Blue Bowl Concentrator information and questions

[Parko]

The trick is to classify, classify and classify some more. The finest mesh for me is pantyhose loosely stretched over a jar. Add the concentrate a teaspoon at a time and you should get almost everything. In the mean time save all the black sand you've processed and repeat the processed and do the really fine mesh thing to recover what you missed while you were learning how to use the blue bowl. The really hardcore guys up here skip blue bowls and miller tables and go straight to mercury.

 

[PicknShovels]

Im using a 2 classifier system for the first few runs, a $10 kitchen strainer from kmart and a piece of fly screen which put me back $2 from bunnings . Each of these fit nicely into one of my super sluice pans and then the cons go into the blue bowl. Once i hit my goal of 1oz of alluvial in a vial i will be smelting/ retorting what else i get i think.

 

[XIV]

Ive got a miller table and it works fine. Only issue is with the amount of black sand im bringing home each trip its taking me 2-3hrs ( sometimes longer) to pan out , dry and weigh the gold. I dont mind doing it but i was wondering if there is a less time consuming way of seperating the black sands from the AU. If i wasnt so hell bent on keeping the alluvial gold in its natural form id run it through a retort lol.

Hate to say it, but the blue bowl will take you just as long as the miller table. It's time consuming.
yes the trick to it is classify, pan out your +30 mesh. and run your -30, 50 and 100 on your table.
do yourself a favor, get some mesh screens. 50 mesh and 100 mesh. the fly-screen is about 20 mesh, and trying to run that is just not going to work properly. yes you will recover the gold, but you are missing a lot of it as well.
you will also find that after running the different sizes you will recover much more gold easier, as the larger sand will wash out your gold if not classified down.

I have my miller table set up over the blue bowl, sound funny, but the amount of round gold that rolls down the miller table, so I do both, and there is no easy quick way to do it unless you go get a shaker table, I don't have the $$$$$ for that, plus I don't mind the few hours of peace and quiet over a weekend, when I can't get out, OR THIS RAIN, gee this rain.

 

[PicknShovels]

Cheers for the info , im using a 2 classification system, its pretty basic as it is using a $10 sieve from kmart and a $2 piece of flyscreen from bunnings. I can see quite a lot of fine gold settling on outer edge of the bowl but i think you would be correct on that im loosing fine gold. Id upload photos of my first 2 cleanups but the file size is too large. What size classifiers would you reccomend? 30 50 100? I assume that metal fabrication shops would sell this fine mesh? I cant justify paying the high prices they want for the whole set. Cheers

 

[XIV]

At least 50 mesh.
As I said before, flyscreen is about 20 mesh.
I do a 30,50 and 100 mesh.
You don't have to buy the hole set.

 

[Yellow Hornet]

I agree with X1V, you need a 100 and a 50 mesh screen to classify for the blue bowl and a smallish artist paintbrush. You'll be surprised how much tiny stuff is left in the bowl that's -100 and you can't tell till you sweep it up.

Jobe classifiers are able to be bought singly. They are still a bit pricy but they will do what you want.

 

[PicknShovels]

Cheers for the info guys, ill have to bite the bullet it seems. Ill try calling the metal fab places first to see if they can help me out and if not ill have to hunt the set down. Thanks again

 

[XIV]

There are several places in Australia you can get them. About $45 each.
Miners den at cairns has them. Don't know what the delivery cost would be.
Also Aussie prospecting supplies will have them.
You don't need the hole set.
Start off with a 50 mesh. And work your way to a 30 and 100.

 

[hamo3088]

Does anyone or has anyone ever used a Blue Bowl Concentrator?
Pros? Cons?

 

[7.62marksman]

Had one they are good but take a fair while to process and i am inpatient ] ]

 

[Simmo]

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=913

 

[hamo3088]

Thanks :Y: :Y:

 

[Colmaca]

I made one you can get some out the Black sands but now I just donate that small amount to the back yard lawn wast time grass likes gold :0

If you can't pan it chuck it

 

[aussiefarmer]

I have one and liked it , buf these days i can pan it as efficient and quick as the bowl , i also have a mini sluice and it was also the gear but these days with confidence i can process it quicker by pan , its a matter of confidence i feel , but you need all 3 to get it !! by pannning, mini slooping and blue bowling you can refine technics and become confident and efficient.

I will selll my recirculating mini sloop
And blue bowl
To a good cause if anyones keen