What type of pan to get?

[HuntMN]

Some friends and I are going to do some gold panning here in the northwoods, most of the gold to be found in the state is small-grain type of stuff. I think the biggest nugget I've heard of yet to come out of this state is maybe 1/4" diameter.

Anyway, we're going to do some river/creek panning to see if we can find some small stuff. We're not serious prospectors (at this point anyway), we just thought it'd be fun to try out; but if there is any chance we could get decent findings in our pan, we'd like to get the best pan to do so with.

I noticed there are a variety of pans on the market: ones with smaller riffles, ones with deeper riffles, ones that have a 'Y' shaped channel on the back.

They are all similarly prices, but which one will work the best for finding small nuggets and grains like we mostly have here in Minnesota?

 

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[russau]

TAKODA for the most part have to agree with you, but for me, when the bigger gold is out of the pan and your panning the really fine gold,i prefer to use the smooth side of the pan and i still lose a few specks of the fine stuff. but repanning this type of gold requires repanning several times... i dont miss much fine gold in my way of panning. but thats all we have here in the midwest, so i get a lot of practice at it. and i still say that once you learn to pan, any pan will do.all the riffels do is give you the abity to pan faster without losing much gold.

 

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[spawn00x]

I use the green Garrett pans and the Blue Keene pans. Both work great.

 

[boogeyman]

Trinity ( bowl ) pan. Hands down. Buy it...learn it...and see for yourself.

I've got a couple of trinity pans, the only problem I've had is the fitst few riffles load up with clay, but otherwise work great.

As stated over & over the key is to practice practice practice. Once you get technique down pat, most any pan will work great.

The pan I've been using lately is the hex, it was a CChristmas present. I'm really starting to like it.

 

[Crookedrecords]

That hex looks pretty interesting. Some large riffles, some small riffles and some smooth sides as well. I would like to see what would happen if you moved your concentrates into that junction between both large sets of riffles and washed it out that way. I bet the gold would get stuck in that deep v but the cons would wash out quicker seeing as how they would be channeled in there almost like a thin fast moving stream rather than a slow wide one.

 

[dave wiseman]

Well seasoned metal pan..................

 

[russau]

yep ive got both of Travis' pans and they work fine. ifact ive got a lot of different kinds of pans and they all work well once you learn how that style of pan works for you!

 

[kiwi jw]

G'day Dave, Have to agree with you. Metal pans have an ability all of there own. I do use the large Garrett mostly but always use the small steel pan to finish off with. The beauty is you can put it on a hot plate to dry off the the fines & black sands. You can then carefuly blow off the sands. With a steel pan the material seems to glide around it better, especialy when you get down to the black sands. The gold stays behind better while the sands wash around. In plastic pans the sands stick a bit more than in a steel pan. Each to there own. I still maintain it comes down to panning ability. As has been said it isnt always speed that counts but your ability to save the fine gold & that takes patients, technique & skill. Riffles can be a hinderence to saving fine gold. You need to spin your pan around & use the smooth side so the nsands can be washed out.
Happy golding.

Kiwi JW

 

[Lookin]

The best pan to use is the one that works best for you. How do you find that one? By getting a pan, any pan, and get out into a creek. You'll figure out what works best for you.

My preference is a green pan with riffles. In my opinion, this provides for some fast panning, holds the gold well, the opposite side from the riffles (the smooth side) can be used for "fine" panning, and the green color lets you see the gold vs. black sands for when you suck the gold up in your snuffer bottle. I find it hard to see the black sands in a black pan. I've never used a blue pan, so not sure about them.

You have a lot of good advice and experienced opinions here. Find what works for you and again, I must stress, get out in a creek! Until you are out finding the gold, it doesn't matter whether you have a pan or not. Let me warn you, though - after you start to find gold with a pan, you will get a sluice box so that you can run more material. Eventually, that will lead to a highbanker or dredge (or maybe a combo). Then, you will be modifying your dredge to your needs, then you'll be thinking about a bigger dredge, etc.

It truly is a "sickness!" Hahaha! (Anyone disagree with that?? )

Good luck,

Lookin

 

[kiwi jw]

So true lookin, so true. Thats exactly what happened to me.

Happy golding

Kiwi JW

 

[russau]

The best pan to use is the one that works best for you. How do you find that one? By getting a pan, any pan, and get out into a creek. You'll figure out what works best for you.

My preference is a green pan with riffles. In my opinion, this provides for some fast panning, holds the gold well, the opposite side from the riffles (the smooth side) can be used for "fine" panning, and the green color lets you see the gold vs. black sands for when you suck the gold up in your snuffer bottle. I find it hard to see the black sands in a black pan. I've never used a blue pan, so not sure about them.

You have a lot of good advice and experienced opinions here. Find what works for you and again, I must stress, get out in a creek! Until you are out finding the gold, it doesn't matter whether you have a pan or not. Let me warn you, though - after you start find gold with a pan, you will get a sluice box so that you can run more material. Eventually, that will lead to a highbanker or dredge (or maybe a combo). Then, you will be modifying your dredge to your needs, then you'll be thinking about a bigger dredge, etc.

It truly is a "sickness!" Hahaha! (Anyone disagree with that?? ) hahaha, yep thats so true! now ive run outta room in my shop for all of my "stuff"and i kep thinking of more and bigger equipment! hahaha. i guess i need to check myself into ward for the sickness! haha

Good luck,

Lookin

 

[cuzcosquirrel]

I've used the black pan with the small channel before. It seemed to work fine and fit under a plastic black rock seperator well. You really have to use a certain kind of movement to get the gold worked down into the bottom so it doesn't go out. It's more of a shake like you would see in a small dredge sluice when it is running with the engine on. I panned for a couple years up in the French Gulch area in N. California.

 

[TimC]

Bucket, hardware cloth, wire "thread" = cheap classifier.

TimC

 

[russau]

very good point! i forgot to say this in my post. screening everything helps you to pan and save gold.

 

[rangler]

The pan or the panner...design or technique....
as the Winner of the First Place-Senior Division in the 1982 Gold Country Panning Championships
in Auburn, California - with a winning time of 11.2 seconds,with a new steel pan no less!!
I can say it is not the pan - as this was the first time I ever used a steel no riffle pan! its the panner!
so buy what you like and learn to use it..
I use Garrates Green pan with called the Super Sluice for general panning and having fun, I use the large 14 inch
black pans for panning dredging concentrates and finish with a small copper pan, which I heat to dry the gold and
black sands that then can be blown off - and heated to burn off any mercury that the 49ers left, outdoors and stand up wind or stand out of the area, of course.
Its technique more than design but the design can give you an assist - until your skills get up to speed!

AUMNR
rangler
................"all the gold in California, is in a bank , in Beverly Hills, under someone elses name"...song lyric