Small HighBanker Build [progressive]

[WalnLiz]

I will be a little busy with the course Dozer, but I can set my highbanker up and you are free to dig as much as you like lol We will be camped on the opposite side of the creek with GR if you want to pop in for a beer Wal.

DD

Thanks DD...will try to get into town on Saturday arvo and will keep an eye out for you and GR ...will have some beers in the fridge so can be my shout. Cheers Wal.

 

[TenOunce Tone]

Very good example of the ingenuity of the miners coming to the fore. Great Work Chris, hope it works as good as it looks.

 

[ChrisM]

Quick update on the progress of the build this weekend.
But before that. I took a pic of the "miners moss" that Wal suggested to use with the unit just in case anybody needed to know what it looks like.
It was bought from Saint Bunnings [I religiously attend the place.. ]

Called Ultimat,variety of colours. I think it cost $12 or $14 a mat.
Next on the list was to cut the spray bar. I dont have a drop saw so i needed to work out how to try and get evenly cut depths. So grabbed the angle grinder and added 2x1mm discs together. Now, to stop the grinder from going too deep i used a piece of PVC with a strip cut out of it and slid it onto the riser.You would think that the final cut would be 2mm. Close but not in this case. Final cut ended at 3mm wide.

I then cleaned each cut with a 3mm drill bit
Also got to cut a new cable tray for the top as the other one fell a bit short

Now its ready for a test run in the back yard.........

 

[kemjak57]

Top job mate that looks the goods I reckon it will work well

 

[Jim.]

Hi all,

Chris, From one that knows nothing about sluices and highbankers, it looks like a great piece of kit hopefully it works as well as it looks

Jim & Kerrie

 

[joe]

Hi Chris, that turned out to be a successful project mate. Looking forward seeing it running

 

[WalnLiz]

Hey Chris.....The spray bar needs to be slotted only over the classify screen area and not to the edge of the hopper. You would need an awfully big pump to run that many slots. Got some good news for you though ...my brother has an irrigation business and changes risers every day. I will slot up a few with a drop saw and bring them along to the Tuena get together. I'll give you a couple ...but it will cost you a beer by the campfire.. Cheers Wal.

 

[ChrisM]

Thanks guys.
Words of wisdom from Wal.....
Managed to fire it up today with the sump pump.[too lazy to get the petrol pump out].
Thats when i noticed i cut a few too many slots into the pipe. I cut out a few pvc spacers to slide up either end and restrict the number of holes until i got to get another pipe.

Thanks for the offer of the replacement pipe Wal. Ive put your beer in the fridge...
Next step is setting the harness to the unit.
I weighed the assembly and it came in at 7.7kg. Gotta be happy with that.

Really excited about running it in Tuena next time.

 

[Diggerdude]

Very nice job Chris, can't wait to see it in action.

 

[Ramjet]

Nice looking bit of gear Chris

 

[Colin&Lee]

If mine turns out half as good as this I'll be a happy camper. Welldone mate great looking bit of kit

Cheers

Col

 

[ChrisM]

Back for another round.
As much as I'm enjoying the build of the mini-Wal-backpackable highbanker-copy......I think im starting to obsess about it.
Lying in bed the other night, staring at the ceiling wondering to myself.....Is it big enough? Is it long enough? Will it get the job done?
We're talking about the highbanker here right. Good....
What i became concerned about was if the shorter run would give the lighter gold enough time to settle in the matt or get blown out the end of the run.
So ive opted to make an extension to fit inside the original unit so as not to take away from its portability.
Took a small sheet of ally to the engineers and he put a couple of folds in it for me

I've gone for the ribbed matting [Clark Rubber] -unbacked miners moss [St Bunnings]-and a flattened out leaf-guard mesh[St Bunnings again]
As I said its mainly to be sure that the top unit isnt spitting it out the back. Its hard enough finding the gold, so just a safeguard until then.

Thats a pic with the new unit "inside" the highbanker

The new extention complete with removable flare at the top [can use it as a river sluice also]
Total extended lenght aprox 1800. Compacted length 880mm
Now for the riffles......

 

[Gold miner]

Whats the leaf guard mesh for?

 

[ChrisM]

The thought behind the leaf guard is to separate the larger rocks from the run-off. the ones that get through the cable tray

 

[Gold miner]

Hmm ok?
And you are going to put riffles over the top of the mesh?

 

[WalnLiz]

Bit worried about the fine expanded on top of the mat Chris. Very easy to clog the mat using that mesh, and the mat won't trap the gold as efficiently.If your going to use expanded in the bottom section you will need one large enough to create some vortexes or at least some riffle system....in which case you don't need the finer mesh on the woven mat....hate for you to lose any sleep mate....Cheers Wal.

 

[Gold miner]

Bit worried about the fine expanded on top of the mat Chris. Very easy to clog the mat using that mesh, and the mat won't trap the gold as efficiently.If your going to use expanded in the bottom section you will need one large enough to create some vortexes or at least some riffle system....in which case you don't need the finer mesh on the woven mat....hate for you to lose any sleep mate....Cheers Wal.

Yep, my concern also, but couldn't quite get my head around what Chris was actually doing..

 

[joe]

Thinking about length while staring at the ceiling? Lol did you ask your missus for approval?
Anyway extension looks good as Wal said rubber mating and moss ok, the heavies are at the top and if there is any light gold the bubbles will carry it . Im thinking of making my shorter so I can carry the dam thing its 1.9m long and after 6 months I have not found much in end 40-50cm.
Thats what you told your missus only a small extension hon, yet the real truth is youre making another unit I know. Nicely done

 

[ChrisM]

Bit worried about the fine expanded on top of the mat Chris. Very easy to clog the mat using that mesh, and the mat won't trap the gold as efficiently.If your going to use expanded in the bottom section you will need one large enough to create some vortexes or at least some riffle system....in which case you don't need the finer mesh on the woven mat....hate for you to lose any sleep mate....Cheers Wal.

Yep, my concern also, but couldn't quite get my head around what Chris was actually doing..

Thanks for the input guys.The theory was to use the mesh to act as a type of classifier for the tailings coming through. By removing them "I thought" it would allow the heavies to settle easier in the matt. Didnt think about it clogging up. Mesh removed... :lol:
Now the question....Do I need to make riffles or will bread-box base work just as efficiently down that low ?? [ cut in the same format as the top one or left as is ?]

 

[Gold miner]

Good stuff!!
I'd use some walkway mesh or make up some hungarian riffles to get that hipressure lopressure thing going.
As Joe said there wont be much gold down there. 90% should be right at the top before the bread bin.