rusty metal vs. plastic pan argument

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

A friend of mine just came back from an Alaskan cruise where he took advantage of their gold panning side trip. He has always given me a hard time over the fact that I use Garratt plastic pans, he says that rusty steel pans are the best and are easy to use and you don't lose any gold, or at least not much. He looks down on plastic pans. I am trying to defend them, saying once they are "seasoned" scuffed up they work great.
He had his notions reinforced by the person they had running the panning for the tourists, he swears by rusty metal pans, says the rust traps the fine gold.

Before I go to the mat with him, I wanted to see what people had to say. My personal feeling is that plastic is lighter and with the riffles does a better job for newbie or old timer. After all if they didn't work well you would see more steel pans for sale rather than plastic.

In the first couple trips to NH I haven't found any gold yet but seem to have hit it for Garnets (and some pyrite) the biggest garnet is 3.8 carats.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Metal pans are for tourists and fake reality shows.

 

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[kuger]

Metal pans are for tourists and fake reality shows.

 

[Oakview2]

You two may just have to agree to dsagree. Everyday above ground is too good to be wasting on being disagreeable...JMHO

 

[kuger]

Nah,I aint mad at him,I proved my point

 

[Terry Soloman]

You two may just have to agree to dsagree. Everyday above ground is too good to be wasting on being disagreeable...JMHO

I was never mad at Kuger. I even let him think he proved his point.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

No arguments, I am the one who is always right which is why I don't chip in much.

"I might not always be right, but I am never wrong
Once I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken"

 

[Oakview2]

I always tell my kids, you people who think you know everything, are making it hard on those of us who do

 

[TerryC]

Too many heavy hitters in here to voice my opinion... I've only racked up about 6 years at this! TTC

 

[TerryC]

Incidently I own both. TTC

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

TerryC
Since starting this thread I bought a metal pan, have to try it!

 

[TerryC]

TerryC
Since starting this thread I bought a metal pan, have to try it!

Ben, I bought a couple steel pans to add to my experience in the hobby. I clean out the rust with OOOO steel wool. But I always do that with the plastic to keep then "roughened". TTC

 

[Goldwasher]

Like most tools used in skilled labor its the skilled hands that use it. My first pan was steel. Up until yesterday I have been carrying a 14 inch steel pan with the bottom cut out and expanded metal welded in as a classifier. I came across a plastic classifier for eight bucks and bought it mainly because of the smaller diameter to fit in my pack better. When I picked up my pack to head out the difference was very noticable. I have had several keene all plastic classifiers and have managed to wear them out or break them one I lent out and well, you know how that goes.If I am panning only I want a big pan that can be classified into and Like drop riffles because I know how to settle the heavies into the traps and pan off the unwanted material quickly.Once gold settles and is locked in the trap it stays. Metal pans with riffles to me just have speed bumps once the gold is over the bump it just speeds up and keeps moving like a teenager in a car. If you don't get the angle of the dangle right you can push the gold out of a smooth sided pan no matter what the material it is made of and when your panning as a form of recovery it is hard not to try and pan fast and drop riffles are very helpful and will help keep gold in the pan.If I didn't have a Blue Bowl I would do my finish panning with a plastic pan using the smooth side so I can work out the small heavies. I learned to pan (wow) like 20+ years ago with a metal pan and to me metal vs the non riffled side of a plastic are so close i can't say one is more effective in recovery than the other. I do like a steel pan as a safety pan as it wont try to float on me.

 

[Goldwasher]

I guess what im getting at considering Terry S's post is I can pan as good as ANYONE give me material to compare and I betcha my recovery is very close plastic vs. metal. This coming from a guy who prefers a single action colt, a 40 year old car and a drill with a cord attached.So really the only difference I see is weight and speed, so change the way you use it and the difference becomes less so.

 

[NeoTokyo]

I went down to visit my mom in Sacramento about 2 weeks back but couldnt find the metal pans my grandfather left there, she said they were there somewhere.

I did pick up another one of his garrett gravity drops, he had several more there that I left.

 

[Vance in AK]

.....if you cant pan with a metal pan you cant call yourself a panner.......

Kuger, sounds like you are saying the metal pans are more chalenging & dificult to use...

 

[kuger]

Kuger, sounds like you are saying the metal pans are more chalenging & dificult to use...

HA!Hello Vance,I was playin there more than anything but,in all reality metal pans without riffles...or any pan without riffles is more challenging than with...imhoIf I am using a plastic pan,I rough pan down over the riffles then do my final on the smooth side

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

How does the smooth side final clean out compare to the small riffles on the Keene (with large riffles and small next to them)?

 

[Vance in AK]

If I am using a plastic pan,I rough pan down over the riffles then do my final on the smooth side

While I have some metal pans, I generaly use plastic & use the same procedure you mention. I picked up some "Hex Pans", & haven't used them enough to really decide yet, but I think I like them...

 

[kuger]

How does the smooth side final clean out compare to the small riffles on the Keene (with large riffles and small next to them)?

I have not used that pan,but have a small plastic pan with small riffles,that I can pan down to zero black sand

 

[NeoTokyo]

Yup, I love my little Blue 10.5" Keene pan, the small riffles make it very easy to clean the black sands out.