Found something interesting

[Capt Nemo]

I hit the local hardware store yesterday and found something interesting. They have a blue/black rubber gasket material. The blue side has a very fine imprint of the conveyor belt which looks like fine mesh. This might be an interesting mat to try as a miller table surface. I can only get a 12"x12" square of this material, so it will be a short table.

Being a short table, I'm thinking of combining it with Chlsbrn's grease table idea. I'll start with a conventional miller table, and then go to a grease table. That should catch those flighty chunks that come off the miller section.

So I'm going to try killing two birds with one stone. Should be an interesting test!

 

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[russau]

Capt Nemo could you show a pic or this material ? Or give some more info on ,brand ,store , etc?? Im getting most of my material to make AZs Miller table but the mat (shelf liner) comes only in a black color and blue or green would be a better color for me to see the individual black sand particles as they wash free from the fine gold. Id like to get some of that blue material. and the 12 x12 measurement shouldn't be a problem if you bevel one edge to the other and glue it together.

 

[Capt Nemo]

It was at a True Value hardware store. I don't know if all stores have it. It replaced the red rubber gasket material in the plumbing section. about $4.99 a 12"x12" sheet. The sheet is 1/16" thick, similar to a cutting mat. McMaster might have larger sizes, so check there.

I inked the gasket and took a fingerprint which kinda shows the texture.(Actually it came out better than I thought!)

 

[russau]

Thanks Capt.! I have that store just down the road from me and Ill go check it out today! Its nice to have options when building something!

 

[russau]

Capt that material will work I believe!! and with the proper adhesive , you could glue it into lengths for a miller type of table BUT its gonna cost you!! the shelf mats that AZViper has used (and I) is a lot cheaper and is in a 12" roll that more than enough to make several Miller tables. Ive used the blackboard paint , the shelf matting and my favorite is actual Slate from a school blackboard EXCEPT for its black color that hides getting some fine blacksand from being washed away! Now if I could find some green colored slate I would 100% recommend it for a Miller table.

 

[Capt Nemo]

Decided to build a small miller instead, with the grease table separate. I had a 3 gal Rubbermade bin that I had hoped would make a good tailing bucket for my other miller table, but was too big. So I'll have a 9x6" active area with 180 GPH pump, adjustable dam and flow, and +2 to -7 degree pitch adjustment. I'm going to make a second mat for cleanup sluicing with some vinyl runner mat. That should make a nice little travel table that doesn't take up much space. Pump is 12W at 120V, and the LED light will run about 3W, so just perfect for a 200W inverter.

 

[Capt Nemo]

Almost there! Gotta stop posting and get back to building!

 

[Capt Nemo]

I finally got her done and started testing. Found I have to plug one of the spraybar jets as it's sucking air and making bubbles. The chunk of humidifier belt helps cut down the bubbles. The sluice mat (vinyl runner) doesn't work as it does nothing but flatboard. I tried tilting the table to see where it would begin to exchange. It started exchanging at about 35 degrees and then cleans out. Also tried turning the water down till I could see ripples from the riffles, and still no exchange. Oh well! I then switched to the miller table surface. I set the dam at penny height. With the pump full out it gives about 3/4" of head behind the dam. Running pretty much flat (guesstimate) the sand blows down about 1/3 of the table before slowing down. I may add some Scotchbrite behind the dam to slow it down a little. Gold seems to stick really well, but it is a nightmare to try brushing it to the hole. Really tears up the brush. That blue mat also doesn't contrast the gold as well as I thought it might. I think I might make a cutting mat surface for it. I may also try some of that car floor mat that runs pretty well in my 3" sluice.

Here she is running with the blue gasket material.

 

[Capt Nemo]

Even though that blue gasket material doesn't work very well in this application, it will work for turning your sluice into a table. You'll just have to remove the mat and clean, or tilt the sluice and rinse it to get the pay. I'll see about getting the name of the company that makes it, and try to find out if they make longer lengths. So this mat isn't worthless, you just have to figure out how to work with it.

Now to build the grease table.