Wave Mat
The Wave Mat can be used in lower water volume sluices where the water is roughly 1/4″ to 3/4″” deep. It is for Working your Classified Black Sands. It is a LOWER ENERGY mat (for very little water volume) like the Washer mat and will not work well with standard matting like Scrubber and Talon. For that you need the BIG Wave mat. Each mat is 36″ WIDE and 6″ long.
Unlike any other mat on the market today, the new WAVE MAT™ from GoldHog® uses a different technology to capture super fine gold. It utilizes water speed, velocity, settling velocity, and terminal velocity principles to capture fine gold from previously difficult to process materials. (Thick slurries, fine beach sands, etc)
Doc has been working on this now Patent Pending Technology for about two years. There are several ways we plan to utilize it, but the first is the new WAVE MAT.
The PATENT PENDING elliptical / convex surface causes A CHANGE IN SLURRY SPEED AND ENERGY, allowing gold to fall out of the slurry without the turbulence of a RIFFLE. Much like happens when a river or stream TURN A CORNER. This provides a variance in flows and energy which is required for settling. Also, the bed-load (lower portion) of the slurry gently rises and falls without turbulence, and this action allows the heaviest particles to fall out of the flow first… and be captured.
“Allowing for a settling / stratification without the use of TURBULENCE… is the KEY.”
The standard way…
Normally most sluices use some form of “riffle” or flow interruption to create an EXCHANGE zone via a vortex like generator in combination with a low pressure area. Many of our mats do the same thing, but in a much gentler way. The material must RIDE OVER SOMETHING … which is then followed by a low pressure zone or VORTEX in an attempt to classify / hold material based on its weight or specific gravity.
The problem….
There are many forces / factors that can over ride the specific gravity separation only method.
However the WAVE MAT™ does NOT create any flow interruption or rely on vortexes. Instead exposing the slurry and material to a WAVE LIKE (HUMP) pattern, the energy and slurry is very slightly slowed down at different points. This slow down, or low pressure / energy zone allows the heaviest of the material in the slurry to drop out of the flow. Similar effects happen when rivers turn corners or WIDEN out. Once the fine gold drops out of the slurry, it is offered lots of small hiding places, GROOVES, to hide from the energy of the slurry.
Also there is a LIFT and FALL effect as the materials and slurry rise over the hump and then are released on the opposite side. Think of traveling down the road at 60 mph and going over that HUMP in the road. You, and everything else in your vehicle is slightly airborne for second. The slurry feels the same thing. Lighter material continues with the rising flow and heavier material drops first and “hugs the hump” and drops out.
Water Depth / GPH: IMPORTANT
To achieve best results when using this mat, the slurry must RIDE and FOLLOW this pattern. Therefore sluices with DEEP water cannot use the standard wave mat, the BIG wave mat is needed. The standard wave mat is designed for sluices that have a lower GPH or flare sections where the water flow / depth is roughly ¼” to ½” deep. Deeper water will nullify the drag, water speed change, and the other effects. For deeper water sluices the BIG WAVE mat is needed.
Again, this is NOT a primary capture mat.
This mat is a VERY effective mat when placed FURTHER down the sluice in more QUIET areas. It will capture fine gold that traditional / more turbulent riffle / matting systems miss. It is NOT aggressive, it is a finishing mat. If you are running a traditional sluice your slurry should first be exposed to more aggressive / traditional capture methods such as our Talon mat, Scrubber Mat, Riverhog mat, etc. As Doc has repeated OVER AND OVER… you should be exposing your slurry to varying surfaces, speeds, water depths etc. ALL GOOD commercial ops understand this.
Size of Gold:
The standard wave mat is designed to target mainly fine gold in the 30 – 300 mesh rage. The BIG wave mat will capture both larger and finer gold. (Click the pic to enlarge)
Product Code: mwavegh
Manufacturer: GOLD HOG
