Aussie Lapidary Forum
LAPIDARY => Tips and Gadgets => Topic started by: Michaelmoller1 on April 13, 2016, 10:45:59 AM
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Good morning All,
Can anyone advise if its possible to use a highbanker/sluice for processing gemstones?
I will be running my wash through a dry trommel to screen out all the fine sand. I would then like to run 25-50 of the 20 litre buckets of wash through a highbanker/sluice to catch all the sapphires/zircons.
Can anyone provide any information on this please?
Ideally I would love a pulsator but they are quite expensive and out of my budget that's why I thought a highbanker/sluice as they are much cheaper.
Look forward to hearing your comments.
cheers Mike
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I'd be tempted to use a large willoughby(spelling?) to concentrate(even automate it). Scrape off the gravel on top and add more wash. 25 buckets is not alot, just work on methods/design to save water, remove waste and build a concentrate to go though at end of day.
Cheers
MB
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Mike forget about a highbanker for putting your mines 25 buckets a day through.
Besides the sapphires would mainly fall out in the waste and have to be reprocessed.
They also use a fair bit of water even if you recycle it.
A walbanker would be a cheap option but still very time consuming and really aimed at 2 fossickers who wants to catch some sapphires as well as heavy gold.
I will send you a pm with a link to how to make one on another forum.
A second hand pulsator or a 2nd 'wet' trommel to do your buckets would be the way to go.
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I'd be tempted to use a large willoughby(spelling?) to concentrate(even automate it). Scrape off the gravel on top and add more wash. 25 buckets is not alot, just work on methods/design to save water, remove waste and build a concentrate to go though at end of day.
Cheers
MB
Thanks MB,
I do have a Willoughby but its just normal size and takes a 33cm sieve.
So if I build a decent amount of concentrate do you think it would be suitable to run through a highbanker/sluice at the end of the day?
I'd assume the biggest size stone would be 10mm to run through the highbanker/sluice? I would pick out anything bigger and sort them by hand.
cheers Mike
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Mike forget about a highbanker for putting your mines 25 buckets a day through.
Besides the sapphires would mainly fall out in the waste and have to be reprocessed.
Particularly the larger ones which are the ones you really want to find/keep efficiently - they can roll over the top of the riffles if you are not careful.
Hopefully you are getting some good ideas to come up with a practical solution.
cheers
Leah
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Mike forget about a highbanker for putting your mines 25 buckets a day through.
Besides the sapphires would mainly fall out in the waste and have to be reprocessed.
They also use a fir bit of water even if you recycle it.
A walbanker would be a cheap option but still very time consuming and really aimed at 2 fossickers who wants to catch some sapphires as well as heavy gold.
I will send you a pm with a link to how to make one on another forum.
A second hand pulsator or a 2nd 'wet' trommel to do your buckets would be the way to go.
Thanks JimnyJerry,
A pulsator is definitely on the wish list but a bit pricey. Not sure how cheaply one could be made.
What would be the benefits of a 2nd we trommel?
If you could send the link that would be great as there will be 2 of us so a walbanker might work just fine and I do know there is gold up here as well.
cheers mike
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Mike forget about a highbanker for putting your mines 25 buckets a day through.
Besides the sapphires would mainly fall out in the waste and have to be reprocessed.
Particularly the larger ones which are the ones you really want to find/keep efficiently - they can roll over the top of the riffles if you are not careful.
Hopefully you are getting some good ideas to come up with a practical solution.
cheers
Leah
Thanks Leah,
Yeah don't want to be losing to many of the big ones.
Hopefully I can come up with a solution. Will see how this thread pans out.
cheers mike
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The pm is sent look for it under My Messages on ALF, a copy also gets emailed to you. :)
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I'd be tempted to use a large willoughby(spelling?) to concentrate(even automate it). Scrape off the gravel on top and add more wash. 25 buckets is not alot, just work on methods/design to save water, remove waste and build a concentrate to go though at end of day.
Cheers
MB
I build a concentrate that is that rich I take it home and go though it with a head lamp on a white plate. It would be 80% heavies and I don't reckon you'd have much luck processing it further.
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I'd be tempted to use a large willoughby(spelling?) to concentrate(even automate it). Scrape off the gravel on top and add more wash. 25 buckets is not alot, just work on methods/design to save water, remove waste and build a concentrate to go though at end of day.
Cheers
MB
I build a concentrate that is that rich I take it home and go though it with a head lamp on a white plate. It would be 80% heavies and I don't reckon you'd have much luck processing it further.
Thanks MB,
Are we talking about gemstones here or Gold as well?
cheers Mike
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Hi All,
Could anyone recommend some dimensions for the Highbanker/Sluice to get me started?
Can anyone confirm if it would be more beneficial to have a longer Sluice Box say 1500-2400mm long to ensure no gemstone run out the end of the box.
Cheers Mike