Last Post 11 Jan 2018 08:23 AM by  Thomas Wentling
What Classifier Sizes
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Thomas Wentling
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30 Dec 2017 05:52 AM

    I am looking at getting more classifiers. I have the #2 (1/2") and #8 (1/8") mesh classifiers by Keene. I am going to use a 100 for (Blue Bowl and Miller Table). What sizes do you feel are best to add before the 100 mesh or can I just go from the #8 straight to the 100?  My concern is having to much to dig through, in the classifier, if I make a big jump like this. Thanks

    Wayne Crowder
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    30 Dec 2017 11:49 AM
    Thomas,
    Some suppliers will sell a set of classifiers that would be less money per screen than buying individual screens. I think I got mine either from Gold Rush Trading Post or Gold Fever Prospecting. One of the 2 is in Oregon and doesn't charge sales tax if I recall.

    Mike Pung, of Gold Cube fame, recommended going half way each time you screen: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, 1/128 but those numbers don't fit what is usually available, so after 1/8 would be 1/12, 1/20, 1/30, 1/50, 1/70, 1/100. Or if you want it in mesh numbers: 2, 4, 8, 12, 20, 30, 50, 70, 100 mesh.

    He also recommended that if you're classifying to around 100 mesh, you do it dry, something to do with water making it harder to screen.

    I would probably try going to 30 mesh or so before 100 mesh. But according to the Blue Bowl instructions I have, they recommend going to 30 mesh. Some folks only go to 20 mesh to run in the Blue Bowl.
    Christopher Satkowski
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    31 Dec 2017 07:53 AM

    IMO classifying is for cons only, not for regular dirt less just dug from he ground. It just takes too much work. That is my lesson learned after five years of digging. Need to get something that will process your dirt to cons dug from the ground, otherwise it takes way too much time. In the desert southwest, its a dry washer. Dry washers tend to have a 3/8 inch screen built into them so you take the boulders out, and put the dirt on the screen.


    Although I like the idea of 2 (1/2 inch), 4 (1/4 inch), 8 (1/8 inch), 12 --or-- 20 mesh, 50 mesh, 100 mesh, if you've ever actually screened a lot of material to this, it is hard and you'd have to be working with concentrates to make it worth your time. Really, any actual mesh set close to that will work.

    One day, I decided to dig 10 buckets of 1/8 mesh material. Took me the entire day, sun up to sun down, to classify that many buckets. I went 1/2" to 1/4 inch to 8 mesh (1/8 inch) to run through the gold cube. I did it wet because if you don't, then you'll always get a bit of material sticking to the bigger material. Usually I classify dry, but that day I did it wet.

    I ran these 8 mesh buckets through the gold cube on a different day, probably about another 5 hours set up to finish putting the gear away. I did not recover but a flake of gold. Not the gold cube's fault, but was my fault for digging bad dirt. I also dug around 40 buckets to get those 10 finished buckets. so I dug a ton of dirt, to get a flake of gold.  Even if it had been an area you can take equipment into, if it was a gram a ton (about $1 worth of gold per five gallon bucket), then you have a serious pay streak you can take equipment into.  I would have loved to gotten a gram that day, but got a flake.  That was a lesson learned where I can't do the same thing the same way every time and expect different results. 


    Some like the trommels you can put on the gold cube, but I think they are way too small. Need to be able to shovel stuff into the machine by the shovel full, not with a green shovel but a #2 shovel, to make it worth your time.


    Once you get the pay dirt, than by all means classify to what works at your claim. For me, I will take the cons from dry washing, and depending on the amount run them through the dry washer again to get "super cons" and then take that through 8 mesh directly to run through the gold cube.

    Am I missing gold doing this? Yes, but not much. I have spent hours before getting every last fly speck of gold out of the cons, and I will never waste my time doing that again.
    ARTHUR WAUGH
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    31 Dec 2017 02:50 PM

    When running a small backpack sluice, or pan in the field, I'll classify to 1/4 inch, wet.  Don't have  a miller setup yet or other final recovery system, so pan cons at home for recovery.

    There I'll run through 20, 50, 70, and 100 mesh screens wet, and pan out each one. 

    Thomas Wentling
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    01 Jan 2018 04:47 PM

    I have read that the bluebowl recommends down to 100. That seems to make sense since the finer the material, the slower you can run the water. Would I be wrong if I go from 1/2" to 1/8th " to say 50 then 100. Or should I use more in between? Out in the field, I pan the 1/8th. The rest I bring home and work down.

    Wayne Crowder
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    02 Jan 2018 09:08 AM
    Thomas, I would say that it depends on your dirt/gravel. Give it a try and see if it works for you.
    WALTER EASON
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    02 Jan 2018 10:27 AM
    The classifications of concentrates that you are getting gold it is good practice to classify to every five diameters. This will allow you to work much faster with the concentrates. You also will want to take a good look at he classification of larger waist that is larger than your first classification just in the case there is a stray larger find to be found. Screen / mess classification is the opening size which if you are making your own can vary according to wire size, not a big deal in larger mesh but if you are dealing with fine or micron as it is called this may make a difference in your decision making. 
    John Dykstra
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    10 Jan 2018 07:35 AM

    I have a 1/2 1/4 1/8  20 mesh 50 mesh and 100 mesh. I use the 1/2 and 1/4 more in the field. The rest at camp or home.

    Thomas Wentling
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    11 Jan 2018 08:23 AM
    Posted By John Dykstra on 10 Jan 2018 07:35 AM

    I have a 1/2 1/4 1/8  20 mesh 50 mesh and 100 mesh. I use the 1/2 and 1/4 more in the field. The rest at camp or home.

    Do you feel the need to have them all? Is there any size you think you could skip? Would it make sense to go from the 1/8 to 50 to 100? Is 20 to 100 to big of a jump?  Right now I am going from 1/2 to 1/8 to what I think is a 20 to teabag stainer size. I am hoping somebody brings classifiers to the meeting this weekend so I can see what each size looks like.


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