Over/Under suggestions

[Strebs]

Hello, figure this off season I'd change up my old Gold king to an over/under. Had some questions before I start ordering metal. What size do you classify for the bottom. I have 3/8th punch plate that i was thinking about going with. Also do you need to have a double classification at the head of the sluice... 1/2 over the 3/8ths? What is the opening size on the lower sluice... Planning on mine being around 16 inches at the front of the sluice(the black mat area). Also was wondering if anyone uses the larger opening expanded metal like the "sun setters" expanded? Currently my expanded metal is 1 1/2 inch wide by 1 inch length. What kind of carpet do you run? I'm thinking of going 30 inches of the deep v rubber at the front lower, then 30 inches of carpet on the last lower, carpet on top. Any info or ideas would be helpful thank you


Strebs

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[russau]

That flat expanded wont help saving fine gold! You need raised expanded if your going to use expanded screen . My last 3 dredges were a over / under setup and I really liked them , BUT Im getting to old and beat up to move them so I sold them. Now Im down to one 2 inch Keene dredge and Im hopeing it wont be to much for me to get it around and then back out of the creek!

 

[Strebs]

It is raised expanded just a bad camera angle. Can u tell me more about your over unders? If i remember right you use the veranda carpet?
thanks
Strebs

 

[spaghettigold]

some pics of mine.
A ramp- classifier allowes less material to float over the screen cause it tilts the openings against the incoming material

 

[spaghettigold]

i use ribbed rubber and expanded.
Velocity is reduced under the screen -dont use big riffles cause they wont exchange and clean out the light stuff.I have to do some mods as well cause i catch way more material then i like.Some sort of half inch baffle across the top of the ramp to direct pressure trough the screen entrance.

 

[spaghettigold]

first thing material see's when it comes out the flare



the expanded i use.One is alum the other steel.The alum required a frame to prevent bending up from carpet. Catches fine and flower very well but does not exchange much,when water is too slow under the screen.Therefore i may test the baffle thingy cause otherwise it require me to clean up more often which is a pain .I should mention maybe i use a gravity dredge otherwise i would test more angle to the sluice.

 

[spaghettigold]

last section with 4 lb expanded

 

[Hoser John]

 

[russau]

yep I used Veranda carpet and really liked it ! Mr. Hoser showed my this carpet and I got some to try ! I ended up selling that dredge back in the Fall of 2015 to Bill_Saf just before I had my right knee replaced. After feeling better after the recoupment I bought another 4 inch Keene dredge from Leonard Leeper in Colorado and 6 months latter I decided I cant handle that kind of weight by myself and had a real hard time tiring to find someone to help...........I sold it also. Now Im down to a 2 inch Keene dredge and hopeing I can handle it! Hosers 3 rd picture from the left is the Veranda carpet I also had! The over / under with the Veranda worked great!

 

[Jason in Enid]

I'm at work today, so I will try to remember to take some pics of the O/U I built for my son. I used a double screen classification. The entire bottom is lined with 3/4" expanded over deep V. The upper only has screen / riffles on the lower half of the box, this leaves the entire first half for the fines to drop out. The double screen keeps the bigger cobbles from beating up my fines screen.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I'd like to see a picture or two of that box Jason.

 

[wildminer]

Totally agree with expanded over veranda carpet! I've heard that expanded over v mat is good also, but never tried it. If you make the upper deck adjustable you can adjust the flow in the under by sliding the upper deck fore and aft, thereby controlling the amount of water going into the under. I used to use 1/8" punch plate for classification with a slick plate under that and then expanded over veranda carpet in the under for capturing the finest of the fine. The upper set can be made to capture what type of gold you are working with. Your flare, of course, will stratify and slow the flow. I give credit to Hoser on the veranda after reading his postings on it. It works!

 

[spaghettigold]

i uploaded a vid from last year sampling in may. I tested the red carpet you can see at the beginning of the vid.
The carpet was placed on the slick plate of my sampling sluice,just where the water exits the hose.
No classifier on top,no expanded rien ,nada,fully hitted by the waterforce ,but nontheless that thing managed to hold on to some flakes.Similar to the veranda carpet?

 

[russau]

Id be looking at the run - off from the sluice to check the sluices ability to capture fine gold . It looks like you have a winner!

 

[Strebs]

Thanks everyone for the replies, been working on the over under, I'm no welder that's for sure!.... Was wondering whats the opening you guys have on the lower box screen? I got 9-14 inches. .... Another problem I got is these riffles are sooo old and bent all to !@#$. Last year i just placed some extra carpet to fill in the gaps. Figuring my options are... using thick miners moss to suck up the gaps and probably the cheapest... What do you guys think?

 

[arizau]

I think even with moss there is potential for gold creeping through the "moss maze" and under the riffles. It seems to me that you can fabricate a wedge system to force the twisted riffles in place for operation.

Good luck.

 

[russau]

I replaced my riffles and mat with Gold Hog mats in my 2 inch & 4 inch Keene dredge .

 

[wildminer]

Considering the material I was usually running I had closer to 8-9 inches of opening going into the lower box. On the riffles you may be able to lower the riffles by using a larger bolt and nut on the upper end and redo the clamp on the lower end or drill a new hole lower down. I had done both when I converted my Keene box into an over-under. If the bottom of the box is thin it may however bend it and you would have space in the middle of the riffles. As Russ says, Gold Hog mats in the upper would solve the problem also.