Blower style Dry Blower build

[G0lddigg@]

What a unit! Testimont to your skills mate good luck out there tommorrow

 

[flashinthepan]

well done mjb , as they say 'looks just like a bought one' , best of luck at ararat
flash

 

[MJB]

cheers guys, hopefully there are some pics of little nuggies on here tomorrow night.

Cheers

 

[naildigger]

hi mjb, that unit looks great, im really interested in how you go, a unit like that could be just what i need up here in sunny(very dry and dusty) qld. good job buddy ND

 

[Ryan27]

Nice work MJB,
Looking forward to the maiden voyage. Hope the weather holds up for you.
And I hope your finds are plenty.

 

[MJB]

So I'm back from Ararat and I am beat Hard work all that digging.

The day went well and I am very pumped to say the Dry Blower was a raging success. It did everything it was suppose to with ease and gobbled up whatever I threw at it. The dirt was a little damp so stuck together a little in the hopper but a little shake every now and then sorted that out. the only other thing I may need to look at is developing telescopic legs so the thing fits in the back of my Hyundai a bit easier :8

I took some video which shows it in action but until I figure out how to upload it you will have to wait a bit.

I still have a half bucket of concentrates to pan out which will give me a a total result for the day but in all honesty any colour is a bonus.

Happy days...

Cheers

 

[Ryan27]

So I'm back from Ararat and I am beat Hard work all that digging.

The day went well and I am very pumped to say the Dry Blower was a raging success. It did everything it was suppose to with ease and gobbled up whatever I threw at it. The dirt was a little damp so stuck together a little in the hopper but a little shake every now and then sorted that out. the only other thing I may need to look at is developing telescopic legs so the thing fits in the back of my Hyundai a bit easier :8
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1222/1408355603_h2960001_640x480.jpg
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1222/1408355644_h2960002_640x480.jpg
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1222/1408355676_h2960009_640x480.jpg

I took some video which shows it in action but until I figure out how to upload it you will have to wait a bit.

I still have a half bucket of concentrates to pan out which will give me a a total result for the day but in all honesty any colour is a bonus.

Happy days...

Cheers

Hi MJB ,
Great effort, the blower looks top notch. I had a feeling the soil may have a high moisture content.
Is there any way to use the heat from the exhaust to assist in drying the material ?

 

[Teemore]

Great result MJB, makes the drive home a bit more pleasant.
Was your build styled on the "Gold Buddy" looks sort of familiar but then again can't remember what the Keene looks like (can't recommend getting old - apart from the retirement aspect!). Look forward to seeing the vid and how the dirt 'flows' through the unit ... just think how much better things could have been if it was dry.
Well done T.

 

[MJB]

Thanks fellas,

Ryan27, It would be possible to a small degree to use the heat from the motor to dry the material but the rate at which this thing wants dirt I reckon the small amount of heat from the motor would not be able to keep up. The dirt was damp but not enough to clump together and cause troubles. Of course, if it was super dry it would have broken down to finer particles much easier and released more fine gold.....I might have to re-run my tailings come summer.

I styled it sort of like a cross between the Keen 140 and the goldbuddy. I had only used a keen 140 once and have never seen a Gold buddy in the flesh but I just had to carefully analyse pictures and sort of come up a something I could fabricate myself using approximate measurements from the memory banks. In the end I guess its probably more like a 140 than the gold buddy but I like to think its mostly my design using tried and proven dry blowing ideas.

Cheers

 

[G0lddigg@]

I used to use a leaf blower that had the exhaust running into air but after noticing the gum it pushes to the fabric from inside I ended up changing up the blower to an external exhaust. Same as what you got I think MJB. there is a little heat but not much eh mate.

 

[Ryan27]

Thanks fellas,

Ryan27, It would be possible to a small degree to use the heat from the motor to dry the material but the rate at which this thing wants dirt I reckon the small amount of heat from the motor would not be able to keep up. The dirt was damp but not enough to clump together and cause troubles. Of course, if it was super dry it would have broken down to finer particles much easier and released more fine gold.....I might have to re-run my tailings come summer.

I styled it sort of like a cross between the Keen 140 and the goldbuddy. I had only used a keen 140 once and have never seen a Gold buddy in the flesh but I just had to carefully analyse pictures and sort of come up a something I could fabricate myself using approximate measurements from the memory banks. In the end I guess its probably more like a 140 than the gold buddy but I like to think its mostly my design using tried and proven dry blowing ideas.

Cheers

I'm wondering if a small screw conveyor could be added to transport material to hopper?
If the conveyor was covered, like a grain auger, you could heat the tube via exhaust or LPG, this would help dry the material completely prior to entering the hopper. It would act as a heat exchange.
The unit could be run from a small genset so an electric blower could be used also.
This would solve some moisture issues with the soil.
It would also be easier to feed material into a hopper that was around knee height.
Just a thought that's all ?

 

[G0lddigg@]

bloody great idea that is, my and a mate jokes about a gas heated trommel with a conveyor belt. ahh the things we could do if only the time.

 

[Ryan27]

bloody great idea that is, my and a mate jokes about a gas heated trommel with a conveyor belt. ahh the things we could do if only the time.

I might investigate this a little more. I have a heap of 90mm augers in the factory. They slide perfectly inside 100mm HDPE pipe. The pipe is stable to around 160* C. You wouldn't need a lot of heat because the Auger would conduct and retain heat the longer it runs.
I'm thinking a 1/3 HP motor with a reduction gear box would be enough to drive the Auger under soil load.
I'm thinking a 1/3 HP motor centrifugal fan would also be sufficient.
Both could be run by a 2.5 KVA genie.
Hmmm? This could solve a lot of water issues in traditionally dry fields.

 

[MJB]

Your an ideas man Ryan, Your auger would also greatly reduce the amount of hand labour required. I'm thinking a small scale mining operation with loads of dirt in a big hopper feeding the auger, you start the genny and away you go.

Great thing these dry blowers...I built a highbanker but never even bought a pump for it as there was never any reliable amount of water in the creek I usually visit. Lucky I can pull it apart and just use it as a normal sluice aswell. Its hot and dry most of the time here in Oz so I wonder why dry blowers have not been used more in the eastern states in the past.

I eagerly await your prototype mate,

Cheers

 

[Ryan27]

Your an ideas man Ryan, Your auger would also greatly reduce the amount of hand labour required. I'm thinking a small scale mining operation with loads of dirt in a big hopper feeding the auger, you start the genny and away you go.

Great thing these dry blowers...I built a highbanker but never even bought a pump for it as there was never any reliable amount of water in the creek I usually visit. Lucky I can pull it apart and just use it as a normal sluice aswell. Its hot and dry most of the time here in Oz so I wonder why dry blowers have not been used more in the eastern states in the past.

I eagerly await your prototype mate,

Cheers

I have always been told that dry blowers don't work very well on the eastern side. This is due to moisture content of the soil, particularly the top 6" to 8". They have always sold well in W.A. Though this is my thought's about W.A. The night air is bloody cold and has a high moisture content. So the best time to work the W.A. Gold fields is when?
You guessed it early morning while the moisture is still present in the soil.
Later during the day when it's friggen hot and you cant work the mullock heaps, is the best time to dry wash.
So you are losing fine gold no matter how hard you try.
I have had this heat exchange idea floating around my head for some time, trying to work out the most cost efficient way to produce and retain the heat is a challenge, especially when you are trying to incorporate light weight transportable prospecting equipment into the design intent.
Now that I have seen first hand that these dry blowers are recovering good gold, I feel that the dry blower needs to be considered as a serious and possibly primary recovery machine ?
You guys have certainly got my attention and I will be sourcing a reduction motor and gearbox this week to begin prototyping.
Cheers Ryan

 

[rc62burke]

Hey Ryan

Man you are a thinker!!!!
I have had the grey matter working for a while now, I think maybe a small conveyor belt would take less work & be less problematic & require less power to drive it & would also most likely be a bit lighter too.
What are your thoughts???
cheers
Lee

 

[Ryan27]

Hey Ryan

Man you are a thinker!!!!
I have had the grey matter working for a while now, I think maybe a small conveyor belt would take less work & be less problematic & require less power to drive it & would also most likely be a bit lighter too.
What are your thoughts???
cheers
Lee

Hi Lee
A conveyor is probably going to cause a couple of issues. A lot of moving parts = more general maintenance, not necessary a bad thing, I kind of like playing with bits and pieces. The main concern is retention of heat to dry the soil out. A screw conveyor can be enclosed. I thought maybe lighting a small fire under conveyor would be a cheap way to heat chamber.(it would have to be steel not HDPE.
The overall weight shouldn't be too bad if the unit has wheels.
I would rather process on site than cart material to a water source. Recycling systems have their own challenges also.
Belt conveyors are good for managing tailings and transporting material greater distances.
I'm not sure if the screw conveyor will handle larger practical size eg: 25mm to 50mm minus rock.
I will have to make some enquiries.

 

[MJB]

Video is in progress...the only part holding me up is YouTube, it takes forever to upload vids I have recently found out and then to process. Tried and failed last night so I will try again today

Cheers

 

[MJB]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=w5kNj0yn1Eo

Hopefully this video works guys, I finally got it uploaded to Youtube but the quality turned out a bit rubbish.

After watching it a few times I probably could have had the riffle tray angled a little flatter. As you can see, when a bit too much dirt was put through it flowed out a bit too quick. Any way, that's why try these things.

Cheers,

 

[G0lddigg@]

Thanks mate great build. Def worth the effort cant wait to see it in action.