deal on used cube/gear please?

L

longtime

Jr. Member
Apr 23, 2014
20
6
Columbus Ohio
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Hey everyone,
I am looking for some used equipment. all the used stuff i have been finding is just about as expensive as the new gear. i cant afford new stuff right now so i thought i would ask here if anyone had stuff they do not use anymore that they would like to give a newby a good deal on. not looking to get stuff free, just a decent deal. im open to other gear too, but i m kinda sold on the Gold Cube. let me know what you have, i may be interested in it too though. thanks guys/gals
 

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The problem is, people love the gold cube so much, not many are interested in selling one for a "deal"...
 

Join a club and partner up with an older guy who appreciates your help feeding his cube...and will split the concentrates with you. Reality is that a cube can keep up with about four people working a typical cobble bar...sometimes more'
 

Right now there is a decent Keene highbanker with pump for 900 bucks on Craigslist Kentucky. Search in Cincinnati and search "sluice" and it will come up.
It looks like it could use new carpet but seems ok as long as the pump seals are good. Even then it could be a cheap fix.
That's about the best your going to do locally.
Best advice is either be willing to pay up or be willing to drive a decent distance.
 

good points all. thanks for the tips. i ll prob end up buying a new set up. the used prices are so close anyways. mght get me a higher volume sluice for now.
 

just bought a Gold Cube. cant wait for it to get here. cant wait to run the tailings from the mini sluice that we had set up wrong and see what we were missing. lol
 

Congrats, you won't be disappointed.
Now you have a new problem... Trying to figure out ways to feed it faster!

As a side note I recommend going to local hardware store and buying 2 of the cheapest bubble levels and attaching them to the GC. Much easier and better to get it level rather than eyeballing it over Uneven terrain.
The GC doesn't have to be exact and is pretty forgiving but why not try and run it absolutely correct instead of " good enough".
Enjoy!
 

that is great advice. i ll go buy them this weekend and attach them soon as it gets here. thanks! i sure will post pics from the old cons. cant wait to see what pans out
 

Before you attach the bubble levels you need to set up the cube and get it absolutely level both side to side and front to back. Use a good carpenter level to do this and use shims if you have to. Then attach the bubble levels with the bubble in the dead center.

If you place them exactly even with the top edge of the tray you should be close enough, however I am very picky and sometimes the levels themselves are off a tad.

To double check the levels themselves place the level at an exact spot on a level surface then read the bubble. Next turn the level around end for end making sure it's in the same exact spot and read the bubble again. The bubble should read the exact same, if not then the level itself is mis-calibrated.

You would be surprised at how many brand new levels would fail that test. Some carpenter levels can be adjusted to overcome the factory mis-calibration by loosening the screws and adjusting the bubble component.

I used to work in an industry where we needed a perfect level and we had to go to Starrett machinist levels to get absolutely accurate readings.

GG~
 

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Also on your Gold Cube (or any sluice that uses vortex matting for that matter) do not overlook "spanking" the mats.

The pockets in the mats will trap air so before running any gold bearing material the air needs to be released either by spanking or brushing the mats. Stop the water flow and see if the mat looks dry in places if it does it's because of trapped air. Doesn't hurt to use a little jet dry on the mats until all the air has been released.

GG~
 

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Or a small brush...or the output hose from the pump (while it's running of course).
 

gold.jpg thats the take after we cubed our tailings... glad i bought the cube. another question though. i am seeing a bunch of gold leaf super paper thin gold. i wish i would have taken a picture of it in the cube before i did the clean up. if you touch it it litteraly seemed to melt right to your finger. pretty neat stuff. anyone else run into this?
 

also i am finding a darker gray material (larger piece far left) that is heavy as gold and sticks with the gold. the piece in the picture actually has s strip of gold on the back of it. thoughts? advice? also the gold leaf stuff we found will not sink at all really. it floats in the water and on the water. super lite
 

Have you tried putting a drop of dishsoap in the pan? If you have floating gold, the dishsoap breaks the surface tension of the water and will help the gold stick to the bottom.
 

Duckwalk said:
Have you tried putting a drop of dishsoap in the pan? If you have floating gold, the dishsoap breaks the surface tension of the water and will help the gold stick to the bottom.
Click to expand...


i havent tried that yet and do plan to try it next time. the gold is floating in the water though, not just on top. wierdest thing. was pretty pleased that the GB was able to catch it though.
 

longtime said:
also i am finding a darker gray material (larger piece far left) that is heavy as gold and sticks with the gold. the piece in the picture actually has s strip of gold on the back of it. thoughts? advice? also the gold leaf stuff we found will not sink at all really. it floats in the water and on the water. super lite
Click to expand...
Anything that heavy (dense) has some likelihood of being valuable. Accumulate it and start asking around about it. Show it to that old guy at the prospecting shop ;) Also you can usually get a university to id it for you for free.

longtime said:
i havent tried that yet and do plan to try it next time. the gold is floating in the water though, not just on top. wierdest thing. was pretty pleased that the GB was able to catch it though.
Click to expand...
if it stays in mid water column, it prolly ain't gold. An easy test, find a drop of mercury and see the gold leaf gets absorbed by the merc. It might take a couple days but actual gold leaf will dissolve into mercury. Do this test in a container of water. If it works you now have some gold/mercury amalgam...store in water, continue to use, eventually retort it to separate the gold and recover the merc to use again.
 

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easy now.... im a newby... haha. i need to learn how ot do all that you just talked about... time to head to youtube again it sounds so i can find some videos on it
 

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