First Pan Ever

[NiNko]

Today my work took me up to Montana, just outside Butte. I bought a pan about a year ago and never used it, today I figured why not, nothing else better to do after work.

This picture is from just 1 pan, 1 shovel full. Needless to say I now have a 5 gallon bucket of dirt to take home.

I feel like this is an EXCELLENT first pan. But I’m so new so I’m not sure.

Also, my panning skill sucks. Any tips would be helpful, I’m pretty sure I’m loosing gold when I’m doing it.

I decided to dig in the layer right before the black clay in the side of a bank on the river. You can see my shovel next to the hole

 

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[Bodfish Mike]

If that's gold quit your day job.
If it's Mica keep your job.
Welcome to the forum
Mike

 

[NiNko]

How can I tell the difference. Still new to this

 

[ghostminer]

Here's the real deal.

 

[Bodfish Mike]

Rub a flake between your fingers. If it disintegrate -- it ain't gold.

 

[NiNko]

Son of a..... guess I’ll put it all in a vial and give to to my 3 year old son. I was even in an area where people told me there was gold. What a waste of 5 hours

 

[NiNko]

Guess I’ll go try my luck back in Utah.

 

[et1955]

simple test weather it is mica or gold, just block the light coming to it, mica will go dark but gold won't, no matter what you choose the right place to mine, good job. Don't give up and it sure looks like gold that I mine on a certain river here in Wa. state.

 

[Duckshot]

Son of a..... guess I’ll put it all in a vial and give to to my 3 year old son. I was even in an area where people told me there was gold. What a waste of 5 hours

Not a complete waste, you leaned quite a bit. You gained experience.

Around my part of town a couple specks the size of a grain of sand is a decent pan. Prospecting is generally a waste of money too, not just time. But I get something for my money. Sluicing and panning is therapeutic. And I might just hit just the right spot...

 

[mendoAu]

If you can pan and just keep the mica you are doing a fine job of panning. Mica is not very heavy and tends to float out of a pan. Job well done.