Easy Homemade Gold Sucker

Other tube id 1 1/2″ type 125 PVC

Inner tube is 1 1/4″ Type 40 PVC
Length is about 3-4 feet.

The handle is made from 1/2″ PVC end caps and a 1/2″ tee with a couple of short pieces of 1/2″ PVC pipes to connect. The handle is bolted thru handle to the end cap.

Use 1/8″ file for O-ring grooves. Depth of O-ring grooves must be about 1/2 of the dia of the O-ring cross section. Note: I have excluded part numbers as this design is from 1994 and part numbers chance. Because of this you may need to have a poke around your local hardware providers to find an O-ring that gives the best seal.

With the crevice sucker attached, the plunger may be pumped several times until the material reaches the top of the 1/2″ pipe. Another possible attachment would be a 1 1/2″, 45 or 90 degree tool instead of the normal crevice sucker.

Since the gold sucker is normally used with the bottom open, you may be asking “how do you keep the stuff from falling out the bottom?” The short answer is ya gotta be quick. Try to keep your bucket or pan as close to the spot you are working ans almost submerged so you don't have to move the sucker very high or very far. It also helps if you can get into a rhythm where you are still pulling on the plunger while transferring the material. Clean up any material that falls out every now and then.

Credits for the design go to William F Westcott (1994)

Mini High Banker

This small High-Banker is relatively easy to build. I was able to bend all the pieces using some scrap steel angle-bar stock as bending guides in my bench vise. I used a rubber hammer to "refine" the edges. If you have access to a brake (sheet metal bending tool) so much the better. The thinner the aluminum stock, the lighter the completed unit will be. A definite advantage if you plan to pack it into the back country.

Some of the pieces are welded together using Flux less Aluminum Repair Rod. I found this rod very easy to use after just a few practice tries on scrap aluminum. You don't need sophisticated aluminum welding equipment, all you need is a propane torch.

1.) Start out by cutting sheet aluminum pieces 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,11 and 12 to plan dimensions. Note: the sheet aluminum thickness is not critical. It all depends on how rugged and heavy you wish to make your mini-banker. Slight adjustments to fit may be necessary when you bend the pieces. PC8 & 9 should be at approx 1/8" thick aluminum or steel.

2.) Lay out and drill 7/16" holes in PC2. Make sure the holes along the bend are as close as possible to the line. This reduces water loss over the end of the box. An alternate method would be to cut out this section and weld in a piece of expanded metal as a classifier.

4.) Drill 5/32" holes as indicated in PC7, 8, and 11. Drill a 5/8" in PC2

5.) Cut PC5 to plan dimensions. PC5 is floorboard matting from old Volkswagen Vans. It has a checkerboard square pattern that works very well for trapping the coarse gold. To give it some rigidity, glue the smooth side to PC4.

6.) Cut PC10 to plan dimension. PC10 is expanded metal screen.

7.) Mark pieces 1, 3, and bend 90 degrees.

8.) Bend the sides of PC2, 90 degrees, making sure the finished piece will fit inside PC1.

9.) Bend sides of PC6, 90 degrees (make sure it is slightly smaller than the inside width of PC2 so the weld will not interfere with the fit inside PC1). Bend the end tab in line with the hypotenuse of the sides.

10.) Weld the gravel guide trough (PC6) on the bottom of the Loader Box (PC2). Make sure the end of the trough is approximately 13/4" back from the end of the box. This allows room for the classified gravel to pass between the trough and the gravel stop (PC12).

11.) Weld the gravel stop (PC12) to the end of the sluice box (PC1).

12.) Fit PC3 on the end of PC1, drill four holes for #6/32 sheet metal screws. Install screws.

13.) Lay the two PC8's inside the sides of the sluice box. Trim the three PC9's to fit between the two PC8's. After you have a good fit, remove from the box and weld PC8 at each end and one in the center. This forms the riffle bar frame.

14.) Place the PC4-5 assembly in the sluice box firmly against the gravel stop, then butt the end of the miners moss at the end of PC4-5 assembly. Place the riffle assembly on top of the miners moss and drill two 1/4" pivot holes through the side of the sluice box and riffle assembly. Install 1/4" x 20 nuts and bolts. The riffle assembly should be installed so that it compresses the miners moss against the bottom of the box.

15.) Round the ends of PC11, place in the box as shown in the assembly drawing. Be sure it compresses the riffle assembly when you drill for the pivot bolts.

16.) Position PC2 inside PC1 as shown in the assembly drawing, mark and drill holes for 1/4" x 20 bolts. Install nuts and bolts so the two boxes can pivot freely. Note: the end of PC2 must overhang PC1 at least 1/2" so the larger classified gravel won't drop into the sluice box.

17.) Drill and install the braces (PC7) using 10-32 bolts. Drill extra holes about an inch apart in line with the first hole so the box can be set at different angles to suit varying field conditions.

18.) Assemble the spray bar and install using 6-32 machine screws.

The mini-banker will work well with a flow of water as low as 5 GPM since no riffles are used . The low flow is even desirable because it allows the very fine gold to drop into the miners moss. There are many gas and electric pumps on the market which are small and lightweight. The disadvantage of electric pumps is you need to drag a heavy battery around. My preference is one of those small 2 cycle gas pumps that weigh in at about 6 to 8 pounds. In addition you could add legs and/or build a 20 to 30 gallon container to use as a recirculating water setup. I'll provide plans in a future issue of several different modifications for the "tinkerers" to try.

Copyright © Jerry Bowen, Jan 10, 1994

Tips for Gold Panning

Here are some tips for gold panning.
With Gold at well over $1000 an ounce, not only is panning for gold a good way to have fun it can also be a profitable hobby. Gold panning is an easy hobby to get started as the only equipment that is absolutely needed is a gold pan and a container to hold all the gold that you find. Not just a hobby for those in Alaska or California, gold is well distributed across the United States and chances are that gold can be found in the streams near you.

A great tip for finding more gold when panning is to practice at home. Small lead shot used for loading shotgun shells or lead shaved off of fishing sinkers and other lead items can be used to practice cheaply at home. Mix the lead with sand and small gravel and practice until you can reliably pan out the lead.

As gold is even denser than lead, if you can catch the lead you will almost certainly catch the gold in your pan. When tossing out larger rocks from your pan, turn them over in your hands and give them a quick look. You don't want to be throwing away gold that is stuck to the rock. Quartz rock is especially likely to contain gold. Shake the rocks in the water as well to knock off any loose material that also may contain gold.

Another great tip for gold panning is to use a drop or two of dishwashing liquid in your pan. This is especially useful when panning extremely fine gold. The soap will help to keep the small flakes of gold from floating on the surface of the water. While gold is denser than water, the very small flakes will sometimes float due to surface tension.

A magnet is a useful piece of equipment to add to your gold panning kit. When you are trying to separate gold from black sand, the magnet can be used to attract and remove the black sand so that you can get to the gold. Special magnetic tools are available for this purpose, but regular magnets will also work. Another useful tip for panning for gold is to pan in places that are difficult to reach and that are uncomfortable to work. Most areas that are easy to access and easy to work probably have been worked over numerous times, but the less easy places might harbor a lot of gold for you to find. These are just a few tips that can be used to make gold panning more successful. T

he best tip for gold panning is to simply spend more time panning for gold.

Published by J. Motes Motes has been published in a variety of national and regional publications on subjects ranging from frugal living to rabbit hunting.