Ribbed Rubber Matting

Okay, it's a pretty common belief that running ribbed rubber matting in your sluice box under unbacked miner's moss can dramatically improve fine gold recovery. The moss catches the heavies and the gold settles into the matting as the material shifts under the constant flow of water. Makes sense and it does work pretty good, but the stuff isn't cheap.

You see it at the gold shows and on ebay (see below), but it's generally pretty expensive.

There are alternatives. I mean, pretty much anything with the right sort of texture will catch gold and hold it. You may find yourself eyeing everything in a much different light once you start looking. I have a ribbed rubber car floormat that I picked up for three bucks that works great for catching really fine gold, but the real stuff can be had pretty cheap too.

The only problem with getting it cheap is that you'll likely be getting it from the manufacturer and will have to get a lot of it, so not so cheap after all. Ribbed rubber is used in industrial applications, and can be bought by the roll. If you do have a need for a lot rather than a little, check out the closeouts at Mats Etc. They sometimes have reasonable deals on 24" x 75' rolls. Yes, two feet by seventy-five feet... Eek! Okay, maybe the gold shows and ebay aren't such bad options...

Send advertising inquiries to eathan {at} gmail {dot} com, trades welcome.