The Romans were perhaps the first invaders to realize that GOLD could be found in the British Isles and actually mined and recovered the precious metal during their stay. Boadaccia, the British Queen who fought and destroyed the Roman's at Colchester, London and St, Albans wore huge gold torque's around her neck.
Many chieftains used Gold as a means of decorating items such as swords, knifes, shields and even buckles and broaches for clothing. Gold as we now know, can be found in several places in Scotland and Wales and usually on a latitude of 4 degrees west. Geologists, world-wide agree that there is more gold in the ground that has ever been taken out or removed it.
Knowing a little about gold and its deposition could help any would be prospector in their hunt or search for the precious metal. Gold originates in the form of veins or reefs with a host material, which in most cases is quartz.
These were formed millions of years ago as the earth was gradually cooling down. Gold in the reef is known as Colluvial gold, and is usually recovered by mining, which is a costly process beyond the means of most individuals. Gold, which has weathered and broken away from the reef or main source, is known as Eluvial gold.
This is the gold found on hills and slopes as it travels, usually by water to a river, creek or stream. Once it enters a river, it then becomes known as alluvial gold.
Each type of gold can by an experienced eye be identified if you know what to look for. Colluvial Gold usually imbedded in host material, such as quartz. can be minute flour specks to veins of gold with sharp well defined edges Eluvial Gold. Can usually be identified, because it has broken away from the host matrix and started to travel.
In the process sharp edges of the matrix become worn and rounded slightly depending on the distance traveled from its source. Alluvial Gold. This is gold that has at some stage entered a water course such as a river and is carried along on a current. During its journey, it could hit numerous rocks on the bottom before finding a final resting place.
Gold being soft will become rounded and all sharp edges removed in this process. This is the type of Gold that week end prospector's look for and hopes to recover.
Gold has a specific gravity of 19.2 and can be found in rivers, in places where the speed of the current of water drops off. Places such as the insides of bends, or natural rock bars that run across rivers. And even in the crevices on the bedrock of the river. Gold will always be found on what is known as bedrock, because that is where it will end up owing to it's weight.
In order to recover the gold, one must first physically removed all the silt and debris resting upon any gold deposits. However, with every heavy rain or flood, the process of gold deposition continues and recent deposits could lie on top of old ones. One of the earliest methods used for gold recovery was panning.
Gold being the heaviest material always settles on the bottom of a gold pan, which by careful removal of the overburden in the pan can be eventually recovered. This method has been used for hundreds of years and is still used even today, even if it is a bit slow.
During both the Californian and Australian gold rushes during the 1850's devices such as cradles and sluices were being used by the miner's because larger quantities of pay dirt could be washed and more gold recovered. In those days, a miner would arrive on a gold field with his possessions in nothing more than a wheelbarrow and the essentials for survival. Sluices, cradles and even humpy's (miner's huts) were constructed on site with whatever materials available at the time.
Many of these pioneers acquired a new sense, that we all have but fail to use. Actually two senses should be mentioned initiative and resourcefulness. Consider, if you will, initially very few supplies were available on many of the gold fields especially at the start of a rush.
Those who managed to arrive early, made primitive but effective gold recovery equipment on the spot with material available in the bush. Today, however, custom-built gold recovery equipment is manufactured at a cost and can be obtained through retailers, who probably have to import them from overseas. Just for once, and for those interested in increasing their gold recovery rate, would not it be nice to make a gold recovery device with little or no outlay.
These little devices are selling between $ 350 and $750 (Aust) can be built for virtually nothing. This might sound crazy, and you can be excused for having a laugh, but I am serious, and it can be done.
The unfortunate part about modern life is that we become complacent. We do the same dull dreary thing's day after day and don't pay any attention to what's really going around us.
The average guy does all the right things; gives the kids and wife a kiss and off to work he goes. He does this routine five or six times a week 48 weeks of the year and can see no further than the tip of his nose. Once a week a certain service takes place that we all take for granted. Perhaps you have guessed already.
That's right, the garbage disposal. Nothing unusual in that, or is there? Although the average household might put out one or two dustbins containing nothing more than rubbish. However, every now and then, quite useful articles that appear quite worthless appear too. Take for example, that old fridge or washing machine, both have panels constructed of high quality steel which could be put to use in some do-it-yourself construction project.
In fact in the UK many dealers trade in these old machines and are only too pleased for someone to remove them as scrap. Therefore, knowing where you can obtain the metal needed for the sluice, you have already made a saving before you start. Washing machines have a small water pump; you will need one of these.
Not the one with an electric motor built in, but one driven by a pulley and fan belt. Old lawn mowers get thrown out simply because they are hard to start or new blades are needed and the owners cant be bothered to get them fixed up. You would be suprised how many of these old engines come buzzing back to life with a new set of points and spark plug or perhaps some minor part needs replacing.
As a personal challenge to my own initiative and resourcefulness, I deliberately set out to achieve what anyone might consider impossible - build a sluice for next to nothing. Having spent some time working out the items required. I prepared my shopping list. Not wanting to do any work with welder's etc, I decided to restrict myself to the following tools: Hacksaw, drill, hammer, screwdriver, pop rivet gun, and large metal snips.
Most people put their rubbish out the night before collection, some might do it several days ahead. The night prior to collection, a pleasant drive, walk or even cycle around the streets could reveal the items you need.
1. an old twin tub washing machine, a more modern one will do the same job, its only the panels you want, really.
2. Water Pump off washing machine.
3. any old 2 or 4 stroke lawn mower engine to power the pump.
I'm sure if you are lucky enough to spot them, the owner will probably give you his blessings to take them away as long as you do not dismantle them on his premises. You can always dump the bits and pieces you do not want later. Either in your own rubbish bin or at a tip.
Now if you were lucky enough to get hold of a twin tub machine, like the one I used, perfect. Using the tin snips, we're going to cut of one complete side so we end up with a tray with 4 inch sides. The other side will end up with 6-inch sides. When you've made your measurements and cut the side's out.
You should end up with two similar trays and the remainder of the front and back panels of the washing machine. The two trays will eventually become a classifying screen, (4'' sides), and the deeper tray the riffle section, where the gold is recovered. At the moment, both trays have open ends: a little careful cutting and bending is required to shape the end of the classifying screen. This particular end is shaped so that a water inlet can be positioned at the rear, while the angled plate at the front diverts water down onto the classifying tray.
At the other end of the classifier many holes are drilled, or a separate piece of screen material fitted. These holes are essential, through these the wash dirt will pass carrying the gold. Larger stones and rocks will fall off the end. By the way, don't worry too much about measurements; you may not be able to get the same type of washing machine I used, and measurements will vary from model to model.
Now we come to the tray with the 6 inch sides, this is going to be the riffle tray or part that recovers the gold. The first thing to do is make sure that the corners are squared off, some washing machines have rounded corners.
You will need a hammer and a long piece of angle iron with a straight edge. Take your time squaring this off, as you need a good seal for the riffles. When you have nice square corners and even sides, take a measurement of the end. You must make a plate to go in one end to seal it off.
You must also remember to make the end about an inch wider than you do actually need. This is because, you will bend over half an inch either side so that this can be later drilled and pop riveted or screwed to the back or end of the riffle section. The Riffle section, which catches the gold is quite easy to make out of wood, the material for the sides should be 1/2 X 1.1/2 inch.
The actual riffles can be made from 3/4 inch square material. I used five riffles with a spacing of 4'' between the riffles. The riffle section will be exposed and covered with water much of the time, so use brass bolts, they will not rust.
The next item, you are going to need is a piece of carpet, which is placed under the riffle section and makes an excellent gold catching medium. The ideal material is tightly packed thick felt, but this is rather hard to obtain.
Although it is expensive to purchase, it does a good job at holding gold as does last longer than many other materials. Two bolts, one in the middle of the top riffle and one on the bottom are used to secure the riffle section to the tray.
Use either stainless steel or Brass nuts and bolts as these will have to be removed occasionally when doing a final clean up operation to recover any Gold caught in the sluice.
Most people work for an hour, do a temporary clean up and start work again. Depending on the area you are working, you might want to move on further upstream, nearer the source of the gold. It all depends on how much gold you are recovering with each clean up. In order that the correct angle can be made on the sluice tray, (that's the bottom one), two support struts are made.
The back one being eight inches long, and the front one 4 inches. If the fall of the material going over the riffles is too severe, this can be overcome by raising the front support or placing small stone under the final water exit to slow things down. You will have to experiment to get the right angle for it depends on many factors including water flow.
The classifying screen, which is just as important, needs to be set at an angle where material that is shoveled onto it is washed down over the classifying screen any minute particles of gold will go through the screen and get caught in the riffles, or stick to the carpet, it happens to be felt or similar material.
Two struts situated on either side of the classifier act as adjusters in this case. The Classifying screen can be raised or lowered simply by placing the struts higher or lower down on the riffles. When working with clay type materials, it is best to puddle the clay first prior to treatment. Clay causes gold to stick to it and could remove any gold recovered in the sluice, that's why it's always best to break it down first.
You would also be suprised how much gold you can get from clay because of it's sticky nature. All that remains now is for a suitable water hose connector to be fitted at the very rear of the classifying screen in the center. This device is used quite widely on the gold fields for recovering gold in Australia.
A 12 volt submersible bilge pump is perhaps the best method of providing water, as they are cheap and can pump upto 200 gallons a minute. They are also quite light and portable, the only heavy item to carry, being a car battery. Although this article was written, for the purpose of proving a point, that a good gold recovery device can be made for next to nothing, it shouldn't cost more than ten pounds or $15 at the most to make.
That price does not include the cost of a pump and hoses. You will find that the sluice will not only recover course nuggety gold, but remarkably fine gold too. You, will not only get a great deal of pleasure and fun making the sluice, which has never been seen in the UK before,
You will also get a lot of satisfaction when you finally pan off the concentrates and recover the gold you worked so hard for. The sluice, could also be modified for recovering artifacts from the sediments of riverbeds, by using a combination of screens instead of the riffle box. With a little improvisation, the portable sluice, which is environment friendly could prove to be a very useful tool for treasure hunter's in the UK. Especially when used in places such as the River Thames which is noted for being one of the greatest treasure storehouses of the World.
Happy hunting,
Alan Hassell
Copyright by Alan Hassell 13/03/98 all rights reservedLinkback: You are not allowed to view links.
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