My FIne Gold Recovery System - Blue Bowl - Fossickers Gold Pan - Photos

[AzViper]

This is my fine gold recovery system. Thought this would be easier than using a 5 gallon bucket. As you can see I have a leveling system to level the center cone as this is very important when using a blue bowl, simply place a level on the top of the cone and level the bowl both directions. I am using a Fossickers Gold Pan as a small sluice to capture any fine gold that I may lose while learning how to recover gold at different size concentrates. Yes the Fossicker gold pan is overkill but it can be removed easily and used as a pan if needed. The raised drain keeps the concentrate contained within the black tub while keeping it from entering the recirculating tanks. The pump in the photos has been replaced with an Atwood submersible 1200 GPH pump. The first video shows the entire system.

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The video where I was processing the paydirt I screwed up and answered a phone call after making an adjustment in the water level. Lost all the gold out the bowl, but it was recovered and rerun.

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[oldbrundogg]

Thanks for the reply AzViper, so one of my questions would be the quartz material, did it stay at the bottom with the gold, and did you have hematite and magnetite move out the top? Or did you not have much " black sand" material to begin with?
OBD
Thanks for your two cents BH, I'll take all the since I can get before they stop making them.
So my question to you would be can you control it to pushing out some concentrate and leaving some? And I guess I'll look up the specific gravity of the cons.
OBD

 

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[AzViper]

Thanks for the reply AzViper, so one of my questions would be the quartz material, did it stay at the bottom with the gold, and did you have hematite and magnetite move out the top? Or did you not have much " black sand" material to begin with?

OBD

I can't answer your question as I blew all the con out over the center cone and what was trapped was in the Fossickers pan below the blue bowl. The water in the tub became very dirty very quickly and I could not see the the bottom of the blue bowl. This is why I am introducing two 15 gallon barrels to the system so the water in the bowl remains clear. BH Prospector is the person who can answer your questions on the blue bowl. As for the setup pictured I can't think of a better setup in using the blue bowl, its very sturdy and easy to level. Once the barrels are added will be a complete system.

 

[oldbrundogg]

Oh yes AzViper, my bad I forgot your system was recirculating. Looks like a cool set- up, hope it works well for you. Here at the house I'm not so good at water conservation Shhhh...
Guess I'm just not ready to spend the money on it yet, though it looks like it would be fun to play with. I'm one of those weirdos that likes to look and I guess study the cons with my 30x loupe.
Have fun with it!
OBD

 

[KevinInColorado]

Glad to hear it does the job Kieth. I agree your new set up looks like it would work better. Like you said too centered before. Great job!

@dogg, I use the blue bowl and love it. Don't want to argue with you Kevin 'ol pal but blue bowl much more efficient than panning even though slower. And if you have to pan the cons a few times to get all the gold you're not gaining much in my opinion. Thats my two cents for what its worth.

...to each his own BH :-)
I know you really know your stuff and I respect that. I will have to find someone with a bowl to rerun some of my super-cons after I've panned the gold out to see if they find anything. My process is quick and cheap and peaceful and just right for me

 

[Fabrication Specialists]

...to each his own BH :-)
I know you really know your stuff and I respect that. I will have to find someone with a bowl to rerun some of my super-cons after I've panned the gold out to see if they find anything. My process is quick and cheap and peaceful and just right for me

That says it all, it works for you, it's cheap and it's peaceful. What else do you need? Cleaning up super fine gold is slow no matter what method you use so just you what works for your situation, budget and patience!

 

[B H Prospector]

This is how I do it dogg and I don't loose any gold. I classify my cons to 1/4, 1/8, -20, -30, -50, and -100. I first run the -30 by putting one 1/2 cup of material in the bowl. The water should be running up to the brim. run all of each classification before starting the next. Then run the -50 at one tablespoon at a time and drop the water lever 1/4". Then run the -100 also uwsing the tablespoon and drop the water level another 1/4" or 1/2" from the brim. Run each scoop until there is very little left then add the next scoop. When done with each classification just let it run until all that is left is the gold. Clean the bowl after eash classification. The vortex will pull all of the light sand and black sand out leaving just gold.

 

[oldbrundogg]

Thanks for the reply B H, like I said can't ever have too much cents. I'll give it some thought.

 

[B H Prospector]

Every thing is always evolving into the bigger better mouse trap. You will eventually get it just the way you want it. Keep at it Kieth it looks great.

 

[AzViper]

Every thing is always evolving into the bigger better mouse trap. You will eventually get it just the way you want it. Keep at it Kieth it looks great.

Jim this system keeps evolving and I have had to make changes. I added this raised drained to keep all the concentrates from going into the barrel below this helping keep the water cleaner and easier to clean up. Found a rubber o-ring to go around the plastic drain and the (o-ring/plastic drain) fit tight into the the metal drain. Also I have to move the pump from the table. Way too much vibration in the blue bowl making it very hard to see the bottom of the blue bowl. I did run the system yesterday and had made a video to post but my memory card is bad on my camera. If I go over 10 minutes the video becomes corrupt and not watchable. I did recover gold as I ran 50 mesh concentrate.

 

[Gelmac]

Awesome, that's pretty cool . Kieth you're improving over time . Glad I found this thread. I don't a Blue Bowel , but learning from others before I consider it or another equip that may be more suitable for me. Thanks you Kieth !

 

[B H Prospector]

You will soon have it perfected Kieth. I love seeing all the improvements. Can't wait for a video.

 

[AzViper]

You will soon have it perfected Kieth. I love seeing all the improvements. Can't wait for a video.

Here is a video of the perfected system. No concentrate ran through but the video is mainly showing the system in general. The video is in HD so you will need to select HD. The only thing I need to add is some surgical tubing to the bottom of the Blue Bowl center cone. This will cut down on the splatter. The audio gain on the camera was turned way up so its very loud in the video than in person.

 

[B H Prospector]

That is just awsome Kieth! I want one! Once you run some material through it let me know if the pan caught anything.

 

[Hefty1]

Great setup AzViper!
I see that you have a D.A.M Ind blue bowl, you must of had that one for awhile.
I say that because my father was the inventor of the D.A.M. Blue bowl and owner of D.A.M. Ind until his passing in 92.
It still makes me proud to see those bowls still in use.
Yea let us know if the pan underneath catches anything...

Hefty

 

[Rawhide]

You have introduced me to the Fossickers Gold Pan which I will research, and I am looking at building something just like it. What gph of a pump do I need? I did buy a black finish pan and havent had the chance to use it yet. I would like to know what the ceramic soap dish serves?

 

[AzViper]

You have introduced me to the Fossickers Gold Pan which I will research, and I am looking at building something just like it. What gph of a pump do I need? I did buy a black finish pan and havent had the chance to use it yet. I would like to know what the ceramic soap dish serves?

This pump I am using is a 1200 GPH made by Atwood. Most likely and 800 GPH would work just fine. Both pumps can be purchased at Walmart in their auto section. Look for Bilge Pumps. Not sure what you are referring to as in ceramic soap dish.

 

[AzViper]

Great setup AzViper!
I see that you have a D.A.M Ind blue bowl, you must of had that one for awhile.
I say that because my father was the inventor of the D.A.M. Blue bowl and owner of D.A.M. Ind until his passing in 92.
It still makes me proud to see those bowls still in use.
Yea let us know if the pan underneath catches anything...
Hefty

I can't say I have owned the Blue Bowl for very long. I purchased the Blue Bowl new on Ebay a few months ago. The current owners of D.A.M. must still be manufacturing the Blue Bowl. Once I received the bowl I was slightly put off on the molding process or quality control. I had to take a razorblade and clean up the outer edge due to the molding process.

 

[AzViper]

That is just awsome Kieth! I want one! Once you run some material through it let me know if the pan caught anything.

Thanks Jim, it was your postings of the Blue Bowl that got me interested in buying the bowl. When I made the purchase on eBay of the Blue Bowl the seller had the Fossickers pan in his listings. I first ordered the bowl but after screwing around with AutoCAD on my computer at work I came up with the idea of using the two products together. Now after posting the video on YouTube, YouTube has linked my Blue Bowl Fine Recovery System to other Blue Bowl recovery systems and there is a guy using the Fossicker pan with his Blue Bowl. LOL... Same concept but completely of different design. I like my setup better... I need to stop by the store and get a bottle of JET-Dry to lower the surface tension of the water.

 

[B H Prospector]

Yeah I saw the other links after watching your video and saw the other guys. I agree I like your set up much better Kieth. Glad I inspired someones imagination. Again great job Kieth.

 

[Hefty1]

I can't say I have owned the Blue Bowl for very long. I purchased the Blue Bowl new on Ebay a few months ago. The current owners of D.A.M. must still be manufacturing the Blue Bowl. Once I received the bowl I was slightly put off on the molding process or quality control. I had to take a razorblade and clean up the outer edge due to the molding process.

Well I watched your vid again, and noticed a zip code 95603 on the rim. That is the new owners in Auburn Ca, as my father would not have let a bowl be shipped out in that condition. Did not realize they are using the old business name on their bowls. Will have to talk to them about this.

Mark H.