First Time EVER Panning for GOLD!

Sideways Sherry

Sideways Sherry

Hero Member
May 7, 2014
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Currently in Arden, NC. Previously in SoCal, NoCal
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Well I loaded up the family and we went to the San Gabriel River-East Fork today on our first ever gold panning adventure! We met a great guy named Ken who hung with us all day and showed us how it's done. I personally had a great time! It reminded me of being a kid again going to the river with lakes and camping with my parents back in Alabama. Honestly, I realized that there has been something missing from my life for over 20 years... The serenity of camping! I can see A LOT more of going to the river in my future! OK, so here's a pic of our first panning rewards ever!
 

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P70 & OV, looks like I've got options based on the great advice! Thx! Now I just have to talk my husband into letting me go back up there on Saturday... Heck, I might even just create an argument so I can pretend to be mad and leave (with a humongous smile on face) and go camp out and pan for the whole weekend by myself! Now that sounds nice! ;-P
 

RSMSherry said:
Hi P70! Thanks for the welcome and tips! About selling the gold... I need to afford the gas to get back there, a good metal detector, that Bazooka that I'm now in love with AND a blue bowl. Dang y'all I'm addicted! I suppose there are worse things to be addicted to! ;-P
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If you get a Bazooka Gold Trap you will be addicted to taking home a lot of gold........
 

RSMSherry said:
P70 & OV, looks like I've got options based on the great advice! Thx! Now I just have to talk my husband into letting me go back up there on Saturday... Heck, I might even just create an argument so I can pretend to be mad and leave (with a humongous smile on face) and go camp out and pan for the whole weekend by myself! Now that sounds nice! ;-P
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Having your spouse on board as partner in this craziness helps a thousand percent. Sadly some don't have the right chromasone, or dna, for it. Oh well, their
loss... welcome to the forum :hello:
 

KevinInColorado said:
And you can get a fair price for your gold at your local prospecting store (maybe 90% of the published price). To make more, sell it on eBay about a 1/2 gram or so at a time.
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Thanks Kevin and all the rest! So I went back out to the EF today, did 4 test buckets and one bucket came up with all the big stuff in this pic.
 

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That bucket with the bigger gold is a winner. You are already doing better than a lot of folks who go to the east fork from what I've seen...keep it up!
 

Take a magnet and rap it in a baggie….Hold it over the pan. When the black sand jumps on it move it to a second pan and slip the baggie off….Whatever you do don’t dip the magnet into the sand…After you have as most of the black sand out of the pan dump it on a white piece of paper. Move the gold to the side….Now you can blow the black sand off the paper…Now you can work on the second pan as there may be some gold in it…Now after you sell the gold you can buy a better way to separate the cons….Art
 

I've worked and reworked all of my cons several times over and find gold nearly every time. I'm scared to throw them out because I always find more!
 

Waddle Waddle Waddle, I know exactly what you mean! This is only my second time ever prospecting and my husband already asked me when was I getting rid if that darn bucket of dirt. I told him that he better not touch my cons!!!! LOL!!!
 

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RSMSherry said:
Thanks Kevin and Art! I'm taking a second look at my cons now because I was really tired last night, already found about 10 or more smaller pieces I missed!!!
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RMSSherry Look up videos on Tapping. Small gold and larger gold will hide in the black sand. Even when you think you have it all you probably don't. Tapping will bring the pieces out of their secret hiding spots. Save the black sand later for cooking as you can squeeze even more gold out of them through an at home heating process. Wait til your husband hears about that one. Keep up the great work, Everyone is pulling for you.
 

Sherry before you know it you'll have about 20 buckets lying around with miscellaneous concentrates and all kinds of other goodies.
 

RSMSherry said:
LOL!!! Mojo, it sounds like I'm gonna need more buckets! ;-P
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Try to get buckets from food service uses...ask at a local deli for example. The big box home center ones cost almost $3 and they are too thin. You can get food service buckets for $0-$1 and they are thicker so they hold up to hard use and time in the sun. Donut shops sometimes also have them, etc.
 

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