Walkabout?

[hakas]

Hello golddiggery!
What is this animal?



Image stolen from here:
www.angusmackirk.com/index.html

Who "yuzal" this "devayz" tell me

I apologize for my Albanian language

[goldcam]

Angus Mckirk has some innovative approaches to design. I would like to learn more about what looks to be some sort of dredge nozzle. Are his products better than conventional equipment? It would be great if he would join our forum and talk about his products. "The Fossicker" inventor of the Pyramid Pro Pan and his new Maverick Pan frequently posts discussions on the internet and answers questions about his unique pan designs. Check out www.fossickers.com if you get a chance. ~Joey

[Steel Pan]

Maybe a nozzel with a float?
I went to the site but couldn't find the nozzel.
Ya, the grayish triangle thingy kinda looks like a float to me.
Don't see a need for one, but it,.... well,..... you tell me.

[kgphoto]

Probably more like a BAzooka Dredge.

[renochris]

You guys are all too young!

Thats an underwater dredge designed after a an old style that is no longer used. They used to make stuff like that in the 1950s and 1960s. Its so old that although I have seen them in person, I've never actually been present when one was running. The front part is an intake nozzle, the curved tube is the pressurized water in from the pump, the fron part of the gray plastic is a sort of expansion tube, the very end of the gray (you can barely see it on the bottom) is a little section f sluice box.

All the major dredge makers gave up that design because:
1. It has to be held perfectly level or your recovery on gold goes into the dump.
2. All the gravel comes out only about 6 feet behind you, meaning you always have cramped quarters.
3. The tiny sluce box section gets crappy recovery even if you do keep it perfectly level.
4. The tinly sluice box needs to be cleaned out or at least dumped off every couple hours.

Some old junky designs are abandoned for good reasons. I guess that once things are old enough every one forgets why we dont use this type of stuff anymore. Its one advantage is it is cheap.

Chris