using gold detector to check the pan to save time

hi there - I only just joined over a week ago, and have a turbopan arriving anyday, and tomorrow I'm going to collect my new Xterra 705 gold - so am getting excited! Was just wondering if I got a pan of gravel from a creek - seeing that it's not a metal pan - could I rely on the detector to check the pan rather than going through the motions of 'panning'? Esme

Yes you can, but I wouldn't though. Most detectors will pick up 1/2 gm size nuggets and up wards, specially in a pan, but if you have flood gold ( flour size gold) in your pan the detector may not pick that up. So my thoughts are, just pan it off, at least you will know if you are on to gold or not.
wombat

thanks for that Wombat.

you can allways try it with a pro pointer they work for small gold but not flakes

Do your self a favour go through the motions !!! Panning is page one / book one of prospecting ! Believe me you will not regret learning how to pan correctly! As has been said the detector will pick up small pieces but will not respond to very fine gold ! There are many posts in here about all aspects of prospecting ,use the search engine to look first off if its not there post a question ! All the best  

Hi esros, watch a couple of dozen U-Tube vids and you will get the hang of it. Panning really is a lot of fun, it's great to see the gold in the bottom of the pan when your done. If you get the bug consider the Garret pans.
Sparrowfart. 

Here is a BRILLIANT video on all kinds of stuff INCLUDING panning ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lDJ_yvds7A ... this guy is a "guru" ... what he doesn't know probably isn't worth worrying about! Take your time and watch the whole video ... it's got all kinds of info on panning, finding gold, where it is & how/why it's there!

Absolutely agree with Sparrowfart & Ark!!  Do yourself a great favour ... learn to pan!! It really is quite easy, and you will recover gold that you didn't imagine was even there!

I have a number of different types of pans, both old and new style.  Get yourself a green pan with deep riffles on one side. These are by far the most accurate of pans. And once you have become proficient in its use (just a day or so) you will be amazed at what you discover.

Gold is 9 times heavier than anything else that you will find in the pan ... it's so easy that you will question why you even thought to put it off!! Nowadays I don't even bother to classify ... just dump it in and away you go!!!

Gee Kate more an advertisement for Gold Hog !!!   Just for the uninformed no dredging in Australia !!! And the jury is still out on the performance of the gold hog mat in Aussie conditions ( clay wash) but I do agree the Garret Pans are tops in retaining all types of gold .
Esros in my opinion it takes way more than a day to become proficient with a gold pan but its like riding a bike ,once mastered never forgotten !  

If I may esros here is a good place to start https://golddetecting.forumotion.net/f39-panning some great info Here for the beginner and as I said if you don't understand something just ask !!!! Remember the only silly question is the one not asked .

Thanks Kate, Sparrowfart and Ark for those links and advice. I've watched lots of wonderful utubes and saved them in a folder- but hadn't actually seen that exact of one Groundhog - he's such a good teacher. Am just about to look at the one your recommended Ark.
My pan arrived in the mail, and I brought home some samples from a couple of creeks on my way back from Toowoomba, and had a go at panning - found nothing - but I filled the wheelbarrow up with water and used it to pan in - worked well. Got another container to practice on tomorrow!

Esme

Make sure that you only have well washed dirt wit a turbo pan as the don't like clay at all !

  Nah! Not really, Ark ... but that particular video is just brilliant for all the other stuff ... panning, why and how panning works so well on the flour gold, where to look for the gold and why ... and it goes into a little more detail re inertia, weight/specific gravity affecting where you will find gold etc etc

Yes, I'm a complete convert to the GoldHog matting because it is useable in any water system. The only problem with it is that you have to completely re-think water flows ... it's almost "the more the better"

I've seen the results of the hb matting and as you say the more water the better BUT I'm not impressed with pickers down at the end of the sluice !!!! That shouldn't happen .

Absolutely not, Ark!!! Sending PM so as not to hijack the thread.

I can't honestly think of one thread that hasn't been hijacked  

Go for it Kate  

Well you would be used to that up Beechworth way!!! bail up! Ned!  

RE: using gold detector to check the pan to save time!

I suppose if you could train it well enough you'd be on a winner  

Sorry about that Esme