Keene 6200 Super Max Dredge

[sjmpainter]

Keene is onto something with this new dredge design. It's over complex but with refinement, should be a gold getter. I find it very interesting they are using old crash box technology and modern sluice matting in the clean up sluice.

[Trev (NZ)]

Hi All

 

What a brilliant design.  I have always been a great believer in the sump system, to separate out the fines and treat separately. Much like " The American Dredge" where the fines were transferred, to a sluice on top. Keene Engineering you have taken dredging to a new level.  Well done.

 

Cheers Trev (New Zealand). 

[jasong]

Interesting. I'd have to see it work in real conditions though. How much 200 mesh gold am I really missing and is it even worth it to spend the extra time to catch it verus running more gravel? That's a huge dredge for a 6", it'd have to be worth it economically move that thing around unless you had a nice slow river you could just drive right up to.

[Steve Herschbach]

Be good on the Fortymile River in Alaska. In California the only place it will be running is in swimming pools.

[sjmpainter]

I agree, the dredge is overly complex. Most areas have been worked by less efficient systems over the last 100 plus years and a lot of the larger pieces are gone I see the future of all prospecting equipment focusing the technology towards productively recover of small gold in a efficient manner. 

 

I like the fact Keene is putting effort in to better recovery. If they continue down this road they may get to a simple design that really puts more gold value in the pan at the end of the day.

 

The real problem with fine gold recovery for the small/recreational miner is bragging rites. A half ounce nugget always looks better than one ounce of 200 mesh gold.