How to Make a Sluice Box
Buying a sluice box can be expensive. A sluice box is a piece of mining equipment that will allow you work more dirt efficiently than having to pan each scoop of dirt you get out of the river. The sluice box acts as a natural gravity trap for gold, with water being your ally to sort through the light material. The sluice box described below is lightweight, easy to build and can be customized to any size you desire.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Buy your supplies. Go to a hardware store to buy some sewer pipe, which is usually colored black and has natural riffles in it. If you do not have a wood board, go ahead and pick up a 2x4 and screws if you do not have any.
-
2
Decide on your size. Bigger is not always better, especially if you are planning to pack your sluice box with you out on the field. It is recommended to make your sluice box about 4 feet long. Match your sewer pipe and 2x4 length to whichever size you choose.
-
-
3
Grab your sewer pipe and a knife. You will see a side seam on the sewer pipe. Cut the seam on both sides of your sewer pipe and you have the main piece of your sluice box.
-
4
Cut your 2x4 to the same size as the sewer pipe.
-
5
Grab one of your cut halves of the sewer pipe and your 2x4. Place the sewer pipe so it is flush with the end of the 2x4. Drill about a half inch from the edge through the pipe into the wood. Keep your sewer pipe centered on your 2x4 and put a screw in every 12 inches. At the bottom of your sluice box, put a screw mirroring the top about a half inch from the edge on the bottom.
-
6
Use your sluice box in your backyard or in the gold fields. The angle you will set up will be tricky. It always depends on how fast the water is flowing. As a general rule of thumb, for every foot of length of your sluice box, raise it 6 inches. You will know if the angle is wrong by finding gold only at the bottom of the sluice box. Your biggest chunks of gold should always be in the top few riffles of your sluice box.
Enjoy and Happy Hunting!
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Practice in your backyard with a garden hose and a tub before you take it out in the field
If you find gold only in the bottom riffles of your sluice box, your angle is too steep or the water is running too fast.
