Need some help

[principedeleon]

That is a keene swivel nozzel lol

I dont know but maybe an old one not the one they show on there page. On design you can see it is switched to where there is a smaller ring in front of the Nozzle that does two things i believe lets water in when you get a rock jamed and restricts to smaller rocks while not sacrificing the larger diameter suction of water . Maybe someone know a little more about this. I just know you take that nozzle off and you can hog that ground like if you was almost running a 7" with nozzle. Also a strong type damper helps a lot in slowing the water down and letting the material with your gold jump from around.

 

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[G1sammons]

I dont know but maybe an old one not the one they show on there page. On design you can see it is switched to where there is a smaller ring in front of the Nozzle that does two things i believe lets water in when you get a rock jamed and restricts to smaller rocks while not sacrificing the larger diameter suction of water . Maybe someone know a little more about this. I just know you take that nozzle off and you can hog that ground like if you was almost running a 7" with nozzle. Also a strong type damper helps a lot in slowing the water down and letting the material with your gold jump around.

This is a breaker flap nozzle I have both but even taking the hose off doesn't give me the kind of increase I'm looking for
Maybe this is just what the flow is gona be with a tripple it does have plent of suction you can't hardly pull a rock off the nozzle without the breaker flap maybie I'm just expecting too much

 

[MadJack_ME]

Slow your feed rate [solids to water] to no more than 30%. Other than that I have no idea as I have never run a triple-box. I do know when newby's are using my dredge [I guide prospecting] they often over feed it and cobbles load up in the box.

 

[Goodyguy]

Pretty sure a dredge tender is required on any dredge 6" and up and especially on a tripple for that very reason.

My solution (as an experiment) would be to create a 12" wide chute funneling from the center of the crashbox by attaching a set of vertical rails running the length of the sluice with punch plate attached under them starting where the already installed punch plate ends, (installed on top of the riffles) that way the cobbles would have more pressure behind them and should keep the sluice clear while allowing the gold to fall through the punch plate. If it doesn't work then back to the drawing board

Like so........


GG~

 

[G1sammons]

Pretty sure a dredge tender is required on any dredge 6" and up and especially on a tripple for that very reason. My solution (as an experiment) would be to create a 12" wide chute funneling from the center of the crashbox by attaching a set of vertical rails running the length of the sluice with punch plate attached under them starting where the already installed punch plate ends, (installed on top of the riffles) that way the cobbles would have more pressure behind them and should keep the sluice clear while allowing the gold to fall through the punch plate. If it doesn't work then back to the drawing board Like so........ <img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=919608"/> GG~

What r your thoughts on dropping the riffles ands going to gold hog matting throughout ?

 

[Goodyguy]

What r your thoughts on dropping the riffles and going to gold hog matting throughout ?

Cobbles bouncing down any mat tends to knock settled gold loose and back up into the flow.
Also a cobble laying on top of a mat will create a severe high pressure area around it and can also cause gold blowout.

I would protect against that from happening by somehow installing punch plate over the mat with a space in between. If the punch plate has 1/2" holes then you need to have at least a 5/8" space between the plate and the top of the mat.


GG~

 

[G1sammons]

My only problem with this is not all on the materal will make it thru the punch plate and because of this I know ill. Be washing flakes I'd feel beter with woven wire than punch plate also it allow more water thru wich I think it would need to help process

 

[G1sammons]

My only problem with this is not all on the materal will make it thru the punch plate and because of this I know ill. Be washing flakes I'd feel beter with woven wire than punch plate also it allow more water thru wich I think it would need to help process

think this came out wrong


What I'm trying to say is I,alway find flakes in my main box that are small enough that they should have fallen thru the punch plate but every dredge iv ever run has don this
No matter how slow or fast I run it so I figure a certain amout of small materials is makeing it past the punch plate and alway will !

 

[Goodyguy]

think this came out wrong


What I'm trying to say is I,alway find flakes in my main box that are small enough that they should have fallen thru the punch plate but every dredge iv ever run has don this
No matter how slow or fast I run it so I figure a certain amout of small materials is makeing it past the punch plate and alway will !

Could those flakes have migrated to the main box from underneath the punch plate? If so, then I blame the the design that allows them to do that. Sounds far fetched but I've seen it happen, especially where the riffles do not make a perfect seal against the carpet due to expanded metal or miners moss being in between the riffles and the carpet. And sometimes it's because the riffles are bent or the sluice bows down under them. Lots of factors to look at.

Take a flash light in the dark and shine it at the bottom of the riffle tray and see if you see any light coming from under the riffles if so it needs to be fixed. Or you could use a playing card and see if it slips underneath the riffles.

GG~

 

[G1sammons]

Could those flakes have migrated to the main box from underneath the punch plate? If so, then I blame the the design that allows them to do that. Sounds far fetched but I've seen it happen, especially where the riffles do not make a perfect seal against the carpet due to expanded metal or miners moss being in between the riffles and the carpet. And sometimes it's because the riffles are bent or the sluice bows down under them. Lots of factors to look at. GG~

I don't think so... My 3 stages will do the same thing I converted one to woven wire and it stoped iv never seen it with woven wire but it may happen buts it's a regular with the punch plate ! Not a huge amount but I alway find small gold in my main box past the dropout section or under current section

 

[Goodyguy]

I don't think so... My 3 stages will do the same thing I converted one to woven wire and it stoped iv never seen it with woven wire but it may happen buts it's a regular with the punch plate ! Not a huge amount but I alway find small gold in my main box past the dropout section or under current section

OK, then woven wire it is
Whatever works best for you to keep the cobbles off the mat will make for better gold recovery.

GG~

 

[G1sammons]

Well I iv been looking at the crash box and pretty sure I could convert to this to a cone or jet flare without destroying the crash box ,but I can't drop the box down like the new dredges
Is it worth the conversion ? Even know its not setting lower as closer to the water.....
Think I could do it pretty cheap maybe 200 dollars

 

[Goodyguy]

Well I iv been looking at the crash box and pretty sure I could convert to this to a cone or jet flare without destroying the crash box ,but I can't drop the box down like the new dredges
Is it worth the conversion ? Even know its not setting lower as closer to the water.....
Think I could do it pretty cheap maybe 200 dollars

The amount of flow will not change with a flair vs a crash box, only the velocity would be greater coming out of a flair as opposed to a crash box.

Doubtful that the change the way that you have described it will create enough of an increase in velocity to blow the cobbles on down and off the end of the sluice.

Really for a flair to work like I'm suggesting it has to empty directly into the sluice and not uphill into the crash box.
And even then it still wouldn't increase the water volume into the sluices.

Just how far in front of the crash box do the cobbles make it to now before they start to load up? Do they at least clear your punch plate?
Also how heavy is that rubber damper at the end of the crash box. Could it be slowing everything down too much?

I would be tempted to just get rid of everything in that main sluice and start over with nothing else but Gold hog UR mat with raised expanded metal over it, as well as keeping the length of punch plate over the front end of the sluice like you have in the above photo.

* Ok, now I see the problem with your punch plate. The holes are running in a straight line down the length instead of being staggered. No wonder fines get past them, they just ride down the ribbon of metal between the rows of holes. The plate was just cut the wrong direction for your application. Sight across the plate from the side and you'll see how the holes should have been run to eliminate that problem.


GG~

 

[flyman]

I have a 5" tripple sluice of the same style as your 6". Have used with no problems for many years. The crash box style is still a fine sluice. Your box looks like it has been modified and the classifier plate changed in the center, my 5" has 3/8 or 1/2" punch plate for classification and nothing else. Some times change can spoil the intent. All my fine gold is caught in the side boxes just fine, and the box does not load up. Here in AK we have many streams that have lots of fine gold and I have never had a problem with loss of fine flood gold. My only problem with that style of dredge is the weight and bulk. I did change to the newer ribbed carpet for all boxes.

 

[G1sammons]

The amount of flow will not change with a flair vs a crash box, only the velocity would be greater coming out of a flair as opposed to a crash box. Doubtful that the change the way that you have described it will create enough of an increase in velocity to blow the cobbles on down and off the end of the sluice. Really for a flair to work like I'm suggesting it has to empty directly into the sluice and not uphill into the crash box. And even then it still wouldn't increase the water volume into the sluices. Just how far in front of the crash box do the cobbles make it to now before they start to load up? Do they at least clear your punch plate? Also how heavy is that rubber damper at the end of the crash box. Could it be slowing everything down too much? I would be tempted to just get rid of everything in that main sluice and start over with nothing else but Gold hog UR mat with raised expanded metal over it, as well as keeping the length of punch plate over the front end of the sluice like you have in the above photo. * Ok, now I see the problem with your punch plate. The holes are running in a straight line down the length instead of being staggered. No wonder fines get past them, they just ride down the ribbon of metal between the rows of holes. The plate was just cut the wrong direction for your application. Sight across the plate from the side and you'll see how the holes should have been run to eliminate that problem. GG~

Hmmmm just thinking my main objective is to make the boxes turn over a little better it seems to lack the water flow to do that .... I'm just comparing it to my 4's. And just how they process material, the cobbles are just another effect from lack of flow but I can deal with it as we usally have a box tender to deal with jams ect .... The cobble usually hang up near the end .. Iv thought of going to woven wire 3/4" all the way down the main box standing off the hog matting maybe a inch or so to classify the materal and give the cobble something to slide on instead of hitting the riffles ... I think that would also allow anough water down to the hog matting to keep it pretty active .. As for the jet flair conversion it,would set right where the crash box is and would be slightly lower than how the crash box dumps .... Also may help with all the pebble plugging up the punch plate ... I think the down word blast from the crash box causes the puch plate to load up,fairly quickly and is always a problem ... The jet flair,blowing across the punch plate maybe is why I don't have the same problems with it loading in the 4" .... The crash box is riveted to the drop section and could easly be removed and set up as a jet flair just before the first section of punch plate .... I would have to move the engine and pump to the side of the dredge as the flair would need a lot more room going forward the the crash box ... Sorry not trying to make every one crazy by going in circles I'd rather run this by folks with experience than do it 2 or 3 times

 

[G1sammons]

Just attached some photos to show the ease the conversion would be and hoe the punch plate is loading

 

[G1sammons]

I have a 5" tripple sluice of the same style as your 6". Have used with no problems for many years. The crash box style is still a fine sluice. Your box looks like it has been modified and the classifier plate changed in the center, my 5" has 3/8 or 1/2" punch plate for classification and nothing else. Some times change can spoil the intent. All my fine gold is caught in the side boxes just fine, and the box does not load up. Here in AK we have many streams that have lots of fine gold and I have never had a problem with loss of fine flood gold. My only problem with that style of dredge is the weight and bulk. I did change to the newer ribbed carpet for all boxes.

Only changes is the lenth of the canter box all els is factory original in the box the punch plate that's there is how it came from keene !,

 

[principedeleon]

Dont go no bigger than 1/2" for the matting .
Unless you place some angle riffles.

 

[G1sammons]

Not sure I understand

 

[G1sammons]

Doc recommended river hog cut down and scrubber matt
Would these comply with what your suggesting ?