Started my dredge sluice build

[omnicron]

So here it is after 3.5 hours Friday night... Please give me suggestions or ideas. I,m having serious concerns about weight as the #4 grating is really heavy...I may need to try and find some made out of alu. I'm stuck between shaw veranda carper and miners moss and deep v-rib carpet. If I go the carpet route I don't need the v-rib right?
So here are pics:

My frame as I want to make my sluice adjustable




My separation plate, the angles are 3/4" tall and this will sit on 3/4" alum. expanded on top of either mm or carpet.


what it looks like on the expanded.


In place with 3/16" punch plate but havn't built the "highgrade" section yet.


3/8" punch plate in place.

I still have a lot to finish but I'm hoping that when I'm don't it will be a gold catching SOB!

 

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[NeoTokyo]

That is a very nice start, keep it up!

Are you going to use something like a Honda GX120 and an HP300 pump? Standard Proline stuff and works awesome and is fairly well priced.
The GX160 is also a very nice engine and still light.

I really like how light my GX120/HP300 combo is, makes for easy transport.

 

[omnicron]

I recently bought a older 4" dredge built by Alen Trees and it has a Subaru 6hp engine and what I assume is a 350gpm pump. I have no plans of changing that combo, just building a new sluice as the one that was on it was all beat up!

That is a very nice start, keep it up!

Are you going to use something like a Honda GX120 and an HP300 pump? Standard Proline stuff and works awesome and is fairly well priced.
The GX160 is also a very nice engine and still light.

I really like how light my GX120/HP300 combo is, makes for easy transport.

 

[G1sammons]

Looking good omni!!!

What r u running under the expanded metal?

 

[omnicron]

I'll be using deep v-ribbed with veranda. In the upper section I think maybe miners moss and deep v-ribbed and high grader section the same. I ended up making a set of riffles for the upper section and weight was starting to be a serious issue. I really love the grating as it catches so much but it so damn heavy. I found 2# aluminum grating but at $800 a sheet I don't love it that much. Hey G, with this sluice I'm building I'm going to want to run it with it's underflow section discharge under water like that keene? I'm making the sluice "cradle" adjustable so I can fine tune things, it's just giving me a starting point.

On a side note, I taught my son how to weld today. He did a damn good job for being 12...better then I remember doing when I learned when I was 14...It was funny, I was showing him some of the finer points while talking to him about safety, you know burns and the arc's effect on eyes. and damn it if I didn't burn my self! Don't know what I was thinking as I just finished welding around a tube when I reached down and picked it up to show him how nice of a bead I ran. LOL I guess it's do as I say not as I do!

 

[omnicron]

Here's some progression on my build for anyone who cares. Sorry about the audio, my wife had her finger over the mic.



Here is my wheels to get my dredge off dry land.


Any comments welcome either positive or negative.

 

[Doitlaynstyle]

Looking Good man!! Very cool! If you are looking for someone to go with I might be your man. I can work the bank and you can work the water. I can help watch your back that way.

 

[omnicron]

Well here it is about 90% complete, still have the latches and punch plate for the under sluice to finish. I ended up buying a sheet of .080 aluminum and building another box as the tempered aluminum just was not stiff enough. My veranda carpet finally came in today, it was shipped from WA state and ended up in Iowa for 2 weeks. God I'm so pissed off about that.
In other developments I ended up moving the motor and pump back about 8" from it's original location in hopes of restoring balance...I wont know 'till I float it. I'm looking to this weekend to test it out but I'm a little nervous as I went to my spot on Saturday and the creek is about 3 feet higher with snow melt and really swift.
Here's a few pic's for you all to laugh at...

 

[G1sammons]

Well here it is about 90% complete, still have the latches and punch plate for the under sluice to finish. I ended up buying a sheet of .080 aluminum and building another box as the tempered aluminum just was not stiff enough. My veranda carpet finally came in today, it was shipped from WA state and ended up in Iowa for 2 weeks. God I'm so pissed off about that.
In other developments I ended up moving the motor and pump back about 8" from it's original location in hopes of restoring balance...I wont know 'till I float it. I'm looking to this weekend to test it out but I'm a little nervous as I went to my spot on Saturday and the creek is about 3 feet higher with snow melt and really swift.
Here's a few pic's for you all to laugh at...
<img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=765769"/><img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=765770"/><img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=765775"/>

What's the specks on the larger expanded metal omni ?
I need some for my 6"
By the way looks awesome !

 

[omnicron]

Thanks G! The big expanded is actually 4# expanded grating. I love the stuff but it's so heavy, I wanted to get some 2# aluminum expanded grating but at almost $600 a sheet...so I used what I already had. The "riffle" section is around 1/2 to 9/16" high with the long ways diamond (lwd) around 3.5" I used some last year and it catches the fine gold!

Thanks for the likes GG!

 

[Reed Lukens]

Still can't make out the riffle height... Take a closer pic of the riffles, should be at least ¾ to 1½" tall. looks nice I don't have much time this time of year cause I'm opening the claims so send me links if I miss a post after being gone for a week like this time