Floating Gold

[T3112H]

I'm new to gold panning and I have a question that I'm hoping somebody can answer for me...

I've been practicing on some pay dirt I got from the sierras in Northern CA when I went out with a guide. I'm getting down to the black sands and can get the bigger flakes to separate. But where I'm really thrown off is that sometimes it looks like a small flake of gold is floating. Is that even possible? I also have some really fine stuff that will appear to clump together and float as well.

The pans I'm using are brand new so I don't know if that has something to do with it.

Also I remember seeing the guide I went with put Ajax into each of his pans, but I don't remember at which stage of panning he did that. Is that something I need to do as well?

Thanks in advance....

 

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[KevinInColorado]

Yes gold repels water at the molecular level so it can float under the right circumstances. Use a wetting agent...best is a Rinse Aid like Jetdry since it makes fewer bubbles.

To separate the really fine gold use a screen or strainer to remove the larger grains of sand...then pan. Much better

Mine it and recycle it!

 

[walldo]

Here in Washington I will go after beach sand. All you get is the really fine gold. That gold if it touches air floats. Jet dry reduces the surface tension of the water allowing the gold to sink.



Right after this picture. All that fine stuff floated on me. (Look really close)

 

[T3112H]

Thanks for the input. I'll give the jet dry a try when I get home and let you know how it goes.

Thanks again

 

[KevinInColorado]

Just a couple drops is all you need.

 

[B H Prospector]

Also if you have brand new pans you need to season them. Use some wet sand and rub the pans good so that water will not beed up on them. The oils from manufacturing will also float the gold so seasoning is a must.

Good Luck!

B H Prospector

 

[yfzben700r]

you can also use a strong magnet to move some of the black sands out.... and also u can resell just black sands as MEOW therapy due to its magnetic fields. and yes jet dry is a MUST one to two drops at most

 

[walldo]

Floating gold from beach sand.

 

[TerryC]

No need for Jet Dry. Just wet your finger (no, not that way. In your mouth!) and "dab" the speck once. It will dive for the bottom. TTC

 

[yfzben700r]

Thats works great if you spot the spec floating

 

[Skookum Jim]

I've always had problems with gold "floating" out of a plastic pan. Its a problem to do with oil. For a long time it bothered me that I'd get lots of bigger flakes and little fine dust.
You have to clean the pan with bleach first. If you use a steel pan , put it on the campfire and burn the oil off of the steel. The pan goes dark coloured and you can easier see the gold dust against the blue black background.
Another problem is oil from your hands and fingers . Hand oil or even bug spray can make the dust float.
The old timer mines knew about hand oils so their rule was to keep your hands out of the sluicebox. Stopped pilfering as well.
Skookum