Desert DryWashers
Redwood drywashers built one at a time in a garage near Phoenix
- Where
- San Tan Valley, Arizona (no storefront)
- Builds
- Bellows puffers, a blower drywasher, rocker boxes
- How
- By hand, to order, one piece at a time
- Custom
- Rocker box matting of your choice
- Orders
- Website, or text 602-618-9959
- Ships
- Across the USA; international by arrangement; Phoenix-area delivery or pickup
Builder: builds the gear it sells
Builds to the customer's specifications on request.
One man in a garage builds redwood drywashers by hand, one at a time
Sells online or by order: no storefront to visit
Works from San Tan Valley, Arizona.
Builds: Drywashers · Rocker boxes
What they sell: Drywashers · Rocker boxes
Makes: Redwood bellows puffers, blower drywashers and rocker boxes
Ships nationwide.
What Desert DryWashers builds
Built by hand in Arizona by the owner, one piece at a time, only to order.
Prospecting Puffer ↗
Small bellows drywasher for sampling, carried in on foot · Drywashers
- Redwood, about 15 lb
- No gas, no motor, no battery
- Hopper about 13.5 x 18.5 x 5.5 inches, holds 2 to 3 gallons
- Tray about 11.25 x 12.75 inches, natural fiber cloth
- 1/2-inch expanded metal classifier
- About 18 x 25 x 35 inches assembled; folds for hiking
Full Size Puffer ↗
Shovel-fed bellows drywasher for running a lot of dirt · Drywashers
- Redwood; bellows worked by a lever and cord
- Hopper about 12 x 24 x 6 inches
- No blower or batteries to carry
- Usable during fire restrictions when engines are not allowed
- Folds down for transport
Blower Drywasher ↗
Leaf-blower drywasher for a good spot · Drywashers
- Redwood; folds for transport
- Hopper about 12 x 24 x 4 inches; tray about 10 x 18 inches
- Air box for a 3-inch blower hose, weighted fan for vibration
- Rayon riffle cloth that builds a small static charge
Rocker Box ↗
Old-school rocker with no pump or motor · Rocker boxes
- Redwood sealed with polyurethane, about 6 x 18 inches
- 1/2-inch classifying screen, curved rocker rails
- Matting of your choice on request: Gold Hog, Dream Mat, V-groove, miner's moss
How to order
- Order on their website or text 602-618-9959
- No stock: each piece is built after a 50% non-refundable deposit
- Ships in the USA; international by arrangement
- Local delivery in the Phoenix area or free pickup
Where to use your gear near San Tan Valley
47 gold spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
About Desert DryWashers
Desert DryWashers is a one-man operation in San Tan Valley, on the southeast side of the Phoenix area. The owner describes himself as a family man building prospecting equipment in his garage, and the shop works the way that sounds: nothing sits in stock, and each machine is started only after a customer orders it and pays a deposit.
Everything is built from redwood. The smallest model, the Prospecting Puffer, is a bellows drywasher of about 15 pounds that needs no blower, engine or battery and folds down for long walks into the desert to sample a wash. The Full Size Puffer works its bellows with a lever and cord and takes material straight off the shovel, so it can run during fire restrictions, when engines are banned.
For bigger runs there is a blower drywasher that hooks to a leaf blower through a 3-inch inlet, with a weighted fan that shakes the tray and rayon riffle cloth meant to hold a small static charge. The shop also builds a redwood rocker box with a half-inch classifier, sealed against water, and fits whatever matting the buyer prefers, from Gold Hog to Dream Mat or miner's moss.
To buy one, use the shop on the website or send a text. A finished machine ships anywhere in the USA, can be dropped off around Phoenix, or waits for pickup.
Clubs and places nearby
- Pinal Gem and Mineral SocietyClub · 14 mi
- GPAA Apache Junction ChapterClub · 15 mi
- Apache Junction Rock and Gem ClubClub · 17 mi
- Southwest Paleontological SocietyClub · 22 mi
- Mineralogical Society of ArizonaClub · 32 mi
- Roadrunner Prospectors ClubClub · 37 mi
Other shops and gear makers nearby
- Natural ExpressionsShop · 15 mi
- Arizona Gift CenterShop · 16 mi
- A & B Prospecting Supplies (Mesa)Shop · 19 mi
- Mammoth Mine Rock ShopShop · 20 mi
Access
Online orders only; every piece is built after you order. Local delivery or pickup in the Phoenix area.