Be SMART Be SIMPLE Be CHEAP

[MadMarshall]

I am always amazed at all the equipment I see people bring with them to prospect a new location. All to common people these days people are dictated by their tools then actual gold. people forget that Sluices, hand dredges, ect ect ect are just tools to recover gold.. The sluice is the ruin of many of new prospector most often they dictate their work areas to places they can sluice. People seem to underestimate the gold pan. People seem to forget what prospecting is. In todays age one can be overwhelmed with all the available resources.. One can purchase gold maps that show all the Ancient Rivers and maps that show the fault lines and the types of bedrock, ECT ECT. Plenty of people selling maps and crap telling you where the richest areas are. The Ability to find gold is dependent on the prospector. I can not stress enough on how important actual prospecting is. Let the Gold dictate the equipment.. I can't stress that enough. It is easy to get caught up in all the BULLSHITE and all the "RECREATIONAL GOLD PROPAGANDA" More interested in picking the pocket of the HOPEFULL PROSPECTOR. So much advice from weekend warriors and people who make gold recovery equipment. Plenty of gold out their for the prospector if he is willing to actually prospect.
..

that location was averaging about a half gram a bucket.. Look and you will find!!!
Proper use of a sluice box..

 

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[panningjack]

Well said. The gold pan is becoming more and more overlooked. So many people wanting blue bowls, miller tables, mini sluices and spiral wheels to recover their gold instead of just learning to pan efficiently. These type of tools certainly have their place. I have a small AM sluice I got when I started prospecting. Now I just hand it to the kids to use since I can pan faster than it can run.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Darn right...it all starts and ends with a gold pan!

Even the guys running big yellow machines in the main process or $600k ocean going barges start and end with a gold pan.

 

[spillercanyon]

Mining the miners! If you can't pan, you're not prospecting you're just moving dirt around.

 

[Aufisher]

Tell me about it! I spent $15 on this and comes to find out it can only carry one pan at a time!

 

[AU_Solitude]

I have to admit as cool as the IMCJ prospecting summit was, it seemed just like that; a opportunity to mine the miners - (Not saying there weren't good people or products there as there were). Seemed like everyone and their dog was ready to spend their last cent on the newest, fanciest equipment - All falls back to K.I.S.S.

 

[ALewis]

Spot on, as always MadM....

Good system for me has been to Not buy new & expensive equipment until I proved to myself that I could find gold w/ out it. (if that makes any sense ?)

 

[Clay Diggins]

Good subject!

Find the gold first.

The deposit determines the equipment to use - not the other way around. Wait to buy the equipment you need for any particular gold deposit. Owning equipment before you need it is wasted money and space.

Pans will always be a part of the process. They are the beginning and the end of placer gold mining. Essential tools when used with skill in the right situation. If you can't pan with confidence you are not ready to progress to bigger equipment. Learn the basics.

If you are just using a pan and never using bigger equipment to process the gold deposits you find then you are a hobbyist - not a miner.

If you show up with the equipment to process gold deposits you haven't found yet you are a greenhorn - not a miner. Equipment manufacturers love you!

The right equipment for the situation is important. So is knowing the land status and geology of an area. You can't have too much knowledge but having too little will leave you digging on the wrong side of a fault or poaching someone's private land.

Using the wrong tools or not knowing where you are working will waste your time. Moving buckets to fill your sluice, or your pan, when there is no reason to expect gold or no right to mine it is amateur.

Educate yourself in the skills of prospecting and you will succeed where so many others have failed.

 

[Gold Rover]

That makes me a greenhorn amateur.

 

[Clay Diggins]

That makes me a greenhorn amateur.

That's where most people start. The key is learning and moving on to productive prospecting.

Heavy Pans for those who learn.

 

[H&F909ORO]

Wow, this info is very important to know. I read it over and now I think I need to read it again. I'm thinking now all I will ever need, gold equipment wise is a sluice, shovel, pans, and my hand dredge. What more does someone need? I would only buy a miller table if I was running a big production, but am I? No, in fact to refine my gold I use a little bowl that is about 5x5 and I use my snuffer and a plastic syringe to get all my fine pieces. Of course that's after I use my pan to get most of the black sand out. It works just as good as anyone else's miller table. The only thing I do is the work, so why would I need a 2000 dollar plus machine? Pans are my favorite tool when crevicing. I put all my dirt in it then go down to the river and pan it. Then start over. My pan does me good, in fact I sold off my EZ Sluice because it wasn't doing anything for me but clogging up space in my backpack. I want to get a garret super sluice pan. I see that as it was stated that, pans are the only thing you need to prospect. Thanks for sharing, it was an eye opener.

 

[goldenmojo]

Tell me about it! I spent $15 on this and comes to find out it can only carry one pan at a time! View attachment 975421

So what kind of lease rate can I get on this?

 

[Lookin4goaled]

Tell me about it! I spent $15 on this and comes to find out it can only carry one pan at a time! View attachment 975421

Well, I can tell you the main problem is you didn't get a Tonka excavator to load it up... DUH!

 

[Lanny in AB]

I am always amazed at all the equipment I see people bring with them to prospect a new location. All to common people these days people are dictated by their tools then actual gold. people forget that Sluices, hand dredges, ect ect ect are just tools to recover gold.. The sluice is the ruin of many of new prospector most often they dictate their work areas to places they can sluice. People seem to underestimate the gold pan. People seem to forget what prospecting is. In todays age one can be overwhelmed with all the available resources.. One can purchase gold maps that show all the Ancient Rivers and maps that show the fault lines and the types of bedrock, ECT ECT. Plenty of people selling maps and crap telling you where the richest areas are. The Ability to find gold is dependent on the prospector. I can not stress enough on how important actual prospecting is. Let the Gold dictate the equipment.. I can't stress that enough. It is easy to get caught up in all the BULLSHITE and all the "RECREATIONAL GOLD PROPAGANDA" More interested in picking the pocket of the HOPEFULL PROSPECTOR. So much advice from weekend warriors and people who make gold recovery equipment. Plenty of gold out their for the prospector if he is willing to actually prospect.
..

Yes, too many people do rush out and buy way more than they need, and far too many never really learn how to pan, so a lot of pans and other equipment winds up working its way to garage sales and flea markets.

However, it is fun buying the right equipment once you have learned how to pan, and it's great to have it when you need to have a way to process larger amounts of material. But, I do know how to pan, and I've learned how to find the gold; nonetheless, the average arm-chair prospector would do well to heed Marshall's advice!

I like his advice, "Let the gold dictate the equipment". Far too many uninformed people go at it the other way around.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[goldenmojo]

Marshall sorry about bashing your post. I couldn't help myself when I saw the pic of the dump truck. I agree with what you say about equipment especially as it pertains to newbies. I recently met a couple of guys on the river and after a few quick questions I came to the conclusion that they had no idea where the gold could possibly be, how to go about getting it or how to pan at all. They did however have a brand new never used sluice. My thought was as I walked away was what are they going to do for a clean out. The basics should always be stressed to all newbies who get on this forum and I think your post would be good reading for them.

GM

 

[golden sluice]

I agree with your original post. I hate how my sluice takes a good 20 mins. Just to get my setup and sluice ready. Just pan and be happy with panning. I consider panning a way to locate and test for new gold areas. So i alsways scout with my pan. However once ive found a new area with a gold paying streak, I want to get that sluice going and bucket my material. Panning crouched over at the rivers edge is murder on the back... I never bring a chair. Besides a sluice can concentrate a bucket faster than my pan in hand.

 

[findingwaters]

great little video

 

[DizzyDigger]

Good subject!

Find the gold first.
The deposit determines the equipment to use - not the other way around. Wait to buy the equipment you
need for any particular gold deposit. Owning equipment before you need it is wasted money and space.
Educate yourself in the skills of prospecting and you will succeed where so many others have failed.

What he said...

Heading out tomorrow morning with nothing more than my vintage
Garrett pan, an #8 classifier, shovel and a good lunch. Last spot
did well, but it was only about 5'x6' and all the gold was in the top
8". Hope to find a spot with good gold and enough area that it will
keep me busy for a few days..

Small scale miners motto:

Sample, sample, sample, find it, mine it.....and then go find some more!
(just made it up..)

 

[Hoser John]

I haven't gone to a gold show in many years,just gem/mineral shows. GS junk peddln',bsn' and pocket pickn' . Liars convention so different from all others....John

 

[rodoconnor]

Hoser, I wonder what Mark Twain would have to say about gold shows and mining the miners.