New to gold panning, have a few questions..

[Slickwid]

Hi, i just recently came back from working up in the queen charlottes, bc, canada. While i was up there i was beach combing and looking for interesting rocks, fossils and any signs of gold bearing rocks. Months before this, i happened upon a pile of various fossils, rusty quartz chunks with what was obviously iron pyrite deposits along with other types of gold and silver looking deposits. Some of these rocks were very heavy for their size. So, when i got back from working up north, i dug out those rocks i had found months before and was surprised just how potentially loaded they looked. I bought a 14 in pan, a 40 size sifter, and a Brawn 24 in flared sluice. i have a few questions that i tried to research myself for answers to, but since i am so unfamiliar with the actual terms used, it was almost impossible to get anywhere. So i am trying to pan these rocks that i crushed, comprised of a lot of pyrite, and from what im told, gold can be found along with it. As well, the sheer weight of some of the rocks suggest there is more than just the pyrite, i get it panned down to a point that nothing is really separating off when i plunge the pan in, like it just stays like gold would. Also, i noticed in a couple of the rocks that i crushed, when it panned out as far as i could get it, there was a very heavy purple shiny dust that was the heaviest of all of what was in the pan. Also how do i remove what is left behind in the carpeting of the sluice, i couldnt figure out how to get all of it to come out of it. Thanks in advance.

 

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[placertogo]

Best way to get the fine material left in the carpeting is to let it dry thoroughly and beat it out over a container. I have also had good luck with a bagless vacuum starting with a clean dirt holder and vacuuming out the dried carpet.

 

[arizau]

Hi, i just recently came back from working up in the queen charlottes, bc, canada. While i was up there i was beach combing and looking for interesting rocks, fossils and any signs of gold bearing rocks. Months before this, i happened upon a pile of various fossils, rusty quartz chunks with what was obviously iron pyrite deposits along with other types of gold and silver looking deposits. Some of these rocks were very heavy for their size. So, when i got back from working up north, i dug out those rocks i had found months before and was surprised just how potentially loaded they looked. I bought a 14 in pan, a 40 size sifter, and a Brawn 24 in flared sluice. i have a few questions that i tried to research myself for answers to, but since i am so unfamiliar with the actual terms used, it was almost impossible to get anywhere. So i am trying to pan these rocks that i crushed, comprised of a lot of pyrite, and from what im told, gold can be found along with it. As well, the sheer weight of some of the rocks suggest there is more than just the pyrite, i get it panned down to a point that nothing is really separating off when i plunge the pan in, like it just stays like gold would. Also, i noticed in a couple of the rocks that i crushed, when it panned out as far as i could get it, there was a very heavy purple shiny dust that was the heaviest of all of what was in the pan. Also how do i remove what is left behind in the carpeting of the sluice, i couldnt figure out how to get all of it to come out of it. Thanks in advance.

Until you have actually found gold in your pan you will not realize how aggressive you can be in your panning efforts! It sounds like you are being too careful and what you describe are probably particles that contain a high percentage of iron and those particles are usually 1 1/2 to 2 times heavier than most any thing their own size in the pan except for when you have gold and/or platinum*. Gold and platinum will be 3 or more times heavier than the iron containing particles so they will easily separate with proper panning technique. Basically, you need to practice panning and if you do it with known gold concentrates/paydirt** that is the best way. Alternatively you can cut up, and smash some small to tiny lead shavings and practice separating them out while panning. When you can do that you will have no problems doing the same with gold.

Good luck.



*Research how to identify platinum since it is a metal that is found in your area.
**Hint http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...8575-dirthog-paydirt-panning-my-daughter.html

 

[Dirthogg]

Yes good advice by the previous poster about ,how aggressive you can be before gold will leave your pan.I have some experience in HiadaGwaii Grahame Island placer beach gold to be exact.All the gold in the whole area is fine flour very little flake,more like pieces a little larger than sugar is the largest found.The material you describe without going PHD on you.Would be crushed and any gold would have to be viewed with loop .I know of many guys in the fisherys/logging industry that have looked with zeal to find a placer place to pan.Alot harder than it sounds.The whole area is a little touchy,i would be careful getting caught doing any mining or prospecting in the whole area.As the locals are of the not so friendly type to mining or pipelines shipping oil ect.The gold will stick to the bottom of your pan.It is hard to lose and also use a drop of jet dry.Yes try some DirtHogg I can tell you,you will be a great panner after playing with this stuff.Use a tub either for your finds or the DH.Then get aggressive ,you can always repan again and again.Hope this helped some way.DH

 

[Slickwid]

Thanks for the advice. Anyone know what the purple shiny dust is? I am curious to know..

 

[Slickwid]

Oh and i did pick up a bag of pay dirt. I noticed the gold actually move around a lot more than most of the materia left in my pan. It kept on swishing around the outside of the flat in the pan... Which doesnt make sense to me from what you guys are saying... Im not saying you dont know what youre talking about. Its just that this material is really really heavy.. Im gonna completely crush the material i have down to where it will go through the 40 size sifter i have and see if it makes a difference...

 

[Slickwid]

And ill try to post video of the material im working with that may help you to understand what im dealing with...

 

[KevinInColorado]

Thanks for the advice. Anyone know what the purple shiny dust is? I am curious to know..

Most likely a form of garnet. It's hard and heavy...used to make sand paper

 

[bobw53]

Oh and i did pick up a bag of pay dirt. I noticed the gold actually move around a lot more than most of the materia left in my pan.

A few thiings. First, is your pan seasoned properly? As in are all the oils off of it from the manufacturing process?
ANY tiny LITTLE BIT of oil will float your gold, even reasonably sized gold.. I found this out the hard way the past
few days... Apparently a little bit of soluble oil on your hands will destroy your panning tub, even with dawn and
jet dry. +50 gold, chunky, not even flat, float right up and out, I've never seen anything like it.

As for seasoning a pan.. Plenty of videos on YouTube. It can be a time consuming pain in the butt, especially
if the pan is particularly shiny. I cheat now and sandblast them, it doesn't completely do it, but it sure does
save a lot of time.

And are you using something to kill the surface tension? Jet Dry is preferred since it doesn't foam, but a tiny bit
of dish soap works also.. Just don't use that nasty old lady smelling palmolive, its got oils in it.

 

[Dirthogg]

I reread your post ,as you were working there you are familiar with all the stuff I said.But good info for others.The purple to red to orange.Is oxide of manganese.Sometimes you can whack rocks in half and see this purple metallic look.Very common on coastal ground.Yes there could be gold but it would be locked up in the sulphides and not visible.The DH paydirt has a lot of garnet the ground you were working not so much.Take Care If there was visible gold in the pan,im quite sure with the specific gravity would hold some to bottom of the pan,even if you were super aggressive.This site of gold you would know it and remember it forever.Nothing wrong with trying.Yes to pulverising the material then give it another panning .Good Luck hope I'm wrong and you have something great!!

 

[Duckshot]

Welcome to the forum.

. I noticed the gold actually move around a lot more than most of the materia left in my pan. It kept on swishing around the outside of the flat in the pan... Which doesnt make sense to me from what you guys are saying.

That gold will always mostly move downhill in a pan. Are you swirling the pan first instead of shaking from side to side first? You gotta go side to side to stratify, then pan off lighter material.

Once you have just black sand in the corner of your pan, give it a swirl and the black sands will move first. The thing is that if the gold isn't exactly on the bottom of the pan it can kinda roll along with the black sand when you swirl it. Tap it a bit and once the gold is on the bottom it will be the last thing that moves- so long as everything is similar sized particles.

 

[Slickwid]

Yeah i think thats my problem, i gotta pulverize it all.. And the majority of the rocks im working with are pretty much quartz and then the various metal deposits. No black sand.