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How to Make a Homemade Sluice Box

Sluice boxes are used to speed up the process of separating dirt and other unwanted material from gold. The riffles in a sluice box achieve separation by acting as a natural gravity trap for gold, with running water acting as the driving engine behind the process. Purchasing a sluice box at a retail store can be expensive, but you can build one yourself for a fraction of the cost. A homemade sluice box is made from lightweight materials, so you can easily carry it with you to remote locations.

Things You'll Need

Hand saw or skill saw
Drill
Wood 2-by-4
Corrugated plastic pipe (4-foot length and 4-inch outside diameter)
11/4-inch screws

Instructions

- 1
  Purchase your supplies. Go to a hardware store to purchase 4 feet of corrugated plastic pipe with an outside diameter 4 inches, a wood 2-by-4 and 11/4-inch screws.
- 2
  Grab a sharp knife and your plastic pipe. Cut along the seam of the pipe on both sides. Keep one of the halves for this project and store the other half of the pipe for a replacement if needed.
- 3
  Cut your wood 2-by-4 to match the length of your pipe.
- 4
  Center the plastic pipe half on your 2-by-4, making sure both ends are flush. Drill your first screw 1/2-inch from the edge of the pipe and 2-by-4 while making sure the screw is as close to the center of the pipe as possible. Continue drilling screws in this fashion every 12 inches down until you reach the bottom. Place another screw 1/2 inch from the bottom, mirroring the screw drilled at the top.
- 5
  Use your homemade sluice box in your backyard as a trial run or if you have gold-bearing dirt that needs to be sorted. The rule of thumb for the angle of a sluice box is 6 inches of elevation for every foot of length of your sluice box. Notice that the gold is caught in the corrugated riffles of the pipe, while the lighter material is washed out the bottom of your sluice box.

Rocks & Minerals