Tools when Sluicing

The following tools are very useful in sluicing operations: shovel, pick (it is very good to break the material that forms a streambed), hammer for rocks (to help break the bedrock and clean cracks), scrub, vack-machine (to clean bedrock), plastic sheets (to build barriers in the water), nylon cord (to anchor the sluice when placed in streams of water), coffee can or bucket (to put concentrates), gold pan (for washing), tweezers or snifter bottle and a glass or plastic jar for gold.

You can build a simple but effective wooden sluice box, which can be used with good results in operations of one or two people. The sluice is built as follows: use high quality marine or outdoor plywood, cut rectangular pieces that will form the floor and the walls that will have the following dimensions: floor = 14” x 4”, walls = 6” x 4”; the side boards must be screwed very firmly to the floor boards, making sure that they are firmly fixed to the side edges of the board of the floor. Once they are firmly fixed seal the edges with rubber silicone. This is to make sure that gold will not get lost to some crack. Use the silicone just as to fill in the cracks only. After that follows the riffles system, which will be made of maple wood of 1” x 1” each piece. Each riffle will be 12 inches long, and the lateral rails must be three feet long each. Riffles will be placed an inch or more apart from each other along the lateral rails. There will be 18 in total. Better results from riffles can be got if one cuts an angle at the bottom part behind them. Riffles will work well without a cut, but there will be better results if the angle is cut behind, because it will originate in back of them a better back eddy, causing to improve the concentration activity.

Screw each riffle to the lateral rails with all the angles cut looking to the back through the lower edge. Riffles must start on the front border of the lateral rails and must be placed an inch or more apart from each other, making sure that the lower borders of all the riffles be even. One must screw on two screws at each side of the riffle. Smaller holes should be drilled first to avoid wood from splintering.  Now cut a piece of an indoor/outdoor rug or many pieces of burlap with 3” x 14”. These will be placed in the lower section of the box with the riffles placed on top. The following will be build four locks for riffles.

To build the locks of the riffles, place the rug in its place inside the box with the riffles on top overlooking to the right direction. Put the wedges on top of the lateral rails pointing to the front at 6 inches on each corner of the riffle system. The block locks must be placed on to the wedges and screwed on to the sides of the sluice box. Make sure to adjust the lock of the blocks upward and apart from the lateral rails as possible, but not far enough as to block the wedges in their place to firmly support downwards the riffles. The reason for you to want the block locks be on top and apart from the lateral rails is that in that way there will be more place to slide the riffles outwards when you want to take them out to clean it.

Now the box is finished and the riffle system can be secured strongly by hammering the wedges into place, or removing them using the same procedures, hammering them strongly outwards. Note that the head of the box does not have riffles it is here where the material will be poured during sluicing. Sluices generally work better when there is a smooth surface, before riffles start.