That was my concern. Any type of door or gate mechanism in the field is often limited by pieces of sand and dirt getting into the works. The YouTube’er in question also came up with the “Focus Pan” but it has yet to be manufactured into a practical field tool for prospectors and miners.
Beach High Banker, Sweep Jig, Whippet Dry Washer, Lobo ST, 1/2 width 2 tray Gold Cube, numerous pans, rocker box, and home made fluid bed and stream sluices.
Slide gates are notorious for sticking or jamming. That said it is doubtful that even fine gold will escape, even if the gate was only partially closed, since it should be at the very bottom of the far end of the trap and since trapped material locks up as agitation stops or it is drained (the trap is not water tight) the gold will still be in it IMO.
Instead of trying to build a better mouse trap, why not just put better pay dirt in a conventional gold pan. Fancy gimickey pans don't magically make gold from barren dirt.
I applaud his efforts to make a better mouse trap but adding moving parts to something that is going to be used in the conditions that prospecting/panning are done in does not seem the right direction to me.
That was the point of my post. If you looks at GoldHog’s Hog Pan and the new Flow Pan, they are substantially built with nothing to get clogged or hung up in use. I think the guy who made the video has a good concept but needs to keep it as simple as possible.
The concept is good but I don't see a need for a door. I've posted pics of the finishing pans that we use. It's basically a finishing pan with a grove cut into it with a dremel. The fines settle into the grove.
I don't see even the slightest resemblance to a gold claw.
OK 1st thought is it's another square gold pan with riffles, but deeper.
I think a much deeper round pan with riffles could do the same...... I don't want to mention what Doc's Flow pan does.
Tried many myself. None have worked as well as a standard Garrett pan. Not saying it cant be done but its not going to be easy to improve a gold pan from what it already is today.