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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How to Pan for Gold: Find the Best Location

While there are endless locations throughout the world where you can find gold, no matter which geographic location you choose, you must know how to find the right TYPE of spot to do the most effective gold panning.

First of all, go to a stream where people have found gold before.  Gold is about 19 times heavier than water so it stays on the bottom and gets caught in the sand in slow-moving areas around bends of the stream and along the shore.  It also gets stuck in small crevices in rocks and wedged in pieces of wood.

Locate a stream or river that is at least six inches deep and the water is clear.  However you don’t want one that is TOO deep, in case a gold nugget falls out of your pan during the rinsing process! 

Caution:  Don’t pan in fast-moving water because it will make the water action in your pan unpredictable and it might cause you to lose some of your gold.  Also, if you’re on private property, be sure to ask permission!

So you don’t have to spend all day squatting, kneeling, or bending over, do your back a favor and locate a spot which has a rock or log or low bank that you can sit on while panning.  If you bring along an inflatable cushion and rubber boots, it can be a relatively comfortable and dry experience.

 

Related Articles: 

Treasure Hunting: Make Extra Money FAST!

How to Pan for Gold: Gold Panning Equipment Needed

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


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How to Pan for Gold: Gold Panning Equipment Needed

With the price of gold soaring, this is a great time to try your hand at gold panning.  You might be surprised to learn that gold is found throughout the United States, not just in Alaska or California.  In fact there are opportunities for gold panning throughout the world. 

I’m going to introduce you to some of the hot spots for gold panning in future posts, but first?  First you need to know HOW to pan for gold!

Begin by getting some basic inexpensive equipment.   If you’re on a tight budget, there is only one item you can’t do without, and that is a gold pan.  However, your experience will be easier and more effective if you get the items I’m going to discuss here.   In addition to the products outlined below, a pair of tweezers (to grab the small gold pieces or flakes from the pan) and a shovel can come in handy.

 

Gold Pans

I recommend the Deluxe Gold Pan Kit ($42.45), which includes a 15” super-sluice pan, 14” prospector pan, 10” deluxe_gold_pan_kit_smbackpacker pan, classifier, gold guzzler bottle, 2 gold vials, tweezers, the How to Find Gold field guide by Charles Garrett and Roy Lagal, and The New Gold Panning Is Easy book and DVD.  Their pans are lightweight, extremely durable, and are green to make it easier to see the gold. 

Gold Panning Is Easy bookGold pans used to be made of metal and were really HEAVY to carry and use; although they did have two advantages.  Many of the old prospectors used them to cook their meals on as well!  And if it was accidentally dropped into a stream, it sank, so was easy to retrieve.  (The new pans will just float away!) 

Now the pans are made of heavy-duty, yet lightweight, plastic; and they have ridges (called riffles) which make it easier to separate the heavy stuff like gold and black sand from the lighter stuff like sand and rocks and roots.  They are much easier to carry in a backpack or by hand than the old metal ones were.

 

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