Gold Pans - What do you use.

Skiddum

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Jan 29, 2015
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Sweet thanks for the help. I was wondering about that.I've seen allot of concentrate from sluicing but wondered if the same process is possible with panning. me and my wife have just panned down everything. but what about the le trap square pan. thats what my initial questions was about. cause the video looks like he didn't screen at all. I was wondering if anyone knows about the le trap square pan. and could shed some light on it. I hate dragging a classifier around with me. just cause there bulky. if the le trap doesn't need a classifier then it'll save me some money. 300 bucks is quite a bit even though I know it works really well
 

Skiddum

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Jan 29, 2015
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We use a dremel to channel to a slot cut into the bottom of a pan. Put your finger over the hole, stratify, quickly open and close the hole and the heavies drop out. Its faster and easier than removing all the lighter stuff from the top to get to whats on the bottom.



View attachment 1116066

thanks for the advice I'll try it. I noticed you said something about a vortex. are you talking about the vortex drop sluice or something completely different
 

chlsbrns

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Mar 30, 2013
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chlsbrns

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Mar 30, 2013
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I changed the video to one that shows how to use the saruca
 

Skiddum

Sr. Member
Jan 29, 2015
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so anyways about the le trap square pan. does an anyone know if you have to or should classify when using it. it might just save my check book 300 bucks. and I'm definitely going to check out the saruca
 

Vance in AK

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Feb 15, 2010
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The video of the guy using the Letrap also answers the answer about whether or not you "need' to classify. He started out with some stuff in there that was better than golf ball size & was down to the goodies in under 3 minutes. That said, classifying sure makes things easier.
 

Gelmac

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Apr 30, 2012
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Over here small miners use large metal bowls as their primary cons tool then finish off with another little kitchen bowl all these belong to kitchen department. I 've used the plastic American pan but never owned one. Also the Aluminum metal pan (again it is just a food plate) is not good as a cons tools , I mean there an amalgamation process is involved and it is a common practice among small miners . Chemical reactions between the two elements produces nasty product.

This is the metal bowl:


hand-panners-.jpg
 

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Skiddum

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Jan 29, 2015
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Ok thanks guys. I guess I was asking what you guys think about the le trap. if anyone has used it. I have the garret gravity drop 14 inch pan for me and my wife. I was trying to decide on weather or not to use the pyramid, gold hog, or Le trap as high production pans. after carefully readin the reviews and everything on the gold hog I've decided against it just cause some of the places around here don't allow classifiers. and the gold hog would probably get me in trouble or wind up being taken by one of the over Zellus rangers. also the gold hog, it says on there website that it's not for sand and other small stuff. here we have this nasty black clay stuff. think of the swamp that black mud. almost the same stuff. it hardens fast. pretty much as soon as it settles. and the gold hog I doubt would be very good at handling it.just cause it would all go to the bottom then clog up the gold mat on the bottom. I'd have to open the screen and break it up and start washing and I can see it being a big mess and waisted time. just a royal pain. also I'd have to clean it out every time. instead of being able to just refill and go. so now I'm down to the pyramid pro pan and the le trap. I've bought both and I guess it'll be just a matter of personal preference see what I like better. what moves stuff faster and so on.
 

arizau

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May 2, 2014
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Ok thanks guys. I guess I was asking what you guys think about the le trap. if anyone has used it. I have the garret gravity drop 14 inch pan for me and my wife. I was trying to decide on weather or not to use the pyramid, gold hog, or Le trap as high production pans. after carefully readin the reviews and everything on the gold hog I've decided against it just cause some of the places around here don't allow classifiers. and the gold hog would probably get me in trouble or wind up being taken by one of the over Zellus rangers. also the gold hog, it says on there website that it's not for sand and other small stuff. here we have this nasty black clay stuff. think of the swamp that black mud. almost the same stuff. it hardens fast. pretty much as soon as it settles. and the gold hog I doubt would be very good at handling it.just cause it would all go to the bottom then clog up the gold mat on the bottom. I'd have to open the screen and break it up and start washing and I can see it being a big mess and waisted time. just a royal pain. also I'd have to clean it out every time. instead of being able to just refill and go. so now I'm down to the pyramid pro pan and the le trap. I've bought both and I guess it'll be just a matter of personal preference see what I like better. what moves stuff faster and so on.

For a higher volume production mode when you use the Le Trap pan I would suggest that you just pan to remove the larger stones and gravel then add more material until the point that you have a heavy load of black sands and small gravel. If you progress much beyond this point without a safety pan you run the risk of losing some of the flour gold. That principal is built in to the pyramid pan and it is suggested to continually add material before cleaning out. I would run the Pyramid until the whole bottom chamber was full of black sands and tiny gravel before I even thought about cleaning it out. The collected cons from both then can be panned by what ever means into a safety pan to insure you do not lose any gold.
The Hog Pan does not work well with a full load of sand or silt like material as it will immediately overfill the collection chamber and not allow it to effectively exchange the material piled on top of it.
 

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Skiddum

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Jan 29, 2015
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Sweet thanks man. I'll do that. I've herd the trinity bowl is supposed to be a high production pan. and I understand the concept of the trinity bowl. keep everything in the trap and then keep going. but I think it'll be a great pan to use for cleaning up the pyramid pro pan, and the le trap, clean out the majority of over burden really quick using a safety pan then refill the High production pans and keep going. so it never ends until uve completely cleaned the area I'm in. should make it rather quick once I get my system down. just put all the over burden from the concentrates into a bucket and go go go.
 

Reed Lukens

Silver Member
Jan 1, 2013
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Congres, AZ/ former California Outlawed Gold Miner
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I wouldn't worry about a higher production pan because it is the operator, not the pan, that makes the difference. Put the cons from the Pro pan in a bucket and then screen the cons. Screening is the key. If you can't screen in the field there then take the buckets of cons home and work them there after screening at home. The Le Trap is no better then the Pioneer pan or many others. I've used all of the pans mentioned and I still prefer the Pioneer Dual Riffle Gold Pan, everyone sells them including Keene but it is personal preference and what you get used too.
 

bedrock bubba

Sr. Member
Jun 27, 2010
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396
Sweet thanks man. I'll do that. I've herd the trinity bowl is supposed to be a high production pan. and I understand the concept of the trinity bowl. keep everything in the trap and then keep going. but I think it'll be a great pan to use for cleaning up the pyramid pro pan, and the le trap, clean out the majority of over burden really quick using a safety pan then refill the High production pans and keep going. so it never ends until uve completely cleaned the area I'm in. should make it rather quick once I get my system down. just put all the over burden from the concentrates into a bucket and go go go.

I bought a LeTrap pan when it first came out years ago, and never went back to round pans. Its faster, you get more fines, and you don't have to classify if you don't want to. You can buy knockoff LeTraps for about $ 15, and they work just as good as the original. And you can one hand it, and that saves your back!

And I take home clean gold with virtually no black sands, and no longer have to save that crap.
 

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