Gold Panning Page

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=84 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="33000660egdysm.jpg"> <div> <B>Rich River Exploration Ltd. </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B>    |    </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Copperplate Gothic Bold" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rich River Exploration Ltd. 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Like anything, it requires a certain amount of practice to become an expert gold panner.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The best place to find gold is where gold has been found before. Learning to pan for gold requires patients and hard work. It may look easy, however it is actually hard on the back.  It requires one to constantly use a shovel, bend over and or kneel down. However once you find your first gold nugget, all of your aches and pains will go away.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> </B> <IMG SRC="bc3a5940.jpg" border=0 width="165" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="bc4b4190.jpg" border=0 width="180" height="281" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="bc6b0940.jpg" border=0 width="176" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Gold from the Big Bend area</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Before you actually start to swirl your first pan full of gravel. Look around for the best spot for panning. Select a location where the water is at least 8 inches deep and flowing quite slowly. You do not want the water current to wash gravel from your pan. This could cause you to loose some gold. Usually down stream of a large boulder is a good spot.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>WHERE TO PAN</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="c2fd4010.gif" border=0 width="468" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>(1) Bedrock</B></div> <div> <B>This is the most promising place to look for gold in a placer creek. Gold always works it way to bedrock or any impervious layer. Clay layers are known as false bedrock, because the clay traps the gold just like true bedrock. </B></div> <div> <B>Crevices and cracks in the bedrock are also very important places to look for gold.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>(2) Old Tailings</B></div> <div> <B>These are remnants of previously worked placer deposits. Sometimes large nuggets escaped the sluice boxes of the old timers. In the Atlin placer camp, nuggets up to 44 ounces have been recovered from old tailing piles.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>(3) Clay Cemented Gravels</B></div> <div> <B>These types of deposits were hard to work by the old timers.</B></div> <div> <B>These gravels can be worked many times, with good results obtained each time. The washing of these cemented gravels is quite labor intensive, however the results can be very rewarding.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>(4) Under Large Rocks</B></div> <div> <B>This spot is usually always a good bet for finding gold in a placer creek. Large rocks in the stream cause suction eddies that concentrate gold during spring run-off.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>(5) Ancient Channels</B></div> <div> <B>Prospecting for these old channels is usually only attempted by experienced prospectors. However even today new placer gold discoveries are made by experienced miners and novice prospectors. Some of these ancient channel discoveries can be very rewarding.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="bf2dfb20.jpg" border=0 width="479" height="178" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="c3957300.gif" border=0 width="87" height="48" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">     </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000033" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Rockwell Extra Bold" ><B> <img src="HTMLobj-3104/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="72" height="115">     </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="c28542e0.gif" border=0 width="84" height="46" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Panning Instructions</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="c2fd4010.gif" border=0 width="468" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>STEP 1</B></div> <div> <B>WASH OFF LARGER ROCKS AND MOSS. </B></div> <div> <B>Fill the pan 3/4 full of gravel </B><B><U>not sand</U></B><B>, then submerge it deep enough so it is just under the surface of the water. Give the pan several vigorous shakes back and forth and from side to side, but not too vigorous as to wash material out of the pan. </B></div> <div> <B>You can also submerge the gravel filled pan and work the contents of the pan with your hands. This will break up any clay that could contain gold. This will also allow the heavy gold to sink to the bottom of the pan.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="bebedc60.jpg" border=0 width="237" height="198" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>1A</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Change from the shaking motion to a gentle circular movement, so the material starts revolving in a circle. This process will cause most of the dirt and clay to dissolve and wash out of the pan. If roots and moss surface, work them over your pan with your fingers to dissolve any lumps. </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>1B</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Pick out the larger rocks after making sure that they are washed clean.</B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Repeat processes </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>1A</B></FONT><B> and </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>1B</B></FONT><B> of step </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>1</B></FONT><B> to get the smaller rocks to the surface and to cause the heavier concentrates to settle.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="bc896640.png" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>STEP 2. </B></div> <div> <B>WASHING OFF LIGHTER SAND AND GRAVEL</B></div> <div> <B>1A</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Hold the pan just under the water and tilt it slightly away from you. Never let the lip of the pan go lower than the bottom. Begin to swirl the water from side to side, with a slight forward tossing motion. Take care, but with sufficient force to move the surface and the lighter gravel out over the edge of the pan.</B></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>1B</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>Leveling the pan from time to time and shaking it back and forth will cause the light material to come to the surface </B><B>and the heavy gold to settle to the bottom.</B></div> <div> <B>Repeat process</B><B> </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>1A</B></FONT><B> </B><B>and</B><B> </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>1B</B></FONT><B> </B><B>of step</B><B> </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>2</B><B> </B></FONT><B>until there is only a small amount of heavier material left in your pan. </B></div> <div> <B>This material should consist of the heavy black sand and garnets and hopefully gold or "concentrate".</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="bec05e60.jpg" border=0 width="261" height="230" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>STEP 3</B></div> <div> <B>WASHING OFF BLACK SAND AND CONCENTRATES</B></div> <div> <B>At this point it is better for the beginner to raise the pan completely out of the water, leaving about an inch of water in it. </B></div> <div> <B>Tilt the pan slightly towards you and swirl the water slowly in a circular motion to check the pan for flakes and pieces that are easily picked out. The lighter concentrate material will swirl around in your pan. The yellow shiny stuff that does not move easily is GOLD.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Then submerge the pan in water again and repeat process </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>1A</B></FONT><B> and </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>1B</B></FONT><B> of step </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>2</B></FONT><B> </B><B>for the final concentration process. </B></div> <div> <B>This is the most important part of gold panning. Make sure this final process is accomplished with as much care as possible, so you do not wash out any fine gold. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>If you see any clunkers, use tweezers to grab them and place in a vial. An empty black 35m film canister works great, as this has a tight fitting snap on lid.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="bca96640.png" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>If you have a plastic gold pan, a magnet can be used to quickly aid in the separation of gold from the black magnetic sand concentrate. Apply the magnet to the bottom side of the pan and move it in a small circular motion with the pan slightly tilted. This will swiftly isolate the gold from the black sand.</B></div> <div> <B>The use of a snifter, pictured below will aid in the capturing of fine gold from the pan.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="bed00ef0.jpg" border=0 width="256" height="239" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>OTHER PANNING HINTS</B></div> <div> <B>If you have lots of fine gold in your concentrate. Wash it all into your container and take it home. It is much easier to separate the gold when the concentrate is </B><B><U>completely</U></B><B> dry.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>If you use a brand new steel pan, make sure to remove all of the protective oil from the pan before you use it. If any oil is left in the pan, it will cause any fine gold to float, making separation very difficult. The most common way is to burn it over the coals of a campfire, using extreme caution of course. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The pan is heated to a dull red glow, then quenched in water. This not only removes the oil but also gives the pan a nice dark blue color, which also makes the gold easier to see in the pan. Make sure to dry it off well after each use. This will help keep it from rusting.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="c315a2c0.png" border=0 width="90" height="44" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">    </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Rockwell Extra Bold" ><B><IMG SRC="6c667410.jpg" border=0 width="103" height="65" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">   </B></FONT><B> </B><B><IMG SRC="c32592c0.png" border=0 width="89" height="44" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Another secret to speed up the final steps is to keep a small squeeze bottle of detergent close at hand. A couple of small drops in the pan during the last step will break the surface tension of the water and speed up the operation considerably.</B></div> <div> <B>Another item that is considered a necessary part of a gold panners equipment, is a panning sieve. The sieve sets cover the pan and can screen or classify the larger cobbles, making the panning process much faster and easier. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The sieves are available in sizes from 1/4 of an inch (4 mesh) to a 100 mesh size screen. </B></div> <div> <B>The gold pan sieves are most popular with the medium size pan and are available in most prospecting stores that sell gold recovery equipment.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>For the beginner, the plastic pan with built in riffles is by far the best tool to use.</B></div> <div> <B>It is actually quite hard to loose gold from this type of pan if the panning is done properly. </B></div> <div> <B>The most common mistakes are tilting the pan to far and panning in a swift current. Make sure that all material that leaves your pan has been shaken and crosses over the riffles first.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="c08c2450.jpg" border=0 width="194" height="69" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Most beginners usually grab fine sand for their pan. If you want to find gold remember that gold is about ten times as heavy as most other material of the same size. </B></div> <div> <B>So if you pan sand, you will probably find gold that is ten times as small as the material that you are panning. </B></div> <div> <B>This is commonly known as flour or micron gold. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>In order to find nugget gold you will have to move and process big rocks. These big rocks will trap the larger chunks of gold.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>  </B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1368eb700.jpg" border=0 width="491" height="368" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Rich River Exploration Ltd. owns several placer gold properties that are available </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Placer Gold Claims "><U><B>for sale</B></U></A><B>. These properties are well suited for recreational prospecting and gold panning. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>These placer gold properties are located in proven gold bearing areas.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>If you have any questions, or for inquiries about visiting our placer gold properties for sale . Please do not hesitate to contact us.</B></div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="bfd83480.gif" border=0 width="131" height="72" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></FONT>  </div> <div> <B>You never know, you could find some of these!</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Good luck and remember to think heavy! </B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="5cddce00.png" border=0 width="220" height="224" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> BIG BEND GOLD ~ 2001</div> <div> <B> <img src="HTMLobj-3103/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="468" height="1">  </B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact us</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>©</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#996600" FACE="Lucida Sans" ><B> COPYRIGHT  (2008) RICH RIVER EXPLORATION LTD.</B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Site construction & design by C. A. 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