Quick build trommel

Still waiting for the river to go down so I can go back 'home'!!
Everybody is out and about, so I thought I'd wack together a quick build trommel plant for the kids to use during the holidays......


Firstly some 20 litre paint tins from a skip on a building site...



Cut them up and rivet some thin angle between the two....



Then some mesh left over from a chicken coup build some years ago....



Ok, bit of sheet ali thats been sitting around for ages! As per a tip here, grind the bend line, stand on a bit of timber and pull her up!



I buy walkway mesh by the sheet! Just happened to have a small bit from a test plant I built years ago. I put in two pieces as even on the big plant, I only clean out the top section each day, thats where 90% of the gold should be.



Some brackets to hold the riffles down. (note I changed the position of these later as when I put miners moss under the mesh, I couldn't get the angle to hold the mesh down tightly)



Now!!! (I wonder how many noticed my massive error??!! pics 2 and 3?) I realise that I have stuffed up the barrel, in relation to the launder!!!
No worries, drill out the rivets, carefully slide out the short tin, and put in another full length one...



Looking better now...



OK, time to build up a frame....



Then.... some legs on the launder, a back on it, some miners moss, and put it together......





Ok, done for now!! Just need a 12v motor of sorts, a drive system and the water system....
Alright I did have bits lying around, but I had to buy wheels, moss and timber.... total cost so far....$33.....
Labour....$priceless!!
A good day!!!
I want to try and get it finished so the kids can use it this holidays! In the cut we have just finished, we left about 2 cube of rich dirt, next to some water for the kids to pan. Now they'll want the little excavator!!!

Your an ideas man, love the craftsmanship.

Brilliant work mate
The kids are gonna have a ball playing in the dirt!!!!!

Thanks guys, It took the boredom out of the day! I love making stuff!!
hopefully it will work????!!!! :/

Hi all,

Gold miner, how easy's that I'm going to have a crack at building one for our kids.

Thanks mate

Regards

Jim & Kerrie

Very simple indeed and it would work a treat.
A small one like I am building, would I need to have aggetators as well or just leave as is?
Cheers
Brad....

It wouldnt hurt as they are simple to add.
The will help agitate the dirt and help separate clay.
Plus they add strength to the little beasty!

Thanks Gold miner. Very easy once you know how.

Very impressive construction techniques deployed there Gold miner ....could serve you very well if ever the main plant has a melt down .....I'm sure the kids would lease it back to you for a fair price...and a box of Coke lol, Cheers Wal.

Ha!! Um I dont know if I could control the excavator with the precision required not to SMASH THE CRAP OUT OF IT!!!!!! :lol: :lol:
Plus I think the screen and barrel would wear out after about ......... an hour??? :8

Looks great GM!

TenOunce Tone said:

Looks great GM!

Click to expand...

Well Tone,
You've seen it in person today, so you can see how easy it was to build!!
As we said, you do what you need to do, making use of what you have around.... like the ol' timers did!!
'Cept we have access to more stuff now, even plant trays from Bunnings!!!!
Hopefully I'll sort that motor thing out this weekend, then a spray system is easy, then let the little 'dirty faced buggers' try it out! 8)

Haha have to get into the garage myself.. the list gets longer each visit to this site.. sieve bucket, highbanker.. now a trommel.. when will it end!!!

If you're like me Tone it probably won't end you just need a bigger garage

Nice build, let us know how you go using it through your stockpile.

Copper

Will do!
Buggerising around with the motor atm!
Found an old 6 volt generator off .... something old??
so I thought feed it with 12 volts, it should turn??
Well it does, but no oomphff!
I can stop it with my hand.
It has two wires coming out of it, one heavier than the other, in guage, so putting 12 v earth on the body, and pos on the red/heavy wire, the motor turns slowly, but the clamp meter shows nearly 100 amps drawn!!!
So, use the smaller wire for pos, and the motor spins at 1600 rpm...but I can stop it by hand.....
Then I had a thought, which can get dangerous... :lol: I got the motor going at the 1600 rpm, then ran a pos jumper to the bigger guage wire......hooley dooley...the motor started to go faster, and faster....drawing 25 amps, we stopped it at 3600 rpm....

Any auto electricians out there that might be able to offer some advice?
I dont need the speed, just the grunt

I also found an old DC motor speed controller, so I can vary the speed, but at the moment, no point in using it coz no power!!!

Anyone?

sounds like you need some kind of torque converter on it.. turn all the revs into power. what would be the ideal rpm for the trommel?

Hmm I can buy geared motors off fleabay, but I was just trying to build this thing with stuff lying around, or scored for next to nix, to prove it could be done!

I think, ideal revs, about 80 odd (rpm)

How'd you go out west??? any back packers!!

, Nah, they had the range blocked at smithfield, so I went up to Kamarunga, found A LOT of black sand and some other stuff but no color, I need to refine my panning, I think I am overloading the pan.. btw, the bucket sieve works great, not the nicest looking thing but effective.
On the trommel, I will talk to my brother, he is a sparky, he may be able to shed some light on the problem

Ok, I'll send ya a pm.