Gold Sluice

[bentley]

Has anyone on here have or built a homemade gold sluice , whats it made of , how well does it work . Myself & a few buddies are near retirement and kicking around the idea of prospecting with a small box instead of a just a pan . Store bought ones are pricey and seem to be built to use in creeks , we are looking at cost ( I'm a cheap Bast..d ) and ideas .

[norwestalta]

Check out YouTube. Lots of ideas there.

[husky hunter]

Originally Posted by bentley

Has anyone on here have or built a homemade gold sluice , whats it made of , how well does it work . Myself & a few buddies are near retirement and kicking around the idea of prospecting with a small box instead of a just a pan . Store bought ones are pricey and seem to be built to use in creeks , we are looking at cost ( I'm a cheap Bast..d ) and ideas .

I have done quite a bit of sluicing around here and the gold is so light and fine it is hard to keep it in the mat. Can still be a lot of fun but hard to supplement you retirement lol. Have fun!

[bentley]

Yes there are , too many ideas on you tube . Wonder about local information from guys on what works the best .

[norwestalta]

Seen one on YouTube a guy made from a plastic pipe that you'd use around the house that connects to your down eavestroph down spout.

[bentley]

Originally Posted by husky hunter

I have done quite a bit of sluicing around here and the gold is so light and fine it is hard to keep it in the mat. Can still be a lot of fun but hard to supplement you retirement lol. Have fun!

Thanks , my wifes job might have to be the supplement , but don't let her know . haha . How can you capture the fine gold , longer box and more mat ?

[Kim473]

Originally Posted by norwestalta

Check out YouTube. Lots of ideas there.

X2

Search for Gov regs also. Need a licence to sluice I believe.

Probably easier and faster to post a wanted add for, "buy your gold" ! on kijiji. Than looking for a big find in Alberta. Spend a whole summer just to get 1 - 2 oz if your lucky.

[Mugs29]

Originally Posted by Kim473

X2

Search for Gov regs also. Need a licence to sluice I believe

Make sure you read the regs, you can not discharge a sluice into a body of water.

[Fishfri]

Yes you need license to sluice. ($50/year) i think
Hand pan no

[TimeOff]

You will need a permit for doing anything more than panning. Info here; http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca/minerals/704.asp

Aluminum high banker can be built cheaply. Just need access to a sheet metal break to make bends. I would recommend Miners Moss under 3/8" expanded metal for Alberta gold.
It's a hobby, not a living that's for sure!

[Grizzly Adams]

Built a rocker box once. Unfortunately never got to try it out. Easy enough to construct.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmlVFWk5UdE

Grizz

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by bentley

Thanks , my wifes job might have to be the supplement , but don't let her know . haha . How can you capture the fine gold , longer box and more mat ?

Make sure the grade/angle of your sluice box and mats don't have a grade of more than 3 inches over a foot of length. More than 3 inches and you will loose fine gold. Clean your mats a few times a day.

Permits is 50$ for 5 years. Several restrictions on where you can sluice too.

[bullgetter]

I've seen a few different ones. Guy last year made one out of plywood with moss and expanded metal and it worked just fine. I was looking into building one last year. By the time I would scavenged everything and had the work done that I do not have tools for I wouldn't have saved much and spent a lot of time. I bought one from River Gold Supplies in Sherwood Park, got my licence and sliced the rest of the season. Check out kijiji, there are usually a few on there. Remember you are going to have to invest in a pump and hoses too.

[cgs01]

Contact David at albertagold@shaw.ca. He has built his own boxes for 25 years, both manual and powered-pump systems. You only need the placer's license if you are using a powered pump system. He's in the Edmonton area, so if you are here this summer, just contact him to find out where he is sluicing to see what he is using. He has lots of information on panning/sluicing in the Edmonton area.

cgs

[Big Red 250]

Check out www.gpex.ca it is a Canadian prospecting site. Lots of Ab & BC members there. Also how to build prospecting equipment.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

You can buy gravity fed sluices that if set up properly use the current to catch the gold. I would also recommend a TURBO pan. I use one and it works way better than your average stock pan. I light sand on the inside to rough it up a bit and she's ready to go ! A tad bit more pricey but worth it and they sell them in Canada if you do a search.

[bentley]

Thanks all for the input , I will probbaly get my permit/ licence then have a few more options . Sluice angle advise is very helpful too , the you tube video's I watched didn't cover that very much . Going to give it a try as a new past time .

[Jack Hardin]

Are there restrictions on where you can pan, such as creeks and rivers that you cannot pan?

[TimeOff]

Originally Posted by Jack Hardin

Are there restrictions on where you can pan, such as creeks and rivers that you cannot pan?

Not many, Some Provincial parks. Forbidden in Federal Parks.

[denied access]

I have used hand built ones as well as keens. I think a small keene is worth the money and they don't lose a lot of value if you want to resell it. I picked up a LeTrap with a nice stand and grizzly last year but have not used it yet. It can be set up as a suction high banker but up here if you got caught with suction in a stream bed I think it would not be good. Not sure about regs down there. Anyone use a Letrap? They are supposed to be pretty good for fine gold but it would be nice to put moss in it somehow.

[ctd]

When one goes to the water shed maps and they say restricted from April to September. What does that mean. No gold panning and or sluicing during that time?
Does anyone know?

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by Jack Hardin

Are there restrictions on where you can pan, such as creeks and rivers that you cannot pan?

Yes, there are restrictions on sluicing on different classifications of streams and rivers. Any stream that is less than a certain width (20 meters) or flow has mining restrictions.

[Donkey Oatey]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Yes, there are restrictions on sluicing on different classifications of streams and rivers. Any stream that is less than a certain width (20 meters) or flow has mining restrictions.

There are rules.

http://www.energy.alberta.ca/minerals/1063.asp

[TimeOff]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Yes, there are restrictions on sluicing on different classifications of streams and rivers. Any stream that is less than a certain width (20 meters) or flow has mining restrictions.

Panning not sluicing, You are good to go.

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by ctd

When one goes to the water shed maps and they say restricted from April to September. What does that mean. No gold panning and or sluicing during that time?
Does anyone know?

Read section 35 and 36 of this. It might give you a better idea.

http://www.qp.alberta.ca/1266.cfm?pa...=9780779731176

[TimeOff]

The meat and potatoes of a Rec Placer Licence;
Section 29 AR 145/2005
METALLIC AND INDUSTRIAL MINERALS
TENURE REGULATION
18
(a) “Class A water body”, “Class B water body”, “Class C
water body” and “Class D water body” mean a water body
class established and defined under the Code of Practice
for Pipelines and Telecommunication Lines Crossing a
Water Body adopted by the Water (Ministerial)
Regulation (AR 205/98);
(b) “unclassified water body” means a water body for which
no class has been specified under the Code of Practice for
Pipelines and Telecommunication Lines Crossing a Water
Body adopted by the Water (Ministerial) Regulation
(AR 205/98);
(c) “water body” means water body as defined in the Code of
Practice for Pipelines and Telecommunication Lines
Crossing a Water Body adopted by the Water
(Ministerial) Regulation (AR 205/98).
Restriction on placer mining
29 No person shall conduct placer mining unless the person holds
a lease, a licence or a secondary mineral lease.
Application for licence
30(1) An individual may apply to the Minister for a licence.
(2) The Minister may grant a licence to an applicant if the Minister
receives from the applicant
(a) an application in a form that is satisfactory to the Minister,
and
(b) the application fee prescribed in the Schedule to the Mines
and Minerals Administration Regulation (AR 262/97).
Rights conveyed by licence
31 Subject to sections 33 to 36, a licence grants in accordance
with the terms and conditions of the licence the right to win, work
and recover metallic and industrial minerals in and through placer
mining.
Terms of licence
32 The term of a licence is 5 years from the term commencement

Prohibitions re placer mining
33 No person shall, in the conduct of placer mining under a
licence,
(a) permit water to flow through the pump to the sluicebox or
other equipment at a rate greater than 11 litres per second,
(b) use a mesh of greater than 2.54 millimetres on the
screening of the water intake to the sluicebox or other
equipment,
(c) use a suction dredge, front end loader or other mechanical
method to move clay, marl, sand, gravel or topsoil into the
sluicebox or other equipment,
(d) occupy a site or location for a period of more than 14
consecutive days,
(e) use mercury in or within 100 metres of a river, stream or
watercourse or other body of water, or
(f) discharge water into a river, stream or watercourse if the
suspended sediment content of the discharge water
exceeds the suspended sediment content of the water in
the river, stream or watercourse.
Prohibited location
34(1) No licensee shall conduct placer mining within the location
of a lease without the consent of the lessee or of a person
authorized by the lessee to give that consent.
(2) No licensee shall conduct placer mining where operations for
the recovery or processing of a surface material are being
conducted pursuant to a surface material licence or a surface
material lease without the consent of the licensee or lessee or of a
person authorized by the licensee or lessee to give that consent.

[cschache]

Originally Posted by husky hunter

I have done quite a bit of sluicing around here and the gold is so light and fine it is hard to keep it in the mat. Can still be a lot of fun but hard to supplement you retirement lol. Have fun!

I have found the same thing as mentioned above, I bought a power sluice to fit on my quad and argo but have not found enough to pay for the gas for the power sluice, haha, I obviously do it just for the fun

[Red Bullets]

There is some coarser flakes if you look in the right places.
If you are on the NSR don't just stay on the lower part of the valley. Some of the upper benches can hold gold too, if they intersect ancient river or stream channels. Back around 1900 there was a man mining a bench half way down from the top of the the valley on Whitemud creek just off the NS river and he was getting a 1/3 to 1/2 oz. a day. Remember... gold is where you find it.

Go to page 26 of this document to see an illustration of what I mean.

http://www.edmonton.ca/city_governme...pdf#search=how deep does the ground freeze in Edmonton

[ctd]

Thanks for the link Red Bullets.
I was reading other pages on the web page and it was confusing. That one pretty much clarifies it.

That link on the Edmonton plains is pretty interesting reading.