Mini BGT ideas

B

benny

Full Member
Sep 15, 2012
189
169
Oregon
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Took my mini-bgt out today to test some ideas I'd had, and thought I'd share the results.
Two ideas. One was to make floats from pool noodle for deeper water. The place I pan is just not conducive to sluicing. The other idea was to attach a bale to the back of the bgt. I'm really happy with this idea! The bale is perfect and may work out for others. Anyway, here's a couple of pictures.

sluice.jpg

The water through the sluice is really too fast in my opinion and I think that I probably blew out a bunch of smaller gold.

I've attached a dog leash to the bale, and at the other end, tied on a ditty-bag and put a large rock in it to anchor the sluice. Pretty happy with this idea, too.

ditty-bag.jpg

Well, here's the bit o' gold I got. More than I'd expected. I'd panned here before and didn't think that there was anything there.

gold2_closup.jpg

The big flake will cover the date on a penny. The brown rock is either rough gold, or gold in quartz. I haven't looked it it close enough to tell.

So, what do you think? Any improvements come to mind?
 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!
Last edited:
Way to think outside the box :icon_thumleft:
 

Thanks, Goodyguy! I'm really happy with the results. There's no way I could have nailed that little sluice down in that water using anything else.
 

That's a very interesting idea !!!! I am thinking about how to make better use of deeper/faster water where a sluice cannt be set up so easily. I am working on making a stand for my bazooka
 

The only problem with the floating sluice is that you can't properly clean the grizzly. I classified to -4. The other problem the floats overcame was surges on the river raising and lowering the water level.
 

Pete Pederson of Pederson detectors in Anaheim made the same style a tiny toys for awhile. Petes long retired and last heard enjoying whatz left a life-John
 

Great lookin gold!!!! I don't think the float thing would work for me. I bury mine with a shovel load at a time (supermini) and it would just sink. I have thought of modifying it with folding legs but I am unsure that the ABS has the tensile strength for repeated stress. In your pic I would have slammed that thing down in that bedrock trough. If it is too deep toss a couple of flat ones in and then wedge it to one side of the bedrock. The Bazooka catches it much faster. Keep on inventing, you might come up with a a handy frame to set it in.

IMG_1737.JPG
 

Benny you're a genius! I love your creative solution!
 

KevinInColorado said:
Benny you're a genius! I love your creative solution!
Click to expand...

Jeez, I keep telling people that, but they never listen! :occasion14:

Got a fuzzy picture of that off-colored gold in the pan. Gold in quartz.

gold in quartz.jpg

Durnit! Had one other thing of note. Even with floats on the BGT, it still fits in the bucket for cleanup.

BGT_in_bucket.JPG
 

Last edited:
Very nice! surely i would have dumped that into the ole panning bucket.
 

benny said:
Jeez, I keep telling people that, but they never listen! :occasion14: Got a fuzzy picture of that off-colored gold in the pan. Gold in quartz. <img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1001337"/>
Click to expand...

LOL, someday they will see!

That pebble looks to me like a toad pointed toward one o'clock. I bet it will clean up real nice in hot vinegar or brick cleaner (muratic acid) or hot tub filter cleaner (sulphuric acid). Just DON'T combine acids as the right combination (nitric and hydrocloric) will dissolve gold. Wear protection too...panning is hard without eyes!
 

benny said:
Took my mini-bgt out today to test some ideas I'd had, and thought I'd share the results.
Two ideas. One was to make floats from pool noodle for deeper water. The place I pan is just not conducive to sluicing. The other idea was to attach a bale to the back of the bgt. I'm really happy with this idea! The bale is perfect and may work out for others. Anyway, here's a couple of pictures.

View attachment 1000429

The water through the sluice is really too fast in my opinion and I think that I probably blew out a bunch of smaller gold.

I've attached a dog leash to the bale, and at the other end, tied on a ditty-bag and put a large rock in it to anchor the sluice. Pretty happy with this idea, too.

View attachment 1000430

Well, here's the bit o' gold I got. More than I'd expected. I'd panned here before and didn't think that there was anything there.

View attachment 1000485

The big flake will cover the date on a penny. The brown rock is either rough gold, or gold in quartz. I haven't looked it it close enough to tell.

So, what do you think? Any improvements come to mind?
Click to expand...
Hey Benny,
Maybe some kind of kite bridle https://www.google.com/webhp?source...S491US513&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=kite+bridle
or a second bale on the exit end will give you angle adjustability to clear some of the rocks from the grizzly. Those are things I am thinking about for my DIY version.
 

Hmm.. Don't know if it'd allow cleaning the grizzly, but it sure would keep the BGT from turning in the stream. Might not hurt putting a little sea anchor on the other end, too. Likely to be some awful looking contraption by the end of experimentation. At least the USFS won't have a clue what it is. :occasion14:
 

Went mining yesterday, found some good stuff but wasn't able to use my mini as the stream flow was almost non existent. Met a guy who had a 36" sniper setup like a high banker, but he was using WAY too little water and packed up almost as fast as he setup. Have about 3 more 5 gallon buckets to go through that I brought home to pan, and am hoping to have them done by next weekend if time permits.
 

I built a manifold for my BGT so that I could recirculate. Using a screen mesh waste basket to keep big stuff out of the pump. Pump hangs 1/2 way between the top and bottom of the wastebasket. That way, sludge on the bottom doesn't go through the pump, and leafy stuff from the top doesn't go through and plug up the BGT. Pump is a Harbor Freight 1000gph pump. Manifold had ball valves to slow the flow through the bottom of the trap. Obviously can only run 5 gallons between cleanup, but that works for me.

BGT_recirculating.JPG
 

Nice piping job :)
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Private property sample... Awesome opportunity

⬅️ Previous Thread

Popandson sluice design?

Next Thread ➡️

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
High Plains Prospectors

Latest Discussions

Back
Top