Old Time Gold Prospector

Whether you’re new to Gold Prospecting or a seasoned pro, the Prospector’s number one tool is the Gold Pan. The Gold Pan dates back to the earliest time in recorded history and has lasted through generations as a simple to use, basic tool that does a great job separating heavy materials, like gold, from lighter materials.

The 49er’s used just about any kind of pan they could get their hands on, but that soon led to the first commercially designed pans that were made out of copper, iron, and steel, and were more uniform in size and shape. Today’s pans are typically made out of injection molded plastic and come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.

The reason a gold pan works so well to separate gold from other material is because gold has such a high specific gravity (the density of a substance relative to the density of water). When comparing like sized material, gold is significantly heavier than most other material which allows it to settle to the bottom of the pan while the lighter material washes away. Take a look at the following table to see how gold ranks in weight to other minerals:

The first gold pans had smooth sides that would let the smaller & lighter gold slop off the edge of the pan. Today’s modern pans have a series of riffles to help catch the gold. A riffle is a groove or pocket where the gold can settle into. Some pans have wide deep riffles to catch larger pieces while other pans have smaller riffles to catch the smaller pieces.

When most of us think of a gold pan, we think of something that is round and for the old timers that was really the ticket. Though the round pan is still the most popular pan used today, there have been some interesting new designs that have hit the market in recent years. Some of these newer designs have multiple riffle sets in the same pan, so you can get coarse and fine gold without having to use a separate pan. There are square pans which, once you get the hang of them, do a really good job. There are even pans shaped like hexagons giving you six sides of riffles.

The most important thing is to try some different pans and then stick with the one you like the most. Everybody has a little different technique, so your pan of choice will probably be different from your friend’s.

When looking to buy a gold pan, consider the following things:

• Material – Though you can still get copper and metal pans, I would stick with the plastic models as they are lightweight, extremely durable, and provide much more riffle varieties and shapes than the metal versions.
• Size – Gold Pans come in many different sizes from 6″ up to 16″, so pick one that feels the best to you. I like to use a larger pan (14″) to wash out the larger material and then switch over to a smaller pan (10″) to finish up the work.
• Color – Today’s gold pans come in a wide variety of colors… from bright orange to black and most everything in between. I tend to stick with the darker colors as they tend to show the gold better. Black is good, but makes it hard to see the black sand that may be hiding your gold. I personally like the blue & green pans as they give a good contrast to the gold while allowing you to easily see the black sand.
• Shape – I still typically use a round pan, but don’t be afraid to give one of the new shapes a try… you might be pleasantly surprised.

There are four basic dimensions/measurements for most types of pans. The image and table below explain how a gold pan is measured.

I hope this has given you a little insight about the anatomy and history of the gold pan.

Happy Prospecting!