subject: What Basic Gold Panning Supplies Does A New Prospector Need? [print this page] If you are eager to take advantage of all the talk about gold lately, and try your hand at gold prospecting, what basic gold panning supplies do you need to get off to a good start?
I would suggest getting some good information first, so you have a realistic idea of what to expect and how to go about getting some "yaller stuff" in your gold pan.
Books and online research can really help.
Then you need some basic gold panning tools. As a long time gold panner myself, here are some pointers I can suggest to get you moving ahead.
Of course, you are going to need some kind of gold pan. Choosing the right one may be challenging, because there are so many kinds available.
Avoid the all metal pans. Yes, they work fine, but are trickier to master for someone just learning how to pan. Luckily, there are many brands of lightweight gold pans made of space age plastic. These are tough customers with built-in riffles, often green or blue or black so the gold specks show up well.
Gold pans come in many sizes, but you might want to start with just a medium size pan, 10 to 13 inches in diameter. After you get a lot of practice, you can go up to a bigger pan if you want.
You need something to dig the sand and gravel with. A small shovel with a short handle will work. Some like the little GI shovels. And a study metal or plastic scoop, like a garden trowel size, comes in real handy in many situations.
Your gold panning supply list should also include a classifier. This is a screening tool you can place on top of your five gallon bucket. Shovel gravel into into it, and the smaller stuff passes through. Throw away the remaining gravel - you dont need to pan it, provided you have done a quick check for nuggets!
A study bucket is indispensable. A five gallon plastic bucket works well, and is also handy for carrying your small tools.
How about a snuffer bottle? For sure! These are very cheap, and are the niftiest little tool ever invented for sucking up the gold flakes and specks in your pan.
If you plan on cleaning out cracks in exposed bedrock, some more tools come into the picture. Various thin crevicing tools are available, as well as rock picks and gold pry bars to open the cracks for easier access to hidden gold.
When you pan for gold, you will end up with concentrates. These are composed mostly of black iron sands, and maybe small garnets and other heavy materials. Sometimes the best way to maximize the fruitful time on the gold stream is to just save your concentrates and pan out the gold in them when you get home. You can fill a plastic tub with water and do your final cleanup there with your pan and snuffer bottle Spend your time on the stream getting lots of gold bearing concentrates.
One nice thing about gathering your basic gold panning supplies is that you are not going to spend a fortune. The basics I have outlined are easy to find in stores if you live in gold country, and online elsewhere and for convenience.
