What's the best moss cleaning technique ?

[wildminer]

I gathered some more moss the other day and need to clean it. Normally I scrub it on a 1/4 mesh bucket classifier, but I'm open to ideas on other methods.

 

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[winners58]

I usually clean it in my pan and put it back on the spot I took it from,
just because it takes time for moss to grow in the first place.
If its brought home let it dry and most of the dirt will just fall out easily.
then burn it and pan the ashes, you'll be surprised at the gold you'll find...

 

[N-Lionberger]

I like to burn it.

 

[Johnnybravo300]

I just dip it in a bucket of water or my pan and shake it out, then put it back where it was.
It doesn't pay to rip out moss and it's not a good for the creek when ya do it in a big quantity but it can be a handy prospecting method when in a hurry to cover ground. It will almost always catch a little flood gold over the years if theres gold there.

 

[ratled]

Get a blender from the good will and run the moss through that if you really want to get all of it out

ratled

 

[calnatv]

Agitate the hell out of it in a bucket of water

 

[placertogo]

My experience with black sand and fine gold in various species of moss is that most is released with agitation in the wet state but some is also released in the dry state. After I have agitated and washed all my moss from the season, I spread it out over large cooking sheets and let it dry completely in the sun, then agitate it dry and it is amazing how much more very fine material (and gold) comes out in the dry state. Burning the dry moss releases even more into the remaining ash.

 

[Asmbandits]

I break it up by hand in a pan. There are areas where you can do extremely well just gathering moss, I've seen grams from pans of moss.

I'd like to think and have heard that this could be the case, that the moss can be carried down stream and re root somewhere else where it settles.

 

[wildminer]

Thanks for the input guys. I did a grab sample on my way out from sluicing. Only a five gallon bucket worth and started drying it on the shop stove last night.

 

[placertogo]

Moss may be one of the best sluice media. It seems to catch gold sizes from the finest flour gold right up through small nuggets.

 

[arizau]

Moss may be one of the best sluice media. It seems to catch gold sizes from the finest flour gold right up through small nuggets.

Poor mans miners moss.

 

[placertogo]

The other thing about moss is it usually forms where the water slows and the gold starts to drop out from the flow.