How to Design a Sluice Box
A sluice box can uncover more gold than you would normally get from vigorous panning and it can do the work all on its own. Before you can build a sluice box, you need to come up with a design. A proper design dictates the shape of the box, the materials you will use for the box and how it operates. The design can be as simple or as intricate as you like as long as it creates a realistic blueprint for construction of your sluice box.
Instructions
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1
Draw a basic sketch that shows the dimensions of your sluice box. Draw it from the side to show the length and depth of the box and from the top to show the length and the width of the box.
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2
List the materials you will use for construction of the box alone. The sides of the box can be wood, but you need a ribbed material on the inside of the box to catch the denser particles of gold. The material can be a ribbed mat or a harder material as long as all the ribs face the same direction.
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3
Lay a small piece of material inside the box on a tilted surface. Fill a glass of water with a few small flecks of gold and some sand. Pour the water over the material to observe how well the material catches the flecks of gold but dispels the water and sand.
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4
Consider what type of base you will use for your sluice box. More traditional sluice boxes stood on legs that grew progressively shorter so the sluice box would sit at an angle. Modern designs, though, have the sluice box sitting on a frame that allows the box to pivot over a plastic container that catches runoff.
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5
Draw a brief sketch of your stand. If you go with the more traditional style, draw your sluice box with legs. For the modern model, draw a frame (long enough and wide enough to fit your sluice box inside) attached to a plastic container.
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6
Sketch your sluice box and your stand together in more detail. Write the proper measurements for your components next to each one (this includes the length of the box, the height of the stand, and the different leg measurements). Include details such as the width of the wood you will use for the box and the location of the bolt that pivots the box if you use the modern stand design.
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Tips & Warnings
The original gold miners emptied buckets of water into their sluice box. New technology gives you the option to attach a water pump at the top of the sluice box, so you can continually cycle water through it.
