The operator guides to the nozzle of the hose to suck the rocks and gravel which he desires to process off the river bottom. In the sluice box, any gold which is present becomes trapped and the lighter materials such as sand and gravel move down and out of the sluice box and back into the river. There's no doubt that a good dredge can be built by the home craftsman, and I know you can save some significant money doing it, because I've done it myself.įor those who might ask, a suction gold dredge is basically a device which is designed to suck gravel underwater from the bottom of a river, pull it up through a hose and run it over a sluice box. Don't forget however, that in the earliest days of dredging, there were no manufacturers, and all small suction gold dredges were handcrafted units made in someone's garage. You could easily spend many thousands of dollars on such a purchase, and that is more than many can afford.

No question that dredges are very cool pieces of prospecting equipment, but the prices for new ones are really high.

No question that many folks interested in prospecting for gold would love to own a dredge.

Homemade gold dredge