Keene's New Fine Gold Riffle kit for 4" mini dredge.

winners58

Bronze Member
Apr 4, 2013
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Just got my 4” mini “Keene fine gold” upgrade riffle kit
Thanks, to Sam at Armadillo mining for getting the skinny on these to get my sucking barge ready for the season..

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need to re-zink with a Yellow Chromate dip for my old screen. what it will look like installed
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the 1/4" screen is supposed to slow the water flow under it by 50% I have a lot of black sand to deal with, so this may help.
 

Some strategically placed magnets might help to reduce some of the blacks if theres somewhere to put them along your system, anywhere before the riffles would work. I get about 50 percent magnetic almost. Probably will have to pull them out and rinse off in a bucket every so often as they build up, check for gold later.
Seems like a magentic grizzly or classifier at the hopper would make sense but I've never heard of anyone making that....its only the mats they ever change. They could make an easily removable and cleanable cage of some sort to seperate things more.
I usually pull my magnetics at home cuz they are just in the way when I pan out the last of my cons. It's the easiest way I reduce half my cons just doing that.
 

I do OK, I clean up twice a day, I have dredged with others that have the over-under three stage Keene box
they do much better at catching the fines but I cant afford the $699 price tag.
this was 125 for the riffle & 59 for the screen. my season doesn't start till' May, we'll see...
 

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I converted my 4" to over under based on pictures Hoser John posted, really upped the amount of fines recovered.
 

Hey Winners58,
Found some more info on Keene FB page, but was wondering how tall is the 1/4" mesh tray system and Keene shows the kit using their Miracle Mat underneath the mesh. What will you be using...miner's moss, carpet, Miracle Mat, ...? Thinking about modifying my 4" Proline end section for fine gold. Thanks,

Bill
 

the raised medium expanded are riffles so the miracle mat would just catch the gold in the groves.
so there is no advantage as the miracle mat riffle action would be moot.
I'll try raised ribbed rubber mat, probably carpet would work the best.
the woven spring steel screen is 1/4" I'll have to see what works best once I can see it in action.
I use the soft 3M miners moss in areas of the sluice that I can get rocks hitting it so its bouncy and acts like a fluid bed.
 

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Glad to be of any assistance. O/U for over 35 years and nuttn' proven better for me. John

Hay, John. What works best in the lower slow section? carpet, ribbed rubber, Miners moss, some other combination?
 

I got a 1"X 4" X 6" magnet after i clean my carpet i just swirl it once and come up with this lol.
 

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I made something like that for my 4" 3 stage dredge. It catches a lot of fine material in the first few inches after the undercurrent is where it drops. Maybe 1 -2 pieces of -30 gold everything else is -50. Catches less fine gold than first stage and undercurrent though. I might replace the last few inches of screen/expanded with a couple riffles. Works good for clearing overburden with fine gold.



:happy1:
 

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In CO. we have tons of black sands and flour gold. We run the Keene 3-stage sluice box with 1" drop per foot, full throttle, 3rd stage more shutoff with a 1 1/4" - 1 1/2" pull-out adjustment of the aluminum flow panel. This creates less packing up of the 3rd stage. Try it, you will be very happy.:icon_thumright:

Bill
 

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No packing here! The riffles even look a little scoured but that's probably from moving the dredge. You should start a thread about your setup. Be sure to include pics and or video. Many knowledgeable members here might help you get dialed in.:hello::laughing7:
:happy1:
 

I use a ribbed or old school rows as so much pressunder with righteous ripped carpet.jpgure down there it forces the small down down no matter what. John
 

I'll try raised ribbed rubber mat,
If your going to use ribbed mat I strongly suggest the Deep "V" instead of the standard raised rib...
The Deep "V" grooves are almost an 1/8th of an inch deep. Get you water flow and angle right and it killer.
 

Where have you had luck finding the deep v mat? All I ever see is the lower profile stuff.
 

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