Blue Bowl Gold Concentrator Bowl with Flow Control Valve and Wire Legs

The Blue Bowl Concentrator Bowl with Valve and Wire Legs (SKU BB) is the basic Blue Bowl setup: the blue plastic bowl, the water flow control valve, three wire legs and the how-to instructions. The Blue Bowl is a final cleanup tool for prospectors. It takes the black sand concentrates left after panning, sluicing or a highbanker and uses a slow swirl of water to lift the sand over the center cone while the gold stays in the bowl. Pioneer Mining states it can recover gold as fine as talcum powder when set up and operated properly. It has no moving parts; the water does the work.

Who this Blue Bowl setup is for

Prospectors who already have a 12 V pump, or who plan to run the bowl from a garden hose at home, and want the bowl without paying again for a pump they own. It also suits anyone replacing a cracked bowl in an older kit.

If you are starting from nothing, the Blue Bowl kit with the 750 GPH pump, leg levelers and snuffer bottle gets you running out of the box; the pump, levelers and other parts are also sold on their own. Compare every option in our Blue Bowl concentrator collection. If your material is still gravel rather than concentrates, a gold pan or sluice comes first; see our gold prospecting equipment.

Key features and what they mean in use

• Flow control valve: sets and holds the water level at the outer rim. Too much flow and gold washes over the center cone; too little and the black sand never clears. The valve is the one adjustment that matters, and Pioneer Mining says to close it every time before adding more concentrates.
• Three wire legs: fold-out legs that stand the bowl over a 3.5 to 5 gallon bucket. The bowl must sit level in every direction or the swirl runs uneven and gold creeps to the low side. Pioneer Mining's optional leg levelers with hold-down clips, sold separately, make leveling faster and the bowl more stable.
• Garden hose or recirculating pump: at home, a hose and a tub are enough. In the field, a 12 V, 750 GPH submersible pump in an 18 gallon tub recirculates the same water all day.
• Works on classified concentrates: Pioneer Mining says to prescreen to at least 30 mesh, and to 50 or 100 mesh for micro-fine gold. Nested 30, 50 and 100 mesh classifiers from our gold classifiers collection speed the job.
• No moving parts: nothing to wear out. Rinse it and store it.

What is in the box

• Blue Bowl concentrator bowl
• Water flow control valve
• 3 wire legs
• How-to instructions

Not included: pump, hose, bucket, tub, leg levelers, snuffer bottle and vial. Pioneer Mining's recirculating setup also calls for a few drops of a wetting agent such as Jet Dry in the water so fine gold does not float.

The control valve may differ in color or style from the picture.

Compatibility

The bowl accepts the Blue Bowl 750 GPH submersible pump and the Blue Bowl leg levelers, small parts kit, replacement hose, valve fitting, washer and wire legs, all in our Blue Bowl collection. A standard garden hose connects for home use.

Where it works well and where it does not

Works well on classified black sand concentrates, flour gold and the fines a sluice or pan cannot finish cleanly. One cup of concentrates at a time, never more than one and a half cups, with 100 mesh material taking longer than 50 mesh. It does not work on unclassified material, dry material or gravel, and it needs a flat, level spot and a few gallons of water. Expect a learning curve on the valve setting; watch the discharge over the center cone and slow the flow the moment you see color leaving.

How it differs from the other Blue Bowl listings

Blue Bowl Concentrator Gold Kit: this same bowl plus the 750 GPH 12 V pump, flex hose, battery clips, leg levelers, snuffer bottle and a vial, for people starting from scratch. Blue Bowl Concentrator Bowl (bare): the bowl alone, for replacing a damaged bowl when you already have the valve and legs. This listing sits between them: the bowl with everything that bolts to it, minus the water supply.