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Designing A Bullet Sucker. Need Some Ideas........


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I'm wanting to recover CW Bullets faster and easier from the cracks, pockets and holes on the river beds.  I'm wanting to build it out of plastic as not to interfere with the detector.  It will have different sized and shaped tips depending on the size of cracks if needed.  This would be an intermittent pump just for bullet extraction.  It will have a longer wand that would enable me to suck lead standing in 4 feet of water. I would build a simple catch area for the outflow.  It looks like Keene's smallest pump is 100 GPM/6000 GPH for their 2 inch model. I am looking at a 12 volt system and have my eyes on the 4000 GPH Johnson Bilge pump.  Now my question is do you think I can build an electric dredge that can suck big lead to the surface?  Any and all ideas are welcome such as size, nozzle design etc....

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If you got a Harbor Freight around you can a gas engine water pump for about 150.00 with output of 158 GPM. If you get your hands on one of their 20% coupons you can get it for even less. I've had two of then and both worked great.

I don't think I'd want a electric pump with me standing in the water. You can make the suck end out different size PVC pipe and just run the flex hose to a bucket to catch what you want. I use a rubber boot to connect the hose to the PVC pipe.

If you want to see what I'm talking about PM me with your cell number and I'll send you pictures tomorrow. The only trouble is the one I made is 4 inch but have made smaller ones for others. PVC is so easy to work with and all you need is cleaner plus cement.

Chuck

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I once hooked a large bilge pump up directly to the input of a Keene 1.5" suction nozzle, and had enough suction to work with a few feet of hose on the nozzle. I was going to put a little wire mesh basket of the discharge end of the nozzle and use it with a metal detector to suck up coins and rings while lake detecting, but never really got around to fully developing the idea. But it worked.

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Have you tried a pick up tool?

 

 

 

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I want to go electric as not to cause attention even though in a public river.  I also don't want to be pulling the rope every 2 minutes.  I just want to hit a switch and go. 

I'm not worried about electrocution with 12 volt DC.

Steve - You give me some encouragement that this "might" work to pull heavy Bullets up through no more than 8 feet of tube......

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Steve's  idea is the most feasible. I would mount the bilge pump right to the suction nozzle and mount the strainer (use a dredge foot valve) on the nozzle. If you need  depth you can mount an handle with metal detector type arm clamp and a post handle with a push button on switch on top. Belt mount the battery in a waterproof box and use ip68 connections.Image result for dredge nozzleImage result for johnson bilge pumpImage result for pluggers carbon fiber shaft

 

Dorman 85984 Conduct Tite Sealed Push Button Starter Switch   71wnc0Uzk1L._SL1212_.jpgJOBE-Foot-Valve-For-Suction-Dredge-600x600.jpg

Here is some good reading on the subject.http://www.gouldeng.com/gettingbestper.htm.

I would not try to extend the lift tube to 8 foot. I feel the size of pump/battery to power that would be really heavy?

WE expect a full mock up by the end of next week:biggrin: 

 

 

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Nice read - thanks!  I had seen a few other rigs with the pump mounted at the nozzle but it looked weird and out of place.  However I see the advantage.  I was just wanting all of the business end to be plastic so I wouldn't have to move it far sweeping the coil back over a target to see if it was sucked up........

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OK -  new idea. Take a three gal. bucket mount your 4000 gph pump in the lid put a baffle in the bucket and a filter for the pump mount a 1 1/2 inch hole for a suction tube and a wand. Basically pump the bilge (3gal bucket) and use the suction created to pick up bullets.

This would be a basic wet vacuum cleaner. Might just be the ticket?

You could mount it in a small inter tube and let it float.

Or you could just buy this really cool little dredge

s-l1600.jpg

 

Curious to see what you come up with.

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I see your suction jet is mounted at the upper end of your rig.  That is what I was wanting to do with my electric machine.  I know if I went with a gas dredge my issues would be solved but want a quiet running machine. I would entertain buying belt drive pump and slapping a 12 volt permanent magnet motor on it.  But I haven't seen any "dredge type" stand alone pumps?  Have you?

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You can certainly use a jet log to run the system, I would look into a efficient jet to reduce/maximize the pump battery size weight. google infinity jets / circle jet. That jet requires 30% less pump to run it.

Remember if you keep the system sub surface you reduce the needed energy to run the system.

Keene sells stand alone dredge pumps.

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