Fine gold recovery

[nvradar]

Hey fellas I have a bunch of fine gold in dirt and black sands mixed,about 1/2 gallon of the stuff. It's loaded with gold!! I mean several ounces loaded. Mercury doesn't seem to help much. Any ideas to get it out of the dirt and sand? blue bowl,micro sluice? Thanks.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Classifiers and pan.

Agreed. Get 50 and 100 mesh classifiers and a smooth bottomed pan and a little Jetdry. Learn the shake and tap panning method (from Doc at Gold Hog, his YouTube videos are great) and you will be faster than the wheels or bowls.

 

[goldhog]

Probably the most important term in fine gold recovery.

Hydraulic Equivalence

It explains what everyone here is talking about.
Stop trying to get the fine gold.
Learn it first.
Then get the fine gold.

Doc

 

[Jimmydolittle]

I also use a #70 in between 50, and 100.

Agreed. Get 50 and 100 mesh classifiers and a smooth bottomed pan and a little Jetdry. Learn the shake and tap panning method (from Doc at Gold Hog, his YouTube videos are great) and you will be faster than the wheels or bowls.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I also use a #70 in between 50, and 100.

That might be helpful depending on the material you are finding in your pan. For most cases, based on the science of Hydraulic Equivalence, that 70 mesh wouldn't be necessary - a 99 mesh gold particle will push past a 50 mesh particle of most other materials fairly well in the pan. Still, it will make your panning easier if you don't mind the additional classifying...probably smart if your total volume/weight of material at that size is larger too.