How to Pan for Gold: Step-by-Step Instructions

The whole point of gold panning is to place in a large metal or plastic pan the gravel (for example) that you want to sample, combined with a generous amount of water, and agitate it so that the gold particles (flakes or nuggets), being of higher density than the other material, settle to the bottom of the pan. The lighter gauge material such as sand, mud, and gravel are then washed over the side of the pan, leaving the gold behind. 

Here is a YouTube video with instructions about how to pan for gold, followed by written instructions that are not identical to the video.  Both of these approaches are only guidelines to get you started.  As you practice, you will see which shaking and swirling motions work best for you.

 

Step-by-Step Gold Panning Instructions

Step 1:  Find a stream location as per my post How to Pan for Gold: Find the Best Location and then choose an area nearby (even right next to the stream bed) to begin digging.

Step 2:  Using your hands or a trowel, dig up the gravel, rocks, dirt, and roots that you want to sample and fill your gold pan 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full.  (If you fill it too full, you could lose some gold.)  Pick out larger-size rocks and stones while you’re doing this.

Step 3:  Carry your pan to the stream location you chose and submerge the pan completely under water.

Step 4:  While it is under water, use your fingers to break up any clumps of material so that everything becomes saturated with water.  While you’re doing this, any gold will sink deeper in your pan because it will be the heaviest element, even when it’s just a flake. 

Step 5:  Next, keeping the pan completely submerged, and with the riffles (ridges) on the far side of the pan from you, shake it vigorously from side to side (but not so vigorously that material sloshes out at this point!).  This breaks up the contents even more, getting it into a liquid state of suspension which allows the lighter materials to rise to the top and the heavier materials to sink to the bottom of the pan. 

As the large and small rocks rise to the surface, use your fingers to sweep them out of the pan.  CAUTION: If any of the rocks have clay or other particles on them, wash the particles off before discarding the rocks as those particles might contain pieces of gold.

If some of the contents still feels “clumpy” (not fully saturated) or you still see rocks or pebbles in the pan, you need to repeat Steps 4 and 5 again.

Step 6:  Holding it over the water, tilt the pan carefully away from you so the riffles side is closest to the water and the bottom of the pan is facing you.  Now carefully shake it from side to side.  This causes the gold to work its way down to the pan’s forward-bottom edge, and the lighter materials work their way to the surface where they will be more easily swept off.

Step 7:  Now put the pan just below the surface of the water and use a backward and forward, and/or circular, motion with the pan.  This will allow the top layer of worthless, lighter materials to float out of the pan.  Just allow a small amount of the light materials to be swept out at a time, watching to see that the heavier materials are starting to appear (they are usually a darker color, except for the gold). 

Shake the pan again and let some more of the lighter materials float out.  Then repeat.  The more you do this, the more comfortable you will be about determining when to stop.  When you start to see some gold particles, shake the pan again.  It’s the shaking action which makes the heavier materials (such as black sand) move down to the bottom of the pan; and the heaviest material is gold.

NOTE:  You only have to give the pan six or seven shakes, each time, for more of the lighter material to rise to the top and float away.  Eventually the “lighter” material will be the heavier sand or whatever, ultimately leaving you with just the gold.

ALSO:  Occasionally during this process tilt your pan back to the level position and re-shake to keep your gold from working its way up the forward-edge of your pan.

Okay!  Now you can use a funnel to pour the gold from your pan into a sample jar.  Hopefully you’ll have some pieces that are too big to go through the funnel!

 

Related Articles:

Treasure Hunting: Make Extra Money FAST!

How to Pan for Gold: Find the Best Location

How to Pan for Gold: Gold Panning Equipment Needed


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