Gold prospectors have new products to help process material faster than ever before. And speed can be a prospector's best friend when searching for that "pot of gold."
Traditional methods used in gold prospecting involved the tedious task of classifying material, and hand feeding the sluice box. This process involved loading screens with stream bed gravel, manually agitating the material, discarding the unwanted rocks and debris, and feeding the sluice box one handful at a time. It was an inefficient, labor intensive process.
New products have been designed to resolve these issues, and streamline the process of screening material. These products are opening the doors for a new generation of "power-prospectors", who prefer to process material in a fast-paced, efficient manner. More end product in less time, who wouldn't like that?
There are an assortment of products available, each with their own unique design.
The high bank style, which allows the user to add material directly to an enclosed, multi level sluice box is one such design. The unclassified material is added to the top screen, and bucketfuls of water are added to wash the desired material into the box. The unwanted materials (large rocks and debris) are then discarded in a semi manual fashion. This product is unique in that it does not require running water to operate, although it does require quite a bit of manual labor to operate.
A similar high bank style uses either a manual pump, or motor powered pump to operate. The unclassified material is placed into a box, and water is introduced by the pump. The desired material is washed into the capturing screens, and the unwanted materials are automatically discharged from the box. This product has its pros and cons. The unwanted materials sometimes require manual intervention to be discharged, and this product relies on pumps to operate. These pumps also require the user to carry long sections of heavy hose, motors, and heavy batteries to the prospecting site.
The "under current" style sluice boxes available are very fast, and fairly efficient. They are similar to a traditional sluice box, with one exception. They use a split-level design, which allows the faster current (above) to automatically discharge unwanted materials, while the slower current (below) captures the gold and other desirable material. Again, this product has its ups and downs. Higher water velocity means less fine gold recovery, and the user will see less gold in his pan at the end of the day.
The automatic, water powered screener, such as the Rockslide, is another alternative. It uses a water wheel powered vibrating screener to automatically screen material, discharge unwanted material, and feed the sluice box. Since it is water powered, it does not require motors or batteries to operate. It is portable, and can be taken where dredges and other powered equipment can't go, or is not permitted. Unlike the other products mentioned, it does not require high water velocity to operate, and therefore is better at catching fine gold.
With gold prices soaring, prospecting can be a fun, and profitable hobby for the weekend warrior. With the help of these new technologies, anyone can can join the new Gold Rush.
Robert Tussey, The Rockslide, http://www.T3Rising.moonfruit.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_C_Tussey
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