Gold cube

[blackbeard81]

Ok folks normally I post on the panning forum but since I'm at a low point with this hobby I thought I would post on here.After getting off work I went to the homestead to do a little which ended up being 3 or 4 hours lol which I did 4 pans just to collect the black sand then re pan it only to get frustrated.for the life of me I can't get the gold to lay below the first riffle so I put all of my black sand and gold even though its fine gold believe me I've asked questions and watched many videos about panning,so I guess what I'm asking is a gold cube worth the money or is there something else I can try?

 

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[DizzyDigger]

First, I suggest spending some time practicing panning in a tub at home. Hang
on to that black sand, and add some "blonds" in with it, plus a couple of small
bits of lead fishing sinker or even a couple BB's. There's a number of good
video's on youtube, as well.

I have no first hand experience with the Gold Cube, but if you do a search
for Gold Cube" you'll find many threads sharing any pro's or cons of the
system. Personally I would love to have one!

 

[socalocmatt]

Are you panning cons that are of there own classification? I have no personal experience with the gold cube but I do use and love my blue bowl for what it's worth.

 

[russau]

I have a 4 stack delux unit that i really like! everything is expensive now-a-days! just think of all the gold your scalp out of your cons in no time.and when your working 10-20 buckets of cons,how much is your time worth? how good is your back when panning that much??

 

[blackbeard81]

I have a 4 stack delux unit that i really like! everything is expensive now-a-days! just think of all the gold your scalp out of your cons in no time.and when your working 10-20 buckets of cons,how much is your time worth? how good is your back when panning that much??

So you would say the gold cube is well worth the money.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Even with a gold cube you STILL have to do the final panning. So if you are having panning problems, I suggest you work on THAT issue first. The first you need to do is screen you material into multiple sizes so everything is close to the same size. Next is to only put MAYBE a cup of cons in at a time. Agitate, agitate, agitate, then work a little off the top, then agitate more. Repeat as needed. Any time you see gold before you do your swirl mean you need to agitate it more!

Go S L O W! speed comes with experience and time.

 

[silver821]

I have to agree experience comes with a lot of time, practice practice practice, also a good pan will help, don't get a super fancy pan! once you get the hang of it you will learn tricks that will cut your time also

 

[nmhunter]

I have and use the Gold Cube and to me it is well worth the money.

It does not sound like this would be the best tool for you however. The Gold Cube is a great concentrator. You still need to pan those concentrates to get your gold. I deal with very small flat gold that is easily caught in the second tray of the cube and I get a very small amount in the third tray, maybe 5% if that much. The first tray is just a slick plate and does not hold the gold I find. For the material I work, I do not think the fourth tray is needed or the cost justified. Depending on the material you are working the fourth tray could be worth while. The first several times I ran the cube I reran the material and did not find a speck in the tailings.

Work on your panning skills before spending the money. Practice, Practice, Practice. Jason has great advise on the classification and use of bbs. I even used number 7 and 9 birdshot to work on technique when i . I also like to use magnets to get rid of my magnetite, but be sure to keep these as small gold can be caught up in the sands.

I personally do not try to get every speck from my black sands any longer. I am gathering more material and saving the concentrated black sands until I have enough to justify talking my wife into letting me buy a set of good classifiers and the blue bowl. Since I have not only a wife, but three kids and a granddaughter, I will need to show the gold found justifies the money spent. That means cashing in some of my stash and ordering them AND being able to hand her at least a couple hundred bucks or other creative means. I was able to get both the Gold Cube with an #8 Classifier and a Royal Drywasher this summer as "gifts" doing odd jobs for people and instead of letting them pay me requesting the equip.

From what I have seen, the Blue Bowl does eliminate the need to pan your very fine materials but is also slow and requires a lot of patience and very careful classification. I still plan to pan my material and then use the blue bowl to catch the -100 and -200 material I am currently letting slide.

 

[blackbeard81]

Thanks for the tips much appreciated,and I will continue working on my panning skills.As far as a classifier goes what for size should I be using?another thing I've heard something about using jet dry is this something I should be going?

 

[silver821]

definitely use jet dry, less suds then using soap! I use quarter classifying screen but my sluice is able to handle 1/2 but it depends where I am digging and what kind of gold is found.for the screen that answer cannot really be given it all depends on if you are in the area that is known for fine gold or in a area that is known for chunky! it all depends on your decision

 

[Jason in Enid]

Thanks for the tips much appreciated,and I will continue working on my panning skills.As far as a classifier goes what for size should I be using?another thing I've heard something about using jet dry is this something I should be going?

You need many screens! At least 1/4 inch, #8, #20, #50, #100. The more uniform you can get the panning material size, the better your recovery will be. Yes, jet-dry (or other similar dishwashing agent) breaks the surface tension of the water because GOLD WILL FLOAT! You only need a little tiny bit.

 

[nmhunter]

The more uniform you can get the panning material size, the better your recovery will be. Yes, jet-dry (or other similar dishwashing agent) breaks the surface tension of the water because GOLD WILL FLOAT! You only need a little tiny bit.

Until you buy classifiers you can use all kinds of items you already have to classify. I started out using old colanders, strainers, and window screen. The key is to separate the material to uniform size. Due to the possible presence of mercury do not ever use these items for food prep again.

Instead of jet dry I use dish soap. Use soaps that a free of dyes or scents as those have oils that will help let the gold float and do not create bubbles.

Also, when panning since you are dealing with fines be sure to use a wave technique instead of swirling your water. Swirling tends to blow the really fine gold around. With a wave you can be much more deliberate with your panning.

 

[blackbeard81]

So no swirling just back and forth and side to side?would it be best to buy separate classifiers or buy a stackable kit?

 

[silver821]

definitely no swirling!!!!!!!!! me personally I bought two classifiers quarter inch and a half inch for the dirt, and I pan my black sand, I have no use for a gold cube or different size classifiers for my concentrate. once i got the hang of panning that was all I need. later on once you get the hang of panning you will learn tricks that will cut your time in half, you will always need to learn how to pan if you're going to continue this hobby

 

[lastleg]

If your cons are trashy with plant material you may have oils from leaves and other contaminants. To
remove most of the trash float it out of a 5 gal bucket with garden hose. Then put in a few drops of
Dawn and stir until the plant trash is saturated. Let settle and float it off. Keep flushing until water is
clear. Then add a squirt of Jet Dry and stir. The gold should now be in the bottom layer of the bucket.

It helps to pan in a nearly full container. I use the black hard plastic camper rigs from WM and always
put another weighted pan in the bottom. The top pan should be light enough to hold with one hand
leaving the other to smack the pan with the inside base of your hand. This sends the gold to the bottom
while you wash off the overburden with downward and horizontal movements. Each time you unload
the light stuff give it a couple taps to make certain the gold stays in the bottom. When you are down
to coffee cup size cons begin the swirl to see the gold under the black sand.

The non-riffle side can now be employed to take away the heavier non-gold remainder. In clear water
it is easy to remove nearly all the worthless sands. But there will always be some heavies in with the
gold. Use a sucker tube to empty the pay layer for later processing.

 

[KevinInColorado]

So no swirling just back and forth and side to side?would it be best to buy separate classifiers or buy a stackable kit?

A stackable kits is often the cost effective way to go. Smart question!

 

[jcazgoldchaser]

So no swirling just back and forth and side to side?would it be best to buy separate classifiers or buy a stackable kit?

I bought the 9 piece from Utopia tools, but they also have a 5 for $50

Gold Panning Equipment

Lots of the cheapie pans there too. Plus other items like suffer bottles, tweezers, loupes...

Don't forget to check for coupons/discounts
Utopia Tools Coupon Codes: Get $5 Discount, Free Shipping w/ August Promo Codes

They were at the big SAR gunshow down in Phoenix one December and had primarily dremel tool type stuff.

 

[russau]

So you would say the gold cube is well worth the money.

for me,yes,absolutly! and if youll use it and generaly have lots of cons, id say yes to you also!but dont look for any short cuts when a person is just learning the ropes! learn to pan the fine stuff first! then move up!