Keene A51 Advice

[socalal99]

I just picked up a new Keene A51 for a good price. I am thinking it is small enough to backpack in. Any one used a A51? Advice, experiences? Thanks

 

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[vaquero44]

a very good traditional unit

 

[goldog]

I used that little sluice for 20+ yrs. it worked good for me. For me running it deep worked best. I never felt good running with an inch or two of water with the V. Not enough slick plate.

I set it almost full with enough velocity to move the material off the mat in 10-20 sec. Usually catch most of the gold before the riffles.

 

[infotraker]

I have been using the a51 for years, gets the gold. It's best to classify out the bigger rocks and do not let it pack up and cover the riffles. Experiment with the best angle by watching how the material moves thru.

 

[yodi]

That was my first sluice I have found a lot of gold with it. Just don't feed it to fast and you will get the gold, the V mat at the front of it catches a lot of gold and gives you a good idea about the dirt your running.

 

[matt_unique]

I have the A52 and also find that it works best with a lot of water. You need to adjust the water depth and angle (as with all sluices) to make sure you are moving the whites and keeping the red, black, and gold behind the riffles. With the water at the top of the sides running quite fast I capture tiny 'fly poop' as we say here. I'm not a pro but I bet most start out running much too little water for fear of losing gold. I always grab a handful of 1/4" or so material and toss it in - nearly all of it should clear out of the sluice if running with enough water and angle. If you add material and the riffles are immediately full you need more water and angle. I too classify down to 1/4" with a grizzly before running the material.

Good luck with the process!