Panning beginner.

[Thomas_Allan_Hawk]

Hello everyone. I am new to panning and I ahve some questions.

Black sand, what is this? I keep hearing talk of it.

How do I know a good spot for panning when I see it?

What should I be looking for in my pan?


Thank you.

 

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[russau]

join a prospectors club close to you and go out with someone thatll teach you the ropes! panning is easy and the black sand is hematite and magnatite. these are heavy metalic sands/gravel that lay with gold in most cases.

 

[Nashoba]

join a prospectors club close to you and go out with someone thatll teach you the ropes! panning is easy and the black sand is hematite and magnatite. these are heavy metalic sands/gravel that lay with gold in most cases.

Yep. And that heavy black "sand", as most folks call it, is your paydirt! Dont EVER throw it away until you process it for your flour gold. Most of the folks I know keep their black sand heavies after they have picked out the pickers and snuffed up the flakes and spend winter months or times of really bad weather doing the final cleanup. You will be amazed at the quanity of gold found in some of your heavies.

I remember when I first started panning. I had dumped a bunch of heavies in a great big ol pan and stuck it in the back of my truck. It was HOT and I was driving along the river very very slowly, looking for likely places to pan. I drove maybe 5 to 10 miles an hour for about half a mile. When I got to my camp, I went to get the pan and the heat had not only dried the material but the wind had been gently blowing on it as well and I won;t ever forget what I saw. The hole back edge of the pan was lined with flour gold. Now I guess I probably had quite a bit of gold blow out, but it taught me that those heavies were to be kept, and that flour gold adds up in a hurry!

As far as panning and sluicing goes, you will learn to read the rivers you work. Myself? I went to a campground that I knew other prospectors were using and they were, for the most part, some of the nicest and most helpful people I have ever met and I am friends with some of them to this very day. Hands on it the only way to really learn the "Where and Hows?", and there is nothng like a seasoned prospector to show you!

Best o' luck to ya

~Nash~

 

[Thomas_Allan_Hawk]

Is black sand magnetic? I ask because I was running my knife through the sand in my pan today and small black bits stuck to it.

 

[warsawdaddy]

Yes,black sand is magnetic.You can go to the GPAA website and see if there is a chapter near you.

http://www.goldprospectors.org/

 

[Nashoba]

Is black sand magnetic? I ask because I was running my knife through the sand in my pan today and small black bits stuck to it.

Not all black sand is magnetic, but if it is, and flour gold is present, a fellow can use a magnet to remove much of the black sand. The only problem with that is that SOME gold will get trapped between those particles and may get tossed out without knowing. For the most part though it works well if done properly.

Luck to ya
~Nash~

 

[kuger]

Hematite is not magnetic and magnatite is.you always find Black sand where you find gold but dont always find gold where you find blacksand.Blacksand is heavy so it settles and holds where gold does,if there is gold there blacksand will be too.Look for gold in your pan,there will be no mistaking it once you see it.

 

[TOWcritter]

When I first got into gold prospecting a few years ago, I got myself a Garrett panning kit and a bag of Felixs paydirt. Then I bought a black plastic mortar pan. I filled the mortar pan with water and started panning right in the back yard. I got some nice gold out of that bag and I still use it for testing my metal detector. There is definitely an art to panning gold. The more you do it the better you become. Good luck!

 

[kuger]

Practice does make you better,no doubt about that.Develop your own method as I did.As far as reading the stream that takes practice as well,I recommend you either run with someone that knows or wtch any videos or books you can get your hands on.I highly recommend any of Dave Mccrackens videos or books.

 

[Thomas_Allan_Hawk]

I will assume since black sand is heavy it will settle to the lower portions of the river in which I need to dig a ways?

 

[TOWcritter]

I like to look for bedrock. In my area, that's where I have been finding all of my gold. There are quite a few areas with little to no overburden. The less digging I have to do the better. My back isn't the greatest these days. I just take my prybar and pop off a section and scrape out the stuff in there and when I get a bucket full I run it through the good ole sluice box while I sip on a frosty one.

 

[Strikefleet5326s]

you always find Black sand where you find gold

WRONG!

 

[Strikefleet5326s]

You do not need to pay a club to learn about gold prospecting,or any aspect there of.The internet can provide you with all the information you need on the subject (from a to z).You will then have to go out and get the rest from experience.Which there is no substitute for.

 

[Nashoba]

You do not need to pay a club to learn about gold prospecting,or any aspect there of.The internet can provide you with all the information you need on the subject (from a to z).You will then have to go out and get the rest from experience.Which there is no substitute for.

This is at least partially true, but there is nothing that beats being shown the tricks of the trade by someone who has been prospecting for a long time. Lessons learned from them(older and very experienced prospectors) are not readily available anywhere on the net that I am aware of....Not meaning to be disrepectful of your reply here. Just adding a bit of what I hope to be valuable advice to keep people interested in prospecting for gold.
Not to mention the fact that some of the old timers tell some great tales!

HH
~Nash~

 

[Eu_citzen]

I'm going to answer some to:

1. What is black sand?

Black sand is a mix if heavy minerals. As for why they call it black sand guess why...


2. How to find a good spot?

Learn to read a river, lot's of good info on the web.
Some general things are look into cracks in bedrock and bedrock in general, behind big rocks.
Look into the "Finding gold" series on youtube.com very good info.
"Gold is where you find it" --> Prospect for it (aka take sample pans at likely places where gold would settle)


3. What to look for in the pan?

Silver, Platinum and other heavy minerals. Depends on SG. (Specific gravity)
And this:



4. Where will Black sand settle?

It will settle as soon as it can as it is heavy it takes higher speeds or water volume to move it.
The light material (low SG) will often get to the lower places of the river before the heavy stuff.(High SG)