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I like the great outdoors, but I get tired of just looking at it. In New Zealand, there are several rivers & creeks in the South Island that are set aside for amateur Gold Prospecting. They are called Public Gold Fossicking Areas but I thought the word fossick might send most of you to the dictionary. Anyone can prospect in these reserves, but you are limited to hand-held, non-motorized methods only.
As with just about every hobby or obsession, you start out with the basics and before long you have acquired or made a toolbox or a car full of "specialised" tools and equipment. I started with a gold pan and a small shovel and had a few very nice prospecting holidays with them. They are easy to carry and like most outdoor activities, to get to the best "spots" you need to do a fair bit of hiking and carrying. If you find a spot with gold, a sluice can work more gravel in a minute that you could pan in an hour.
What I needed was a sluice that I could easily carry in and out of the bush. A couple weeks before the last prospecting holiday, I looked around for things I could make a sluice from. I've got a video of the finished product in action in step 5.
On that trip we mostly found tiny garnets but a few bits of gold....certainly enough to go back again!
Good luck with your sluicemaking.
If you like this instructable, Rate it!
If you have questions, Ask away!
As with just about every hobby or obsession, you start out with the basics and before long you have acquired or made a toolbox or a car full of "specialised" tools and equipment. I started with a gold pan and a small shovel and had a few very nice prospecting holidays with them. They are easy to carry and like most outdoor activities, to get to the best "spots" you need to do a fair bit of hiking and carrying. If you find a spot with gold, a sluice can work more gravel in a minute that you could pan in an hour.
What I needed was a sluice that I could easily carry in and out of the bush. A couple weeks before the last prospecting holiday, I looked around for things I could make a sluice from. I've got a video of the finished product in action in step 5.
On that trip we mostly found tiny garnets but a few bits of gold....certainly enough to go back again!
Good luck with your sluicemaking.
If you like this instructable, Rate it!
If you have questions, Ask away!
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Signing UpStep 1List of Materials
Here is a list of what I used, but in the spirit of found materials, you might be able to make improvements.
Sluice Frame: I found a couple of rectangular sections of flue from a kitchen extractor fan (vent-a-hood?). Luckily, they were slightly different so one fit inside the other. Also, one was galvanized so it will last a bit longer. I have some more so if anyone around Christchurch wants any, they are welcome to take them.
Shoulder Strap: I used car seat belting. There is a place in town that does seat belt repairs and they have a bin full of old seatbelts they have taken out and offcuts of new seat belting.
Ribbed Rubber Matting: This was the end of a roll at Para Rubber. I think it was NZ$3. They were selling it by the meter for making door mats. It is excellent for catching any tiny specs of gold because they show up clearly against the black.
Ribs: I used angle bracing. It is a galvanized strap full of holes that is bent into a right angle. It is usually used when framing a house to keep the walls square. I had kept all of the off-cuts from when we were building, but I'm sure you could find some being thrown out at any building site.
Gold-Catching Carpet: These were three different outdoor/marine carpet samples. You can see in the pics that they are slightly different shades. I'm pretty sure someone was throwing them out because I don't remember buying them. I was looking for the 3M Nomad scraper door mat material that looks like lots of random plastic loops but couldn't find any. Some people also call it "Miners Moss" because it catches the gold so well.
Fasteners: I did have to buy some little wing nuts but I had everything else.
Sluice Frame: I found a couple of rectangular sections of flue from a kitchen extractor fan (vent-a-hood?). Luckily, they were slightly different so one fit inside the other. Also, one was galvanized so it will last a bit longer. I have some more so if anyone around Christchurch wants any, they are welcome to take them.
Shoulder Strap: I used car seat belting. There is a place in town that does seat belt repairs and they have a bin full of old seatbelts they have taken out and offcuts of new seat belting.
Ribbed Rubber Matting: This was the end of a roll at Para Rubber. I think it was NZ$3. They were selling it by the meter for making door mats. It is excellent for catching any tiny specs of gold because they show up clearly against the black.
Ribs: I used angle bracing. It is a galvanized strap full of holes that is bent into a right angle. It is usually used when framing a house to keep the walls square. I had kept all of the off-cuts from when we were building, but I'm sure you could find some being thrown out at any building site.
Gold-Catching Carpet: These were three different outdoor/marine carpet samples. You can see in the pics that they are slightly different shades. I'm pretty sure someone was throwing them out because I don't remember buying them. I was looking for the 3M Nomad scraper door mat material that looks like lots of random plastic loops but couldn't find any. Some people also call it "Miners Moss" because it catches the gold so well.
Fasteners: I did have to buy some little wing nuts but I had everything else.
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If was to be picky, you could upload the videos via YouTube or similar, to save readers with slow connections having to wait to watch them.
This seems like a great alternative to purchasing expensive prospecting equipment!
Thanks so much!!!!!!!
I will be making one of these!!!
Rating also!!!!