Hibanker, hopper, power sluice, or a wombo combo?

M

MrGneissGuy

Jr. Member
May 30, 2017
93
59
Los Angeles
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Alright guys I'm still trying to learn what I'm doing so bear with me. I currently have a tiny 24" x 7" sluice box that I bought from amazon seen here View attachment 1462346. I have since removed the carpet, expanded metal and the zinc bars, and replace them with tuff stuff v-groove matting. I was originally planning on swapping the V-groove out with my razorback matting from Gold Hog, but I only just got the mats and I haven't decided a plan.

I am trying to build a recirculating system for at home for starters. A couple problems I have:

1) My sluice is my only sluice box, and it's also portable. I'd like to be able to use it as so in the future, so I was considering just building some kind of header for my sluice to run it as a power sluice. I think I'm just going to start here and modify later, that was I can just have some fun running dirt at home.

2) My sluice is super short - 24". I was thinking about building either a second sluice by soldering together some small sheets of aluminum I acquired from Home Depot, or attempting to bend one large piece. Or...I can build an extension to my current sluice or something, I thought that would be kinda cool.

3) I originally started trying to build a hibanker because I was so exhausted from classifying material. I then discovered a hopper, and then after that a power sluice. I truly have no idea what to do now. I also don't have many tools in general as my hobby before this was playing video games....
 

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24" is a little short, my at home recirculating sluice is 6' long and made from wood, for riffles I have a variety of expanded metal sizes and different styles of carpet/moss. I dont recommend a highbanker hopper for an at home unit, I tried and found they lose a little water out the back and that ads up quick. I hear you on classifying but for at home it's best to bucket classify your material into different classifications for easier seperation. The main thing you need to worry about in a recirc is the water, the tail end of the sluice needs to dump into a container such as a bucket that is sitting in a larger container to catch the sand n gravel, this bucket should be easily removed to dump your tailings. You need at least three containers, I use galvanised washtubs that are connected with siphon pipes to help settle silt before before going back up the pump. My pump is an old washing machine drain pump belted to an industrial sewing machine motor puts out roughly 20gpm. What is a "wombo combo"?
 

the rubber v-groove will not hold the gold long, one hit with a pebble and out the end it goes.
Gold Hog mats would help, a lot a guys use the Razor Back Mat or a mix with every other one with Talon mat, I think.
you would get get better results if you classify to 1/4" or 1/2" the less you classify the more water needed to move material.
I put the gold hog washer mats in my recirculating sluice to process my concentrates, really good at reducing the black sand.
.
here's how I have my power sluice set up. (with my riffles still in)
DSC01736.JPG
 

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DSCF0445.JPG this is my recirc system for my cons I run it with a sump pump in the lower tub.
 

For some reason , some of my posts are gone?? When I post them ,I see them , but when I return they are gone BUT I see on the notification list that someone has 'liked" them but they are no where to be found by me. And then some time latter they show up?????????? And sometimes I get a note saying that I have timed out when I just got onto the site????....Go figure!!:tongue3:
 

Here's the wombo combo! It's a sluice, high-banker and a dredge!DSCF0398.JPG
 

There's a garden hose from the pump to a 90 elbow that sits on the back edge of the sluice.
 

It just looks like a highbanker dredge combo to me lol what the heck is a wombo?
 

I still dont get what a wombo is, highbankers are often made from Keene A-52s including mine.
 

MrGneissGuy said:
Alright guys I'm still trying to learn what I'm doing so bear with me. I currently have a tiny 24" x 7" sluice box that I bought from amazon seen here View attachment 1462346. I have since removed the carpet, expanded metal and the zinc bars, and replace them with tuff stuff v-groove matting. I was originally planning on swapping the V-groove out with my razorback matting from Gold Hog, but I only just got the mats and I haven't decided a plan.

I am trying to build a recirculating system for at home for starters. A couple problems I have:

1) My sluice is my only sluice box, and it's also portable. I'd like to be able to use it as so in the future, so I was considering just building some kind of header for my sluice to run it as a power sluice. I think I'm just going to start here and modify later, that was I can just have some fun running dirt at home.

2) My sluice is super short - 24". I was thinking about building either a second sluice by soldering together some small sheets of aluminum I acquired from Home Depot, or attempting to bend one large piece. Or...I can build an extension to my current sluice or something, I thought that would be kinda cool.

3) I originally started trying to build a hibanker because I was so exhausted from classifying material. I then discovered a hopper, and then after that a power sluice. I truly have no idea what to do now. I also don't have many tools in general as my hobby before this was playing video games....
Click to expand...

24" is a little short, building a extension wouldn't be to hard. If you didn't want to weld it you could use aluminum angle L bracket and bolt or pop rivet the pieces together. I set up my A-51 as a power sluice. I did it the cheap way and used a piece of 2x4 for the back, with a bead of silicone on it. It still leaks a tiny bit, when I use it at home I use 2 tubs and it sits over the the back one, so I don't lose any water on the ground. I use (3) 2" abs pipe connected using shower drains. I cut them in towards the top where the water has less sediment in it VS using ABS u shape, which pulls the dirtiest water off the bottom. There a video of mine running over on my prospecting journal. It's on first page, trip to Dinosaur monument. I was going to to convert my A-51 into a high banker as well, but ended up buying a piglet, and setting up my A-51 for the extension. instead of buying one from goldhog. I set up the A-51 with 2 different mats for different flows. I ended up with a few extra pieces a downdraft, scrubber, and bedrock they are 7" - 7 1/2" If you want them P.M. me and I can mail them to you. It would give you a couple of different capture zones.
 

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He can't be younger! He doesn't know what a wombo is? We're to old to know it all LOL! Just so you know it's kinda' like a Snipe. :icon_scratch::laughing7:
 

Australian marsupial....no wait, that is a wombat.
 

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