. The clear one, I have a dozen of varieties of these, but this one is all clear.



Nicely has a funnel area, but hadn't thought through water injection in the bed area.

Have a couple things like this that I figured I could get the water spinning the material.



Hell, just reading this I'm thinking about something that can classify as you add material so each area has it's own sized water column.

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

diamond panning and mining - Page 2