How to get started ?

[Bruce R]

What does it cost to get busy gold prospecting ? I have about $ 1200.00 saved up.

 

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[Tesorodeoro]

Practically free except transportation!

If you are in gold country, you will find used mining pans for $5 or less at yard sales.
Grab a couple recycled 5 gallon buckets (make sure they don’t have oil on them).

Around your yard or garage, you probably have a digging bar..an old screwdriver you can heat up and pound down into a crevicing tool. Single jack for busting bedrock (look that one up if you need to)...a hand chisel...then fashion a screen out of some sheet metal and a scrap of wire mesh.

Seriously. If you want to prospect..that means lots of sampling and panning.

Of course a pick and shovel (those can be picked up at yard sales as well). Most people these days think a shovel is just for picking up dog poop.

If you don’t want to take the time to learn how to determine ownership of mining claims, use the bulk of your savings to buy a membership in one of those mining clubs.

That will get you started.

If you have the skills and some basic wood tools, a nice functional sluice can be made out of scrap wood, junk carpet and some screws out of an old jar in the shop.

Of course you could just “do it right the first time” and buy commercial mining tools.
Gold’s heavy and is not that difficult to catch.

 

[1637]

look for a club near you and they will till you the best way to find gold,panning,detecting,drywashering,sluice.and they should have claims that you can go to.it all comes back to panning.so get a pan buy some gold and practice at home, before you waste time and money going out.you and get enough for 25 to 50 dollar.
good luck have fun
brad

 

[Bruce R]

I’m in central Pennsylvania, lots of coal around here but it ain’t worth much.

 

[RTR]

What does it cost to get busy gold prospecting ? I have about $ 1200.00 saved up.

List of Penn. Counties that have gold here>> https://www.goldrushnuggets.com/goinpe.html
And you don't need much a few hundred dollars will do,stuff like this...

 

[russau]

INTERESTED in prospecting ? Well the first thing you need to learn about is minerology and the mining laws of our Nation and the state your going to be mining in . 1637's recommendation to join a club is a great idea and I've done just that when I go to different states . This is a real heads up way to meet some life long friends and have a known place to go! DO NOT GO OUT AND IMMEDIATLY START BUYING EQUIPMENT that you may find out you don't need or possibly want. Good Luck on you new adventure !

 

[Goldwasher]

Less than $20 bucks.

 

[firebird]

Time is more important than money when it comes to this hobby, because it can quickly stop being a hobby when you get more into it.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Don't need much to get started looking, a pan, some digging tools and a snuffer bottle, you don't actually need a snuffer bottle but they are awfully handy for around 3 bucks. You can worry about sluice boxes and all the other stuff later, first thing you need to learn to pan like a pro to work down sample pans as fast as possible, you can practice in a tub, use two similar sized pans you put one at the bottom of the tub as a "safety pan" pan out your material directly above to catch the tailings to re pan. Research is key to finding gold rich spots to investigate, seek out where gold has been found before in your target area.

 

[Ohiogoldfever]

Great hobby!!! First things first. Expensive equipment can’t catch gold that’s not there! Get your pans (Garett’s super sluice is a favorite) a small shovel, classifier and snuffer. Get out and get your feet wet. Literally. If you find good gold then you can feel confident that a high dollar machine can help you get returns. Until then just pan and explore.

I find my best returns are the 6:00am sun rise behind the steaming water of the creek I’m standing in while the birds chirp in the distance. The gold is cool too!