Greenhorn Prospecting Equipment questions

[grumpy]

We recently took up the chore of learning about prospecting. We have metal detected for years and planed to do this when we retired and now is the time.
We bought a couple of pieces of equipment we need help with. First we have a small recirculating hi banker; The tub type you see in all the mags and shows. The machine sits at any angle and has many adjustmenst for angle and such; My question on this is the lower section is there a rule of thum for the drop per foot of the lower sluice part? I know to much is not good but to little would be problematic too. So how do you figure your angle of the dangle on it to make sure it is working properly? and the top section should angle off that at what degree?? or is that critical??
Next question when you have your concentrates from the hibanker what machine would be best to go to to continue the process, a spiral wheel, or a black board type machine ??? or should you go to a spiral then a board type for flour?? This is confusing with alll the machines and things for sale that are supposeed to do the greatest and we know you have to have the aprox right machine and know roughly how to use it properly??
Any Help appreciated
Thanks
Grumpy

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

The typical formula for a sluice is 1" drop per foot. Now on high bankers, that formula can vary slightly. It depends on a lot of different things. 1). Does the high banker have a grizzly with a spray bar. The bars or punch plates on these grizzlies can also vary in size of gravel classification (3/16" on up to 1/4" or 5/8"). The size of material that is ran through a grizzly or sluice box can make a dramatic difference in whether the box (top or bottom) should be raised or lowered more than the 1" per foot equation. 2). The amount of water flow - fast, med, or slower can effect the performance of a sluice as well. Without knowing a few of the above issues, it is hard for me to give you a precise measurement. To my knowledge, there is no formulated angle or degree in which a high banker should rest. My advice is to run some gravels - classified to the diameter of choice through the high banker with the 1" per foot formula. While running your water, see if those larger rocks of your classification are being lodged (piling up before or after the riffles), or if they are being washed out rapidly - leaving very little sands in the carpet/moss. Adjust the water flow accordingly. If there is still a pile up with a high volume of water, then drop the sluice box down another 1-2". A properly rested high banker that is set up in the field will have enough water flow to push the larger rocks over the ripples and still have black sands, hematite, magnetite, and other heavies behind the ripples and in the carpet/moss. Though trial & error is the best teacher, getting to know your high banker and its performance will speed up the process. Test sample your high banker with some fine gold and gravels (doesn't have to be much). After running this material, gather it's tailing pile and pan to see if the sluice lost any of the gold. If it has, adjust the flow of water or raise the box higher. Again, large rocks need more water flow and possibly a lower box drop. It's best to find the right size of gravels that works for your high banker and not stray from that.
As for working your concentrates, that all depends on what you are comfortable with, its costs, and the type of gold you are working. If you are not comfortable with panning, a spiral gold wheel is a bit pricey but it does the work for you. A cheaper method for fine mesh gold recovery is the blue bowl. Smaller concentration sluices with garden hose hook up or 12v battery assisted bilge pumps cost between $25-$75 and can work equally as well. If you are by chance working flood gold or smaller, I suggest using a little liquid soap in your processing water to break the tension. Smaller gold can float and this soap (just a few drops) will prevent this. I hope you find this info. helpful. Cheers - Randy

 

[grumpy]

Randy; This helps lots and I will try and explain a little deeper what I have and how I have tried to use it so far; The recirculating high banker ; Is (maybe not the great purchase) in a tub and the lower section is 2 ft with 3.5 in drop pr foot ; the top is 19 inch long and has a total of 4.5 inc drop in it. This is where the thing seems to work best with a test using some 7.5 and 4 shot from shotshell. The bad point is the pump is not variable speed or flow it has no adj . The way i understand y ou you should be able to adj the drop and flow to get best results?? The sluice on the bottom has a expanded metal on the carpet on the last 8 inches the top part only has bars and carpet no metal . The top has about a 7inch squre of griz probally taking 1/4 inch rocks which is where I classify to. I poured in some shot in the dirt and tried to get the best results holding the shot in the uper part but have not tried any gold . ?

The black thing I have is a board about 3ft by 6 inches with a black slick mat on it that takes black sand from the gold? or should but it seems to me after buying it it is mainly only for super fine or flour??? I dont own a bowl or wheel but am leaning to a desert fox?? for processing the fines. ??
As you can tell i have about the same knowledge on this as my corgi maybe less he knows to take a nap during this fieasco??
Thanks again for all the info
Any and all appreciated
Grumpy

 

[moondog2000]

I can help a little on your water flow problem as I have a couple of fine gold recovery systems. what you want to do is get a y in line on your supply hose so you can bleed some of the water back into your tub. my set up has a garden hose hook up. I attach a y with shut off levers there. I hook my water supply to the y. If it has too much pressure I open the lever on the y that has a hose going back to my tub. If its still too much you can close the lever on the y feeding your sluice. you might ask why don't I just put an in line valve in my supply hose. the problem with that is it would increase the head pressure on the pump raising the amperage which will shorten the life of your pump and lessen the run time on your battery. valve a high volume way down and it will fail real quick. Mike

 

[grumpy]

Mike;
Im not sure if I have to much pressure on the hibanker I think it may be to little with the small recirulating pump in its tub.?? DOnt know how to tell the right water volume or pressure. The little black board for fines I think i may have to much water but it does have a valve built in to reduce it to the right amount. Maybe I should listen to the wife: she says you gt gold in the jewelry store not in the dirt Bless her heart she goes right along and works just the same
Thanks for the help
Grumpy

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Ok, sounds like you have a small pump problem. If I may ask, what size is your pump (gph gallons per hour)? I have a 1200gph and found it to be too little for the job I need. So, I purchased a larger 4000 Johnson and now use the 1200 (with a garden hose and "y" connection - like Mike said earlier) for working the concentrates. This is a rare occasion that I bring home my concentrates as I have a tendency to camp out by the river. The 4000 gph pump that I use may be too excessive for what you need. If your water pressure is running on the slow-side, I'd recommend something larger. You can always divert the excess water pressure by using the suggested "y" connection or in my case, I utilize a "T" connection with a threaded cap on what I call my bleeder valve. While running the larger 4000 pump, I do loosen the threaded cap to release some of the water pressure. Though my home made grizzled long tom is similar to that of a high banker, it is possible to modify the commercial products to accept the latter example. To show you what I mean. I have included some photos.
I believe the black board you have is the type used for working flood gold or beach sands. The pump you have now seems to produce the appropriate water flow. These boards are excellent for catching all fine gold. A common mistake made by most is "over feeding" the sluice box or the concentration boards. Quickly dumping a large cup of concentrates (as apposed to a table spoon at a time) to a spiral wheel, blue bowl, or a black board, can result in the loss of gold. Same can be said when "feeding" a grizzly or sluice box. Your equipment is only as good as you allow it to be. Here is what I practice: *Because placer gold isn't just any where and extracting it from a stream can involve some intense labor, protect what you have slaved so hard for by patiently working those concentrates. In the end, it will pay you huge dividends.

P.S. I am new to this website and not realizing that there was a Prospecting forum, have posted other gold related photos/editorials in the Bounty Hunter section. I will use this Yank-Aussie forum to do all my gold prospecting posts from now on. If you are interested in seeing these other posts, they are under the titles: Idaho Ice Fishing - 4 Gold & Processing Incased Black Sand Gold.

 

[moondog2000]

Thats a nice looking highbanker you've made there.getting gold with equipt we've made makes it even sweeter. how long will your 4000 johnson run off a fully charged battery ? Thanks Mike

 

[grumpy]

Randy the pump is a T 1200 pump. The pic you sent are a nice piece of equipment the thing dwarfs my recirculating highbanker. it is only 24 inches long on the bottom and 19 on the top with a width of 6 inches. I am beginning to wonder if I dont have pretty much a toy.
The reason we bring dirt home is the distance to the wash and the lack of water or feasible way to get it there.
The summer we go to colorado we will change to a regular highbanker or dredge .
I was told to run some shot in the highbanker and i ran with dirt some 4 and 7.5 shot and it caught most of the shot best i could tell when i had it set at the above posted measurements but not all of it. I wonder if i dont have to steep an angle and not enough water .?
Thanks
Grumpy
PS what do you prefer the spiral, black board, or blue bowl for fines??

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Hi Mike. When asking how long this pump will run on a battery, I have to explain how I use my grizzled long tom (aka: GLT) and the choice of batteries. I use (3) 12v Marine watercraft batteries. It's always nice to have several for back up just in case you find the "mother lode" lol. Obviously, these batteries hold a longer charge than your regular car battery. Which in my opinion, puts more gold in the vial. Even though I have 3 of this high performance batteries, I am still conscientious of their battery life. With that said, I vary the pump's use with each prospect. Here's what I mean by this: Some prospecting areas may be too deep for the GLT and require me to transport my gravels by use of a Keene 1/4" or 1/2" mesh classifier, a 5 gallon pail, and a shovel. Once at the long tom, I can turn on the pump for length of time it takes to process the bucket. I have done several weeks worth of this work at a time and by doing so, have only needed a single charge on a battery. If I run the pump continuously while shoveling into the GLT, the battery will last approximately 6-7 hrs. before charging once again. One note: Not only does it take a good marine battery to run a longer period of time but using a pump with a lower amp draw is as equally important. The right equipment = longer hours in the field = producing more gold.

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Thank you both for your comments on my home made sluice. Grumpy, I understand now the need for bringing your dirt home. There is nothing wrong with that at all. In fact, most folks do and if I weren't so far into the back country, I too would prefer working my concentrates in a more comfortable setting. The high banker you have described is what the mining business calls a "mini" high banker. It's function is similar to that of a large one but viewed as a smaller scale model. While it will work the slightly larger concentrated materials, it not designed for the higher end stream bank or river production. Because this unit is only 6 inches wide, a small 1200gph pump may be sufficient. It definitely requires a greater drop in sluice than a larger pump. If that greater drop suits you ok, then by all means use it. I personally would step it up with a 1500-1600gph pump using a "Y" or "T" connection for water flow adjustment. This would lessen the sluice box grade for better gold recovery. I do wish to point out that your higher grizzly sluice is suppose to have a steeper grade. Just enough depth & water to wash off any clays, black sands, or smaller sediments than the grizzly bars, yet sustaining the larger for a brief observation for possible gold. It is the lower sluice box (the one with the expanded metal mesh and carpet/miners moss) that will need a much lesser drop. If your shot is caught within the first 6-8 inches of your bottom sluice, then you have the correct drop. Don't give up on this high banker Grumpy, each to his own and this one may work perfectly for what gravels you wish to process. Even if you decide to trade it in for a larger scaled model, the experience you get in the mean while, will benefit you greatly.
Your question as to which I prefer, The Desert Fox spiral - hands down. It simplifies the process of gold recovery in the same way a shaker table does. A must needed device when working dredge concentrates. Again however, it isn't for everyone and it is costly. If by chance you do not run a lot of black sand material per outing, then I recommend a less expensive unit. Remember, the type of gold you have in your area will also dictate the type of equipment you use to recover it. Flood, dust, micro, or beach gold (any gold smaller than 40-50 mesh) are better ran on a black board or shaker table. The larger gold can be retrieved a bit more easily.

 

[moondog2000]

I have a Keene 12v drywasher and my equip has a 500 gph and a 1200 gph pump. I own 2 marine batts but at work I got ahold of a 12v battery out of a telephone ups cabnet. only info on it pertains to the equip. feels twice as heavy as marine .maint free , I suspect maybe some kind of gel. dry washed on it for about almost 3 days and never wore it down. I was just curious about 4000 pump run time , I guess I could have asked you about how many amps its rated at and figured it out. I have been thinking about making a recirculating high banker out of my 4' sluice and not have to run a gasoline pump. mike

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

The 4000 Johnson pump I use is rated 16 amps. This unit is going on its 3rd year of use. I just checked on the price of these and it seems to be up an addition $40+ higher than last purchased. Any higher and I may go back to the gas pump.

 

[moondog2000]

16 amps is a healthy draw on a battery but judging by your pics your getting some good water flow.If the laws in CA stay screwed up this may be the way to go. Mike

 

[jamesinwesttexas]

Mind if I ask a dumb question? If you are sluicing beach gold would you classify it and what size or would you just run it across a blackboard? Thank you.
James

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Good question James. Your typical beach gold material is made up of nothing but sands and requires little or no classification. However, the blackboard (or as some call it, slate) is designed to catch the real fine gold and must be classified to a minimum of 40 mesh. If your beach shows signs of stone, then I would suggest classifying twice - once with a 1/8"-1/4" mesh then to the 40 mesh. A smaller sluice box or mini highbanker could be used in substitution to the larger mesh classification. Either way you choose, the blackboard will need classification down to that 40 mesh size. This method also applies to glacial gold. There is an occasional larger piece of gold that can be found in beach or glacial, so be sure to search your classifiers for larger before discarding.

 

[jamesinwesttexas]

Thanks, Idaho, I've been wondering about that for a long time.
James

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

Glad I could help. If you, Grumpy, or anyone else have questions - just shoot me a reply here or on one of my posts. Always willing to provide any answers if I can. Randy

 

[moondog2000]

Here's my dumb question. how do you know what beaches have gold. I thought Nome AK was the only beach with gold on it and maybe one in Oregon. I heard some one say all the beaches in CA have gold , its just very hard and expensive to process. Is it fine gold on the surface or is the gold deep in the sand. Mike

 

[IdahoGoldGettR]

As the saying goes Mike, Don't always believe everything you hear.I am quite sure that this individual meant well but one never knows. The only way to know if a beach holds any fine gold is to do the foot work yourself. I have found my best results came when I worked them during the off season (colder months), especially after some good storms. I attribute this to less activity stirring up the sands on the beaches. The storms obviously produce higher wave production which in turn washes heavier sands/mineral to the shoreline. I prefer to prospect beaches that retain driftwood, patchy grasses, or larger rocks/boulders. Your fine gold will collect in and around these objects and in most cases, will be pocketed in a layer. This layer (lens - as it is referred to), may be 2-6" in depth. However, evidence of some black sands or discolored layer signs may show on the subsurface. My advice is don't just look for black sands on the surface (unless of course it is abundant everywhere). Sample, sample, and sample some more around those items mentioned above. At a depth of 2-6 inches, these samplings can be done quite quickly but seeing a darker layer within this sampling will confirm your suspicions that it is a gold bearing layer. After some practice, you will soon learn to recognize these paydirt layers and add to your daily production. After your panning shows color, remember to use the blackboard/slate to process for a high gold recovery rate. Good luck with them beaches - Randy

 

[moondog2000]

Thanks, I think if you find 2 specks of gold on a beach you can then say that beach has gold. It was tom Massey that made the statement all beaches have gold, Its just very hard to recover. the Oregon beach where tom got his gold had a stream flowing out of the forest and across the beach where it deposited the gold. makes sense. I have forum posts of people panning gold out of a stream in Oceanside that flows into the ocean so there might be some gold in the sand there. I camp at San onofre Sb and that's where I want to sample because I see colored quartz in the rocks on the beach. I think I'll make a little slate board like you described to sample the areas that look prime to me. Instead of just hanging out I can do a little sluicing .I get good gold dry washing in the deserts but our creeks down here don't give up much sluicing and panning.I am going to try what some guys are doing now, they cover there sluice with a punch plate and that way they can process a lot more material, you just shovel on top of the plate with out having to classify your material, more time to move more material, plus a little different water flow over the riffles.this weekend my wife and I are going to quartz site for a week dry washing and detecting, still hoping to find my first nugget. If I was to build a slate board would the special paint they sell work or do you need a factory made board?