Gold Cube Options

[ScottKS]

After seeing all 3 video's of this...i really think this could be the next thing in prospecting...i really think this could work better then a sluice because instead of a straight sluice this one breaks it up into 3 trays and takes a staircase effect going down giveing the gold and black sands a good time to slow down and get caught...hummm

Year of the Gold Cube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUmw0nV2Woo&feature=share
Gold Cube Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUlNNIxKjaQ
Gold Cube 8 buckets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9xRn45gZIg&feature=share

Urban Prospecting in Denver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CY0vyB6QEI&feature=share
Hey Jeff (Mt. Dew) how far do you think this spot is from the spot we prospected?? think that spot was more in the center of Denver...this spot would be closer to where you lived in Aurora right?? (east side)

[ScottKS]

After looking at the topo...Commerce City is just right east of where we were just right off Federal...hec that sidewalk looks kinda farmiler but i really think he maybe farther down stream. This makes me wonder if people still prospect in this area??

[MtDew]

After looking at the topo...Commerce City is just right east of where we were just right off Federal...hec that sidewalk looks kinda farmiler but i really think he maybe farther down stream. This makes me wonder if people still prospect in this area??

Hey Scott......... sure does, just east of where we were. Clear Creek has treated me great over theyears except that last trip down there lol. Got many ounce from her over the decades I dredged and sluice her. Kind of miss it now, I just can't load up my truck and drive for 20 minutes and be prospecting anymore ;( And seems like the government ( Adams county ) is trying to cut off all the access points to the creek.............

[ScottKS]

Yuppers those were the days (even tho i was only there once)...We all better enjoy prospecting while we still can because you never know what could happen!!!

[russau]

while looking at the gold cube(and i think its a neat peice of equipment) try looking at the gold lab also! together i think theyed be hard to beat on cleanup equipment.

[Gold-N-Sand]

After looking at the topo...Commerce City is just right east of where we were just right off Federal...hec that sidewalk looks kinda farmiler but i really think he maybe farther down stream. This makes me wonder if people still prospect in this area??

The Gold Cube is set up just down stream from the Broadway bridge. I took the Okies down there last summer and had a blast.

[russau]

the gold and sand device you put out is another device id like to eventually aquire!

[Miles H]

I have been looking all over for the vortex matting can any body pinpoint me in the right direction? I know this stuff is better then miners moss for catching the fines

[russau]

theres several people over on www.goldprospectors.com in the forums that have some for sale!

[swizz]

I know this stuff is better then miners moss for catching the fines (referring to "vortex matting")

Then you know more than I do, haven't had a chance to test "vortex matting". I have no experience with the "Gold Cube" and am assuming that you are referring to "vortex matting" as sold by various individuals on eBay.
If that's the case... here's my take:
Hard to beat Miner's Moss with an underbed of Deep-V in a properly running field system (dredge, highbanker, or whatever). Maybe "vortex matting" for a cleanup system?
"Vortex matting" as advertised on eBay is nothing more than industrial conveyor belt material (and there are different grades).
At first glance, it looks to me like the "vortex matting" material (as sellers are renaming it on eBay) may work to some degree when processing very fine concentrate BUT it seems rather obvious that the "tiny vortex" features in the conveyor belt carpet is not going to trap or hold much material.... especially when compared to something like Miner's Moss. Even the most seasoned miner would overload that carpet in about two feeds and subsequently experience efficiency frustrations or recovery loss in a typical sluicing operation.
As I said... this is at first glance and I have not had the opportunity to legitimately test it for my mining purposes. I can almost guarantee you that these "tiny vortex" features in that conveyor belt would rapidly overload and become inefficient in most of my field operations.
Perhaps it is useful for a cleanup device which is designed purely for classified concentrates smaller than #50 mesh... even then, black sands and other heavies would quickly fill the tiny vortex(s) and reduce their effectiveness.
Miner's Moss is pretty much the "gold standard" of the industry and often used in conjunction with other collection mats in various configurations. When used properly, I think it's pretty hard to beat in terms of the collection and retention of heavies, especially for larger classifications.
The "vortex matting" may work well and have its applications, but the jury's still out for me personally. God bless entrepreneurs and all, hell this economy could use more at this time... but it's pretty tough to reinvent the wheel.
If you know more than I do... please share. I've only read the brief hype on a few of the other prospecting forums which seems to have died down quite a bit. Maybe there's a "magic carpet" out there somewhere that will help all of us small-scalers ride off into the sunset, but frankly this doesn't look like it to me.

[Miles H]

I agree with you about it not being the best thing for a primary sluice but if you are getting a lot of black sand I dont agree with pulling it out with a magnet without disrupting the sluice to much so I feel cleaning out the sluice often you have nothing to worry about and then running your heavies through a second sluice with the vortex matting will allow you to get that black sand to release the gold for the most part making it very easy with my gold wheel knowing that I did my best to catch every piece of dust. To me the whole flat bottom sluices for catching your concentrates work good but you feed them very very slow and also these guys selling these things for 200 is just retarded to me when all it has is a slick rubber matting laid in it so I would like to make some simple sluice boxes with the vortex mat for fine recovery of your thicker concentrates and you can run it faster and maybe run the same cons through a couple times getting more of that black sand to fall out and you can use very little water and know that the carpet is doing the job. I have been seeing a lot of talk about the metal grate in your keene sluice can make it hard for super fine recovery. A lot of guys are taking it out and getting better results which I found interesting. Its making these plastic sluices for fine recovery look pretty good. Well I will shut up now I if people disagree with me I love destructive criticism. I am always trying to learn more and I feel like there is never enough information found in the prospecting world

[swizz]

There are many ways to skin a cat.
When determining any equipment's effectiveness, several key factors immediately come into play. These factors are generally related to: type of mining (extraction), field conditions, recovery processes, and other.
I don't know of any two miners who extract and process material or concentrates the exact same way. I believe that the factors I listed are key in determining which items will work best for your particular application. If (example) "vortex matting" or other conveyor belt material/carpet proves to test and work well within your process it may be a worthwhile investment. There's only one true way to find out!
test test and test