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About Gold Pans:
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To find gold, a beginner needs nothing more than a gold
pan and some basic tools. While many associate
steel pans with gold mining, steel pans today are mostly sold to the arts
and crafts market and as souvenirs. Plastic pans are molded with riffles
that aid panning and are colored to help show the gold. Green is considered
the best color as it not only shows gold well but also the blacks sands that
one is attempting to separate from the gold. Some pans feature a recessed
bottom referred to as a "drop center". This creates a catch trap around the
bottom of the pan to hold the gold. Some panners prefer this design while
other feel it also holds undesired material so both styles are popular. |
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the above article was excerpted from:
Alaska Mining & Diving Supply |
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Probably the most efficient pan for the
novice today is one molded from tough
plastic. It is far superior to the steel pan for
several reasons. Firstly, it is rust and corrosive proof.
Secondly, it can be textured with a fine "tooth" surface to
hold the gold better. Third, it is about one quarter the
weight of a steel pan. |
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Any of the above reasons are
sufficient to endorse the plastic pan. But there is still
another advantage. Being made by an injection mold process,
riffles can be easily formed into a plastic pan. these
riffles trap the gold much as the riffles in a sluice box,
thus speeding up the panning process considerably. |
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the common sizes of
pans today are the 8 to 12 inch pan, used
primarily for sampling, or clean up. the 14 inch
pan is the most popular, multi size use. the 16
to 18 inch pan is used by the more experienced
panners. the larger pan load requires greater
stamina and technique. |
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the above article was excerpted from:
Keene Engineering |
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Permits and
Licenses: |
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As per the
Government of Alberta, recreational gold panning in
Alberta's rivers and streams using
hand-held, non-mechanized equipment does
not require a mineral agreement or
license. |
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Where to Purchase a
Gold Pan: |
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A basic plastic gold pan can
usually be
purchased for less than ten dollars. |
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Purchase a gold pan online from the Alaska Mining & Diving Supply:
Plastic Gold Pans |
