5-Step Gold Panning

 

Gold Panning Technique

Panning techniques vary somewhat with each individual. If you have never panned before It's recommended that you can go out with someone who has some experience until you get the hang of it. An effective panning technique will come with practice. In the mean time here are a few simple steps to get you started:

1. Place the mixture of dirt/ gravel into your pan (about half a pan full). Pick out the obvious twigs and sticks, but be sure to check roots very carefully before discarding them. Then allow the river to fill your pan with water. Pull the pan to the surface of the water and then Shake it back and forth briskly, tapping it firmly against the heel of your other hand. We recommend NOT "SWIRLING" THE CONTENTS AT THIS STAGE.

2. You should then submerge it carefully into the stream. Making sure the "riffles" or ridges of your pan are away from you. Tilt the edge furthest from you down towards the river bottom slightly. Now pull the pan towards you and a little upwards towards the surface of the water, allowing a small amount of the lightest material to move over the lip of the pan.

3. Repeat this process several more times, dipping the edge of the pan at a greater and greater angle each time. Work it down to the smallest amount of debris in your pan, (you may be able to spot a flake or two at this point).

4. (When you feel comfortable with this step) Lift the pan out of the stream and swirl it. VERY slowly at first until you can gauge the effect. The motion should move the lighter material to the outer edges of the pan while the heavier (gold) stays closer to the center. Use a pair of tweezers or a "snuffer bottle" to extract the flakes from the bottom of your pan. YOU SHOULD TRY NOT PICK THEM UP WITH YOUR FINGERS! If the oils on your hand come in contact with the gold, you may lose it back to the river. Better to use the tweezers, unless its a sizable nugget (I sure can't resist plucking it immediately out of my pan at this stage).

5. You should have mostly only black sand and the smallest particles of debris left at this point (you already picked out the bigger flakes with the tweezers). I usually have a five gallon bucket nearby and put what is left of the contents from my pan into it. Later you can pan the bucket, and extract the finest gold from the black sand with a magnet.