Clay Clump Killer

[ZombieKnot]

Had a problem with clay clumps clogging up a sluice box and built a motorized feed out of a post hole digger from Harbor Freight. Wrapped by a section of 8 inch ventilation duct and leaned at a 45 degree angle to spill onto slick plate of sluice. Was speed controllable by throttle and worked a whole summer no problems. We had to hammer the digger blades back at bottom to fit in duct but seamed to chew up clay better with them. The motor handles were used to hang it in front of box and it sat in a feed trough not touching the bottom with tip and bent digger blades. Make sure about 3 inches of blade pokes out bottom of duct to pickup pay dirt that was just poured in from 5 gallon buckets. Hope it helps. Happy Trails.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[ZombieKnot]

This may sound silly however I have seen some older pictures of a wide wooden sluice with expanded metal and there was a truck traveling over part of it with a good size spray nozzle washing out that part of the sluice box. I think it was a way of speeding up the clean out.

I think they where looking for courser values.

They do that in alaska to knock heavies down into mats to prolong cleanout. Not my style, cleanout when you shut down. When steve pomeranke is pulling 2-3,000 ounces a week out of a box he don't care about fines floating at start up! Great video Mr. Lukens, watched most of them. Thanx for the hover dredge.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[Assembler]

They do that in alaska to knock heavies down into mats to prolong cleanout. Not my style, cleanout when you shut down. When steve pomeranke is pulling 2-3,000 ounces a week out of a box he don't care about fines floating at start up! Great video Mr. Lukens, watched most of them. Thanx for the hover dredge.

Correct using the box as a collector box and not worrying about the fines flushing out. Not many here are pulling out 2 - 3,000 ounces a week..........lol.

 

[Assembler]

Ever see a clay trap after grizzly on a high banker has steel rods in front of outlet to sluice? Keeps clay in water stream until beat up enough to pass through "fingers".

Let the water and sand eat away at the clay balls. Not a bad idea. Could be down sized to fit most size units.

 

[ZombieKnot]

Hey, Southfork got a better way to chew up clay if interested. For larger operations than a shovel pit to high banker like I was doing with post hole digger that only has 2 feet of blade... Learned augers chew up clay fast from Fred Dodge while working at his shop inside Madden Steel, Inc(MSI) in Brighton, co. That was '05 I think. Bought a water auger 6foot long and 6inch diameter from farm supply store, look on internet. The one to transfer water from one ditch to another. Welded 1 inch blades onto leading edge of auger, at a 45 degree angle, that forced clay into sides of housing and was further disintegrated by aggregate mix being fed up to sluice through auger. Got to mix your pay dirt with clay to work, like trommels do but so much smaller. Blades were from 1 inch angle iron cut 1 inch long and have to have gap about 1/4 inch from side of housing to keep from locking up on the small rocks that pass through screen above trough. Again the feed trough needs finger bars at bottom to break up large pieces of clay. If you are not set up for fabrication call Rocky, his brother, at MSI and they can knock out a clay auger for you and ship most anywhere. I believe the bearings had to be upgraded for the increased weight after running awhile, get waterproof for sure. Can be powered by plug-in-hammer drill cinched down to top shaft extending out housing. Think it was a 3/4 inch chuck. Or cordless drill, the hammer adds to break up. Tie handle to housing to stop spin of drill. You can use hammer drills to vibrate dry wash boxes instead of offset weight clunky mechanism, run by heavy motor cycle or car battery, by JB welding skate board wheel to bottom of dry wash sluice and attaching hammer drill to axle. Tie handle to a leg and change cordless batteries as needed. Cordless leaf blower will replace any air system too.
Happy Trails.

 

[southfork]

Hey, Southfork got a better way to chew up clay if interested. For larger operations than a shovel pit to high banker like I was doing with post hole digger that only has 2 feet of blade... Learned augers chew up clay fast from Fred Dodge while working at his shop inside Madden Steel, Inc(MSI) in Brighton, co. That was '05 I think. Bought a water auger 6foot long and 6inch diameter from farm supply store, look on internet. The one to transfer water from one ditch to another. Welded 1 inch blades onto leading edge of auger, at a 45 degree angle, that forced clay into sides of housing and was further disintegrated by aggregate mix being fed up to sluice through auger. Got to mix your pay dirt with clay to work, like trommels do but so much smaller. Blades were from 1 inch angle iron cut 1 inch long and have to have gap about 1/4 inch from side of housing to keep from locking up on the small rocks that pass through screen of trough. Again the feed trough needs finger bars at bottom to break up large pieces of clay. If you are not set up for fabrication call Rocky, his brother, at MSI and they can knock out a clay auger for you and ship most anywhere. I believe the bearings had to be upgraded for the increased weight after running awhile, get waterproof for sure. Can be powered by plug in hammer drill cinched down to top shaft extending out housing. Think it was a 3/4 inch chuck. Or cordless drill, the hammer adds to break up. Tie handle to housing to stop spin of drill. You can use hammer drills to vibrate dry wash boxes instead of offset weight clunky mechanism, run by heavy motor cycle or car battery, by JB welding skate board wheel to bottom of dry wash sluice and attaching hammer drill to axle. Tie handle to a leg and change cordless batteries as needed. Cordless leaf blower will replace any air system too.
Happy Trails.

I don't have a problem with clay now I'm just crushing rocks. When placer mining the clay balls are saved and tossed into a cement mixer along with a detergent.

 

[N-Lionberger]

If you don’t have a picture of this setup available can you make a drawing? I have an idea what you are suggesting is similar to some old skool tech I read about in prospecting manual from the 20ies

 

[Assembler]

If you don’t have a picture of this setup available can you make a drawing? I have an idea what you are suggesting is similar to some old skool tech I read about in prospecting manual from the 20ies

Some thing from the 1920's could be easy to build today. Just saying.

 

[mikep691]

I believe what he's describing is a home built sand screw, only repurposed to bust the clay. Not very efficient if ALL the larger rocks are not removed prior to entering the screw. Rocks above 1" will cause damage to the auger and housing causing gaps thus reducing efficiency. I think one would spend most of their run time fixing issues than making gold, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Assembler]

I believe what he's describing is a home built sand screw, only repurposed to bust the clay. Not very efficient if ALL the larger rocks are not removed prior to entering the screw. Rocks above 1" will cause damage to the auger and housing causing gaps thus reducing efficiency. I think one would spend most of their run time fixing issues than making gold, but that's just my opinion.

Would not the sand screw augur work a lot better with bone dry clay assuming there is not much rocks in the clay over 1/2"?

 

[mikep691]

Not necessarily . You still need to turn the clay into a slurry with water to release any values. The wash plant washes the bigger material, then discards the oversize. It's just an added step that normally a trommel can accomplish by itself. More things to break down, and cause downtime in my opinion.

Would not the sand screw augur work a lot better with bone dry clay assuming there is not much rocks in the clay over 1/2"?

 

[Assembler]

Not necessarily . You still need to turn the clay into a slurry with water to release any values. The wash plant washes the bigger material, then discards the oversize. It's just an added step that normally a trommel can accomplish by itself. More things to break down, and cause downtime in my opinion.

Sounds like an impact mill would work better for dry clay then screen before further process.

 

[ZombieKnot]

I believe what he's describing is a home built sand screw, only repurposed to bust the clay. Not very efficient if ALL the larger rocks are not removed prior to entering the screw. Rocks above 1" will cause damage to the auger and housing causing gaps thus reducing efficiency. I think one would spend most of their run time fixing issues than making gold, but that's just my opinion.

Yeppers and within budget of small 20 yards a day, or smaller, operation. Not too many trommels out there you can whip together from "tractor supply" store and treat clay that sticks to shovels. Much less afford. The grizzly screen was on top of trough and the clay was pressed through with pay gravels till it dropped onto auger blades. Wish I knew how to upload stuff, will draw basic design then have 13y.o. foster kid in house put it here. Makes me feel old. Ever seen those augers in farm fields transferring water to ditches that supply plant rows? One of them Archimedes screw types. Ever seen huge screws pulling sand and aggregate from bottom of shaker deck to conveyer at gravel pit? Keeps water off belts. Same just smaller and wicked crush of clay in seconds as its pushed to top. Gravels do as much battering as blades. Large rocks screened out at troughs grizzly. Feed an auger and regulate the speed of dirt going into slick plate/sluice eliminates surges. Clay is compressed dryer silt, aluminum silicate, needs to be soaped and washed like dirt off shirt. Take a bottle of dish soap and turn upside down, then use hot needle to make hole. Hang over your water supply and open nozzle; drops will increase recovery due to lack of surface tension float. Closed system please, dont want to soap fish gills, crawdad eyes! Always use a silt pond!

 

[Clay Diggins]

Clay particles have a negative charge. That's what holds the particles together.

When water is added to clay the surface charge is positive - that's why clay can be dissolved by water. The positive charge with water is weak so it takes a long time and a lot of water to break down the clay bonds.

To break down clay faster than water you need to change the ion charge on the clay surface. This is done chemically - no amount of mechanical stress will break down the clay.

Using whirlygigs or augers, the result will be the same - the clay will hold it's charge and remain clumped until enough of the negative charge has been turned to positive. The reason mixers and trommels work to break down clay is because they increase the clay's exposure to positively charged water, without a lot of positively charged water no amount of mixing will ever break down the clay.

Often this change can be accomplished with the addition of acid and calcium. Other clays may require salt and another ion exchange chemical. Each clay is different.

In a commercial operation the trick is to learn what chemicals will help bring that positive charge to the clay and then treat the clay with that chemical. ... or you could beat up your improvised auger until the cows come home and hope cow flop has a positive charge.