Got to my spot Sunday afternoon and was eager to take a stab at sluicing.
It was a booger getting set up and since it was my first time I was all worried about water flow: was it too fast/too slow/level etc.
Finally got to where I thought things were right and set up. I had a nice "V" shape in the top of the sluice.
I went and dug a few shovels and then set about putting the classified dirt through the sluice. I tell ya, I was scared I was gonna loose stuff out the end.
After a few scoops through, here's what I saw:
Looked promising and my fear was somewhat alleviated. It is so different than panning. With a pan there is some immediate feedback. Heck, some immediate gratification even! With the sluice, ya just gotta trust that the sluice will do its job.
I kept at it for a few hours but I was wearing out and it was getting late. I had to walk 2x the distance with 3-4x the material. Guess I'm gettin' old. Then I realized I still had to go through whatever was in the sluice!
The key thing I was not anticipating was taking home my cons. I'm not set up to run concentrates/ black sand so I tediously cleaned the 1/4 bucket a table spoon at a time. Geesh!
All in all, not a bad take for the day I'd say but not as much as I did just panning last week. I may have been set up improperly or I may not have been following any gold streaks.
At any rate I had a good time and I am pleased with the results. I do like the immediate gratification of panning though. It's kinda relaxing too. Sluicing seemed to make me a little worrisome.
Here's my total findings since I started on 8/27. I hope to make the wife and my daughter something nice someday.
Tenpin
It was a booger getting set up and since it was my first time I was all worried about water flow: was it too fast/too slow/level etc.
Finally got to where I thought things were right and set up. I had a nice "V" shape in the top of the sluice.
I went and dug a few shovels and then set about putting the classified dirt through the sluice. I tell ya, I was scared I was gonna loose stuff out the end.
After a few scoops through, here's what I saw:
Looked promising and my fear was somewhat alleviated. It is so different than panning. With a pan there is some immediate feedback. Heck, some immediate gratification even! With the sluice, ya just gotta trust that the sluice will do its job.
I kept at it for a few hours but I was wearing out and it was getting late. I had to walk 2x the distance with 3-4x the material. Guess I'm gettin' old. Then I realized I still had to go through whatever was in the sluice!
The key thing I was not anticipating was taking home my cons. I'm not set up to run concentrates/ black sand so I tediously cleaned the 1/4 bucket a table spoon at a time. Geesh!
All in all, not a bad take for the day I'd say but not as much as I did just panning last week. I may have been set up improperly or I may not have been following any gold streaks.
At any rate I had a good time and I am pleased with the results. I do like the immediate gratification of panning though. It's kinda relaxing too. Sluicing seemed to make me a little worrisome.
Here's my total findings since I started on 8/27. I hope to make the wife and my daughter something nice someday.
Tenpin
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The property belongs to my daughter's godmother. It is literally just a couple hundred feet to the back door.
