Sluice Boxes

Sluices are long, narrow "boxes" that water passes through when put in a creek or stream. Sluicing is a method of separating and recovering gold from the placer gravel by the use of running water. Gold is caught or trapped by riffles. Riffles are purposeful obstructions which slow the movement of gold wash plant  in the sluice so it can be trapped in miner's moss, carpeting, or rubber matting in the bottom of the sluice.

Nineteenth century gold miners used wooden sluices that were at least 12 feet long, but modern gold prospectors primarily use sluice boxes made of  highbanker manufacturers plastic or metal which are typically 24, 36 or 48 inches long and 6 to 10 inches wide. The idea is to position a sluice box in a running stream so that the water does the work-- separating the dirt and rocks away from the gold. Since gold is heavy, it will stay in the bottom of the sluice, trapped in the miner's moss.

A good rule of thumb is to set your sluice at a grade of  Dredge factories one inch per foot of drop. At least start here, and adjust as needed. A steeper grade may result in all but the coarsest gold being carried away by the force of the water. The non-motorized sluices below are made by Jobe, Tee-Dee, Le Trap, RDH Prospecting, Gold Buddy and are all considered hand sluices.