queston for Astrobouncer

[BangTango]

I saw a thread that you had posted some pics in of your pans with some sand, dirt and gold in. One pan was blue the other black. It looks like you have put some kind of clear coating on the pans to rough them up or something. Am I right? Or what was I seeing? Thanks, Bang

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[Astrobouncer]

Hey Bang, they were probably just shiny from water. I haven't put anything special on them but I do tend to take a lot of rough pics at the creek of sluice cleanups and good pans so they are usually wet. But if you can point me to the thread in question I can tell you more about conditions that day. To break in a new pan I just take it to a stream nearby and pan some gravel with it for a couple hours.

[BangTango]

I'll look for that thread, it was with some woman asking about black sand. You showed some pics of a tree across a creek, saying it was probably a natural sluice riffle at high water and had black sand and then showed the pics of you pans, will look for it. Just thot you had a NEW Trick..lol.thanks for the reply. Bang

[NeoTokyo]

slightly off topic, why dont you guys just use something like 40 grit sand paper or course sand sponges to break in your pans in a few moments instead of hours?

[419GottaMinute]

Running gold-filled gravel is my favorite way to break in a pan
Neo: you're correct, sand paper does work well, but something more like 140 grit, the courser grit will leave grooves in the plastic that mess with panning out fines.

[NeoTokyo]

Gravel is how I broke my pans in too, just seems like now that sand paper would have been better.

[BangTango]

It wasn't about breakin a new pan, the question was/is is there a coating on the pan to make it get the fines out. Like the blue Falcon pan with it micro grooves or whatever they call it.

[TerryC]

It wasn't about breakin a new pan, the question was/is is there a coating on the pan to make it get the fines out. Like the blue Falcon pan with it micro grooves or whatever they call it.

A brand new pan probably has a coating... which should be removed. I use 0000 steel wool to all my pans. I do it every time I go out to clean off the mud and "stuff that may collect on the pan. Some of the Mother Lode rivers/creeks have mercury in them. TTC

[TAKODA]

Hey Bang, they were probably just shiny from water. I haven't put anything special on them but I do tend to take a lot of rough pics at the creek of sluice cleanups and good pans so they are usually wet. But if you can point me to the thread in question I can tell you more about conditions that day. To break in a new pan I just take it to a stream nearby and pan some gravel with it for a couple hours.

Don't let AB fool ya Bang .............it is a secret coating for gold pans that pulls the gold
toward the surfaces of the pan that have been coated . He just don't want to tell folks about
it until he gets the patent on it . He's a sly one he is .

[BangTango]

Takoda, I think your right, he has all these awesome ideas and builds them too.! So maybe we will see it on the market one day! Get the Gold out of your sands with Astro-Glide...lol

[BangTango]

You know he is going to come up with something! Just hope he shares it with us! Or market to us so we can find the Gold like he does!

[NJnuggetpirate]

Running gold-filled gravel is my favorite way to break in a pan
Neo: you're correct, sand paper does work well, but something more like 140 grit, the courser grit will leave grooves in the plastic that mess with panning out fines.

AUrabbit said 160 but the lil scratches and dents made by pass panning will work like really small riffles catching fine and or flour gold

[419GottaMinute]

Some of the old timers recommend 0000 steel wool too. The scratches give tour pan "tooth", which is to say it gives the gold something to bite in the pan and resist movement.

[Fullpan]

Ever notice that under a micro lens, most small gold is in "pancake shape? Always thought about building a dry slick-plate, set on say a 45* angle. With ultra-
sonic vibration and micro slots facing material sliding down. Most other minerals/material take a more rounded shape and would roll/bounce over the slots
while the thin edges of gold would get trapped. Anyone out there ever try this?

[419GottaMinute]

You might be on to something with that idea! Let me know if you pursue it.
Would still have to use VERY dry material, but would orobably be less dusty than bellows-style drywasher.

[Fullpan]

Yes, it would be better suited as a clean-up type process, using same size particles.

[NJnuggetpirate]

Some of the old timers recommend 0000 steel wool too. The scratches give tour pan "tooth", which is to say it gives the gold something to bite in the pan and resist movement.

But doesn't some steel wool have a oil on it that might make it worst

[419GottaMinute]

Nj: after you use the steel wool, use dish soap to get any residue off the pan. The molding process used to make pans leave a oil in the pan you have to wash off anyway. I would say to wash the steel wool first, but that fine a grade of wool will rust with little provocation, so try to keep it as dry as possible if you want it to last longer than a single use.

[NJnuggetpirate]

thanks 419

[419GottaMinute]

Nj: no problem, happy hunting! :-)