Here is a video of the finished sluice in operation in its final configuration. So I decided to build a recirculating sluice that would recycle a little water over and over again. A lot of my favorite gold panning streams dry up almost completely during the summer months. Sometimes there isn't any running water available to power a sluice. I decided that it was time to step up the amount of gold I recovered on my prospecting outings. It will process large amounts of material far more quickly and with less effort than is possible by panning alone. A sluice is a device that separates gold from dirt and gravel using the power of running water.

There are other methods besides panning to separate gold from dirt though. It takes too long and is far too much work. Panning is not a good method for separating the gold from a lot of dirt. To find a lot of gold, you have to pan a lot of dirt. However, you aren't likely to find a whole lot of gold by panning alone. I get to do it in really scenic locations. I've been gold panning on my vacations for many years.

One of my many hobbies is recreational gold prospecting.

How to set up a gold dredge