drywasher

A method of mining placer gold, most commonly found in dry washes in the desert environs. as most of this type of gold is located in areas devoid of running water, the contraption uses air forced from below the riffle tray to separate heavy particles or objects from lighter particles. the dirt shovelled into the drywasher has to be fairly dry for this method to work at maximum efficiency.

A drywasher refers to both the method and the miner employing the method. Placer gold is natural free gold particles or chips found in nature as a product of natural erosion, and concentration in low spots or natural traps.

A drywasher machine is powered by a hand crank, or a weed blower, or an electric motor, or gas engine, which causes a fan belt to turn a pulley to operate a bellows (air pump), or to drive an eccentric fan, via which air is forced into a cloth based box above, which have traps to concentrate heavy minerals in the process. Heavy minerals such as iron, gold, silver, platinum, chromite, titanium, gems, rubies, sapphire, garnets, emeralds, meteoroids. After primary concentration in the traps, the concentrate is subsequently worked by gold panning or processing in a spiral pan to retrieve all desired values

I took my drywasher to a claim in the desert north of Barstow. I am out drywashing for gold.
I am a drywasher type of miner. With my drywasher, I plan to get natural, native gold, to sell on ebay.

by Billy Bubb March 29, 2009