Water saving trommel, ideas please.

[Goldfreak]

Just an idea. Would it be effective to have a trommel screen that take material underwater and out again to wash rather than using spray jets ? Interested in your thoughts.

 

[The Green Wanderer]

Yes and no, ive a good idea of what your getting at and i think your main troubles will be:

- getting the thing to sink and sit on the creek bed without it being ridiculously heavy to move around.

- getting your paydirt into the trommel mouth without losing some to the current.

- recovering your trap or whatever thats catching heavies from underneath without losing gold.

- working it by hand somehow while someone else shovels since qld isnt the best place for prospecting inventions unless youve got a very isolated/ private place where you wont be caught testing your theory.

All up it might be quicker to buy a large fluid bed type sluice that does a similar job of stratifying as a trommel..

Best of luck,
TGW.

 

[Goldfreak]

Very interesting ideas there. I got stuck on how I would lift the material out of the water to run back down a sluice. Wonder if they have a cheap water proof vibrating motor around.

 

[Goldfreak]

Never tried a fluid bed type of sluice before. How bigger rocks can go through them ?

 

[AussieChris]

Hand operated and hand fed trommel probably still ok to use in Victoria? The Mexicans seem to still have some sanity down there. Add a motor though it becomes a different story

Even with hand operated ones you need to tread carefully with the interpretation of the law, significant ground disturbance.....six of one, half a dozen of the other please sir!

It's a bit like water turbidity laws, 10m of silted up water might get you in trouble in one place and with one inspector while another lets off someone causing a 100m disturbance on a different river.

 

[TheMediocritist]

Never tried a fluid bed type of sluice before. How bigger rocks can go through them ?

Pretty big, with some assistance. A fluid bed sluice doesnt mind if you get in and dig around with your hands, because the heavy stuff drops into the bed instead of getting caught by pressure. I havent used one, but am toying with the idea of laser cutting one from Perspex. My wife has a large laser cutter and she lets me use it sometimes.

Back to your original question. Ive been thinking about this myself after battling with some sticky gold-holding clay last weekend, and looking at an excellent build in the DIY section. Ill see if I can sketch up whats in my head.

 

[Tathradj]

Main thing to take into account here is turbidity.
In other words how much you are muddying the water up.
It is the main reason against Bankers that the powers that be use.

 

[Goldfreak]

Never tried a fluid bed type of sluice before. How bigger rocks can go through them ?

Pretty big, with some assistance. A fluid bed sluice doesnt mind if you get in and dig around with your hands, because the heavy stuff drops into the bed instead of getting caught by pressure. I havent used one, but am toying with the idea of laser cutting one from Perspex. My wife has a large laser cutter and she lets me use it sometimes.

Back to your original question. Ive been thinking about this myself after battling with some sticky gold-holding clay last weekend, and looking at an excellent build in the DIY section. Ill see if I can sketch up whats in my head.

a little cement mixer works well in the clay, or one of those drill mixer things in a bucket.

 

[Occasional_panner]

Hand operated and hand fed trommel probably still ok to use in Victoria? The Mexicans seem to still have some sanity down there. Add a motor though it becomes a different story

Even with hand operated ones you need to tread carefully with the interpretation of the law, significant ground disturbance.....six of one, half a dozen of the other please sir!

It's a bit like water turbidity laws, 10m of silted up water might get you in trouble in one place and with one inspector while another lets off someone causing a 100m disturbance on a different river.

You can still use a trailer mounted petrol powered trommel here.

If you set up in an area and keep flogging it they will deem you a commercial operation and make you do lots of expensive paperwork, but for one day or possibly two you'll be fine.

Keep in mind NO MECHANICAL DIGGING, that includes battery operated chisels jackhammers etc.
Only handtool extraction allowed.

 

[Goldtarget]

OP is correct...A turbo charged semi trailer mounted trommel would be fine....There are no restrictions on size or type....but the machines must be fed by hand only. The moment any mechanical means of excavation, extraction, or loading materials in begins, it is outside lawful means on a Victorian Miners Right. That includes hand loading onto a conveyor as I so found out from asking the relevant department at the time, as the conveyor is mechanical means of feeding/loading.