DIY Gold Cube competior - for under $100.00

[Rick-SAR]

A friend of mine built this and put it on YouTube https://youtu.be/BpapSb-Bscg he calls it the "Gold Tube".

The YouTube video is a demonstration. The Gold Tube cost around $100, including bilge pump. Great for the weekend prospector. It is made primarily using PVC pipe. This is a wet system suitable for recirculating or stream applications. Recovers approximately 99% of gold down to 50 mesh, and +/- 95% of the minus 50 mesh gold. VERY EASY to empty concentrates.

• As a test He ran material with a measured amount of gold (different sizes down to -50)though the system. After he ran it, he ran the tailings though a Gold Cube to see if he missed any of the gold - see the results in the video.

I have also built one using a "P-Trap" instead of the horizontal pipe Don uses for his. To dump the concentrate in mine I unscrew the plug at the bottom of the P-Trap, add a cup of water to the input to wash out the trap right into the panning pan - parts for mine is around $75.00. If you are interested in seeing pictures of mine please let me know.

The critical part in his, and mine, is not overloading the input. In my P-Trap design I run -8 though a funnel that has a 1/2 inch opening (a couple of bucks at Walmart). This keeps the ratio between dirt and water constant.

Don is a mining engineer so you can bet his results are scientifically correct.


Rick

 

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[DizzyDigger]

You might ask one of the moderators if they can correct the
thread title for you, as I believe you meant to say "Gold Trap"
instead of Gold Cube.

Interesting idea, but the set-up shown doesn't resemble a Gold Cube in any way.

 

[kcm]

It's interesting, but I, personally, would like to see a much more overall test. The gold you use is different sizes, but gold also comes in different shapes. How will that work for gold that is very flat and thin? What about small, coarse? What if you have a lot of black sands? (sorry, maybe you covered some of this - I skimmed through without volume until have more time later)

 

[KevinInColorado]

Cool "goldfarb". As a finish processor it seems no better than a poop tube. Catching gold down to 50 mesh is not impressive. Here in CO we need close to 100% down to 100 mesh as a minimum. So, no thanks!

 

[Vagadero]

Probably a series of bottle traps or some U shaped sections would improve the recovery rates.

 

[Rick-SAR]

Sorry about the subject heading. I tried to edit it but the forum would not let me. Don calls his a Gold Tube not a Gold Cube. I am sure there are other sluicing equipment out there that work and probably better however, if cost is a consideration and you like to build equipment then less then $100.00 seems like building one would be a fun thing to do.

KCM - I will have to check with Don as to the shape of gold samples he used. I know he has done more test then one with different samples. As I said in my post Don is a mining engineer and I am sure if you need all the scientific data such as flow rate using different sizes, shapes (flat, round, rough, smooth etc.), he has it.

 

[arizau]

I know, an old thread but an interesting concept none the less. I suppose one could term the process along the same line as a fluid bed being bottom fed. This video shows him running mostly pure black sands but reducing them to about one pound with great recovery of larger gold and fair recovery of minus 50 mesh. That may be comparable to field/bank run recovery with a sluice but not so good as a cleanup device. Drawback is it has be classified. That said I would like to make one and test it on some of the Cape Disappointment, minus 100 mesh, black sands that I have in storage here.....someday?

 

[Reed Lukens]

Wow! I missed this the first time around, that's a well thought out system for -1/4" material. If you screened down to 1/8" and cut the pump back some more, that -100 beach sand would all be saved. With a rheostat, you could start it out slow with the -1/8" and dial it up until the 1/8" material comes out. This is a great little specific gravity system.