Are Automatic Gold Panning Machines any good?

[SW Detroit PolishFinnish]

Don,t have any panning equipment yet for the area I need to look, help from anybody probably again from my helpful friend XT? Should I just get a regular gold pan say from Garretts or some of those automated ones from Kellyco, like the Gold Buddy Mini Highbanker or The Desert Fox? Thanks any help appreciated

 

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[Eu_citzen]

Well no matter what you get you need pans anyways!

A sluice and pan is good to start with, you might want to wait with Highbankers etc.
A Le trap is good from what I hear; also Honcoop is good.

Depends on conditions and your abilities to pay $$$.

A sluice needs flowing water to work, a highbanker pumps up water and it gets flow anyways but it requires a pump.

Now if you ask me thats your call, we can only give you info and tips it's still your choice.

 

[Pepper2004]

I'd get pans and a sluice to start with. There are some gold camps set up with the high banker....etc you can use for a fee. You might do better to try them out first before spending $$$. I believe everyone that does any gold hunting should know how to use a pan and a sluice. There are some areas that only allow panning.

 

[nuggetshooter323]

A gold pan, a hand sluice, snuffer bottle, several 5 gallon buckets and a classifier in 4 mesh or 8 mesh, will get you lots of gold if your in a productive area. You only need those automatic panners if your using a high banker or dredge. The above equipment requires no gas, and here in Colorado, like most states, you don't have to get a special permit to operate in the rivers and streams like you do for motorized equipment.

 

[gametalman52]

Ya' ain't a goldminer till you learn how to pan. Regular pan, good shovel, sniffer bottle, screens, good sluice and someone to dig for ya!!

 

[Hoser John]

Wheels,bowls,mini this and that are for processing concentrates only-usually. Their production is miniscule compared to a sluice box(great) but in the desert you really need a detector or a dry washer. You MUST learn how to properly classify your gravels prior to panning or your loss % will outstrip your recovery %. Its very easy to learn-NO LIKE THAT STUPID TV SHOW HARD JOBS- that insanity was a disgrace to the mining race. Perfect example of what to NEVER do !!!Find a local club-be it gold/gem & mineral or detecting to get help from a mentor type situation. You'll ease through the painful NEWBIE phrase and be much happier prosperous miner-Tons a au 2 u 2-John

 

[EggyOG]

Being on the other side of Lake Michigan from you, I know the kind of material you need to process. I also have prospected in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Ontario-so I think I have you surrounded. My presonal opinion is that the Buckabilly sluice is most likely the best sluice out there for your area. As far as pans go, the lower profile of the riffles in the proline pans seem to work better in the glacial crud we have to deal with, it allows all those round glacial till rocks to roll out without getting hung up.
Most Midwestern prospectors are limited as to what equipment they are allowed to use streamside, I'm pretty sure I know the current MI laws, but they are in a constant state of flux right now so I hesitate to say what you can and can't do. The approach taken by many is to pan our material down to a fairly concentrated mix of heavies and then dump it in a bucket for final processing with a mini highbanker, spiral wheel, or blue bowl. If you want to actually prospect with a spiral wheel you would pretty much have to get something like the Camel 20, and they are quite expensive. I seem to sell a lot of them in New Zealand, but I have never sold one in the U.S. I have no idea what the material looks like in New Zealand, but apparently it is well suited to spiral wheels.
To sum it up-shovel, 14" pan, I would recommend a 1/4 or 1/2" classifier (our gravel rolls out quite readily, and classifying down further means you can only put about 1/2 shovel full into the classifier at a time or it will plug up), a sluice with a wide header, snuffer bottle and a super sucker. This list will suite you fine until you venture out to other states.

 

[kuger]

Even the lower end spiral wheels are $200 +.A pan runs around $20.Wheels have there place but they arent any substitute for panning.You MUST classify.They say you dont but trust me you do.I tried just scooping dirt right out of the stream and burned up the motor.You have to feed them slowly also,you can pan twice the material in 1/4 of the time.

 

[SW Detroit PolishFinnish]

I just went and ordered that Garrett Kit from kellyco for $50, you get like 4 different size pans,video,book vial,etc,etc,etc.....Didn,t go out today because its obvious.Yeah!!! not looking to set up a gold panning factory along the creek.Thanks for the info.I take my time to checkout the ground.I,m also looking for traces of 160 year human activity along the creek and embankment to even narrow the area much closer than half a mile.

 

[Hoser John]

Really good choice-a good kit to learn with. Ol' Charleys company does make some great pans. I finally busted my original 1970's late green pan. TONS a cons through it,acids,mercury,1,000's a hours of sun,heat,abuse. Oh it's only cracked on the bottom-should have another 10 years or so till death do us part-Tons a au 2 u 2-John

 

[boogeyman]

You sound like you got it! Research, ground pounding, panning. You're headed in the right direction!

DON'T CHUCK THAT BELOVED 70s PAN! Take a soldering iron & melt and smooth the crack. Your beloved seasoned friend will be good for another 20 years! What ever you do don't leave it laying around! The wifey will be planting petunias in it.

 

[Hoser John]

Don't own one of those,planted the last wife with them damn petunias-John

 

[boogeyman]

Yeah, If mine doesn't quit eyein my pans & buckets well........ Never mind

 

[Auto Gold Pan]

Back in 2008 a neighbor and good friend Jim Morken (a long time prospector) designed a new system of recovering ALL the gold from concentrates in a fast and easy way. One major reason was to help his brother Dave a disabled Vet. The end result was the “Auto Gold Pan.”

I have an extensive background and experience with the Auto Gold Pan. I have used my Auto Gold Pan over 1,000 times as a prospector and in demos and in each case recovered ALL the gold. Being disabled myself, I am very grateful for the hard work that went into the Auto Gold Pan.

During one demo at the Tyson Wash Vendors in Quartzsite, Arizona, a man showed up with a 5-gal buck of black sand saying, “that there was absolutely NO Gold in the bucket”! After running the last of the black sand through the Auto Gold Pan, we had recovered 2 specks of Flour Gold! Yes, he bought an Auto Gold Pan on the spot…

I have purchased the Auto Gold Pan Company.Our Web Site is under construction and we are shooting 3 new HD videos that should be ready by the end of this week. If you have any questions, please contact me. For me, if you chose the right system it is worth every penny spent…

Paul Staudt

 

[Tnmountains]

Back in 2008 a neighbor and good friend Jim Morken (a long time prospector) designed a new system of recovering ALL the gold from concentrates in a fast and easy way. One major reason was to help his brother Dave a disabled Vet. The end result was the “Auto Gold Pan.”

I have an extensive background and experience with the Auto Gold Pan. I have used my Auto Gold Pan over 1,000 times as a prospector and in demos and in each case recovered ALL the gold. Being disabled myself, I am very grateful for the hard work that went into the Auto Gold Pan.

During one demo at the Tyson Wash Vendors in Quartzsite, Arizona, a man showed up with a 5-gal buck of black sand saying, “that there was absolutely NO Gold in the bucket”! After running the last of the black sand through the Auto Gold Pan, we had recovered 2 specks of Flour Gold! Yes, he bought an Auto Gold Pan on the spot…

I have purchased the Auto Gold Pan Company.Our Web Site is under construction and we are shooting 3 new HD videos that should be ready by the end of this week. If you have any questions, please contact me. For me, if you chose the right system it is worth every penny spent…

Paul Staudt

If you have bought the company and the system is as good as you say then you might consider becoming a vendor here so you can link to your site and sell. I hope that you will.

 

[Auto Gold Pan]

Tnmountains,

If you could have the Admin contact me, I would welcome the information and opportunity...

Paul Staudt
Auto Gold Pan

 

[rcontrera]

I am very sorry to report that Paul, the owner of AutoGoldPan, passed away on Friday. As of today, the status of the business is unknown. However, he worked very hard to get out all orders before Christmas so there should not be anything left to ship. The website has been suspended since his wife is understandably devastated and will have some decisions to make later. She wanted me to thank you all that supported him in his new venture and for all the great reviews of his system. This business made him happier than any other business he has owned.

 

[rodoconnor]

RIP Paul

 

[ghostminer]

I have a Gold Magic spiral wheel. It is great for running concentrates. When I purchased it I gave it a test by running 10 gallons of cons. It doesn't take long, as fast as you can scoop them in. You will still need to finish pan the material in the cup which will still contain some black sand & a few other heavies. I saved the tailing cons from the spiral wheel & ran them through a second time to see if it missed anything. It captured 99% on first run. It would have taken many hours to pan all those cons not to mention it is tedious work. Took no time at all to do them with the wheel. If you want to get the stuff you can't see the next step is a blue bowl. That will take the micro gold out of the black sands. My advice, if you are going to have a lot of cons to process buy a wheel. Time is money if you are mining for a living or second income.