Any Experience with Small Scale Placer Concentrators Like Mountain Goat Trommel ?

[gunDriller]

(Will elaborate in Second Post so I can use "Reply" for inserting images".)

[gunDriller]

I am thinking of buying one of these. It's called a trommel.

Some trommels sort input gravel & sand mixes according to size. Some also sort according to density, performing a 'gold-panning' function.

The "Mountain Goat" uses a spiral in the wall of the tube to perform an initial separation - tailings go out one orifice, concentrates go out another. It is geared more towards sand & very small gravel.

http://www.camelminingproducts.biz/desfox/wp-content/uploads/mgt3.png

http://www.camelminingproducts.biz/mountain-goat-trommel/


The second separator ("Desert Fox") uses spiral ridges in a circular plate to perform additional concentration of the initial concentrates that come out of the 'Mountain Goat'.

http://desfox.com/DESERT%20FOX%20copy.gif

http://www.camelminingproducts.biz/desert-fox/


The 2 of them working together -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LX4d1189aU


I'm wondering if these are gimmicks or genuinely useful tools, if you have a source of input rock/sand.

[Son-of-Liberty]

Don't really know much about this stuff but it seems interesting. The largest river around here is full of fine gold. Found out that my girlfriends brother purchased the wedding ring he bought for his wife with the proceeds of gold he had panned on days he was unable to work due to rain.

They used to dredge the river to mine gold but now they have all sorts of regulations that limit what you can do. Can't use any mechanical equipment down by the river I could see running the gravel through a basic sluice placed in the river then bringing home the buckets of concentrate to run through something like this though.

There were some guys making a living at this several years ago and gold has doubled since then.

[beefsteak]

Gunny,
Have looked over that Mountain Goat trommel, had it demo'd for me, etc., but not used it personally. I HAVE used portable trommels over the last 25 or so years. It's almost "old news now," with the advent of the GOLD CUBE, a serious piece of recirculating water gold grabber devices on the market place. The vortex, conveyor belt fabric lining the second and 3rd trays counting down the trays from the top, are super easy cleanups.

Usually the gold is found in the first tray, very little in the second tray, and maybe a couple specks of fly scat in the bottom tray. No moving parts to break down or wear out or get jammed as in the Mountain Goat, which is a big plus of using the G.C.

Might want to Checkout the Inventor demonstrating it over east of me here, at the October 2011 G.P.A.A. Gold Show in Charlotte NC. Here is a video from the NC gold show on the gold cube. Start at 10:30 on the time line. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiFTAbyU-bY

I think it is about half way through the video. The inventor interview is being conducted by a mining engineer, Miner Mike who hails from down Alabama way.

When I buy mine next spring, I'm selling my multiple gold wheels and my portable trommel, which is biggie sized compared to that Blue Mt Goat you posted pix of. I've already got a vibrating feeder which will steadily drop dug material directly into the top of the G.C. I can feed material through wet or dry into the top of the G.C. Pretty slick.

The Gold Cube. is compact, much easier to clean out, works on a 12VDC battery power also, and way more portable ad a 3 stack is less money ($379?)than the Mountain Goat. (4 stack: -$495- shown in pix below.)

That Camel wheel product was a major disappointment, and I returned it for a refund 30 days after the initial purchase. One has to fiddle ALL the time with the incline (azmuth) of this camel unit in particular, because each scoop of material added to the bottom of the wheel constantly adds weight and then the weight lessens as the material walks up or over the lip, depending upon what angle you have it set at.

The wheel concept is not a gimmick, as I've seen 6 foot cast iron wheels in use at commercial, small mining operations, fed by Austrian Spirals.

After returning the Camel Unit, I bought Gold Magic green wheel and white wheels both, for portability and effeciency. I was much happer. DIdn't have to constantly adjust the azmuth. I also have a rescued 42" wheel from a larger operation that is for sale now, by word of mouth. The miner/owner was hard up for money and pawned it. I bought it from the pawn shop knowing I'd get way more than I paid for it. The 42" wheels are running about $900 bucks each.

Jis sayin'....

http://www.goldprospectors.org/forum/uploads/10471/DSC02104.JPGhttp://www.goldprospectors.org/forum/uploads/10471/DSC02105.JPG


beefsteak

[gunDriller]

Thanks for all the replies !


i got a demonstration of the Gold Genie spiral wheel at a local supplier. impressive.

i also found this online report about vibrating tables.

http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_resources/gold/Documents/SP87.pdf

the diagram showing middlings, concentrate, & tailings is like a grayscale image of the end result for the vibrating table used at the Bjorkdahl mine in Sweden -

http://www.goldoreresources.com/i/photos/bjorkdal/large/Free-gold.jpg

http://www.goldoreresources.com/s/Bjorkdal.asp


i found this for the Gold Cube -

http://www.goldcube.net/


i had thought about using a vibrating feeder to take dry sand up to the separator. i wonder if a helix (scooping helix ?) could perform a similar function.


i also found this fairly clear description of how a vibrator table works for fine gold concentrate separation from black sand etc. -

http://nevada-outback-gems.com/design_plans/DIY_shaker_table/shaker_table.htm


some of that came from doing a web search for "Vibrating Tables gold separation". that also brought up this -
http://sierrametal.com/UHF/Mining_Equipment_files/2x4_Side_View-600x450.jpg

from these guys -
http://sierrametal.com/UHF/

[beefsteak]

Gunny,
hands down, the best small vibrating table out there is the U-Tech product line. Affordable if you are looking for a table that one can pick up for under $1500 and have never run a table before. VERY user friendly. NOT very portable. At least, at my age, nothing is very portable come to think of it. LOL


beefsteak

[gunDriller]

Gunny,
hands down, the best small vibrating table out there is the U-Tech product line. Affordable if you are looking for a table that one can pick up for under $1500 and have never run a table before. VERY user friendly. NOT very portable. At least, at my age, nothing is very portable come to think of it. LOL


beefsteak


Thanks !

i found this -
http://www.gold-rus.com/Gold/U-Tech-Shaker-Table-RP-4.html

http://www.gold-rus.com/Gold/U-Tech-Shaker-Table-RP-4/IMAG001.JPG

[beefsteak]

That's the one, Gunny.

Sweet unit, tested by some serious prospectors and some wild eyed hopefuls. Same postive results and reports from both groupies.

Terrific reports, well built, excellent manufacturer who has stood the test of time. Going to get one?


beefsteak

[gunDriller]

That's the one, Gunny.

Sweet unit, tested by some serious prospectors and some wild eyed hopefuls. Same postive results and reports from both groupies.

Terrific reports, well built, excellent manufacturer who has stood the test of time. Going to get one?

beefsteak


i'm not sure which one to get, but i have some time to decide. i have some "spare budget" starting about Jan. 20.

i was at a mining supply last night and asked him if the Genie/ Cube/ Table are targeted towards a specific situation. i told him about the Bjorkdahl mine in Sweden, where they currently use tables (one million ounces produced). he said they probably use crushers (which they do), and that everything that goes on the tables is graded to 100 microns or smaller. i'm still learning the terminology, but i think the term "flour gold" might apply there.

i also have the impression that throughput wise, the table processes a lot more than the spiral wheels and a single cube set-up.

[steel_ag]

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