gold rocker box or A52

[BIG-LAKE-GOLDPANNER]

i am wondering if it is worth buying or building a rocker box because i have read that my keene A52 will loose allot of fine gold, and that is just about all i find where i live. the rocker box also doesn't need running water or a pump which is a plus, because gasoline is 9 dollars a gallon here in the arctic. i also do not hear much about rocker boxes being used much anymore and am wondering if it is a dead technology, or is it just not used because other forms of gold recovery are more efficient? i have a lot of time on my hands(about 5-6 months until the ice melts)any info would be great

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[B H Prospector]

Hi Panner,
Welcome to the net. I use an A52 and do just fine getting fine gold. I find micro gold with my blue bowl after further working my cons from the sluice. I find -100 micro. So who ever told you the A52 looses fine gold obviously didn't set it up right to loose gold. No system is perfect. There are those systems that claim to be near perfect in recovery and they may be close, I don't claim to know as I haven't used them all, but they all loose some. Go with what you can afford and doe some research. There are a lot of threads on this forum about different recovery systems. A lot of knowledge here. Take advantage of it.

Good Luck!

B H Prospector

 

[blynch35]

i find micro gold with my A-52 as well.

 

[BIG-LAKE-GOLDPANNER]

awesome i appreciate the advice i am new to prospecting and am trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible in the winter months. the info i read online must be trying to sell their product by putting down other prospecting equipment i was starting to regret buying the A52 but now i'm going to concentrate on improving my sluice into a highbanker. is it worth it to buy a hopper box and stand, or is it more cost effective to build my own? i was thinking that i would put another sluice at the end of my keene but going back under the above sluice with just ribbed matting and expanded metal which i heard is a great way to catch very fine gold without the bigger rocks that the keene collects

 

[blynch35]

It just depends on your skill level and avalible material you can buy that stuff pretty cheap and make it your self.But you can buy somthing pretty clost to building cost and less hastle check out CALIFORNIA SLUICE BOX - Home they have the parts you need for your A-52 to make a easy conversion.

 

[B H Prospector]

I started to build a hopper since I know my way around a shop pretty good but realized I just don't have the time so I am buying a conversion kit from Keene for my A52. I already have the stand and use it in the creek. That way I can set it up in water as deep as 10 or more inches with the correct drop and don't have to worry about water flow or a creek running a little high or the creek bed not having enough drop. works great!

Good Luck

B H Prospector

 

[BIG-LAKE-GOLDPANNER]

so with the stand you set the level of drop without having to set it on the bottom of the creek on the edge where the current is not steady, sounds awesome. definitely need to get one, the water levels in the rivers here fluctuate allot, it can raise a couple feet in a night and turn from a rushing river into a peaceful steam over a week end. also wondering if i can use my A52 sluice with the hungarian riffles removed as the sluice bed for a rocker box i want to build. it will be removable from the grizzly and the rest of the frame so i can use it in the river, but the richest place around here does not have running water and i need a setup that cost nothing but manpower to run. all of the plans i see on the internet call for the use of a much wider sluice box in the rocker setup, the gold here is very fine so i dont see a reason to use the hungarian riffle, sorry about rambling on cant help it. thanks

 

[Oakview2]

I think in one post you commented that the gold was very fine. I would suggest taking a look at a Gold Cube. I think you can use a 12v motor to power. Gold Cube Home

 

[BIG-LAKE-GOLDPANNER]

how much material can be processed through the gold cube before cleanup?

 

[Oakview2]

You may have to find someone on the board that has one as their site seems to be down...

Here is a video by Red, that shows them running 8 buckets worth before cleaning