beardaisy Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Recently i have been looking into purchasing the "Desert Fox automatic gold panning machine" and was wondering if anybody owns this, or has experience using it, is it worth the money, and time?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubstake Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 My uncle has one, and loves it for running drywash cons through it, Once you get it set right, the gold in the black sand will just empty into the cup on the back, with none or very little sand. Grubstake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardaisy Posted March 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Thank you Grubstake, what angle does you uncle have to set it at, if i get one i want to minimize as much frustration of getting it set up as i can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grubstake Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 You know, I don't know, it epends on your matrial, you'll have to ajust it to suit your conditions, but it is fairly steep. The gold should stay in the groves all the way to the center hole, and the black sand should still get washed down by the water nozzle, and a tip on that is keep you nozzle clean they do tend to clog up, Grubstake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardaisy Posted March 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Thank you again grubstake, i think i'm going to get one, just have a little more reading to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paratrooper Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 It is my understanding that there is not just one angle . The size of the gold relative to the other material will determine the water amount and angle . I've seen guys run cons several times at different settings . You need to find someone that runs one a lot . One of the things I've seen at Gold Shows and other exhibitions is that the gold size and the gravel size are perfectly related so the gold goes one way and gravel the other in a second . Very impressive . If you want better results you NEED to classify and run each group separate . The web site should show some kind of directions . You could e-mail them and ask . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardaisy Posted March 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 Thank you Paratrooper for the information.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 they work pretty good but i like mine better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldbilly Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 Oh coolwhere did you get it? what size?they work pretty good but i like mine better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Posted March 25, 2011 Report Share Posted March 25, 2011 It took a few years of looking around It is a 6 ft wheel. It has a auger and dispencing paddles to remove the tailings, We had to do a lot of work to it to bring it up to snuff, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilaoro Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 My wife's had one for 14 years it takes practice but it can be tuned in, don't waste your money on the speed control model. it makes little difference and it naturally get slower as the battery discharges. They are roughly set as they come from the factory, you will have to do a lot of adjusting take a small rat tail file and clean the holes in the spray bar, you can make small adjustments to the angle of the spray bar holes by inserting the point of an icepick and directing the holes somewhat where you want it. She catches the tails and re runs them till she gets the right setting for what ever I bring her.When properly set you can catch sapphires, diamonds and other gem stones.Max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOC Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 I've had one for 10 years they work great. You determine the correct angle by running the machine and adjusting it so the black sand forms a pyramid or triangle of black sand going up the wheel.You want to adjust the angle and the water flow so the peak of the black sand stops right before it empties into the center cup. This is critical. That way anything that is heavier than the black sand will remain in the spiral and empty into the cup.Also be sure and use plenty of wash and dry in the water to break the surface tension of the water and allow the gold to slide freely in the spirals.Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardaisy Posted March 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 Thank you guys for the advice and reviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 they work pretty good but i like mine betterWOW, I like it! That's an industrial sized one. I have the reg. desert fox and it works great. As most have stated there is not one angle for all materials, once you have it set for the cons you are running you don't have to adjust it.Stay safe and watch your back - Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swestgold Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 At home I set my battery charger to manual and run it(same as a 12 volt converter really)Like many have said you need to classify your cons or it will be difficult to adjust the machine, I also had a problem with silt plugging up the works so I started added my cons to a five gallon bucket adding some jet dry and kind of like panning got the super fine silt out into another bucket(incase there was gold that got away to pan later. But other then that it seems good to get most of your gold out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doer Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Yes the Desert Fox and Gold Miner are good but I heard the two best auto-panning spiral wheels on the market are the Gold Genie and the Gold Screw. http://www.jobewholesale.com/gold_genie.html and http://www.goldscrew.com/ and http://www.49ermike.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=181&topic_id=91535&mesg_id=91535&page= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swestgold Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 At home I set my battery charger to manual and run it(same as a 12 volt converter really)Like many have said you need to classify your cons or it will be difficult to adjust the machine, I also had a problem with silt plugging up the works so I started added my cons to a five gallon bucket adding some jet dry and kind of like panning got the super fine silt out into another bucket(incase there was gold that got away to pan later. But other then that it seems good to get most of your gold out.Forgot to add the 70 pounds an hour they say you can run through it, I think is very optimistic unless all the gold run through it is the same weight and heavy. I run a heaping table spoonful though it around every 15 seconds. Never weighed 240 heaping table spoons of cons but I doubt that's 70 pounds,maybe if it was all pure gold!!!. I have tried added more then that and have found gold in the tailings. But others may run the wheel more efficiently and can get to that 70 pound limit. Well with the mesh size they send with the unit that has clean cons and a nice mess size with the tiny gold flakes I believe it. But who gets that combination in the real world. Just my opinion and I do like to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldbilly Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 they work pretty good but i like mine betterhellowonder if you still have gold wheel which shows on picture. where can i find one like this?Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingnutter Posted November 26, 2013 Report Share Posted November 26, 2013 One thing that I didn't see mentioned yet is that one of the best things that you can do is to have cons already washed and clear of any mud or junk before running it thru your machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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