FISSUREMAN TECHNICAL INFO BLOG http://goldsucker.com/blog THE place for explanations and discussions of FissureMan Online products Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:58:42 +0000 en FissureMan Online (A glimpse inside) http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=31 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=31#comments Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:57:23 +0000 fissureman Uncategorized http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=31 I have been producing various quality recreational gold prospecting equipment for six years now and would like to communicate my observations and, of course, my opinions concerning competing hand dredge design & quality currently available on various E-sites for purchase.
 
Gluing together some common off-the-shelf plastic plumbing parts into a hand dredge configuration is not the same as designing and manufacturing a quality product.
 
The first thing required to produce a quality product is the mechanical aptitude and desire to construct a product that others want or need.


Many people do possess the aptitude to assemble a hand dredge but have no idea of how to do it with a quality mindset and as such, settle for some item that might work but shows no concern for esthetics, sometimes even proper functional ability. This is fine if that individual is the only one who is going to use the item. However, the aptitude AND a quality attitude are necessary to manufacture a product worthy of purchase. It requires the desire to provide the best possible product with the best materials and tools available. Since many individuals have the aptitude but not the proper attitude they will produce sub par items even for themselves. I have seen many examples of this on YouTube.
 
The unfortunate situation is that a minority of these individuals won’t stop there. They decide that since they can reproduce a product it should be offered for sale on Ebay so they can make some money. Wanting to make a product to sell and make some money is not a crime. The crime is, however, these kind of products are seldom a new or even innovative design that stands on its own merit but rather a poor duplication (with some slight changes) of a product already offered or found somewhere on the internet. Much like fake Rolex watches  – they might kind of look like a Rolex and go tick-tock but if scrutinized closely they are not even close to Rolex quality, right down to the name on the faceplate!    

The next requirement(s) to produce a quality product are the actual tools and knowledge to use those them effectively to produce a quality product.  

The following picture exhibits the tools used (possibly a couple of others not shown) by most individuals and as far as I can tell, all other competing hand dredge manufacturers purporting quality products, workmanship, expert manufacturing, precision, improvement etc. to produce a hand dredge product for sale on Ebay and/or from some cookie cutter free website/store.      hand-tools.jpg
       

The following set of pictures exhibit a sampling of the tools used by FissureMan Online to produce quality hand dredges:

 metal-lathe-1.jpg  metal-lathe-2.jpg  bandsaw.jpg  chopsaw.jpg  drillpress.jpg  furnace.jpg    brake-and-press.jpg   wood-lathe.jpg                                                                 

                                                Not all hand dredge manufacturers are created equal….
                                                                                         monkey-picture.jpg                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                      

                                                                                                         

    

  

 

 

 

 

]]> http://goldsucker.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=31 Low cost clay crucibles http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=29 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=29#comments Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:24:10 +0000 fissureman Uncategorized http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=29 For all of you DIY buffs out there, the following link might be of use for you in conjuction with using the MicroWave Gold Kiln Kit for sale on my website.

I found the information easy to understand and possibly useful when it comes to making your own low cost clay crucibles for smelting precious metals.

 

The link is : http://www.copperstarways.com/Downloads/MakingCrucibles.pdf

 I hope you find this useful! :{)

]]> http://goldsucker.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=29 SMELTING with the MICROWAVE GOLD KILN GPK http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=28 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=28#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:28:25 +0000 fissureman Uncategorized http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=28 The link supplied here is to help understand and use the MICROWAVE GOLD KILN GPK offered on my website.

It was easier to post a link rather than transfer all the information onto this blog page.

http://goldsucker.com/Smeltingtips.html

There is a lot of sound, usable information provided by the OEM.

]]> http://goldsucker.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=28 Find a microwave oven to use with the GOLD KILN GPK http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=27 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=27#comments Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:13:02 +0000 fissureman Uncategorized http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=27 This is just a short post for those who are looking for the appropriate size and power microwave oven to use with the MICROWAVE GOLD KILN GPK offered on my website.

The correct size microwave may or may not be readily found at you local Kmart or other department store so I did little research to make it easier for you to obtain the needed appliance. Following are two models that I have researched and know of that are currently available on the internet for around $200.00 or less depending on where you purchase.

Panasonic  

   

 

 Model: -         NN-H965WF, 2.2cu ft, 1250 Watt  

                                                Interior dimensions: 18 7/16”W x 10 15/16”H x 18 1/2”D 

   

                        Model: NN-SD978S , 2.2cu ft, 1250 Watt  

                                          Interior Dimensions: 18 7/16″W x 10 15/16″H x 18 1/2″D

If you copy and paste the model number into your search bar you will easily find a current supplier(s) for either model.  I will add more models to this list as I have time and/or find them.

]]> http://goldsucker.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=27 UNDERWATER VIEWING WINDOWS http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=25 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=25#comments Sun, 07 Nov 2010 17:54:14 +0000 fissureman Product design information http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=25 Many of you have purchased or possibly made an Underwater Viewing Scope. The UVS is sometimes referred to as an “Underwater Viewing Tube”.
 
This article is intended to address those of you who would like to purchase a UVS or construct one of your own.
 
The standard UVS requires a clear window to allow proper viewing underwater. There are several materials that may be used for the purpose of designing and constructing a UVS viewing window.
 
The various possible materials are as follows:
 

Glass

Acrylic plastic
Plexiglas (plastic)
Clear PVC plastic
Clear Styrene plastic
 
Lexan plastic (polycarbonate)
(This is a separate possibility that will be addressed last for both UVS construction and to include a cautionary note)
 
The usefulness, cost and availability are the main concerns for all materials considered. Each material has its positive and negative characteristics that must be weighed when designing and constructing a UVS.
 
Glass is a great material as it has the best viewing clarity of all the listed materials, however, it is very easy to break - much more so than any plastic material. Glass is heavier than an equivalent piece of plastic material. It is also difficult to cut a clean circle of glass without having a good knowledge of how to cut glass and the appropriate tools to do so properly. The safety factor is a concern regarding potential personal injury from cuts and possible eye injury during cutting the material. This material will always be more expensive both monetarily and personally to use for these reasons
 
Acrylic plastic is the best choice for a clear viewing window. It won’t break easily, is easy to cut with a saw or other cutting tools. It has a viewing clarity comparable to real glass and the edges are not sharp enough under normal handling conditions to cause personal injury. It can be purchased easily and relatively inexpensively in different thickness. The only perceived drawback to acrylic plastic is that it is easier to scratch than glass.
 
Plexiglas (plastic) comes next with a clarity that is somewhat less than Acrylic plastic. It is readily available for purchase and comes in various thicknesses. The scratch resistance is lower than that of Acrylic. It is somewhat rasier to break than Acrylic. Safety concerns and workability are the same as acrylic plastic.
 
Clear PVC plastic is a little harder to obtain and more expensive. It scratches easily compared to either Acrylic or Plexiglas. Clear PVC usually has a slight blue tint as well that decreases the overall clarity for viewing somewhat. Obtaining flat, clear PVC is difficult and usually requires a custom order for the material, which can get expensive. Safety concerns and workability are the same as acrylic or Plexiglas plastics.
 
Clear Styrene plastic has good clarity but is very easily scratched and/or broken when compared to Acrylic or Plexiglas. Styrene can be worked with hand tools and is relatively safe during normal handling. It is inexpensive but much less available than Acrylic or Plexiglas in thickness needed to construct a viewing window.
 
Lastly, Lexan plastic (referred to incorrectly as Lexan “glass”) is very expensive in sheet form in thickness needed for viewing windows and is not readily obtainable without an expensive custom order. It is easily worked with saws and other hand tools but does not come standard in circle form that would be used to construct a viewing window. Lexan is easily scratched but does not break easily. It has a slight violet tint that can decrease overall clarity for viewing. Safety concerns and workability are the same as acrylic or Plexiglas plastics.
 
 
Lexan is has been referred to as “glass” and is used in very thin sheet material to construct internal ribbed channel light panels for greenhouses. It is also used for assorted types of equipment in the medical field such as sight ports for liquid flow monitoring.
 
Beware of advertisers that tout a UVS with a viewing window constructed using “Lexan glass”  - it is not Lexan or glass!
 
It is most likely Plexiglas or Acrylic plastic inappropriately labeled as Lexan.
 
All FissureMan Underwater Viewing Scope windows are Acrylic plastic.

]]> http://goldsucker.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=25 MICROWAVE GOLD KILN - SMELTING http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=26 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=26#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:44:07 +0000 fissureman FissureMan Products http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=26    Prior to this time we have all been warned not to place metal or metal containing dishes within an operating home microwave oven for fear of oven destruction or worse.   

Microwave metal smelting has been used in industrial applications for many years but is not considered practical for large-scale production use because of size constraints. To melt large quantities of metal for industrial use would require a microwave chamber as big as a house to work. Melting metals using microwaves, more correctly, using a common home microwave oven is a new process. It has been developed to be personally usable and practical only in the last couple of years.   

The process/design employed by the “MICROWAVE GOLD KILN “ offered on the FissureMan Online website is the latest method developed for the small-scale prospector to use to process black sands that contain micron gold. It may also be used for melting small amounts of raw gold or other precious metal scrap.   Some of you may not  fully understand what is actually going on when it comes to this new process and are afraid it may be unsafe or even a con job/hoax of some sort due to your past understanding of microwave technology and the common microwave oven.   

Using information from both the OEM of the “MICROWAVE GOLD KILN “ and the following research information located on the internet at address: http://home.c2i.net/metaphor/mvpage.html. I will attempt to explain further.

(OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer)   

The process, when conducted as described in the OEM handbook supplied with the Microwave Kiln Kit, is a safe, inexpensive and viable new method to process your accumulated black sands and relieve them of the micron gold they may contain.    There are three primary reasons that allow this process to work as described: 

1: Materials used to construct the Kiln  2: Crucible material  3: Magnetite        If you read the information contained in the site link provided above, the author describes how the microwave process works as it does.  (By the way - the author of the referenced link is not the OEM or directly connected in any way with the “MICROWAVE GOLD KILN “.   The kiln body materials, while being microwave transparent, insulate the high heat generated in the crucible from the surrounding oven components. The kiln material will contain and hold in the heat generated within the oven workspace. This will keep the oven safe and allow the metal in the crucible to get hot. Hot enough to actually melt the entrapped gold for smelting and eventual pouring.    

The crucible needs to be microwave transparent as well as insulating at very high temperatures. This why the clay crucibles supplied in the Kiln Kit are best for this process.    

Black sand is generally composed of both hematite and magnetite. The magnetite is what holds the micron size gold and can be separated from your other processed material with a magnet quite easily leaving behind the hematite as well as any blond sand, zirconia, etc. you don’t want or need.    

Metal and metal objects will reflect microwave energy. This reflection causes the arcing we see when bare metal is placed within an operating microwave oven. This arcing and the subsequent open, uninsulated heating of the metal will lead to the oven’s eventual demise. 

Black sand is nothing more than iron oxide, another form of ferrite. This material (reference the link above) absorbs microwave energy rather than reflecting it.  It is what actually gets things hot enough to melt the metal in the crucible.   

Since black sand absorbs, rather than reflects microwave energy, it will be what heats up. Add enough microwave energy for sufficient time and you get heating high enough that melts the black sand material and any gold entrapped within the oxide. Using the correct flux chemistry provides the smelting action. It not only enhances the microwave absorption, it will also refine and protect the melted metal within the crucible.    

Using the proprietary custom flux mixture provided by the kiln’s OEM will allow safe smelting of your fine gold and/or if you desire, any scrap gold you might want to process into storable ingots or buttons.    

As additional fodder to check out concerning the use of microwave ovens for purposes other than heating up your lunch, please take a look at some of the small glass fusing kilns offered on Ebay. You will note within those offerings having pictures of the open kiln pot, reveal a black colored material on the internal surface. This is ferrite or other such microwave absorbing material attached to the inside of the kiln body and being used to indirectly heat the glass that is being worked. Unless the glass being fused is “lead” glass or glass with metal content, it will be microwave transparent and will need a source of heat to allow melting for the fusing process. You can use key words such as “ microwave glass kiln” to locate some of these small fusing kiln pots being offered.    

If you might be thinking these would be a cheaper alternative to the GOLD KILN KIT – I would suggest you not waste your money – they are not constructed for and will not work for gold smelting.    

I hope this blog entry will help explain away or assuage any unfounded fears you might have or have seen in various prospecting forums concerning this new process or the equipment as offered on FissureMan Online.  

If you have any questions or wish to gather more information please do not hesitate to contact me at email address djc12see@msn.com and I will explain further in answer to your questions to help you fully understand the process described above.                    

]]> http://goldsucker.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=26 California Dredging Moratorium http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=24 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=24#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:49:58 +0000 fissureman Uncategorized http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=24 At least two out-of-state hand dredge competitors have recently added either a quote from an official source, some statement of compliance or other self proposed opinion as to whether suction hand dredges are legal to use in California due to the temporary moratorium on dredging permits that was enacted a while back.
 
I agree with the basic premise expressed by any statement that hand dredges are still legal in California waterways. There is nothing in either the original dredging permit requirements or within the recently imposed moratorium wording that specifically states that hand operated prospecting equipment is not legal for use – suction or otherwise.
 
The temporary moratorium was placed on new permits for the use of gasoline powered suction dredging equipment while leaving hand-operated equipment legal for use.
 
Unfortunately, however, enforcement is still left up to the local ranger(s) that patrol the area that you might be prospecting to judge or determine what is going to be allowed for use when it comes to equipment type.
 

I beleive it is most prudent and more responsible to not try and determine if any equipment is legal for use as I am not a lawyer (and I suspect neither are you).  

Individual rangers could possibly give you a problem – or worse - a ticket and/or potentially confiscate your equipment leaving you holding the bag and a fine to fight in court.

The best action anyone of us can take is to contact the supervising ranger station in charge of the land we wish to prospect and ask first about using the hand dredge or suction equipment we plan to use. If the supervising ranger’s office agrees with you that it is OK for use (and they should – provided it is not state park land) then request a signed and dated statement from the supervisor that will be suitable for presentation to any overzealous, uninformed individual ranger that you might encounter. 

UPDATE!!!  8/24/10

The following was sent to me today from one of my customers. I have removed his last name for privacy purposes. He kindly provided the following emails for me to post as a prime example of what I have stated above.

 

Dennis:

In lieu of the CA SB670 Law I decided to seek clarification in the use of a “Hand Operated Dredge” from Mark Stopher who is in charge of the EIR that SB670 calls for.  Here is a forwarded email along with his response.  I thought you might be able to use this on your web site……… Disclaimer….. I am not a Lawyer so this is not legal advice !!!!

Thanks

Mark 

 

August 21, 2010                                                                                                                                               

Dear Mr Stopher: 

        
I am writing to you for clarification to see if the operation of what I
will call a “Hand Powered Dredge” attached to a sluice box and
placed in a waterway would constitute a violation of SB670. 

A “Hand Powered Dredge” for the purposes in this letter is simply a
hand powered piston pump with a check valve that allows water along with
other gold bearing river bottom gravels to sucked into the pump and be
diverted into a hose which would then be attached to a sluice box or
other concentrating device and placed in a  waterway.   Please refer to
the following photograph #1 for clarification.

Should your response conclude that the operation the above described
equipment in a  waterway would be in violation of SB670.  Then I would
like to ask that if the effluent from the above pump and hose were first
collected into a bucket and then transported to a sluice or other
concentrating device would that be in violation of SB670.  Please refer
to Photo #2 for clarification.

It is my intention to carry your letter of clarification with me in the
field in order to assist any law enforcement officers with clarification
into this matter.  Please respond via e-mail.

Respectfully

Mark

Rewood City CA 94062

On Tue, 8/24/10, Mark Stopher wrote:

From: Mark Stopher
Subject: Re: Hand Powered Dredges
To: “Mark xxxx”
Date: Tuesday, August 24, 2010, 11:33 AM

Mark

It is DFG’s view that operation of your hand powered dredge is not a
violation of SB 670. Although you propose to operate it in a live
stream, and it does rely on a vacuum to remove material from the bed of
the stream, Fish and Game Code section 5653.1(d) states ” This section
does not prohibit or restrict nonmotorized recreational mining
activities, including panning for gold”.

While a portion of the Code arguably applies to your proposed actions,
the quoted subsection provides an exception for nonmotorized dredging.

Mark Stopher
Environmental Program Manager
California Department of Fish and Game
601 Locust Street
Redding, CA 96001

voice 530.225.2275
fax 530.225.2391
cell 530.945.1344

Here is a link concerning the moratorium/Mark Stopher that you might find informative 

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/suctiondredge/ 


BE Safe – BE Smart – BE Proactive!

]]> http://goldsucker.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=24 SANDMAN valve reliability testing http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=23 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=23#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:26:46 +0000 fissureman Product design information http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=23 Negative comments from prospectors anywhere in the world (no matter how trivial or individual) will always provide “food for thought” to improve current FissureMan product design. While FissureMan products are the best on the market for the money – there is always room for product improvement.
 
 
ACCELERATED STRESS TESTING
 
Stress testing is a method of reliability testing used by consumer industry and Military DOD entities to verify a product’s reliability with regard to construction, material, operation and longevity. It can also be referred to as a “Life” test.
The testing and results described below are considered to be more of a stress test than a life test although both identified methods are somewhat interchangeable.
 
Accelerated stress tests can be up to or as long as six months or more and are validated empirical test methods to simulate usable life expectancy of a given item or construction within a compressed window of time. Actual life expectancy limits are applied to various products or components according to the expected use and/or operation they will encounter based on this type of test.
 
The testing written about here addresses FissureMan swing check valve design and is a test performed to generate a valve flapper cycle life expectancy.
 
One cycle is the opening and subsequent closing of the valve flap form zero to full open condition. This action verifies the component construction regarding the physical operation, materials, design, and the adhesion mechanism and/or adhesive materials used to join the *subcomponents of the device together.
(* flap material and construction design along with the flap hinge connection to the valve throat)
 
The stress testing performed on the valve was initially conducted for a total duration of 72 hours yielding a calculated 1,296,000 full cycles of the check valve flap.
 
The stated cycle count is based on 5 mechanical cycles per second of the valve flap. It should be known the cycle count could have been as high as 10 per second as there was not a stroboscopic timing device available to gain an accurate count of the cycle rate. As a result of this, the cps established is based on the lowest visual estimate of the number of cycles generated per second.
 
To generate a visual cycle count using the valve flap movement (as seen in the upcoming video documentation) is near impossible to obtain accurately. However, if one counts from 1 to 5, it takes one second. Doing this while watching the actuator arm during rotation of the main drive gear on the test fixture one can obtain an estimate of 5 to 8 cycles per second.
 
The test described was applied to the current valve design that is now well over six months old.  (last design update - 12/15/09)  Change made - The backing screen is now physically and permanently fused to the valve throat and is no longer attached using an adhesive material.
 
So what does this all mean? It’s pretty simple really - the swing check valve flapper and hinge connection has been verified to be very robust, durable and will far exceed the cycle duration requirements of standard commercial design specifications.
 
FissureMan check valves will not and do not fail or have shown signs of wear on the flapper hinge connection point for well over 1 million full cycles. These test conditions operationally exceed industrial swing check valve reliability requirements.
 
This is significant if you figure the average cycle time for one pump on a SANDMAN or RINGKING to be around 3 to 5 seconds! Doing some quick math FissureMan swing check valves can be expected to last a very long time.  
 
The above testing is being continued from this point to achieve the total number of cycles needed to obtain catastrophic failure of the flapper components.
 
An update to this post will be added when catastrophic failure does finally occur along with a short video for review of the test in progress and end results.
 
So stay tuned and check back often!
 
 
As my luck would have it I was adding the latest cycle count update for 9/26/10 and the original post and all the accumulated data got deleted. Some days I just can’t win! :{(
 
So to pick it up again (unfortunately without the benefit of the previous postings) I will post the latest cycle count tally as follows:
 

Truncated progress update – 9/26/10


A total of 16,848,000 cycles have been performed. The previously identified deformation of the flap material is still evident, It has not gotten worse nor has it affected the flap operation in any significant manner.
 
 

Progress update – 10/01/10


A total of 18,144,000 cycles have been performed. The previously identified deformation of the flap material is still evident, It has not gotten worse nor has it affected the flap operation in any significant manner.
 

Progress update – 10/07/10


A total of 19,440,000 cycles have been performed. The previously identified deformation of the flap material is still evident, It has not gotten worse nor has it affected the flap operation in any significant manner.
 

Progress update – 10/13/10


A total of 20,736,000 cycles have been performed. The previously identified deformation of the flap material is still evident, It has not gotten worse nor has it affected the flap operation in any significant manner.
 

Progress update – 10/19/10


A total of 22,032,000 cycles have been performed. The previously identified deformation of the flap material is still evident, It has not gotten worse nor has it affected the flap operation in any significant manner.
 
 

Progress update – 10/25/10


A total of 23,328,000 cycles have been performed. The previously identified deformation of the flap material is still evident, It has not gotten worse nor has it affected the flap operation in any significant manner.

 

Progress update – 10/31/10


A total of 24,624,000 cycles have been performed. The previously identified deformation of the flap material is still evident, It has become somewhat more evident, however, it still has not affected the flap operation to any significant degree.

 

Progress update – 11/07/10


A total of 25,920,000 cycles have been performed. The previously identified deformation of the flap material is still evident, It has become somewhat more evident, however, it still has not affected the flap operation to any significant degree. Valve failure is taking far longer than I would have ever imagined. I may end this test very soon without ever seeing actual catastrophic failure of the valve components. If I do end the test sooner than later, I will still provide a video for review as stated previously.

 

Progress update – 11/13/10


A total of 27,216,000 cycles have been performed. The previously identified deformation of the flap material is still evident, It has become somewhat more evident, however, it still has not affected the flap operation to any significant degree. Valve failure is taking far longer than I would have ever imagined. I am ending this test without the ultimate climax of seeing actual catastrophic failure of the valve components. I will be providing a video for review very soon - so watch for it soon on my website!
 

I finally had the time to put the video together for the test. It took a little longer to get to than I expected but here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6QpJKe0ANQ

 Additional definition to help understand the above testing method better:
http://www.weibull.com/hotwire/issue18/hottopics18.htm
 
See what is typically expected in a Swing Check Valve design specification:

http://www.fmglobal.com/assets/pdf/fmapprovals/1210.pdf


 

 

 

 

  

   

    

      

         

             

      

   

 

]]> http://goldsucker.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=23 SLIP OR THREADED NOZZLES http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=22 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=22#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:20:52 +0000 fissureman Product design information http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=22                                                                          TO SLIP OR NOT TO SLIP CONNECT
                                                                   That is the question!
 
There is one particularly vociferous competitor out there that likes to ping on all the other manufacturers of hand dredges (oh yes! – it’s the same one that has been after FissureMan products since day one). He always seems to have some sort of negative comment or attitude to convey on his listings and/or e-store “blog” about other hand dredge manufacturers.
One of these (many) comments is that “friction fit” or slip connectors on hand dredges are real bad for some reason. To paraphrase his statement:
 

“The PSP uses a friction fit nozzle. This type of nozzle is used to keep cost down, as using threaded fittings more than double the cost of the nozzles. Nozzles that rely on friction alone to hold them on can and do come off at the most inconvenient time. Plus if sand or grit gets trapped between the mating surfaces, then friction fit type of nozzles can be a bear to take off.”
 

This is directed at the nozzle connections used on the FissureMan PickerStick Plus hand dredge.
 

Firstly – to be clear – the slip fittings used on the PickerStick nozzles cost (with tax) - $.95 each. The larger 1” male threaded fitting that could be used will cost (with tax) $.75 each.  I really don’t see how the cost could be “double” for a threaded nozzle fitting in this case.                       

UPDATE 6/30/10: - The fittings for the PickerStick plus are 1 1/4″ diameter slip to 1/2″ / 3/4″ & 1″ slip. These fittings cost more than any narrow 1″ threaded connections as used on the  (sic) “original” gold sucker. 

 I may not get the lowest price on all my raw products and parts.  I rather prefer to provide the best quality product for my customer base. As such my component costs may be somewhat higher since I use the best parts available rather than the cheapest. With FissureMan Online, product quality is more important than product profit.

What this writer finds duplicitous with the competitor’s statement is not whether a threaded connection is better or less costly but rather the misdirecting information about “friction fit” nozzles. All the while he provides this “opinion” the following is included with his two hand dredge package deal:
 

                                             A 2”  “Super Sucker” “friction fit” nozzle adapter….   

cropped-competitor-slip-connect.jpg

It seems that product construction that’s good for the goose should not be good for the gander…

 

As to a product that will get sand stuck inside and cause mechanical binding –
 The following exerpt is not this writers words but rather paraphrased from another prospecting site relating to first hand knowledge and the experience of a prospector who actually owns and commented on an “original” gold sucker  as provided by this same competitor:
 

“The smaller 1 ¼-inch model is not for large volume use….  It can tend to get some fine sand between the housing and the pump shaft, causing binding/scraping. “ 
 
 To sum up this blog entry with some technical information - if you don’t want something to bind with sand  - wipe or rinse both mating surfaces off before you put them back together. Using just this simple common sense approach you will get away from 99% of all the concern.
       

]]> http://goldsucker.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=22 Do you care about quality workmanship? http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=13 http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=13#comments Sat, 05 Jun 2010 20:36:29 +0000 fissureman Quality Workmanship http://goldsucker.com/blog/?p=13 Maybe not - but FissureMan does!

FissureMan Online products are consistantly produced with the highest attention to detail - no matter how small.  One of the biggest concerns is to never provide any schlok products for sale as can be found elswhere on the Internet, EBay or even with some home brewed equipment. While not naming names or singling out any one manufacturer, the following are but three catagories of “quality” that lacks detail orientation:

- Barcodes and price tags left on the product

- Rough cut “so called quality” workmanship

- Ink pipe markings left on constructed product

The following are example images of these, less than quality oriented, attributes. You will have to pardon the somewhat blurry look of the images as they are expanded crops of the original picture. However, even being slightly blurry they will convey the concern effectively.

 cropped-finishing-sluice-fitting-marking.jpg cropped-finishing-sluice-marking.jpg cropped-gns-bucket-marking.jpg cropped-wide-copy-cap-marking.jpg

cropped-wide-eye-copy-marking.jpg cropped-gns-nozzle-marking.jpg cropped-wide-eye-copy-body-marking.jpg cropped-gns-fitting-marking.jpg

Many of these examples are readily seen without any alteration of the picture, however, if you need to, take any of the original posted pictures and zoom in for a close review - they are readily seen. Some may be harder to distinguish than others as the position of the product is set up such that the marking or tags are placed either almost out of site or completely hidden from view with only a clean side showing.

These picture “oversights” may be explained away by a manufacturer as something found only on the picture descriptions but never sent to a customer. However, it seems quite apparent to this writer that if the manufacturer can’t or won’t remove tags and markings for even the a simple picture used to advertise then what would make one think that they would be removed from the final product that is purchased.

These few examples may seem trivial and completely acceptable by some purchasers but they still shown a lack of true concern to provide the absolute best quality workmanship for the buck spent by you.

 

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