Panning again

blackbeard81

Jr. Member
Dec 8, 2012
33
5
Dillsburg Pa
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Did some panning to night and came to the conclusion that I need a black pan for finishing and eye glasses lol.I have lots of black sand which I will post a pic of.Now I'm getting fairly good at removing small pebbles and stones and having just black sand. here's my problem from the YouTube videos I've watched the ppl who are demonstrating in these videos all of the gold seems to collect on the bottom of the pan right underneath the first riffle is this correct?so why is this not happening for me?seems like all the fine gold is scattered all over my pan.

image-4291000241.jpg
 

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You are not working the material long enough for the gold to settle beneath the black sand. You should shake the material side to side and back and forth for about 20 seconds with the pan flat and then gradually tilt it forward so the material shifts to the front of the pan and start working the black sand out of the pan. once the black sand starts to lock up pull it back and repeat. Continue this until you are down to just a table spoon or two of material left. Then you can start looking for the gold. In your pic that is way too much material to start looking. A good rule to follow is once you start seeing flashes of gold pull back and restratify and repeat the above until down to small amout of blacksand stated above, Yes the gold should be at the bottom of the pan under the first riffle and under the black sand.

Good Luck!

BH Prospector
 

Did you prep your pan before you started? There is a coat of oil on it that make water bead, and your gold leave the pan also. Just rub some mud and clean your pan free of oil. I like to rub with the contours of the pan. Also I use a drop of soap to make the water a lil more slippery. Thats a lot of black sand, you are very strong lol. I like my 10" inch pan for sample and finish, easier to use. The black pan is ok, I havent found a good use for it. It is hard to see black sand in it. I have several classifiers I have made I bought for a buck or two. I use a magnet, and save all black sand to be worked later. You may invest in a dry washer or use a sluice first to move more dirt and get that cons for panning. Im new so forgive me if I missed a few steps.
 

BH PROSPECTOR.Thank you again for the advice and thanks for keeping it simple I actually felt a little smarter after reading it lol.and I'm glad I saved all of the black sand from tonight panning session.I plan to rework it tomorrow after work.
 

Always willing to help new folks who have caught the fever. I'm glad it was clear and simple. I just hate it when people explain things in complicated ways, KISS! Keep at it and soon you will be pro.
 

» Gold Panning Instructions






Get some split shots/sinkers and cleave them into smaller pieces. You can use light dusting of spray paint or fingernail polish to make it stand out. Red, blue, yellow, hot pink, whatever sets it off. Take 5 pieces or so and spread them out across the top of your level pan, then work it. After shaking a bit, stratisfying, tilt the pan up just to almost losing material as you're still shaking it (think of the bottom and side forming a V). That should settle the gold/lead down into the corner before the first riffle. Now wash the layers. Instead of shaking it more between washes, keep stripping layers till you see where the lead ended up.

[edit]Just found this one of Terry's. This one starts at black sand. I notice his pan doesn't have the mini-riffles along the large riffles like my big pan
 

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.... I'm glad I saved all of the black sand from tonight panning
session. I plan to rework it tomorrow after work.

Even after you've panned it again you'll want to save your black sand. There are likely
to be bits of very small flour gold in it, and you will have time to get those out at a later
date.

Black sand doesn't take up much space, so grab a clean margarine tub (or the like) and
just save it all once you've worked it. In time you'll want to get one of the clean-up devices
like a Blue Bowl or Miller Table (which you can make yourself), and then you'll be able to extract
the super-fine gold. It all adds up! :occasion14:
 

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