STEP
1:
GETTING
SET
UP
After
you
have
located
a
promising
deposit
of
gold-bearing
gravel,
walk
along
the
stream
bank
and
look
for
a
place
where
you
can
set
up
your
sluice
box.
You
should
search
for
a
spot
where
the
current
is
moving
quite
swiftly.
Once
you
find
such
a
place,
set
your
sluice
box
directly
in
the
current
so
that
the
box
is
filled
with
water
almost
to
the
top.
|
|
 You
can
often
compensate
by
placing
the
sluice
box
so
that
the
upper
"input"
end
is
slightly
higher
than
the
lower
"discharge"
end.
If
the
sluice
box
is
somewhat
unstable
in
the
current,
position
a
few
rocks
around
the
outside
of
the
trough
to
brace
it.
|
|
Sometimes
you
will
not
even
need
the
"rock
brace,"
as
the
first
few
buckets
of
gravel
placed
into
the
sluice
box
will
provide
just
enough
stability
to
weigh
it
down.
|
|
STEP
2:
FEEDING
THE
SLUICE
Feed
your
gold-bearing
gravel
into
the
upper
portion
of
the
sluice
box
in
carefully
regulated
amounts.
Do
not,
under
any
circumstances,
dump
a
large
amount
of
gravel
into
the
sluice
box
all
at
once!
The
gravel
must
be
fed
at
a
pace
that
will
not
overload
the
riffles.
How
can
you
tell
when
the
riffles
are
overloading?
It
is
simple.
If
you
cannot
see
the
uppermost
"crest"
of
each
riffle
bar
at
all
times,
you
are
feeding
the
gravel
too
fast.
Back
off
a
bit. |
|
The
use
of
a
1/4
inch
classifier
screen
to
pre-screen
material
before
dumping
into
the
sluice
box
can
save
much
time
and
effort.
The
penalty
for
overloading
your
riffles
often
results
in
lost
gold!
Each
time
a
new
load
of
gravel
is
dumped
into
a
sluice
box
with
overloaded
riffles,
any
gold
in
that
gravel
will
wash
right
over
the
material
that
is
clogging
your
riffles
and
out
the
discharge
end
of
the
box.
|
|
STEP
3:
CHECK
THE
SLUICE
FOR
VALUES
It
is
a
good
idea
to
periodically
check
the
sluice
box
for
values
that
may
have
been
recovered.
The
black
rubber
matting
is
designed
to
make
a
quick
inspection
during
the
sluice
operation.
Gold
can
be
spotted
instantly
on
the
black
matting
while
the
sluice
is
being
fed.
This
helps
to
determine
where
the
gold
values
may
be
the
most
plentiful.
Remember,
don't
overload
your
riffles!
|
|
STEP
4:
TENDING
THE
SLUICE
After
dumping
each
load
of
gravel
into
the
sluice
box,
check
the
riffle
section
for
large
waste
rocks
that
may
be
lodged
in
the
sluice.
Flick
these
rocks
out
of
the
riffles
with
your
fingers.
When
large
rocks
are
allowed
to
rest
in
the
riffle
section
they
will
cause
the
current
to
wash
out
all
the
concentrates
from
the
immediate
area
of
the
rock.
|
|
If
a
rock
is
lodged
in
the
uppermost
portion
of
the
trough,
the
washed
out
concentrates
will
merely
settle
in
the
next
few
riffles
down.
But
if
the
wash-out
occurs
at
the
lower
end
of
the
trough,
the
concentrate
may
flow
out
of
the
sluice
box
altogether. |
|
 As
one
can
see,
it
pays
to
keep
an
eye
on
those
waste
rocks!
And
one
more
thing,
don't
forget
to
shovel
away
the
tailings
which
will
periodically
build
up
at
the
discharge
end
of
the
sluice
box.
If
you
don't
the
tailings
will
back
up
into
the
lower
end
of
the
sluice
trough,
burying
some
of
your
riffles.
|
STEP
5:
PERFORMING
THE
CLEANUP
When
your
riffles
have
accumulated
black
iron
sand
in
amounts
extending
more
than
halfway
downward
to
the
next
lower
riffle,
it
is
time
to
perform
a
cleanup.
Carefully
lift
the
sluice
box
from
the
current
keeping
it
as
level
as
possible.
Now
carry
it
over
to
the
stream
bank
(watch
your
footing
on
those
slippery
rocks!)
and
set
it
down.
|
|
Remove
the
sluice's
riffle
section
and
screen
and
set
it
aside,
exercising
care
not
to
shake
off
any
gravel
adhering
to
it.
Roll
up
the
matting
which
lines
the
bottom
of
the
sluice
box
trough
and
thoroughly
rinse
off
all
the
concentrate.
This
should
be
done
with
the
matting
safely
contained
in
a
gold
pan
or
deep
bucket
if
possible.
The
use
of
a
bucket
may
prevent
any
loss
of
all
gold
that
could
occur
when
attempting
to
rinse
out
the
matting
in
a
gold
pan!
Next,
examine
the
empty
sluice
box
trough.
Gold
has
a
tendency
to
work
its
way
beneath
the
matting
which
often
lies
at
the
bottom
of
the
trough.
You
may
be
surprised
at
the
amount
of
"color"
that
can
accumulate
there.
|
|
Check
to
see
if
there
is
any
fine
silt
clinging
to
the
bottom,
rinse
all
of
it
into
your
concentrate
bucket.
Finally,
pick
up
the
riffle
section
itself
and
rinse
any
adhering
gravel
into
the
concentrate
bucket.
The
sluice
box
cannot
be
considered
"cleaned"
until
each
and
every
part
has
been
thoroughly
rinsed.
|
|
STEP
6:
GETTING
THE
GOLD
OUT
And
now
for
the
final
step.
This
is
the
one
you
will
certainly
enjoy
the
most.
The
act
of
panning
out
your
concentrates
to
get
the
gold.
I
hope
your
run
was
a
profitable
one! |
SUMMING
UP
By
the
time
you
get
to
Step
Six,
you
will
have
processed
several
hundred
pounds
of
gravel,
far
more
than
the
average
person
could
ever
hope
to
hand-pan
during
a
daily
outing.
Using
a
sluice
box
of
the
type
shown,
you
can
also
work
this
much
gravel.
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!
—instructions
provided
courtesy
of
Keene
Engineering. |
