What angle should a sluice box be set at?

between 5 – 7 degrees
When setting up a sluice the proper angle must be observed. It’s usually between 5 – 7 degrees of slope and should allow most round rocks and pebbles to pass through easily. You don’t want the material zipping through but rather kind of tumbling through slowly.

How do you size a sluice box?

To run fines on as little as 18 gpm, you should start off with a sluice box no narrower than 8” and no wider than 10”. As for length, maybe something in the 6′ to 8′ range. However, you won’t be able to effectively process a ton per hour of 150 mesh material and maintain a high rate of recovery.

How does a sluice box separate gold from dirt?

Sluice Boxes Rivers would be diverted into ditches and would soften the gold-bearing dirt and rock. The miners would loosen the dirt and rocks with picks and allow water and gravity to transport the material down to a sluice box. As with the Long Tom, gold was finally removed from the sluice boxes by panning.

How does sluice box work?

Sluice boxes work by essentially creating a straight, consistent channel, with regularly spaced slow spots created by riffles. Each riffle creates an eddy, a backflow of water that allows the gold to settle out. Material is placed at the top of the box and carried in suspension down the channel.

How much water is in a sluice?

Each sluice and setup is a bit different. the general rule of thumb is 1 inch per foot and a deep V water flow at the head of the box.

How does a sluice gate work?

It is a gate hinged at the top. When pressure is from one side, the gate is kept closed; a pressure from the other side opens the sluice when a threshold pressure is surpassed. A plate sliding in the vertical direction, which may be controlled by machinery.

How do you set up a sluice box?

To set up the box you have to move all the large stuff off and then get rid of most of the heavier sands. A box is running right when you fill the front with gravel (and hopefully some gold).

How big is a sluice box from Keene engineering?

The A51 Mini Sluice (right) weighs in at seven pounds, while the larger A52 Hand Sluice tips the scales at eleven pounds. The sluice boxes in the days of the 49’ers were very similar to the ones of today.

What causes the angle of a sluice box?

Remember that the box is affected by four things: average weight of the gravel, size of the gravel, water flow throughout the box, and the angle of the box. When you get it set for time you are ready to go mining.

What do you need to sluice gold in a creek?

All you need is a sturdy shovel, a couple of good buckets to carry gravel to the creek, and if your fortunate, a mining partner to feed the sluice box while you dig gravel, and a solid desire to get that gold. Happy sluicing!