Follow the gold rush by panning for your own gold. Relive the past during the gold rush and spend the afternoon on the river panning with your hands. Panning for gold can give a commensurate result if done correctly. Follow these steps to learn how to pan for that shiny metal.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Cleaning the Rocks and Moss
Step 1. Fill your pan to full with gravel
Soak in the water, just below the surface.
Step 2. Shake the pan vigorously several times
Shake back and forth and from side to side. Make sure you don't shake too intensely so the materials don't drift out of the pan.
Step 3. Stop the shaking and start using gentle circular motions
The gravel will begin to spin in a circle inside the pan. This will dissolve most of the dust and clay from the pan. Clean any roots or moss in the pan with your fingers--this will ensure any dirt containing dust is trapped in the pan.
Step 4. Take out the big rocks
Make sure these rocks are thoroughly washed (this should happen automatically after you follow the steps above). Repeat these steps until all the large rocks are removed and the heavier concentrates (such as gold and sand) remain at the bottom of the pan.
Part 2 of 4: Cleaning Lighter Sand and Gravel
Step 1. Hold your pan directly under the water, making sure it is fully submerged
Tilt the pan slightly away from you, so you look as if you're trying to catch a current.
Step 2. Rotate the holder from side to side
Use a slow forward throwing motion, as if you were going to flip the cake in the pan (but don't actually do this, don't turn the pan over). Be careful, but use enough force to move the pan surface and lighter gravel out of the way.
Step 3. Align the position of the pan
Shake it back and forth while the pan is still in the water. This flattening and shaking process will cause gold to remain at the bottom of the pan and lighter materials to escape from above.
Step 4. Repeat this process several times
By the time you finish the pan at this stage, there should only be about two cups of heavy material left in your pan. The rocks and gravel should be gone. The remaining materials are only the heaviest. These materials include black sand, or 'concentrate', and, if you're lucky, gold.
Part 3 of 4: Cleaning up the Black Sand
Step 1. Remove the pan from the water
Make sure there is still about an inch (2.5 cm) of water left in it. This water is necessary because you will continue to separate the sand from the gold as the pan is removed from the stream.
Step 2. Tilt the pan slightly towards you
Rotate the water and materials in it slowly and form a circle. Doing this will allow you to check and see if there are larger pieces of gold that can be picked up by hand.
If you find one, place it in the container you will use to store the gold. This container could be a gold sample bottle that you bought from the store, or a jar or pill bottle that you found from home
Step 3. Soak the pan again in the water
Repeat the steps of the third part (by rotating the place, leveling it, and shaking it alternately). Make sure you're very careful when doing this step--if you shake the place too vigorously, some of your gold may be lost.
Step 4. Use a magnet if your pan is made of plastic
Remove the container from the running water, leaving as little water in it as possible. Place the magnet on the bottom side of the pan and slowly move it around. Black sand is a magnetic substance and will be attracted to a magnet. This process will quickly separate the black sand from the gold.
If you choose to use a magnet, you can either pull the trapped black sand out, or use a gold snifter bottle. This bottle has a suction tube attached to it (like an eye drop bottle, which you can use for store-bought snifters). When you squeeze the bottle, a vacuum is created. When you release the squeeze, the bottle will suck up whatever gets in its way (in this case, gold and water). Your gold will then be safely stored in the bottle
Step 5. Pour the remaining black and gold sand into the bottle
Once you have separated as much of the black sand from the gold as possible, pour this combination into a bottle. The safest way to do this is to use a funnel in the mouth of the bottle. Pour the contents of the pan into it.
Step 6. Get ready to shout 'Hurray
’ after you manage to separate all the gold. You have now become a real gold miner.
Part 4 of 4: Choosing Your Mining Location
Step 1. Visit a stream or river that you hear contains gold
Whether you hear it from stories about your family's favorite places, or legends about certain streams, or your intuition tells you there may be a river full of gold, there is usually truth hidden in fairy tales and family stories. While you might think somewhere has been panned and there is no gold left, this is not necessarily the case. Streams and rivers carry small pieces of gold from sources on higher ground. Every winter, storms will erode the layer of soil that covers the gold, and this gold can be yours.
Step 2. Choose a location along a stream or river
The location you choose must be at least six inches (15 cm) deep. If the water is shallower, then the water may be too muddy or filled with leaves and other debris, which will prevent you from clearly seeing the pans underwater.
Step 3. Choose a location with a slow flow
The water should move fast enough to wash away the dust and dirt you remove from your pan, but slow enough so the water doesn't interfere with the movement of your pan as the pan sinks.
Step 4. Choose a location with large rocks or fallen trees along the watercourse
This is optional, but a large rock can be used as a seat when you pan for gold, making your day a lot lighter (and your legs and back will thank you).
Step 5. Choose your panning place
These places are generally made of metal or plastic. Plastic cases are better for beginners because they are rust-resistant, lighter than metal cases, are black (so gold is easier to see), and can be marked easily to identify gold.
If you're using a cast-iron pan like the one in 1949, make sure you clean the oil off the surface (if you're using a new pan, you don't have to worry about oil). Remove the oil by holding the pan over the bonfire using tongs or fireproof gloves. Heat the frying pan until it turns a dull red color then add it to the water. This process will remove the oil and make the pan a dark blue color, so the gold can be seen more easily
Step 6. Understand the miner's sieve
A sieve can be placed in the pan and will separate large items from small ones. You don't have to use a sieve, but it can be very useful when separating gold from black sand and other concentrates.
Tips
- Don't be fooled by pyrite, this mineral is usually formed from iron or arsenic sulfide and can look similar to gold. You can tell them apart by the fact that pyrite forms tiny crystal cubes. Gold will be found in the form of odd lumps or small smudges on your pan.
- If you can't find any gold at all then try again. If you still don't get anything, then move your gold panning location.
- Learn the look of raw gold. This will help you find them better and keep you from being fooled by fake gold and mica. Look for pictures on the internet.
- Try not to turn the pan too hard. This will cause a centrifugal force, which will cause the heavy particles (gold) to be pulled out and close to the periphery of the pan.
