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Posted by: amorton Dec 27 2011, 09:10 PM

So here is the new winter project. would have gotten further but my welder ran out of argon / c02.
Any suggestions are welcome.

Posted by: swizz Dec 27 2011, 09:54 PM

Looking good, I sent you a PM.

Posted by: amorton Dec 29 2011, 01:58 AM

So I am thinking about how much water I will need to feed this thing. Also what size sluice to run. I was planning on setting it up to use an A52 box and have the trommel dump into it. They are 10" wide and 50" long. Does anyone know off hand how many gallons per hour it takes to run an A52? Will an A52 be large enough or should I go larger? I was figuring I would have the discharge on the trommel drop onto a punch plate above the rubber matting part of the sluice. Then anything larger than 1/8 inch will drop onto the riffles. The trommel is screening to just under 1/2 an inch. The gearing I think I will have will turn it at between 11 and 15 RPM.

If anyone has a spare A52 for sale or somthing similar in size I am interested.

Posted by: russau Dec 29 2011, 05:05 AM

why not make your own sluice to fit your needs?

Posted by: amorton Dec 29 2011, 06:57 AM

I can, but I don’t own a metal brake so the box it's self would need to be made by someone else then the riffle material and I am getting close to the cost of a commercial unit which should be easy enough to adapt for my use. Then I have an A52 as well right now my only sluice is a folding which is not ridged enough for this purpose.

Posted by: russau Dec 29 2011, 10:40 AM

just goto a metal fabrication shop and ask for a price to bend one up. they should have the alum. if you dont have a peice. youll save a bunch of $$$$$. the riffels or whatever you chose to use in the sluice,are also EZ to make. youve got a good start on your project!

Posted by: swizz Dec 29 2011, 10:52 AM

For sure.
Even up here we have a sheet metal shop that has all of this. Sometimes they'll have enough scrap laying around and do side projects and may or may not take beer as payment.
They can whip up a box in minutes.

Posted by: amorton Dec 29 2011, 09:48 PM

So I found some 1/4 inch punch plate stock cheap, and I think I am going to cut out the 1/2 expanded metal and weld this in. I really don’t need any 1/2 inch size rocks in my sluice so this seems like a better solution. I may have to turn it a bit slower but I think it will prevent the sluice from overloading with a bunch of 1/2" junk. Which this change I now run the risk of throwing out a few 1/4 size nuggets. So I have a few options. I can design a nugget trap to the feed hopper, I can attempt to catch them with a small lip before they hit the tailings shoot, or just keep a metal detector around and hope it will target a 1/4"+ nugget. The chances of finding them is slim but I sure would like to hold onto them if It does not require any extra effort. So ideas? I thought a steep coarse sluice maybe with 3/8-1/2 inch bar stock welded into the feed hopper to catch nuggets might be the easy way to make this work.

Punch plate stock, also should have a lot of scrap if anyone needs some odd bits for modifications.

Posted by: russau Dec 30 2011, 05:47 AM

nice find! my garage/shop is full of odds and ends of scrap metal. theyre real handy to have when im fabing up something!

Posted by: amorton Dec 31 2011, 12:14 AM

progress, getting the punch plate into shape and welded in was not as easy as it looked. This this is getting heavy.

Posted by: russau Dec 31 2011, 05:23 AM

heavy? yes,but itll last for a long time! and you can say that you built it!!

Posted by: Woody Dec 31 2011, 08:35 AM

Hey Amorton,

If there was anyway I could convince you to go a little larger on that screen tube I would try. My best suggestion would be to try to make two screen tubes. Mybe you are working an area that you figure 1/4 to be the best and it fits the bill there perfectly but my suggestion is the norm would be a little larger. How hard would it be to make the screen tube interchangeable? Woody.

Posted by: swizz Dec 31 2011, 10:28 AM

I agree with Woody.
1/2" screen size is more logical... I guess, unless you're beach mining in Nome or similar. Most sluice deigns can efficiently process 1/2" material and retain fines without a problem when set up properly.
Your trommel will operate more efficiently with a larger classification barrel screen from A - Z. Larger screen = faster processing = higher volume of material per manhour.
I personally need to process everything up to 1/2" or bye bye nugs and pickers.... ya never know. Colorado still has some nice Gold laying around. Certain sizes and shapes that I've recovered may not have made it through a 1/4" screen like that.
Or.... like Woody suggested, make different class barrels. You could experiment.

Posted by: amorton Jan 1 2012, 03:19 AM

So you guys have me thinking about the screen size, I think I will get it together like this, then maybe drill out the holes to 3/8" which would split the difference. I drilled out a few in a scrap piece and it does not take long I figure I could punch them all out in two hours. The stand in the picture is too tall, this is on purpose so I can build the hopper up off the ground a bit and figure out my discharge pipe and sluice height, then I will add the wheels and cut the finial height. The barrel rotates very smooth and tracks straight. If I have time I will start the hopper.

Posted by: amorton Jan 2 2012, 08:33 AM

So started on the hopper, I still need to make ends for it and finish weld it, then grind out the welds on the inside so the gold has a nice smooth ride to the sluice box. The hopper his hung from the frame by some angle iron. The angle iron will be bolted or pined in later so the option to remove the hopper in the field is there. Not sure what I will try and tackle next. I still don't know how I am going to setup the motor to spin it, I ordered some sprockets and a chain. The plan is to use a 12V windshield wiper motor. I need to design a feed hopper as well. Sorry if this is a bit scattered I am using the forum to organize my thoughts. I don't really know what I am doing, just letting it build it's self as I go.

Posted by: amorton Jan 3 2012, 09:31 PM

Does anyone have recommendations on pumps? I was thinking 2 12V 1200GPH bilge pumps should run it for a 12V only setup. Or a 2" gas driven pump will be more than enough. I have never purchased a gas driven pump before any recommendations? Any one use the Harbor freight pumps? Are they any good?

Posted by: russau Jan 4 2012, 07:01 AM

it all depends on what all you want todo with it! if all you want to do is wash material in the trommel then id say a small/cheap/used 2 inch trash pump would do fine. youll need a good size pump(high head pressure) if you are at any elevation from your water source. i dont think that particular 12vdc system will give you enough water or pressure that youll need.if you want the pump to be used as a source for a suction nozzel to feed your trommel then your going to need a good eng/pump combo that has hi pressure water ,enough to get the job done. when i first bought my pump i decided to get it now and itll be avaliable for whatever i need in the future. now i have three different pumps for different jobs.

Posted by: colo_heff Jan 4 2012, 03:34 PM

I've been watching this thread with interest... I've had a similar idea about using tubular classifying and you gave me a couple of ideas.. thanks... I'm thinking of a model that will be a bit more light weight to get it closer to a dig site... I did buy a Harbor Freight clean water pump for a recirculating sluice I built last year which worked great... if you want I could bring it over when you are ready for a test to see if that is the way you'd like to go... just let me know... Bill

Posted by: amorton Jan 4 2012, 07:03 PM

Thank you Bill, I will let you know as I get a bit closer to a test. You are not far in Franktown, I am up in Castle Rock in founders so maybe 10 min away. If you want to see this thing for your self let me know.

Posted by: colo_heff Jan 5 2012, 05:00 PM

Thanks for the invite... just send me a message when you get ready and I'll bring the pump and the pool hose I use and get your new toy dialed in...

Posted by: amorton Jan 5 2012, 08:59 PM

Got new parts in the mail today

Posted by: russau Jan 6 2012, 05:06 AM

looks like someone is getting ready to build a trommel!just my humbel guess!

Posted by: amorton Jan 15 2012, 07:28 PM

So finally got to do some work on the trommel. Got quite a bit done today. hopper is finish welded "still needs grinding and I have not figured out what to do for the discharge. I cut the legs to size and added wheels in the back and adjustable legs up front. The big accomplishment was getting the big sprocket cut out and mounted as well as the wiper motor and chain. Here is a Video of it running http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3qDiP7LJVw The video has the motor running on the low speed. It will run about twice as fast on the high speed. I guess next I need to start building the feed hopper and discharge chute. I also bought a water proof switch box and will have it mounted with a 20' cord and some clamps for the battery.

Posted by: AuRush69 Jan 15 2012, 07:39 PM

That Looks Heavy!!!!! hope it's not gone be moved too often :D

Looks great though.

Posted by: russau Jan 15 2012, 08:32 PM

i like the chain tensioner. i made one sorta similar for my belt for my compressor on my dredge. when i dont need ait, i just slip the belt off of it to reduce wear and tear on the compressor and the load off the engine.

Posted by: colo_heff Jan 20 2012, 01:34 PM

Hey amorton... anytime you are ready for a test run let me know and I'll bring my pump and some big tubs to give it a trial run... Bill

Posted by: amorton Jan 20 2012, 03:45 PM

I will let you know bill, I am studying for a work certificate I need to keep my job, then heading up to Alaska end of February for a week. So I can only work on the trommel hear and there but once it is in a configuration I am happy with I will let you know. It's hard to do my real work and not go run off and finish it but I will get it done by spring I am sure.

Posted by: swizz Jan 20 2012, 03:55 PM

You are doing an incredibly nice job with this!
I can't wait to see your finished machine.
NICE!

Posted by: amorton Jan 20 2012, 04:20 PM

I am not a full club member yet, I will probably join this spring. But I would be happy to borrow out this machine this summer for any club events. Give people a chance to use another type of equipment. I don't think anyone can hurt this thing once I am done it will be bullet proof.

Posted by: amorton Jan 24 2012, 07:37 PM

So had some free time today and thought I would work on the trommel a bit. Started the feed hopper I built it large so it will hopefully spread the material out and wash it a bit before it hits the tube. I built it so that it is removable, it will pin on with the same style pins I used for the front legs. This way the feed hopper, screen tube, catch hopper, frame, and discharge chute will all be easy to remove without tools so that if I need to hike it in a bit or pull it out of the truck by myself I the most I have to lift is 50-60lbs. I wanted to feed the tube with a round pipe connected to the feed hopper but building it rectangular is much easyer so I went with that. There will be spray bars on the three sides of the hopper to wash everything down. Any suggestions on size for the spray bars? I am torn between 1" or 3/4" I am almost positive that I will be using a 2" gas pump to feed it. The overall length right now with the hopper on is 58.5" so just shy of 5' once I add a discharge chute It should be around 5.5' to 6' long.

Posted by: russau Jan 25 2012, 07:32 AM

i like your thought proccess while laying out and building this trommel!

Posted by: amorton Jan 25 2012, 09:20 AM

Well thank you russ I have been taking more pictures than I need to with the thought that if any one here wants to do something like this themselves this should provide some ideas and a start to finish process. This is not the best way to build a trommel but I think it will work.

Posted by: swizz Jan 25 2012, 09:33 PM

I'm not an engineer by any stretch but I'm thinking that either of those sizes should give you adequate pressure. Spray pressure will also be reduced somewhat, depending on the number and size of holes you drill into the bars. You may want to experiment with each size using PVC which is relatively inexpensive. Either way, I think I'd have a valve to regulate the pressure prior to water entering the spray bars which will give you optimal pressure control. Another idea (which might be a pain) would be to install a small nozzle tip into each spraybar hole... like the nozzle tips that are sold for portable power-washers (used to clean driveways, etc). That might be overkill but food for thought.

Posted by: amorton Jan 25 2012, 09:58 PM

I will definitely run a valve on each spray bar. I figure I will run the 2" outlet from the pump to a 2" manifold with one valve for the hopper spray bars one for the tube spray bar and a third for a 10'-20' hose for clean out and for washing down the unit at the end of the day.

Posted by: colo_heff Jan 26 2012, 07:38 PM

Hey amorton... the water pump I have has a 1 1/2" outlet and I'm pretty certain it will put out all the pressure you need for your hopper... here's the spray bar I made for my recirculating sluice (1 1/2" pipe, 2 sections, 2 two foot long pipes with a series of 5/32" holes drilled down the length of each pipe) and I ran the pump just above idle because it was overwhelming my sluice any higher than that... since you live fairly close I'd be more than happy to meet up with you and work on what you need...

Posted by: amorton Jan 26 2012, 09:58 PM

Let me get a bit further along finish welded and water tight. I need to figure out how I want to hang the sluice then hook up the motor and switches. Build the discharge chute then I think I will be ready for the water system. I will let you know when I get there , and thank you for the help.

Posted by: russau Jan 27 2012, 06:40 AM

make sure when you hang your sluices that youve built in a way to level them out for even flow of water and material!

Posted by: amorton Jan 29 2012, 02:03 AM

I put together the spray bar distribution manifold today it is a 2" manifold with 1" lines going to the hopper and tube spayer. Also added the hose bib for clean up. The inlet is 2" threading stepped down to 3/4" hose for testing here at home.

Posted by: ColoradoProspector Jan 30 2012, 08:28 AM

I've been watching this project with great anticipation. She might not be light but boy oh boy will this thing last! Looks very well built and solid.
Everyone has been giving some great input too, good job folks. There's also a few old trommels you can see up at the Nederland mining museum if you want to look at some older and larger set ups for future ideas.
We'd all be honored to have your future participation in the club this spring and thank you for the invite to use your trommel for a club event, that would be a great piece to have folks try out I think.
We'll all be very much looking forward to test run updates and tweaks as you progress in these R & D stages, keep up the great work!

CP

Posted by: amorton Feb 2 2012, 09:13 PM

So started the sluice hanger, It is a little over 12" wide can rotate 360 so that the sluice can be pointed in any direction or out either side of the the trommel or in front. The bar is height adjustable and can be leveled from any direction as well. It should be able to accommodate a 12" sluice but I am planning on running a 10". I think this will let me fine tune the sluice for the conditions that It is operating. Also welded some bar stock to the adjuster nuts so I don't need a wrench to make adjustments. Next up is some finish welding and I need to build the dump chute. Oh the all-thread bars will fit around a bucket and if the bar is removed a bucket can be placed under the hopper and the unit can be run dry.

Posted by: amorton Feb 2 2012, 11:38 PM

Ok done for the night. built the chute and started it's attachment point. It is just pined on again no tools needed to take it down. Next will be the water system which I started the other day.

Posted by: amorton Feb 7 2012, 11:49 PM

So did some work this afternoon. Finished building the exit chute then started on the attachment points for the main spray bar and the hopper sprayers. The main bar is very easy to remove, I will weld on some bars to the hold down bolt so no tools are needed to remove the spray bars. The water distribution manifold is mounted to a steel bar which is wing nutted to the main frame so the water system comes off all in one piece. The last picture has a strap over the hopper bar, this is holding it down while the clear tubing sets in place a bit the tubing was cold and I had to heat it up to get it to bend. I will add some hose clamps later to make sure the barbs don't pull out. The sluice in the picture is just a small 8" folding sluice I used for the picture I am planning on having a 10"X5' sluice built for the trommel.

So it is close to being finished. I still need to hook up the switch box for the drive motor then drill the PVC pipe for sprayers, was thinking 1/8" holes. I also need to build a stand for the other end of the sluice box. Last I need to do a few finish welds and add a few braces here and there then paint.

Posted by: russau Feb 8 2012, 08:18 AM

a good coat of primer and paint and i can just see you now pulling gold from the sluice! nice job! now get out there and start using it instead of sitting here in front of our computors like im doing right now!:)

Posted by: h20prospector Feb 8 2012, 08:35 AM

Boy am I jealous at your abilities to fabricate and make stuff. I'm the type of guy that if he needs something, he buys it. I live down the road in Security. Let me know when you are ready for a maiden outing with it. I can bring my highbanker, and we can move some material! Gold bearing too.

Pat

Posted by: swizz Feb 8 2012, 09:10 AM

Looking great!

Posted by: Mrs.CP Feb 9 2012, 07:39 AM

It looks like it's coming along great!

Posted by: colo_heff Feb 9 2012, 09:38 AM

Wow... you've come quite a ways with that, congrats... one thing you might want to think about is to add a curved section horizontal across the bottom of your sluice feed, like a half of pipe, to give a more even flow of material and water across your sluice.... just a thought...

Posted by: kmontoya911 Feb 10 2012, 04:32 PM

How tall is that hopper? I ask because It looks tall, and it would kick my butt to have to raise a shovel full of dirt too high all day.

Posted by: amorton Feb 25 2012, 07:42 PM

Sorry for the recent lack of updates, I had a big certification for work that I had to study for and pass or possibly lose my job on the 1st of March. Passed my test the other day so I can get back to doing things for myself without feeling like I should be doing something else. As for the height little over waist height probably not too much higher than a high-banker. So did the finish welding and some clean up and painted everything. Went with almost a Cummins tan for most everything. The hardware is all fire engine red so if you drop it it wont disappear. the bars that level and hold the sluice box look black but are sprayed with a spray on rubber so they will have a bit of a tacky feel to them and not let the sluice slip in the wet. I built a basic stand to hold the tail end of the sluice it has three sharpened prongs so if you step on it you can get it dug into the dirt then the bar can be adjusted up and down to get the height right. I still need to Teflon tape a few of the water fittings then drill the spray bars. I am thinking 1/8" to start with and will go up from there if I cant get enough water to run the sluice. I am already reconsidering the drive motor. It seems inefficient to run to separate power sources so I think I will either build or find a hydraulic motor that I can tap off the pressure from the 2" pump and run it off water that way you wont have to lug out a big battery and it will be a bit more elegant solution for rotating the drum. This is still in the idea phase I want to see this thing run and make any changes first before I change out the drive motor might be a good mid season project. My goal for the summer is 1 ounce with this machine if I can do that I will consider it a success. I also still need to get a sluice built but that will have to be next month as I am heading up to Alaska for a week on Tuesday.

Posted by: amorton Feb 26 2012, 04:31 PM

well painting during the winter is a pain but it's dry enough to put it together so here is what the finished product looks like. I still need a longer wider sluice and a 2" water pump. I marked about where I want my holes for the sprayers so I will try and drill them tonight. I also weighed everything heaviest part is the tube itself weighing in at 47.6 lbs, the frame is 42.2 lbs, the bottom hopper is 25.3 lbs, the feed hopper is 19.1 lbs, the PVC tubing and mounting bracket is 11.0 lbs and last is the exit chute at 5.8 lbs. So grand total is 150.9 lbs plus battery plus pump and hoses. So its not light but its not as heavy as I thought it would be. I have not done and itemised list but I think I am into the trommel for $320.00 - $360.00 before the pump sluice and battery but none of the commercial units come with a battery or pump and the range anywhere from $1500.00 to $2500.00 depending on features and quality.

Posted by: amorton Feb 26 2012, 07:43 PM

Video I just uploaded

http://youtu.be/3Pib9L1tWsI


The height of the rear hopper is just over 36" and length of the whole unit is 6'

Posted by: russau Feb 27 2012, 06:51 AM

very nice and well thoughtout! id make 1 recommendation that on the red hardware(handels/clips) that you make a safty strap/wire to hook to your handels and such so you wont lose them even though they are painted red, they can be lost. beleive me, ive been there. i do this to all my equipment(2 dredge/highbanker) so that there isnt any possibility to lose them. i esspecially like your sluice adjustments and supporting legs!

Posted by: swizz Feb 27 2012, 08:59 AM

Great looking final product!!
(nice looking pup too!)

Posted by: amorton Mar 24 2012, 10:29 PM

Took her out to Clear creek today for it's first run, here are a few videos from today. I am really happy with it. I need a bigger sluice and I want to play with a few minor setting changes but other wise worked beautifully.


http://youtu.be/bpRkErOARqg


http://youtu.be/1ZoH-kTl0xM

Posted by: russau Mar 25 2012, 05:50 AM

you need to install a rubber damper at the headend of your sluice to flatten the water and help remove the bubbles/water flow. this will help in your fine gold recovery! but all in all i think you did a reral nice job. almost want to make one for myself! ALMOST! im to old to use them things called a "shovel"!

Posted by: amorton Apr 7 2012, 09:55 PM

Ok so finished the new sluice box the 8" folding unit was not adequate for the amount of material you can feed the trommel and was my choke point. I will be taking the trommel out to clear creek tomorrow and see how it runs with the new setup. The trommel is overbuilt, but I got the aluminum cheap so I went big. The box is 12" wide, 5" high and 6 feet long. With it set up on the trommel the first 12 inches or so are a landing for material from the catch hopper then I have around 12" of ribbed matting "will be replacing this with some deep V mat when it comes in." then I am running two sections of the new Gold Hog scrubber mat followed by Gold Hog's UR mat. The last 6" of the box has another section of ribbed rubber for inspection purpose. I cut some groves in and hung a rubber curtain for knocking down the bubbles which was a good suggestion from Russau. I also changed my leg design for the end of the sluice box. The box is actually two sections 4 feet long bolted and siliconed together 1/8" thick so it is very sturdy. I liked the old legs for the light weight box, but it was hard to adjust while running as you had to hold the weight of the box then try and tighten the lock screws any time you wanted to change it. does not sound bad but while playing with water flow and angle it became very annoying. So the new legs use the same system as the hanger using 1/2" all thread which I added some handles to so it is really easy to make minor or major adjustments while running. I also added a curved plate to the bottom of the feed hopper in order to prevent material from back feeding out the wrong side of the trommel when you over feed it. I found if I went too fast the material would work up under the hopper and spill out the back side. This really caused a bad problem because the material would spill out onto the chain and I threw the chain a few times due to the back feed issue. I think the curved plate under the hopper in the tube will fix this, "sorry no picture of that" I am planning on hitting up clear creek tomorrow for another test run. I will try and write a good review on the new Gold Hog mat as well as I am sure people are interested. If any one wants to stop by I will be on clear creek in the open area Grey Dodge 2500 with a matching topper.

Posted by: amorton Apr 7 2012, 10:01 PM

gold from the last outing from the clam on clear creek above tunnel 3, "yes received permission prior to running"
Not a lot ma be only 2.5-3 hours of running but it was a good shake down run.

Posted by: traddoerr Apr 7 2012, 11:26 PM

Fantastic job on the trommel! and it looks like it does a great job of holding the small stuff to (nice color). One of the most rewarding things about prospecting is when you can build your own stuff and it WORKS!

Posted by: russau Apr 8 2012, 06:58 AM

your sluice adjusting legs look real good! nice touch!

Posted by: swizz Apr 8 2012, 01:27 PM

Beautiful rig!!
Great looking fines it captured too, that's a good sign. I also picked up some of the Gold Hog matting but haven't had a chance to try it yet.
Keep us updated on your improvements.
I like the damper. My only change would be to make a more 'firm' damper out of 1/8" EPDM rubber, especially if you have strong flow volume. That's what most dredges use anyway.
Looks great, keep up the good work!!

Posted by: amorton Apr 8 2012, 08:18 PM

Swizz, where is a good place to get that rubber?, ran the trommel again today and the damper did almost nothing, the extra length on the box helped but the thicker rubber would be great. I will do a more complete review on the mat later, but it worked really well today. I got a bit more than I did last time, ran around the same amount of material. Bigger rocks this time so maybe less sand and gravel. Caught almost all really small fines no big stuff think it was all flood gold. I think the gold hog mat lets you run more material between cleanouts and it appears to be very forgiving of stopping and starting the weather, my pump was stalling out a lot at the start of the day, think it was running too rich. I did not see any gold in the inspection mat at the end of the sluice so I am confident I am capturing most to all the gold going through the box. I really want to take this thing up to a and area with some chunky gold it should really perform well. Oh so forgot my nice new sluice legs hence the super awesome bucket, worked well just took a wile to get it perfect.

Posted by: swizz Apr 11 2012, 06:44 PM

Hi amorton,

I just did a quick eBay search (search keywords: epdm 1/8). Kinda pricey but not terribly expensive, one example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHEET-OF-EPDM-12-X-3-1-8THICK-/380428311356?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58934b5b3c

If you have a local roofing company nearby, that's always a good bet. Up here we have TRC (The Roofing Company). They have a large shop and admin building in Granby.... friendly and helpful whenever I've gone in and asked for weird stuff. Sometimes they'll charge a few bucks and other times they'll just say "ahhh, it's just scrap anyway - take it".

Posted by: amorton Apr 11 2012, 07:29 PM

that's awesome Swizz, I will pick some up, price is not too bad and I can always sell off what I dont need. I have a bunch of 1/4" punch plate and will have some extra deep V mat that I can offer up cheap cut to size.

Posted by: swizz Apr 13 2012, 06:14 PM

you going out again this weekend?

Posted by: amorton Apr 13 2012, 06:28 PM

No I have to work Sat, Sun, Mon not sure when I will make it out again, but I will let you know, just bought that rubber on ebay

Posted by: amorton Apr 25 2012, 08:29 PM

I will be running the trommel up on clear creek tomorrow planning on being here

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=google&hl=en&ll=39.735595,-105.384255&spn=0.002059,0.005284&safe=off&hq=google&hnear=Castle+Rock,+Colorado&t=h&z=18

Posted by: amorton Apr 26 2012, 09:45 PM

So I think this will be the last post for this thread it has served it's purpose. I had fun building the trommel and sharing the build with everyone. The trommel it's self has generated a lot of interest every where it goes. With that said if any one is interested in some custom fabrication or a trommel of their own let me know I would be happy to put something together for you. Here is another video I shot today everything worked great I think the setup is dialed in no I just need to find a good area to run it. Clear creek is fun and somewhat close but I think I can do much better.

http://youtu.be/98KaGw2uRaM

Posted by: russau Apr 27 2012, 07:48 AM

i liked your vid of your op and i agree the rubber damper isnt doing its job! maybe your running the water to hard?? the damper is supposed to flatten the water and disperse the bubbels to help the fine gold drop out faster.your water was all over the place but ok for the bigger gold/not the finer stuff! but over all the rig looks really good! just needs a little fine tuning to get the fines aswell!also i thought i read that Clear Creek was currently closed to all mechinized equipment.

Posted by: amorton Apr 27 2012, 10:06 AM

The damper is working runs much better with it than without and it really has no problem with the fines in fact that's all I have been finding. But I still get lots of lead shot and a .22 bullet yesterday so I know it will catch the larger stuff too I don't think the bubbles are hurting me because of how well the trommel mixes everything before it ever gets to the sluice box. I have yet to find a bit of gold in the lower inspection area. I will try and put up a picture of yesterday's take. As for Clear Creek the rules on their web page still allow motorized equipment has a drip pan and fueling requirement but nothing about not having it there. There was a dredger there a few weeks ago as well. I can only abide by the rules they provide.

Posted by: amorton Apr 27 2012, 11:41 AM

The top bottle of the two was what I got yesterday, I got deep enough to get a few bits of larger gold. I think there is some mercury in the bottle as well, it sticks to everything in the bottle including the larger bits. I have a guy bringing a reloading scale to work tonight so I will try and weigh what I have. The bottom bottle is the combination of the first two outings with the trommel all really fine stuff from two areas on clear creek. One using a carpeted sluice box one running the new 12" gold hog mat sluice. I have to say I really like the gold hog mat it seems to capture everything! What I have in the bottles is just what I was able to pan in one pass. I dry the leftovers from panning and I will blue bowl everything at the end of the year. I am not great at panning so I fugue I have at least another 10-20% of super fine stuff that I missed panning.

Posted by: Caveman Apr 27 2012, 11:54 AM

I just got off the Gold Hog site - we should run the boxes at 1 3/4" to 2" per foot..... The mats really likes fast water, and high feed rates. You're right, I was feeding it way too slow. That stuff is really hungery!

Posted by: swizz Apr 27 2012, 03:29 PM

Good looking Golds there.
It definitely looks like you're into the quicksilver also unfortunately. I've only gotten into it once (not on my claim) and it was a pain to get it out of my equipment.
Did that EPDM work out for ya?

Posted by: amorton Apr 27 2012, 04:47 PM

It worked real well much better than the thin rubber I had on before. It almost creates a suction to the top of the water and lowers the ridges in the water by a good inch or so. When you pull the damper while running it feels like it is stuck to the surface just a bit. It covers the first few inches of my ribbed rubber so I only pull it to inspect that area. It does not apear to effect the gold trapped there when it is lifted. Got my new deep V rubber in today so I can finally silicone it down. I was working with a shallow V vinal mat taped in before which did not do a super job of holding the gold not bad just not great. So hitting mercury I guess that's a mixed blessing I suppose it means your in a decent spot as it's heavy and often attached to gold so a good sign there. When you say it was had to get out of your equipment how so? to get rid of it I assume just drying it in the sunlight should evaporate it but is there a better way? I did not notice it stuck to anything but the gold but did not really look either. My sluice mat is 100% rubber so I dont think that will be a problem.

Posted by: swizz Apr 27 2012, 06:46 PM

If you're running all-rubber, it shouldn't 'stick' around long. I was dealing with Keene carpet in a hand-sluice when I had my merc problem.

Posted by: amorton Apr 28 2012, 03:48 PM

So I pulled .7 grains out the other day moved quite a bit of material. My friends sluice box running by hand with classified buckets puled .4 grains. I know I moved much more than 50% more material and we were pulling from the same hole so I would expect to see more than .3 grains more than the smaller sluice. Clear creek is almost all fines so I must be loosing the fines. looking back on it I dont think I was running the sluice fast enough to get the riffles to exchange material and they may have been packed with too much black sand. I may need to turn up the water and increase the slope a bit. As for the bubbles I have not idea how to address this issue any ideas? Slow the water on its way to the sluice? add weight to the damper?

Thanks