4" dredge upgrades

[panningjack]

Not advisable to put miners moss backed or unbacked over the vortex mat it will kill the point of using vortex in the first place which is to exchange light material for heavies and trap gold. Anything over the vortex like miners moss carpet etc. will kill the vortex action. The best thing to put under miners moss is v groove mat as long as the miners moss is unbacked. GG~

I understand that I will be killing the vortex wherever I put miners moss. Since not all gold is the same size and shape, I would like to have several different types of gold catching areas in the sluice. I'm thinking to keep the first 18" or so just vortex and then 9" of expanded over vortex, then thinking just a small piece of moss under some expanded? I think any moss under the large riffles will just allow water under them and disturb the eddy they create. Wouldn't the vortex mat under the moss do the same thing as v mat?
I'm just a little nervous about having vortex being the only type of mat in my sluice

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[panningjack]

Made a blaster nozzle today. I used a step bit to taper the inside of each fitting down

 

[omnicron]

That blaster will help your production. I don't move overburden or hard pack without it. MM under your riffles wont hurt anything.

 

[panningjack]

Got my gold divers pump back on the engine just fired it up for a couple of seconds and NO GRINDING noise! Hopefully got it set up finally.

 

[G1sammons]

Made a blaster nozzle today. I used a step bit to taper the inside of each fitting down <img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=963177"/>

hmmm 1 dollar at tsc!

 

[panningjack]

hmmm 1 dollar at tsc!

Not as fun to make though. Lol

 

[panningjack]

Went out Sunday with Omni and Ln1. Had a good time, that 6 is looking pretty omni. Always good to have someone around to give another opinion.
I ended up doing away with the spacer between the pump shaft and housing. The engine and pump did very well together after that. So glad I took the time to make that adapter plate to get the gold divers pump hooked up. The pressure gauge on the pump worked out great as well to help adjust the couple jet. I had the jet set at the same gap I had it for the clear water pump. So when I started the engine with the gold divers pump I was at 50 psi. There wasn't enough water in the box so I opened the gap on the jet. Every little bit I adjusted the gap showed up on the pressure gauge. I dropped it down to 25 psi, which gave me a good amount of water in the box. I went to the nozzle to check the suction and BAM! The thing sucked so hard it hurt when my hand hit it! Far more power than my Keene mini 4 ever had. Also not one plug up, where I was getting several with the clear water pump. So the pump change is a major success. The blaster nozzle and adapter worked great as well no problems there.

Reconfiguration of the sluice was not too bad either. I went with the 3/8" punch plate only. I had straight vortex for 18", then 9" of 1/2" expanded over vortex, then 9" of 1/2" expanded over moss over vortex, then my 1" high Hungarians over vortex. The first half looked pretty good. But the riffles are still packing up, even with the big increase in water flow. I did have a concentration of material in the center of the box. So I'll be adding a damper at the end of the crash box to spread out the material and water.

So I'm not exactly sure what to do about my riffles packing up. I tried flipping them over, they just packed worse. I tried moving them further down the box, that helped slightly but not enough. When I moved them a little further down the water picked up speed before them and then ramped up so high when it hit the first riffle the water almost came out of the box.
I'm thinking about cutting every other riffle out an also making another set with less slope on the face. Any other ideas?

 

[panningjack]

Took the new sluice config out today. I leveled the punch plate, before it had a slope to it that I think was zapping my flow. Also took the moss out from under the expanded and moved it under the riffles. It looks like the changes worked, the riffles were clearing well. Did a cleanup and I'm catching some super fine gold. Finally!





Also figured out the ideal gap/psi setting on the infinity jet. I came up with 35psi and the suction ripped!

Tested my heat exchanger too. It worked great! I'll be posting a full description later on how I made it so maybe others can build one successfully and safely as well.

 

[Timberdoodle]

Good to hear your getting good results panningjack!
Can you explain the slope you had in the punchplate before you changed it? Was it sloping lower the further down or sloping up?

 

[panningjack]

Good to hear your getting good results panningjack! Can you explain the slope you had in the punchplate before you changed it? Was it sloping lower the further down or sloping up?

Yeah, can't wait to get up to the mountains. It was sloping up. It started at 3/4" and sloped up to 1 1/4". The plate is 32" long. Now I have it sitting level at 3/4"

 

[Timberdoodle]

It sounds like the main flow velocity was interrupted by having to drop lower into the riffle section along with the increased area slowed down vortex creation if I understand it right. Have you considered raising the riffle section up to the height of the punchplate and using the area underneath for further fines collection with miners moss and expanded. You might be able to get the best of both worlds for good vortex operation in the riffle section and more area for fine gold collection.

 

[omnicron]

Looking good Robert! How did it all work out? Did you make it up to SS? I did and it was the trip from hell... Don't want to hijack your thread so be on the lookout for one for me. It'll be entertaining to say the least!

 

[panningjack]

Timber, that is a good idea. The sluice was working pretty well though. I think I might make something like that this week to try out. A false bottom to set the riffles on and attach it to the end of the punch plate.
Omni, went pretty well. Riffles were clearing and the heater worked great. I had about a 5 foot steam of water coming out the heater hose and temp was about 85. So I half way kinked the en of the hose. That cut the flow down to a 2 foot stream and gave me "shower hot" water. So I'm just going to add a valve after the heater to create back pressure in the heater and I should have it made. My engine was quieter with the heater than it was with the stock muffler too.

 

[panningjack]

Update: I added several weld nuts stacked on each other to provide a way to adjust the sluice angle. Removed one riffle and moved riffles down the box 6". Trying to avoid the large rocks not clearing off the punch plate. Welded up a new way to attach my riffles to the box. Rather than the pieces of metal that were set in top of the riffles and then bolted in place. And added a valve to the hot side of my heater to adjust temperature and flow. Next up go get some gold this weekend!

 

[omnicron]

I'm there!

 

[panningjack]

I'm there!

Already? How's the weather? Snow?

 

[omnicron]

Umm no I'm not there there but meaning I'm going. Its going to rain and snow but Im still going! You know I have a extra bed in my camper, it's not the Hilton but compared to sleeping in a tent it sure feels like it!

 

[panningjack]

I appreciate the offer, but I've been up there this time of year in this kind of weather and it SUCKS. I'll just go up next weekend. It'll give me more time to make sure I have everything ready too

 

[russau]

My computor shot craps awhile back and im getting my new computor may 8. i havent been online much since, but theres a lot going on violating our rights from our gubermint agencies!

 

[omnicron]

I went up and hit that public area. Honestly I don't think anyone has ever dredged there but I only dredged 1 hour on Thursday before I got chased out of the cold water when my left foot went completely num. Golden rule, put some kind of sand filter on your heater, mine is plugged up with sand.
I woke up Friday morning at around 6:30 to find this:


I went back to bed being I was tired and woke up again at 10:30 and was on the water by 11. I floated down to a spot I scouted the day before and wouldn't you know it, I could not get either engine to prime. After a hour of pumping my foot valves I tried to pull it back up creek but couldn't get it past this one spot. By now its 1:30 and there is 3" of snow on the ground and I'm freezing cold from the water. I call it quits and come home.

BTW, do not attempt the Nampa side road. Talked to someone and they said there are still 3 and 4 foot drifts across the road.