Dont have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

[hayhauler]

Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

I've been thinking, for a long time, that there might be gold in the creek that runs through my land. I dug up about two gallons of sand and gravel from some crevices today. I don't own a pan. Will something from the kitchen work for a first try? Any suggestions?

 

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[strickman]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

you can use a pot,pan, hubcap almost anything ----------but a decent pan is not that much.well worth the money in the long run(actually the short run)!

 

[hayhauler]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

I don't mind buying one, but I thought if something else could be used I'd check the material I've got and see if there is anything colorful there and then consider what kind of pan or device I want to get.

 

[Astrobouncer]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

When I got first got started I used a huge green plastic salad bowl. It worked fine for getting down to black sand and concentrate though I am sure some heavies went over the side. It was 18 inches wide and super deep so my wrists got a real workout when I was learning to pan.

Couple tips- if you do use something plastic (or anything smooth) , scuff up the bottom of it with sand paper and also don't over fill it. Break up any clay or dirt clumps with your hands to make them easier to pan. Put some dawn (just a drop or so) to keep small gold from floating off.

As others here have said in the past, practice panning some BB's in some dirt and once you catch them all then you should be good to get other stuff.

Good luck and hope it helps.

 

[hayhauler]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Thanks, I hadn't heard the advice about the dawn or the BBs. I'm going to try something tomorrow, but I'm going to work over a bucket so I can try again without losing anything. The stuff in the bottom of my creek looks like the stuff they sell up in the mountains of NC, so I want to see if there's anything in it.

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

A metal pie pan is almost as good as a gold pan - except it doesn't have riffles.

I don't know about using DAWN, but Jet Dry is really good to help with the small stuff.

Beth

 

[Hoser John]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

DAWN--as any sudsing soap-will clean BUT also float your micron gold right out and away--see a google on floatation cells. Now JETDRY is not a soap or cleaner--its a binder of molecules and increases surface tension with a surfactant that increase the dynes of a water molecule--and hence helps gold sink and does increase recovery a miniscule amount. Have a ball and tons a au 2 u 2 -John

 

[AU Seeker]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

HayHauler,

Good luck!

Where are you located, in general?

I watched a video of a gold prospector in a third world country sampling/panning with a shovel and finding gold, so yes find something in your kitchen to use and let us know if you find anything!!

( a word of warning, make sure your better half wife/girlfriend approves of your choice from the kitchen or you never hear the end of it , also don't use the item in the kitchen again as there could be contaminates in your stream)


Skip

 

[OldSowBreath]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

I was camping in a remote area one time and used a plastic dinner plate like you find at the sporting good stores in the camping supplies area. It was shallow and blue, and worked beautifully.
Once you find some flakes or color in an area, start screening material out as much as possible to get concentrates. You can pan them out at home. Don't waste your time on an expedition by just panning.

 

[golddigger14s]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Whatever you use pan back into another container that way if it gets out of your "pan" it won't be lost and you can pan the material a 2nd or 3rd time.

 

[hayhauler]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Whatever you use pan back into another container that way if it gets out of your "pan" it won't be lost and you can pan the material a 2nd or 3rd time.

That's exactly what I've been doing. I bought a gold pan off or ebay and poured a lot of the stuff I had already panned into a bucket into that pan just to try it again. Still haven't found anything but dirt, but I haven't given up yet either.

 

[jimmygoat]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Hayhauler, If you are getting your samples from bedrock and aren't finding any gold, move to another spot, or maybe there is no gold in your area. The panning will tell you, even if your not so good at it . Jimmygoat

 

[SCBUZZ]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Dollar General is the best place for the start up prospector. sifters , strainers , even grizzly material can be had there. also like above stated pie pans work fine. I can use a pie pan almost as good as a gold pan.

Flatten out some bird shot or small lead sinkers .

Also find you a old speaker from a car or old radio. tare it apart and steal the magnets out. Use them to separate your magnetic sands from the rest of your work. But be sure not to throw those away. As you learn they can be gone threw again later and even more gold taken out. If it is there.

 

[hayhauler]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

jimmygoat: thanks, the first dirt I dug up may have been a little too easy to get to. I've got a trowel now. If the creek will go down a little I want to get a little dirt that's a little more out of the cracks and crevices. Your statement that panning will show gold, even if you're not so good at it interests me. Is it that easy to find some of the gold if there is some there?

SCBuzz: thanks for the suggestions. I had seen magnets suggested, an old speaker magnet is probably obtainable around here.

 

[jimmygoat]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Howdy hayhauler, The fact is gold is alot heavier than the blacksands, which is iron along with some other minerals. If you have blacksand in the pan the gold should be there also, If there is gold in your area. The panning will tell. Move to other likely spots near bedrock and especially the inside bends on the creek or river. You can practice with lead as scbuzz suggests. It takes a little while to get your own technique for panning. If there is a public mine near you go there you will learn alot. Good luck to you. Jimmygoat

 

[Eric Willoughby]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Has anyone ever tried one of these: http://goldscrew.com/prod03.htm ?

Bluedeer

Not a bad idea, but way too rich for anyone's blood these days. Screw the gold-screw, there are much more effective and cheaper ways to process material.

 

[eureka77]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Have ya found any gold yet or got your pan?

 

[hayhauler]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Have ya found any gold yet or got your pan?

I bought a "Maverick" square gold pan off of ebay. I haven't found any gold yet. I also lost the bbs I had in there, so I don't know about my technique. I had a nickle in the bottom, but of course it stayed. Haven't seen anything in the pan that I recognized as having value, but as far as I know nobody has ever mentioned there being any gold around here, so maybe it's just a wild idea. I haven't given up, just haven't found any yet.

Thanks for asking.

 

[eureka77]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

Don't give up. When I practiced panning I would get a lead split shot and cut it in little pieces. Now I can keep the smallest splinter.
I'm just now starting to find gold. If ya pm me an address I can mail ya a little bag of dirt with some gold in it, no charge.
Trust me it won't be anything special, a couple of flakes or a picker.
I know how frustrating it can be to keep wondering '' is this gold?''
Once ya see it for real there is no mistaking ever again.

 

[auferret]

Re: Don't have a pan, but want to try. Suggestions appreciated.

I was searching for something else at walmart and found this prospecting kit for $29

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=13228544&findingMethod=rr&