Rocker Box?

[Duckshot]

Anybody here ever build or use a rocker box?

What size were the riffles?

I got an older paperback book that has photos of Edwin P Morgan and his wooden rocker box , about 1965. Book has plans for a rocker box which gives dimension of 1" high riffles for a 14" wide rocker.

If there is a logical idea on how to figure optimal riffle height, or if anyone can give their opinion on how riffle height or spacing might change how materials flow through a rocker, I would very much like to listen. Thanks.

 

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[gldguy1]

I too have been wondering about this

 

[kcm]

There are numerous plans for Rocker Boxes out there on the internet, including YouTube. Many turn-of-the-last-century books also have such plans. I guess the first question I'd have to ask is, where would this be used? At home only, or does it need to be portable? Are you allowed to use some kind of pump or strictly dipping and pouring? By pump, that could be gas, battery, or even a hand pump. What kind of material do you want it made of? Wood? Wood gets heavy, especially when wet. You could line it or coat it, but... What about aluminum? Do you have the means to bend sheet metal? Will you need adjustable legs on it for leveling? Will you use riffles or matting, or both? Will you classify material? If using in the field, what about the possibility of making a rocker-type box that sits partially submerged in the water so that no pumps or dipping is required?

As for that last idea, I don't even know if something like that is possible, like in California. It might be too closely associated with a sluice. However, if you're in an area that has water but not much flow, this could be an idea.

So best thing is to:
1) KNOW THE RULES FOR YOUR AREA AND WHAT'S ALLOWED
2) know where you want to use the Rocker Box (will it stay at home or be portable)
3) what do you want it made out of
4) riffles or matting or both
5) conventional or alternative design


...Just an afterthought here, but I don't remember ever hearing about a rocker type unit that has front-to-back motion rather than side-to-side. Anyone else have any thoughts on that?

 

[Goldwasher]

From what I've read, rocker boxes were invented so that someone could come along after using one and get the fine gold that was dug up and cleaned off.

 

[russau]

As far as what size riffles to use , Id made several heights of riffles and different mats to install to suit your needs and the golds size and shapes. I do thisd with my dredges and other equipment because I travel around the Country and run into different conditions.

 

[utah mason]

There is a member here a t-net that had built one. He did a really nice job. I think his name here is Jim in Idaho or maybe Idaho Jake, can't remember. His YouTube channel is John Jacobs. Check it out he has built some good stuff.

 

[arizau]

One feature that many plans that I have seen do not have is an apron that the diverter baffle under the grizzly box feeds. I think that is an important feature since that is where the majority of the gold can be or is captured. The sluice section, if you want to call it that, is then a secondary capture zone. When the rocker is in action the material in the apron pocket sloshes around and lets the gold settle and stay in the apron while the waste and maybe some fine gold washes over the lip much like the action in a gold pan. For the sluice riffles, expanded metal over carpet will probably work as well or better than riffles. This link may help you. https://www.google.com/webhp?source...S576&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=rocker box apron. I didn't dig it up but there is discussion on the GPEX prospecting site that goes into detail on apron design.

Good luck.

PS: That is the way I built a rocker box about 45 years ago but I only used it once as kids happened and I didn't prospect again for many years.

 

[arizau]

Hey kcm,

You asked "If using in the field, what about the possibility of making a rocker-type box that sits partially submerged in the water so that no pumps or dipping is required? Here are plans for just such a device. http://www.alaskagolddiggers.org/download_files/river-rocker-plans.pdf. Pretty slick gadget and I think there are videos online on how these operate too.

 

[kcm]

Hey kcm,

You asked "If using in the field, what about the possibility of making a rocker-type box that sits partially submerged in the water so that no pumps or dipping is required? Here are plans for just such a device. http://www.alaskagolddiggers.org/download_files/river-rocker-plans.pdf. Pretty slick gadget and I think there are videos online on how these operate too.

OUT-STANDING!! That's even better than the brief glimpse of an idea that went buzzing through my pea brain last night. ...Figured there was already something like that out there. Too many smart miners for there not to be!

Unfortunately, my mind is currently filled with snow plow issues! Won't be so bad once I get my new shop built, but it's too dang cold working out in the sub-zero temps with wind!!

 

[deserdog]

What arizau is talking about is the apron. I made mine out ouf canvas. It helps to have a good sag in the canvas. Most of your gold will be captured by the apron.

The riffles in a rocker box do not operate the same as riffles in a sluice box. Most of the time the gold will be captured on the upper side of the riffles in a rocker box, like in a dry washer.

You can process a lot more material using a rocker box than just panning, but if there is enough water, you can process more material with a sluice box than a rocker box.

One thing that rocker boxes work really well for is producing super concentrates. I would take home a bunch of sluice concentrates, and put them through my rocker box. How I had my rocker set up is an aluminum diverter which place all the material at the top of the apron. After the material passed over the apron, it would hit an area in the back of the rocker box that had a piece of astro turf. then the material would make its way down and out of the rocker while passing over a riffle ladder of 1/2" square riffles.

 

[KevinInColorado]

From what I've read, rocker boxes were invented so that someone could come along after using one and get the fine gold that was dug up and cleaned off.

This.

They are known for sucking at catching fine gold. If you have -50 gold, build a high banker instead. Or get a Gold Nugget Bucket...it has a fluid bed to catch fine gold and is about the same amount of work as a rocker box.

 

[Reed Lukens]

The apron is the primary stage, many rockers don't have riffles. The punch plate up top needs to be hand made with the holes driven down, this is a big part of it. You need less holes and plenty of area to help dissolve the dirt and wash the gravels before they get a chance to drop onto the apron. With the apron agitating, the gold collects in the bottom of the apron. Now a days we use bilge pumps and call it a Gold Cube...

 

[Duckshot]

No pumps allowed where I plan hunt, and I already got a drop riffle sluice that I am fond of when the water is running. Nothing but glacial dust here, so I guess the rocker is a poor choice.

Truth be told I slammed together a little 9" wide rocker box last season. Built the thing nice, but I forgot to sketch it out first and didn't have room for an apron. No wonder it caught nothing much. I'm hoping to mess around with a different set of riffles on a bigger box. The nine incher just has carpet and one riffle at the end that keeps the end of the carpet submerged.

 

[Golden_Crab]

This.

They are known for sucking at catching fine gold. If you have -50 gold, build a high banker instead. Or get a Gold Nugget Bucket...it has a fluid bed to catch fine gold and is about the same amount of work as a rocker box.

-needsmoarcoffee-

 

[KevinInColorado]

The rocking action walks fine gold down and out of the box. Rocker boxes are an out of date technology.

Get something else. Another option to look at: The Gold Grabber.

 

[deserdog]

My rocker captured fine gold well, most in the sag on the apron. When I first started using the rocker box, I would check my tails, and did not find gold. Many times I would not use the riffle ladder, but just had ribbed rubber matting on the bottom of the rocker. My rocker had 3 gold capture areas: The apron, where the apron dumped onto the compartment with the astro turf, and then the bottom of the rocker, with either the riffle ladder or just the ribbed rubber matting. Most of the gold, including fines, was captured by the sag in the apron. A little bit was captured by the astro turf. Hardly any gold ever made it down to the lower section witht he riffle ladder or ribbed rubber matting. I would clean out each section and pan seperatley, so I could see where the gold was being captured.

Here is an interesting discussion of rocker boxes from the ICMJ: Anyone Use A Rocker Box? - Panning, Sniping and Sampling - ICMJ's Mining Journal Forums

 

[Clay Diggins]

The apron and it's one (or two) sags is how the rocker box works. The "riffles" do nothing to catch gold. If you have a rocker box without an apron and a proper sag you don't have a rocker box. The sag is what catches the gold - not the "riffles".

In areas without a good water supply (most gold deposits in the United States) a rocker box will recover a greater percentage of the gold than any other method except panning. Panning uses more water and won't process nearly as much material per hour as a rocker box. Both methods require that you learn a skill. Rocker boxes are not automatic gold processing machines.

In many of the desert gold fields the rocker box was the most productive method. When you are having your water hauled in on burros and paying as much as a silver dollar for a gallon of water you use the most effective and least wasteful method of recovery possible.

Here's the gold standard of recovery systems in the Greaterville, Arizona gold deposits in the early 1900's. Many men got wealthy with a little wooden box with a canvas sag.



Sometimes it's about what works - not which method you prefer or what gets the highest percentage of gold.

Heavy Pans

 

[deserdog]

Once on a claim I was using my rocker box, and my wife decided to help by doing the rocking. That did not last too long after she started getting all dirty!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Good point Barry. However, these days I'd look at Alan Trees' Gold Grabber as a more modern tool.

 

[Duckshot]

Good point Barry. However, these days I'd look at Alan Trees' Gold Grabber as a more modern tool.

What's the difference constuction wise, other than the manual bilge pump, between the plastic gold grabber rocker and homebuilt rocker boxes?

I tried looking at the Gold Grabber site. I cannot figure out how they can stay in business. Could not find dimensions or price on their website.