Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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SCREENS 62 E&MJ; • JUNE 2016 www.e-mj.com The historic rush for gold that erupted in 1849 in the state of California, lat- er jumping to Canada's Yukon Territory, was less about striking it rich and more about daring to take chances—trying and failing, and trying again. American entre- preneurship shifted into high gear in those days. Fast forward to the present: Discovery Channel's television series Gold Rush has hit the mother lode for six sea- sons, ranking as the top-rated show on the network. Dave Turin, a key character on the show, described the series as the saga of down-on-their-luck construction work- ers facing all odds in the hopes of mak- ing good in the gold business. "It speaks to 'the American spirit,' that of taking a chance—and getting off the couch, put- ting your boots on, and getting to work no matter what the risk," he said. Turin is teamed up with cast member Todd Hoffman, the founder and leader of 316 Mining, which operates on a claim in the Klondike region of the Yukon in north- western Canada. "These haven't been easy chances, as we weren't very successful in the frst several seasons— but we've stayed at it and we've evolved as does any start- up business," said Turin. As to the cur- rent season, he said, "We're catching a lot of gold." The successful evolution of the Gold Rush mining teams is due in part to the expertise and equipment provided by a number of the nation's top mining equip- ment manufacturers. Among them is Polydeck Screen Corp., a manufacturer of modular rubber and polyurethane screen media. The company frst got involved with Gold Rush in 2012 when they pro- vided the screen media, a frame system, and accessories for the top deck of a 5 x 16-ft double-deck vibrating screen. During the current Gold Rush sea- son, Polydeck conducted a complete screen performance evaluation for the 316 Mining team. These "value-added" evaluations, according to the company, often lead to greater screening effcien - cy by determining needed adjustments to screen speed, stroke and acceleration. The latter is combined with an analysis of the support structure, bearings, and other key components to help prevent excessive wear and potential equipment failures. Polydeck said it takes a unique big- ger-picture approach to maximizing screen performance for its customers. At the 316 Mining site, the screen perfor- mance evaluation and subsequent fne tuning ultimately led to an estimated 25% increase in overall screening eff- ciency for the Hoffman/Turin crew. "Working with Polydeck is a great partnership. They continue to take chanc- es on us—and that's what our show is all about," said Turin, who added that he frst requested Polydeck screen me- dia several seasons ago. "Back then, we put their media on the top deck of the wash plant that we called 'Big Red.' This season, we've got it on the plant we call 'Monster Red,' and we've doubled the production capacities that we had two years ago." Turin became familiar with Polydeck media when he installed it in his fami- ly-owned quarry and paving business, which is based in Oregon. "It's all about the longevity of the Polydeck media. Un- like traditional wire cloth, we can put Polydeck in, and forget about it. The money we save in labor and wire cloth changeouts far outweighs the initial cost of the media. That's why we wanted it for our gold mining operation." Targeted Solutions In 2014, the Hoffman/Turin crew upgrad- ed to a larger triple-deck, 6 x 20-ft screen, and once again requested Polydeck me- dia. Turin shared their specifc require- ments with the Polydeck engineers, who recommend the optimum confgurations of opening types and sizes for the appli- cation. "They understand our machine; what we are sluicing; and provided us the just the right openings for our type of ma- terial," said Turin. Polydeck provided both Polydex mod - ular polyurethane panels and Rubberdex modular rubber panels—as well as frame systems and side wear plates. Turin said the modularity of the deck means they can change out a single panel at a time if need be; rather than replace the entire deck. The biggest thing, he said, is being able to change out panels as necessary on just the feed end where you get all the impact and wear. Polydeck's new Armadex bolt-down rubber chute panels are installed on the feed end of the top deck. Armadex Risk and Recovery Polydeck helps Klondike gold miners achieve major production gains Dave Turin, a principal cast member of the TV series 'Gold Rush,' checks sluicebox at the Klondike gold operation. (Photo: Gold Rush)