compareeHub

HE 3D PRINTED A GOLD MINING DREDGE AND SLUICE BOX

A 2-inch dredge and 8-inch sluice box you print in PETG and bolt together with brass inserts - no glue - then run from a bilge pump.

by Jingjar-Ninjar

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

WorkshopOpen-hardware

Built with3D printing

difficulty
●●●○○
time
a weekend
license
license not specified
repo
repo 0 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
Jump to section

COMPAREE VERDICT

This is a functional placer mining tool that prints on a standard FDM printer and runs on a bilge pump. Jingjar-Ninjar posted it on MakerWorld in August 2026 with a parts list, printing settings and assembly steps: the sections bolt together with brass inserts and M6 bolts, no glue, and the maker reports 12+ hours of running unsealed. Print it in PETG, not PLA, ideally with a 0.6 or 0.8 mm nozzle, on a printer with about a 256 mm bed. What you still have to buy is the wet end: a suction nozzle (the maker uses one from Utmost Outdoors), a 4700 GPH bilge pump with a battery, smooth-wall 2-inch hoses and sluice matting. The thing to check before you print a single part: whether your local waterway allows suction dredging at all, and what size threshold applies. Some jurisdictions ban dredges outright during spawning season or require permits for any motorised equipment in a stream.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —STL files are provided on MakerWorld, free for personal use under the platform's Standard Digital File License.
  • —Written printing and assembly instructions are on the MakerWorld page (brass inserts and M6 bolts, no glue).
  • —The parts list covers M6 bolts, 24 brass inserts, smooth-wall 2-inch hoses, miner's moss/V-matting and a Dream Mat, a 4700 GPH bilge pump and a suction nozzle.
  • —The licence permits personal use only. Commercial use (e.g. running a prospecting service) is not allowed without contacting the maker.
  • —Local dredging permits and creek access rules vary by region and are not covered in the project files.

Parts to buy

6 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • 4700 GPH bilge pump and batteryFind
  • Suction nozzle (maker uses Utmost Outdoors')Find
  • 25 M6x20 and 5 M6x30 boltsFind
  • 24 M6 brass insertsFind
  • Wing nutsFind
  • Miner's moss/V-matting and an 8x24-inch Dream MatFind

BUILDS OF THE WEEK

Five open-source builds worth your weekend, every week.

Checked like this one: what’s really in the repo, what it costs, how hard it is. One email, unsubscribe anytime.

Can I build this?

PrintHeader, knockdown, base, two sluice sections, expanded-metal clamp, end unit and four legs — in PETG, ideally with a 0.6 or 0.8 mm nozzle, 20-40% gyroid infill, at least 2-3 mm walls; most parts need one section of supports.
Buy4700 GPH bilge pump and battery, suction nozzle (maker uses Utmost Outdoors'), smooth-wall 2-inch hose (6 ft) and 2 or 1.5-inch pressure hose with clamps, 25 M6x20 and 5 M6x30 bolts, 24 M6 brass inserts, wing nuts, miner's moss/V-matting and an 8x24-inch Dream Mat
ToolsFDM printer with a 256 x 256 mm bed (or scale the design down 25% for a 6-inch sluice), a heat-set insert tool for the brass inserts, basic hand tools, a heat gun for stringing
SkillsIntermediate: large PETG prints with supports, heat-set brass inserts, and basic pump and hose plumbing. If you have done a pond filter or aquarium plumbing project, this is similar.
TimeOne weekend if you already have the pump and hose on hand. Two weekends if you need to order parts, discover a mismatch, and reorder. Printing is long: the maker's profile uses about 3.4 kg of PETG and warns that a 0.4 mm nozzle will take a very long time.
CostModerate; no total is published. The 4700 GPH bilge pump and battery, the suction nozzle and the matting are the main costs, plus a few kilograms of PETG.
SafetyNo electrical hazards if you use a low-voltage pump (12V is typical for portable dredges). The main risk is environmental and legal: dredging without a permit can carry fines, and disturbing a spawning bed can damage fish populations. Check your local rules before you run this in any waterway. Mechanically, the pump and hose are low-pressure and safe for outdoor use.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

More builds like this

All projects
HackMan3D Orbit Controller: a fully 3D-printable 6-DOF CAD mouseWorkshopYou can 3D print a scanner that turns any real object into a 3D modelWorkshopYou can build a soldering station that runs off a USB-C laptop chargerWorkshop

Gallery

makerworld.com
makerworld.com
makerworld.com
makerworld.com
img.youtube.com
img.youtube.com
img.youtube.com

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Download the STL files from the MakerWorld page and check your local dredging rules before printing anything. (The files are free for personal use. If you plan to use this commercially (e.g. offering prospecting services), contact the maker first — the MakerWorld Standard Digital File License restricts commercial use.)
  2. 2.Order the 4700 GPH bilge pump, battery, suction nozzle, smooth-wall hoses and matting from the parts list(The parts list on MakerWorld specifies a 4700 GPH bilge pump, a suction nozzle, and 2-inch smooth-wall hoses — smooth inner walls matter, or you lose suction.)
  3. 3.Print the header, knockdown, base, two sluice sections, expanded-metal clamp, end unit and four legs(Print in regular PETG as hot as you can without heavy stringing, ideally with a 0.6 or 0.8 mm nozzle; walls at least 2 mm (3+ recommended), 20-40% gyroid infill; most parts need one section of supports. Parts are sized for a 256 x 256 mm bed.)
  4. 4.Order the pump, hose, and clamps. If possible, order from a vendor with easy returns in case the hose diameter does not match.(Budget for the 4700 GPH bilge pump and its battery, the suction nozzle, smooth-wall hoses with clamps, M6 bolts, brass inserts and the matting; the maker does not publish a total.)
  5. 5.Assemble the dredge and sluice, test it in a bucket or tub first, then take it to a legal prospecting site.(Follow the maker's assembly instructions (brass inserts in every blind hole, M6 bolts between sections, wing nuts for the clamp and knockdown flap). Sealing is not required. Test pump flow in a tub before you carry it to a creek.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • The parts list and assembly steps are on the MakerWorld page, but the dredge also depends on bought items — a suction nozzle, a 4700 GPH bilge pump, smooth-wall hoses and sluice matting — so budget for those before you print.
  • Dredging laws vary widely by jurisdiction and waterway. Some areas ban suction dredges outright, others allow them only outside spawning season, and some require a permit for any motorised equipment in a stream. Fines for illegal dredging can be substantial. Check your local fish and wildlife agency rules before you build.
  • Hoses matter: the maker says the inner walls must be smooth or you lose suction, and shorter hoses lose less pressure - 2-inch by 6 ft from the nozzle, 2 or 1.5-inch by 4-5 ft for the pressure side.
  • Do not print it in PLA: the maker strongly recommends regular PETG, printed hot, because the parts sit in sun and water for hours.
  • Recovery depends on the matting: the design is built for 8 inches of miner's moss or V-matting followed by an 8x24-inch Dream Mat; if you use other mats you will need your own clamping. The maker says the design works well but is not perfect and plans improvements.
  • This is personal-use only under the MakerWorld licence. If you want to build multiple units for a prospecting club or offer dredging as a service, you must contact the maker for a commercial licence.

What pump do I actually need?

The maker specifies a 4700 GPH bilge pump, used with a suction nozzle (he uses the one from Utmost Outdoors). Run as a powered sluice, a 3700 or 4700 GPH bilge pump can feed the header directly. Hoses: 2-inch smooth-wall hose from the nozzle, 2 or 1.5-inch pressure hose, plus a battery for the pump.

Will this actually find gold?

A dredge is a tool, not a guarantee. It works on the same principle as commercial dredges: water flow and matting concentrate heavy material, and gold is the heaviest thing in most creek gravels. The maker reports running it for 12+ hours, but whether you find gold depends on whether there is gold in the creek.

Can I dredge any creek?

No. Many jurisdictions restrict or ban suction dredging, especially during fish spawning season, and some require a permit for any motorised equipment in a waterway or set size limits. Check your local fish and wildlife agency rules before you take this to any stream. The files are legal to print; using the tool may not be legal everywhere.

How much gold can I expect to recover?

That depends entirely on the creek. The maker publishes no throughput or recovery figures; the sluice traps heavy material on miner's moss, V-matting and a Dream Mat, but if there is no gold in the gravel you will recover nothing. This is prospecting equipment, not a money printer.

Can I sell the dredges I print?

Not under the MakerWorld Standard Digital File License, which restricts commercial use. If you want to sell finished dredges or run a prospecting service with this design, contact the maker (Jingjar-Ninjar) to negotiate a commercial licence. Printing one for yourself or a friend is fine.

Community builds

No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

The designer specifies a 4700 GPH bilge pump and 2-inch hose for this dredge. If you have built something with similar plumbing (pond filter, bilge setup, aquarium pumps), what would you change first — the pump, the nozzle or the hose run?

CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the MakerWorld page does include a parts list and written printing and assembly instructions - bolts, inserts, matting, hose sizes and the pump are all specified. The design calls for a 4700 GPH bilge pump with an Utmost Outdoors suction nozzle, a 2-inch outlet hose and a 2- or 1.5-inch pressure hose, and it prints in PETG with a 0.6 or 0.8 mm nozzle and supports. We found no video of this exact design in use; the Utmost Outdoors videos show the nozzle and bilge setup it is built around. The legal side is the bigger gotcha: dredging rules vary by waterway and season, and some jurisdictions ban suction dredges entirely or require permits. The files and instructions are there; check your local fish and wildlife regulations before you spend a weekend printing it. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

Jingjar-Ninjar

Jingjar-Ninjar published the dredge and sluice design on MakerWorld in August 2026, with a parts list, printing settings and assembly instructions. It is built around a suction nozzle from Utmost Outdoors, whose videos are linked below.

Star the project on GitHub

DISCLAIMER

  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
GitHub repo