Spring break...

       Spring break is true to name this year… temps in the 60s and 70s allow shirtsleeves versus winter coats!

       I took a little time to enjoy the weather and dipped into my winter stash of gravels toted home last fall.

       While I (Teresa) was panning (one of those people who can’t ever do just one thing at a time), I was thinking about making a panning video for our website someday. 

       The reason for “some day” is simple.  We live in a rural area, do not have satellite, so therefore depend on a dial-up connection for the internet.  Guess I’ve never taken the time to explain, but that is the reason our website isn’t updated often.  It involves a whole day (at dial-up speeds) to change out the website… that’s if everything is working okay and I’m in a patient sort of mood!  That might happen once or twice a year that those two elements actually mesh!

       So I thought, swirl of pan… swirl of pan… that I would give you a simple verbal panning lesson.

       I’ve gone on-line, I’ve read books, I’ve read instructions packaged with gold pans.  I’m thinking that somebody didn’t really want me to pan; I usually get lost with Step 3 or Step 4!

       So I’m going to keep it simple.  I will address panning what I call dry “screened” gravel. The only difference between that and what I call rough panning (meaning everything dug in a shovelful) is that you don’t have as much material in your pan and it’s easier and generally a better return for a beginner to pan material put through a concentrator.  I usually reserve rough panning for a new dig site where I’m not sure of the pay zone.

       Step 1 – Fill the pan with a couple of scoops of material.  First time out, keep it at less than about 1/3 the capacity of the pan. The reason is that first timers need to take their time and half or heaping full pan can take you quite a while to pan down.  Secondly, less weight makes it easier to control motion of the pan. The flip side is your probability of gold lessens but is counter-balanced by the fact you are reassured the control lessens chance of losing gold!

       Whether creek panning or tub panning, you want to start in relatively still water.  It will evolve that you can pan just about anywhere, but a calm spot in the creek is by far superior for visibility and avoiding turbulence in the pan.

       From this point on, I will discuss how I pan versus how everyone else pans!  That’s strictly because I feel that everyone develops their own style and I’m not here to call them right or wrong.  It’s kindof like this… if a person’s panning technique doesn’t lose gold, it must be right!

       Handy tip:  Right-handers need to be on the right hand side of the creek looking upstream; lefties like me on the left side of the creek. In short, you want your pan when angled facing downstream.

       Step 2: If possible, completely submerge the upright pan in water, keep it below water and in an upright position, swirling contents to insure complete saturation.  If there is any current in the creek at all, as you swirl the really lightweight materials will wash out along with any debris (pine needles, grass blades, leaves). It wouldn’t hurt a bit to get rid of as much of this material as you can at this stage.  You can be rough at this point as long as all heavier material does not slop over the side of the pan. As long as the pan is upright, you can shake and bounce the pan, loosening light material.

      

Step 3:  I don’t know about you, but angles don’t mean much to me, so as you dip the pan imagine your wrist slanted vertical at about noon and 6 o’clock. A circular panning motion allows water to wash into and out of the pan at a depth that covers material being washed. Do this to a count of 10.

Step 4:  Bring the pan back into an upright position.  Use a circular motion underwater in that upright position, give it a little shake to insure heavier materials sink, then angle and start circular motion again.

Step 5:  Repeat… repeat… repeat.  Take it at your own pace, adjusting angle so that an even layer of material flows out of the pan with each swirl.  Here’s where practice counts, increasing the angle as material reduces.

Tip: You can pick larger pebbles out of the pan to get rid of them to help speed up the process.  The golden rule here is keep the pebbles submerged as you pick them out.  A fleck of gold in residence under a pebble can pull right out of a dry pan with the pebble!



Surprise!  I didn't even salt it!

          When material has reduced to a few spoonfuls, you can swirl the pan outside the creek with about 1/2 cup of water in it to look for gold!  This takes a little practice and patience also, but watch toward the back of the swirl for heavier materials, including gold!

Looks easy, huh?  It is... with a lot of practice!

       So, simply put:

1.   Submerge upright and wash out lightweight materials.

2.   Angle and swirl to a count of 10.

3.   Return to upright position, swirl and shake.

4.   Repeat steps 2-3 until material reduced to a few spoonfuls.

5.   Swirl and look for gold!

       I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this… I can’t remember exactly when I developed this method… I can’t tell you there isn’t a better way.  I can tell you it works for me!

       Happy panning!