Panning a critical part of wet water prospecting.

I seem to be getting myself in the sh@t over this.
Tony, I had no idea your specie rock contained so much large gold, I imagine you would have had a good idea going by the weight!
That's where Nitric acid works a treat. "No Crushing required" Just time!
When you ever here me referring to fine gold, I mean fine as in powder, and it's retrievable with a gold pan, My gold panning ability was first learn't from rock crushing, retrieving powder gold.
There's more powder gold then nuggets, hands down!

Cheers to all.

Rustydog wrote:well to stop the floating problem put 2-3 drops of dish washing liquid in the pan , problem solved.

Good advice RD

Gentlemen, after a while we Yanks get into the picture. (We're a bit slow and careful I'm told).

I read with great attention what has been mentioned here - and agree with almost 100% of what has been said. Other than a few minor points, the techniques mentioined are pretty much universal the world 'round.

I would like to mention something which I """Discovered""" a long time ago.

The use of surfactants (soaps, detergents and other things that break up 'surface tension') do substantially reduce / eliminate floating gold problems. One other factor I have found is to pan in the shade.

Small 'bits' of gold and other 'things' that are in direct sunlight "Flash Dry" on the sunshine side. A dry top side of ~~something~~ now is affected by the surface tension of the untreated water - yielding a "Boat" which floats on the water. The keel of the boat is the dry side of the particle while the hull's sides are made from the surface tension of the water. Gold and other heavy 'things' float because they are miniature boats and displace more water weight than the, themselves, weigh. The use of surfactants will reduce / eliminate the surface tension, making everything sink.

If I understood "Someday's" post a while back he said that sideways spilling light, classified by specific gravity, material was a new concept. In fact, in 1966 I initially learned to pan from Bob, who learned from a prominent miner / Geology Professor from the University of Alaska to spill light "stuff" over the edge of the pan in a swirling, dipping motion, AFTER the heavier material was moved to the very bottom of the pan, that is.

An old, and unused, technique today - none the less - was in use not that long ago.

Over the years, new and better panning and concentrating techniques have come forth. Intolerance to arduous and time consuming, panning procedures have left us with easier alternatives.

I’m sorry to be so “technical, but the subject seemed to ask for it.

Great information fellas well done.

Bump good info here.

Whiskers wrote:Bump good info here.

Apart from cost of pans, You can now buy the Garrett kits of 2-3 different pans plus various sucker bottles and viles for $60 - $90.

It's funny reading some old posts

I think I owe Rusty an apology! 2 different styles of panning, I've mended my ways! sorry mate well not all of'em
If it wasn't for collecting rather large quantity's of corundum in my HB, I'd still be using my old swirl an gravitate method

Thanks to James posting an understandable description of the back wash method some time ago, me panning technique has changed forever

Jx4 mate good info thanks for posting. SD mate i still shake my head when i read how people pan a mystery indeed.