A gold pan is the only equipment that is ab-solutely necessary to get started gold panning, although a small hand trowel or shovel, is very helpfuL If you pursue this activity you may want to add a classifier, tweezers, a magnet, and a magnifying glass. Gold pans may often be pur-chased at hardware stores, but the local prospecting shops are recommended. They are a good source of information on panning, often have displays of nuggets, and are interesting places to visit. They are listed in the telephone directory under ‘mining equipment.’ Carrying extra water and a large tub will enable you to pan in areas that do not have water.
Due to gold’s high specific gravity, panning is an effective way to separate gold from the sand and gravel of a stream. If you pan correctly, and there is gold in the sediments you are panning, the gold will end up in the bottom of your pan when the lighter materials have been washed away. Pan-ning is a simple process, but difficult to describe. Watch an experienced panner if you have an opportunity.
Fill the pan about half full of gravel, sand, or dirt. Submerge the pan in water, breaking up any clumps with your hands and throwing away large rocks, after verifying they are not large nuggets. Shake the pan underwater. Raise the pan, moving it in a circular motion and tipping it away from you so the top layer flows out of the pan. The motion of the pan will settle the gold to the bottom, duplicating the action of the stream that concentrates the gold in the stream bed.
Occasionally tapping the rim of the pan with the palm of your hand will help settle the gold to the bottom. Speed is not apriority. Take the time to pan carefully. Manually rake larger grains from the pan. Repeat this process until a small amount (less than half a cup) of material is left in your pan. This concentration of heavier material should be worked carefully. Swirl the pan in a circular motion to fan out the concentrate in a ‘tail.’ Gold, if present, will show in the tail.
You are far more likely to fmd “flakes II ( or colors) of gold than nuggets, so check your pan carefully. Black sand, if common magnetite, can be removed easily with a magnet. Put the magnetic in a plastic bag to avoid the necessity of continually cleaning the magnet after use. Tweezers and an eyedropper can be useful in retrieving gold from your pan. It is frustrating to find a few flakes of gold and not have a place to put them, so carry along a small container. A glass vial filled with water admirably shows off your find but a pill container will do .
Conversion Table for Measuring Gold
Grains Pennyweh!ht Troy Ounce Avoir. Ounce Grams
1 Grain 1 0.0417 0.0021 0.0023 0.0648
1 Pennvweh!ht 24 1 0.0500 0.0549 1.5552
1 Trov Ounce 480 20 1 1.0971 31.1040
1 Avoir. Ounce 437,5 18,2292 0.9115 1 28.35 .