Has anyone used a slick plate on their sluice?

[Mtnmn]

Am thinking about adding a slick plate to the top end of my sluice to give the flour gold a better chance of settling before it reaches the sluice itself. Has anyone tried one and if so did they feel it improved their results? Thanks in advance...

 

[deputydawg16]

I feel the slick plate is a must and does improve separation of sand and heavies before it gets to the ripples

 

[moondog2000]

There is a couple of posts on the goldprospectors.org forum about slick plates and how to make them and how they have been working.I am thinking of building one for my Keene small sluice. The reason I bought it was to carry it long distances and be able to put lots of material through it . As it is now I can only put small amounts in at a time. I'm hoping a slick plate will process more material. Here in So Cal they sell a Cal sluice that has a punch plate on it. Its what inspired all these other prospectors to build their own.

 

[Mtnmn]

Ended up making two slick plates, both out of materials already on hand. One from a small sheet of galvanized steel which the local plumbing shop was kind enough to cut and bend to my specifications free of charge. The other slick plate I made by hand from an old shiny cookie sheet of all things. Both turned out quite well, then drilled them out so as to fasten on to the sluice where the flair originally went. The other end of the slick plates I drilled out so the flare will fit on them, if needed. Now have a modified 24" backpacker's sluice that goes to 30" with the flare, 45" using the slick plate with no flare and a full length 51" river sluice with the flare. Made two slick plates because of wanting to experiment with various kinds of surfaces to try and catch some of the flour gold before it reaches the sluice itself. Am thinking of first trying something such as a thin coat of spray on bed liner and then roughening it up cross ways with some course sandpaper and see how that works. Have many other ideas to try, now to find the flour gold...

 

[Buck]

A must have!

 

[alaskaseeker]

Slick Plates are good will give you a chance to puddle muck, but if you want to recover fine gold you need to incorporate an undercurrent either under your punchplate or somewhere during the length of your sluice..Keene used to sell these for dredge sluices not sure if they still do but they are easy to construct.......Geo