Recreational dredges for sale on TradeMe
Nov 14, 2008 13:25:42 GMT 12
Post by RKC on Nov 14, 2008 13:25:42 GMT 12
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-92483747.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-92493461.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-90352761.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-92483747.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-89185367.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-92496494.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-87388050.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-88773370.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-92497543.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-85232502.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Camping-outdoors/Tools-knives/auction-118502286.htm?p=7
www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Other/auction-120908880.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Outdoor-garden-conservatory/Other/auction-121790697.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-130363289.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Industrial/Other/auction-145207792.htm?p=14
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Industrial/Other/auction-140222177.htm ... not recreational.
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-148037061.htm?p=4
www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Other/auction-149799697.htm
There will be a few Victorians in particular who remember these antiques from the 1980s.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G'day,
The pump on this "dredge" (post above) looks like one of the small Jessie pumps ... so, it could be a good buy just to get the pump (if a reasonable price can be negotiated).
Regards,
Rob (RKC)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dr_edger Sent: 12/04/2008 12:58 a.m.
Mmm Imported from Australia, yes it is a Jessie Pump, to put a date on it as far as I can remember the 1 ½ " threaded outlet was made from 1987 give or take a year. Made to suit 3-5HP motors by using different impellors, make sure you get the right one. The suction nozzle might be a Jessie or a copy, the rest is home made, only good for parts if the price is right.
Rob. This is a bit of topic for this thread but has there been any 8" Keene triples used in NZ and were they successful? ie handling your black sands to get a comparison the reason for asking is I am toying with the idea of resurrecting one I have got stashed away, twin 18’s with air, it would be nice to get back on the end of a decent nozzle again. What are they worth? Regards
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: RKCNZ Sent: 13/04/2008 3:55 p.m.
G’day dr_edger,
When I first saw the photo of the “dredge” in the TradeMe add immediately above, I thought it might have been one of the Eldarodo dredges sold by Miners Den in the 1980s. The photo now on the Trademe add is a different photo to the one I first saw … which I thought showed a 3” dredge. Anyway … the dredge presently pictured (a 4”) certainly looks like a home-made job (with a new paint job).
I was not aware Jessie ever made these “types” of dredges. I’m not sure exactly what to call these dredges as a generic name, but when they first appeared (in California) in the 1950s they were referred to as the “Gold Sucker”. And, incidentally, the “Gold Sucker” was the first dredge ever sold by Ernie Keene when he established Keene Engineering in 1959 (I must look up Keene’s web site to see if they are still selling them ).
These days its rare for any Jessie pumps to be offered for sale and the one that’s on this Trademe add would be worth purchasing. Its not as if there could be anything faulty with the pump as the only part on cast pumps that are likely to wear out, are the pump seals … and seals should be easy to source if they need to be replaced.
Writing about pump seals has reminded me I should get some spare seals for my large Jessie pump. Do you know if Jessie used the same pump seals on his large pumps (to fit motors with 1” shafts) as are used on Keene pumps made for motors with a 1” shaft?
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/QQXX1010102.jpg?t=1207950315
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/QQXX1010104.jpg?t=1207950238
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/QQXX1010100.jpg?t=1207950350
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/QQXX1010096.jpg?t=1207950384
My recollection is that the first Keene triple sluice dredges were sold in Australia about 1980/81. And in the 1980s a Queensland dredger I knew bought a new 8” Keene triple sluice dredge which he used in the coastal rivers of Far North Queensland and also for one season in the Goulburn river (Victoria). I can’t recall ever seeing a Keene 8” triple in New Zealand, and as I did not see one I doubt one was ever brought over here (New Zealand’s South Island is a small place and the dredgers usually know what’s going on with the other dredgers). There were a few Keene 5” triples used in New Zealand in the 80s, which is the only size of Keene triple I can recall ever seeing in New Zealand).
The Keene 8” triples had comprises in design that characterize all Keene dredges. And the design comprises of most concern with the Keene triples, that were sold in the 1980s, had to do with how the header box was proportioned. When dredging fine gold in particular, the turbulence in the Keene header box would cause much of the fine gold down the center box … this gold would lost because it was ‘not’ diverted into the side boxes where it would be easily saved. On all of the Keene triples of the 1980s, from the 5” to the 8”, far too much of the fine gold would go straight down the center box, with much of that fine gold then going straight back into the river. And because of the design of the Keene header boxes, there is no after-market alteration that a dredge owner can do as a fix.
What I’ve said above should not be interpreted as a blanket statement that triples are ‘not’ good for fine gold recovery. Triples can be excellent for fine gold recover (and the best way to dredge for tin) … if designed without comprises! A good example of a triple that was built without design comprises is one designed by Dave McCracken and sold by Keene in the 1990s (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/promackdredge.jpg?t=1208047870 ). However it did not seem to last long. I suspect it was far too big for 99% of Keene customers who are recreational. The miners, who would be likely to have a need for a dredge of such a large size, would typically be professional. And professionals usually make their own dredge.
After Keene no longer sold the Dave McCracken designed triple, they then copied the Precision dredge. And their Precision copy was a near exact copy except for the use of plastics to replace some aluminum parts such as floats. And that’s were Keene are at present with their "latest" technology.
The trend in New Zealand for some time now has been away from triples to using a single sluice box. There are however still a few Kiwi dredgers who prefer triples, and there is an Otago miner presently constructing a 7” triple. The design he is utilizing is fairly conventional, with the only innovative feature the use of hydraulic riffles in the sluice boxes. I’ve been advising him on the construction of the hydraulic riffles and when he has it finished I’ll try to get some photos to post in my Photobucket album in the Hydraulic riffles folder. (We had some discussion whether it was worth using hydraulic riffles in the side boxes as well as the center box, and my suggestion was to use convention riffles in the side boxes. But, he is going to try both).
Regards,
Rob (RKC) www.nzgold.co.nz
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dr_edger Sent: 14/04/2008 4:32 p.m.
… this gold would lost because it was ‘not’ diverted into the side boxes where it would be easily saved. On all of the Keene triples of the 1980s, from the 5" to the 8", far too much of the fine gold would go straight down the center box, with much of that fine gold then going straight back into the river. And because of the design of the Keene header boxes, there is no after-market alteration that a dredge owner can do as a fix.
There is a fix that some of us developed and that was to fit a spacer between the header and the side take of chutes, this had the effect of moving the ‘take off’s further down the box giving the fines more time to settle, on the 5"ers the spacer was about 12" or what ever you thought adequate. Another suggestion to improve this mod even further was to fit ribbed matting or even small riffles in a herring bone pattern to deflect the fines to the side chutes. Dave McCracken obviously came to a similar conclusion as his side sluices are also a lot further down the ‘box as per your link below.
What I’ve said above should not be interpreted as a blanket statement that triples are ‘not’ good for fine gold recovery. Triples can be excellent for fine gold recover (and the best way to dredge for tin) … if designed without comprises! A good example of a triple that was built without design comprises is one designed by Dave McCracken and sold by Keene in the 1990s (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/promackdredge.jpg?t=1208047870 )Writing about pump seals has reminded me I should get some spare seals for my large Jessie pump. Do you know if Jessie used the same pump seals on his large pumps (to fit motors with 1" shafts) as are used on Keene pumps made for motors with a 1" shaft?The seals used on the Jessie Pumps are common off the shelf type; there is a good chance that they might be interchangeable as they look very similar, at the moment I haven’t got the two side by side to make a direct comparison; if they don’t fit, make them fit. Off the shelf seals should be a lot cheaper than importing from the States; another point is the Jessies made by GW. or the later ones were often made with a sloppy fit and secured with silicon to take up the slack, less accurate machining required and easier to replace in the field.
My personal thoughts on triples is that because of their bulk they are a ***** to move around making them difficult to use in patchy ground, another is the extra volume of concentrates takes more time to process. That will have to do for now I’ve run out of time, R.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: RKCNZ Sent: 14/04/2008 9:36 p.m.
G'day <NOBR>dr_edger</NOBR>,
I dug out an old Prospectors catalogue for infomation on the Jessie pumps, see below:
smg.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/?action=view¤t=P1010007-1.jpg&t=1208158313134
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/P1010008.jpg?t=1208158131
Regards,
Rob (RKC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: RKCNZ Sent: 15/04/2008 11:55 a.m.
G'day,
When I had the old Prospectors Home catalogue out to get the infomation on Jessie pumps I noticed a page on constructing a dredge ... which I though timely to post. See at link below, (my underlining!)
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/P1010009-1-1.jpg?t=1208209810
Regards,
Rob (RKC)
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-92493461.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-90352761.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-92483747.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-89185367.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-92496494.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-87388050.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-88773370.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-92497543.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-85232502.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Camping-outdoors/Tools-knives/auction-118502286.htm?p=7
www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Other/auction-120908880.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Outdoor-garden-conservatory/Other/auction-121790697.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-130363289.htm
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Industrial/Other/auction-145207792.htm?p=14
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Industrial/Other/auction-140222177.htm ... not recreational.
www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Other/auction-148037061.htm?p=4
www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Other/auction-149799697.htm
There will be a few Victorians in particular who remember these antiques from the 1980s.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G'day,
The pump on this "dredge" (post above) looks like one of the small Jessie pumps ... so, it could be a good buy just to get the pump (if a reasonable price can be negotiated).
Regards,
Rob (RKC)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dr_edger Sent: 12/04/2008 12:58 a.m.
Mmm Imported from Australia, yes it is a Jessie Pump, to put a date on it as far as I can remember the 1 ½ " threaded outlet was made from 1987 give or take a year. Made to suit 3-5HP motors by using different impellors, make sure you get the right one. The suction nozzle might be a Jessie or a copy, the rest is home made, only good for parts if the price is right.
Rob. This is a bit of topic for this thread but has there been any 8" Keene triples used in NZ and were they successful? ie handling your black sands to get a comparison the reason for asking is I am toying with the idea of resurrecting one I have got stashed away, twin 18’s with air, it would be nice to get back on the end of a decent nozzle again. What are they worth? Regards
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: RKCNZ Sent: 13/04/2008 3:55 p.m.
G’day dr_edger,
When I first saw the photo of the “dredge” in the TradeMe add immediately above, I thought it might have been one of the Eldarodo dredges sold by Miners Den in the 1980s. The photo now on the Trademe add is a different photo to the one I first saw … which I thought showed a 3” dredge. Anyway … the dredge presently pictured (a 4”) certainly looks like a home-made job (with a new paint job).
I was not aware Jessie ever made these “types” of dredges. I’m not sure exactly what to call these dredges as a generic name, but when they first appeared (in California) in the 1950s they were referred to as the “Gold Sucker”. And, incidentally, the “Gold Sucker” was the first dredge ever sold by Ernie Keene when he established Keene Engineering in 1959 (I must look up Keene’s web site to see if they are still selling them ).
These days its rare for any Jessie pumps to be offered for sale and the one that’s on this Trademe add would be worth purchasing. Its not as if there could be anything faulty with the pump as the only part on cast pumps that are likely to wear out, are the pump seals … and seals should be easy to source if they need to be replaced.
Writing about pump seals has reminded me I should get some spare seals for my large Jessie pump. Do you know if Jessie used the same pump seals on his large pumps (to fit motors with 1” shafts) as are used on Keene pumps made for motors with a 1” shaft?
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/QQXX1010102.jpg?t=1207950315
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/QQXX1010104.jpg?t=1207950238
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/QQXX1010100.jpg?t=1207950350
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/QQXX1010096.jpg?t=1207950384
My recollection is that the first Keene triple sluice dredges were sold in Australia about 1980/81. And in the 1980s a Queensland dredger I knew bought a new 8” Keene triple sluice dredge which he used in the coastal rivers of Far North Queensland and also for one season in the Goulburn river (Victoria). I can’t recall ever seeing a Keene 8” triple in New Zealand, and as I did not see one I doubt one was ever brought over here (New Zealand’s South Island is a small place and the dredgers usually know what’s going on with the other dredgers). There were a few Keene 5” triples used in New Zealand in the 80s, which is the only size of Keene triple I can recall ever seeing in New Zealand).
The Keene 8” triples had comprises in design that characterize all Keene dredges. And the design comprises of most concern with the Keene triples, that were sold in the 1980s, had to do with how the header box was proportioned. When dredging fine gold in particular, the turbulence in the Keene header box would cause much of the fine gold down the center box … this gold would lost because it was ‘not’ diverted into the side boxes where it would be easily saved. On all of the Keene triples of the 1980s, from the 5” to the 8”, far too much of the fine gold would go straight down the center box, with much of that fine gold then going straight back into the river. And because of the design of the Keene header boxes, there is no after-market alteration that a dredge owner can do as a fix.
What I’ve said above should not be interpreted as a blanket statement that triples are ‘not’ good for fine gold recovery. Triples can be excellent for fine gold recover (and the best way to dredge for tin) … if designed without comprises! A good example of a triple that was built without design comprises is one designed by Dave McCracken and sold by Keene in the 1990s (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/promackdredge.jpg?t=1208047870 ). However it did not seem to last long. I suspect it was far too big for 99% of Keene customers who are recreational. The miners, who would be likely to have a need for a dredge of such a large size, would typically be professional. And professionals usually make their own dredge.
After Keene no longer sold the Dave McCracken designed triple, they then copied the Precision dredge. And their Precision copy was a near exact copy except for the use of plastics to replace some aluminum parts such as floats. And that’s were Keene are at present with their "latest" technology.
The trend in New Zealand for some time now has been away from triples to using a single sluice box. There are however still a few Kiwi dredgers who prefer triples, and there is an Otago miner presently constructing a 7” triple. The design he is utilizing is fairly conventional, with the only innovative feature the use of hydraulic riffles in the sluice boxes. I’ve been advising him on the construction of the hydraulic riffles and when he has it finished I’ll try to get some photos to post in my Photobucket album in the Hydraulic riffles folder. (We had some discussion whether it was worth using hydraulic riffles in the side boxes as well as the center box, and my suggestion was to use convention riffles in the side boxes. But, he is going to try both).
Regards,
Rob (RKC) www.nzgold.co.nz
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dr_edger Sent: 14/04/2008 4:32 p.m.
… this gold would lost because it was ‘not’ diverted into the side boxes where it would be easily saved. On all of the Keene triples of the 1980s, from the 5" to the 8", far too much of the fine gold would go straight down the center box, with much of that fine gold then going straight back into the river. And because of the design of the Keene header boxes, there is no after-market alteration that a dredge owner can do as a fix.
There is a fix that some of us developed and that was to fit a spacer between the header and the side take of chutes, this had the effect of moving the ‘take off’s further down the box giving the fines more time to settle, on the 5"ers the spacer was about 12" or what ever you thought adequate. Another suggestion to improve this mod even further was to fit ribbed matting or even small riffles in a herring bone pattern to deflect the fines to the side chutes. Dave McCracken obviously came to a similar conclusion as his side sluices are also a lot further down the ‘box as per your link below.
What I’ve said above should not be interpreted as a blanket statement that triples are ‘not’ good for fine gold recovery. Triples can be excellent for fine gold recover (and the best way to dredge for tin) … if designed without comprises! A good example of a triple that was built without design comprises is one designed by Dave McCracken and sold by Keene in the 1990s (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/Eductor%20dredges%20and%20equipment/promackdredge.jpg?t=1208047870 )Writing about pump seals has reminded me I should get some spare seals for my large Jessie pump. Do you know if Jessie used the same pump seals on his large pumps (to fit motors with 1" shafts) as are used on Keene pumps made for motors with a 1" shaft?The seals used on the Jessie Pumps are common off the shelf type; there is a good chance that they might be interchangeable as they look very similar, at the moment I haven’t got the two side by side to make a direct comparison; if they don’t fit, make them fit. Off the shelf seals should be a lot cheaper than importing from the States; another point is the Jessies made by GW. or the later ones were often made with a sloppy fit and secured with silicon to take up the slack, less accurate machining required and easier to replace in the field.
My personal thoughts on triples is that because of their bulk they are a ***** to move around making them difficult to use in patchy ground, another is the extra volume of concentrates takes more time to process. That will have to do for now I’ve run out of time, R.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: RKCNZ Sent: 14/04/2008 9:36 p.m.
G'day <NOBR>dr_edger</NOBR>,
I dug out an old Prospectors catalogue for infomation on the Jessie pumps, see below:
smg.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/?action=view¤t=P1010007-1.jpg&t=1208158313134
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/P1010008.jpg?t=1208158131
Regards,
Rob (RKC)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: RKCNZ Sent: 15/04/2008 11:55 a.m.
G'day,
When I had the old Prospectors Home catalogue out to get the infomation on Jessie pumps I noticed a page on constructing a dredge ... which I though timely to post. See at link below, (my underlining!)
img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/Coochee/P1010009-1-1.jpg?t=1208209810
Regards,
Rob (RKC)