first sluice box and i think it did a very poor job

[ericrm]

wow , that is some bad ass working sluice that you got there

 

[blueduck]

Classification may get ya a long ways too, using a screen will take out the larger chunks and not have to use a larger flow of water to recover with which will help in keeping the metal from floating down the sluice.

Jet dry instead of dawn, less soap bubbles which will also carry the metal in a floatation, though not like the surface tension can.

For really fine sizes, building a miller table may be something to look into, folks who deal with fine particles seem to recover decently from using one, very slow, but they work.uses chalk board paint to coat the sluice with.

William
Idaho

 

[Youreeka]

Great job getting it dialed in. You've built more of a Millar table than sluice and it works great. Try placing a piece of thin aluminum or rubber just downstream of the the spray bar to maintain an even "glasslike" flow. I do the same with a blue bowl but they are super finicky. I know this post is a little older but hopefully my 2 cents help.