Gold Cube Question

[DizzyDigger]

My new 4-Stack Gold Cube arrived on Monday, and I'm just
itchin' to get it out on the river..

I was very impressed with the quality of the packaging done,
and it was clear a lot of attention was paid to the details. It's
built like the proverbial brick outhouse, and I can't see it ever
breaking or wearing out.

On closer inspection, it was clear the machining was well done,
and each tray fits perfectly into the one above or below. One
change I would have made when ordering was to get about 30'
of the 1-1/4" water tubing, as the 4' it came with is all but useless
for me.

As said, I'm truly impressed with the quality of the Cube, so I was
surprised when I looked at the Vortex matting..it's cut on odd angles
and doesn't lay flat at the edges...

Giving the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt, I had to ask myself
if this was done on purpose to somehow increase gold retention. The other
option being they have someone working for them that's unable to cut a
straight line, and they didn't quality check their work and correct the
cockeyed cuts before packing it up. There is also a noticeable "hump"
in the carpet at the leading edge on 2 of the trays.

The carpet looks to be glued and stapled, so removing it will be a chore,
BUT I'm a real stickler for having things done right. I plan to work the
heck out of this unit come warmer weather, and going out with faulty
equipment means less gold in the poke at the end of the day.







There must be some purpose to having these cuts cockeyed, as everything else
was so well done from machining to packaging. If it isn't supposed to be this way
I'll have to pack it up and send them in to get fixed, or fix it myself.

Anyone else have matting cut like this, and if so, does it make much
difference in the gold capturing process?

 

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[goldhog]

I'll chime in on the hose part..........

If you're going to use 30 FEET of hose.............. you better get ready to do some testing and math.
The Cube really needs the full 1100 gph produced by the pump.
If you run 30 feet...... you'll be way down on gph.
By the time it reaches the cube, and still has to lift to the top tray........ you'll have water issues.
My GUT tells me you should run a 2200 gph pump and install a ball valve to control the flow to the correct gph.
Doc

 

[russau]

I heard that Reed Lukens Gold Cube also had a mat that was on slightly ajar. and Mike Pung commented about it as to it still works just fine (it still creates the vortexs)even though it was crooked. If i missunderstood Mike, he had Reed return that level and it was corrected. this Vortex belting (soft top conveyor belting)is sometimes ended up (from the manufactoring)looking like that. the Vortex on my 4 stack Gold cube was good enough for me and it really works fine!Im glad i bought mine!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Thanks for the input Doc..was worried that long of a
stretch might really drop the CFS at the Cube. I can
likely get by with 15', but do plan to go to a good
2000 GPH pump as soon as I can. The bigger pump also
draws more current, so another battery would be in
order, as well.

Russau, the more I look at it the more I'm thinking it
might work fine. Seems odd though that Reed's had the
same issue, which tells me the factory does it for a purpose,
or, for some odd reason, they've chosen not to retrain/teach
the staff how to cut the matting straight.

Just so there's no misunderstanding, I'm happy as can be
with the overall quality, and have no doubts that it's gonna
catch me a few grams of gold this summer. I've read several of
Mike Pung's posts, and am sure he wouldn't let a Cube go out
the door if it wasn't ready to do it's job right.

Supposed to warm up next week, and I'm hoping to get out
for a few hours. It's 15º here this morning, and the creek banks
are like a rock covered ice rink at the moment...

 

[Goodyguy]

You must remember that the "vortex mat" is in reality rough top conveyor belting. The angle you see is on purpose for use in conveyors although some belts have less angle than others. But that does not excuse humps or edges of the matting that do not lay flat.

Here is a video of Mike and his mfg operation which may give you some insight..........



Mike is a fine fellow and I'm sure all it would take is a phone call to have your concerns addressed.
Also you can purchase bilge pump hose by the foot at lowes.



GG~

 

[DizzyDigger]

You must remember that the "vortex mat" is in reality rough top conveyor belting.
The angle you see is on purpose for use in conveyors although some belts have less angle than others. But
that does not excuse humps, bumps, or loose and raised ends of the matting on your cube.
Also you can purchase bilge pump hose by the foot at lowes. GG~

Now that makes perfect sense. I just couldn't imagine them installing it that
way without a damn good reason, so I'm glad I asked. Much thanks GG!

No loose matting at all...it's well secured at every corner. The "bump"
appears to be an excess amount of adhesive or ? that hardened up
underneath the matting. It's rises up about 1/4" for about an inch right
at the lip, so really don't think it'll be any issue.

Great news about that hose! I'll be downriver later today, and a stop at
Lowes was already planned, and it's now added to the list...

 

[Gold Cube]

Thanks for all the kind words everyone.
We get the mat in from 5 foot rolls and the middle of the pattern sags 1 to 2 inches from the end. We didn't like the looks of this but after full testing we determined that every vortex acts independently and the angle only effects the look and not the retention. I wish it could be straighter but it can't seem to me manufactured any other way. As for the hump, use a pizza cutter or screen roller and see if it will crush the hump down. May be an easy fix, if not, just send it back and we will replace it. The Gold Cube was made to get you more gold! If you get the small you can get it all! We'll make sure you don't catch and release any more gold. Let me know if you need me to help.

Here is a tip for bigger pumps and longer hoses:
Gas or electric pumps, we don't want to over water the Cube and flush out gold. Here is all you have to do to get it adjusted right.
1. cut a 5/8" dowel rod to 10 inches.
2. roll the dowel down the water tray slick plate and it will jamb and dam up the water all but an inch on either side.
3. With the water on, you will see the water getting deep above the dowel.
4. Watch the scooped out section of the plastic that forms the Cube side openings, the water should not overflow out those sides. If it stays contained, you are good, if it overflows, you need to dial back the water.

Hope this helps, let me know if there are any questions

Mike

 

[russau]

Mike i have absolutly NO regrets in buying my Gold Cube! well built, traps the finest gold,EZ to use and transport to where its needed, and great suppot to those that need it!THANKYOU!

 

[Goodyguy]

Love the slogan.......

"Cube it or Loose it"


GG~

 

[DizzyDigger]

Mike, thanks much for chiming in here, as I knew there
had to be a good reason for the carpet being cut that way.
It's the only thing that made sense, as everything else is
so well done. All 4 of the trays fit perfectly into one another,
but there's no slop whatsoever, just a good snug fit.

Thanks also for the pump tips. Went out today and bought
some items I needed for a couple miller tables I'm working on,
and had some extra 1-1/8" hose on the list. Bought the other items at Lowes,
but they don't carry the 1-1/8" bilge pump tubing. They did have some
1-1/4", but then I would have had to sacrifice some GPH due to the larger
tube. Next we tried to find it at Ace hardware and struck out, and then
tried a vacuum shop as we thought the same might be used as vacuum hose.
They did have a model with that sized hose, but they don't sell the hoses.

Finally found it at Home Depot. Paid about $6.50 for a 6' section, and bought
2 plus a splicer. Shouldn't have any problems finding a level spot within 12'
of the waters edge at most of the beaches and creeks, and when I can add the
2000 GPH pump then I'll extend the hose, if need be. By splicing every 6',
I can tailor the length to each spot, keeping it as short as possible.

Like a kid waiting for Christmas, I'm chomping at the bit to get the Gold Cube
out on the river and get some color in it......

Unfortunately, it's a whopping
12ºF. at the moment, and all the riverbanks and beaches are solid ice. The
only way to get any material would be to chop out chunks with a pick, and then
bring it inside to thaw. No thanks. I'll wait for warmer weather, but just enough to get
the beaches to thaw.