Best way to practice panning without using gold

[Rookie Rockhounding]

Hey my names Jesse,
I’m heading out to pan for the first time and want to see if anyone has tips for practicing panning with the kids without using real gold. Or if there’s a way to buy a small amount of a mixture of pickers or flour gold to practice with.

Any tips or anything would be super appreciated.
P.s.I’d even pay to borrow gold to practice with but I don’t think people would be into that.
Prosperous prospecting everyone

 

[grubstake]

Hey my names Jesse,
I’m heading out to pan for the first time and want to see if anyone has tips for practicing panning with the kids without using real gold. Or if there’s a way to buy a small amount of a mixture of pickers or flour gold to practice with.

Any tips or anything would be super appreciated.
P.s.I’d even pay to borrow gold to practice with but I don’t think people would be into that.
Prosperous prospecting everyone

If you can get hold of some shotgun pellets, mix a dozen with sand and gravel, then pan off the mixture into a bucket. When you can consistently end up with all 12 pellets in the pan, you're getting the hang of it.

Bags of alluvial "paydirt" are available on eBay and if from a well-proven seller, should contain some tiny gold in most bags.

 

[HippyProspecting]

^^^^^^ what he said.
If you can't get any shotgun pellets, a few small lead ball sinkers will do the trick also

 

[sand surfer]

try the local tackle shop rookie
you want (split pea sinkers) you should be able to buy them ,they used to come in a container with different sizes
where they are split you can cut them in half with a chisel or old knife to make even smaller bits

 

[Hawkear]

Panning has an element of skill in shaking and sloshing the material around and not quite as simple as it looks.
Sounds like both you and your kids will be rank amateurs so a word of advice is don’t practice on the kids, it could be embarrassing for a dad.
Look up some you tube videos on panning and go and practice on your own to raise up your skill level before “teaching” the kids.
Lead shot or small split sinkers would be ideal test objects. Count them before you put them in you pan and make sure you reach a level of expertise that you can recover all of them every time.

 

[casper]

I made my own practice gold.
Most homes will have an old pre-loved 9ct gold neckless or chain bracelet languishing in a box or a drawer somewhere in the house that can be imaginatively re-purposed - but be sure to check with the management, you have been warned
Now chop it up with wire cutters, make some small bits and larger bits too, and hammer a few to make flat ones etc.
Next throw it all into a pan with coarse sand / small gravel and you're set up for some real time practice. You'll never forget your first show of yella

 

[Hawkear]

I made my own practice gold.
Most homes will have an old pre-loved 9ct gold neckless or chain bracelet languishing in a box or a drawer somewhere in the house that can be imaginatively re-purposed - but be sure to check with the management, you have been warned
Now chop it up with wire cutters, make some small bits and larger bits too, and hammer a few to make flat ones etc.
Next throw it all into a pan with coarse sand / small gravel and you're set up for some real time practice. You'll never forget your first show of yella

That’s a neat trick. The only issue that would be for me, and I don’t know about others, is that seeing that in a pan would not be your first actual gold discovery.
I can still remember the day about 60 years ago, never ever having seen what real natural gold looked like, I panned my first original, exciting and unmistakeable colour in the Yarra river. Some small value of wealth that I had just brought into existence.
Even now when I know I am digging a nice target that just has to be gold, I slow myself down so that I can fully savour the moment of discovery.
Maybe I’m a bit strange that way.

 

[casper]

That’s a neat trick. The only issue that would be for me, and I don’t know about others, is that seeing that in a pan would not be your first actual gold discovery.
I can still remember the day about 60 years ago, never ever having seen what real natural gold looked like, I panned my first original, exciting and unmistakeable colour in the Yarra river. Some small value of wealth that I had just brought into existence.
Even now when I know I am digging a nice target that just has to be gold, I slow myself down so that I can fully savour the moment of discovery.
Maybe I’m a bit strange that way.

Sure, it'll not be their first actual gold discovery, but maybe they'll better recognize the real stuff when they see it for the first time if only because no matter the light or the viewing angle, gold is always golden and unmistakeable - practicing with lead won't give you that. I too, remember my first native gold and how I felt - there's nothing like gold fever......

 

[tregear34]

Just use a sharp knife to shave off some lead sinkers into very small pieces then paint with yellow paint. You want to make them about the size you may encounter in the field.

 

[Rookie Rockhounding]

If you can get hold of some shotgun pellets, mix a dozen with sand and gravel, then pan off the mixture into a bucket. When you can consistently end up with all 12 pellets in the pan, you're getting the hang of it.

Bags of alluvial "paydirt" are available on eBay and if from a well-proven seller, should contain some tiny gold in most bags.

Awesome thank you mate! I really appreciate the help

If you can get hold of some shotgun pellets, mix a dozen with sand and gravel, then pan off the mixture into a bucket. When you can consistently end up with all 12 pellets in the pan, you're getting the hang of it.

Bags of alluvial "paydirt" are available on eBay and if from a well-proven seller, should contain some tiny gold in most bags.

thank you so much mate!

 

[Rookie Rockhounding]

Just use a sharp knife to shave off some lead sinkers into very small pieces then paint with yellow paint. You want to make them about the size you may encounter in the field.

Okay this seems like something I can try, thank you heaps!

 

[Rookie Rockhounding]

I made my own practice gold.
Most homes will have an old pre-loved 9ct gold neckless or chain bracelet languishing in a box or a drawer somewhere in the house that can be imaginatively re-purposed - but be sure to check with the management, you have been warned
Now chop it up with wire cutters, make some small bits and larger bits too, and hammer a few to make flat ones etc.
Next throw it all into a pan with coarse sand / small gravel and you're set up for some real time practice. You'll never forget your first show of yella

Heck yes I didn’t even think of that, and thanks for the heads up with management haha! Cheers for the help bro

 

[Rookie Rockhounding]

Panning has an element of skill in shaking and sloshing the material around and not quite as simple as it looks.
Sounds like both you and your kids will be rank amateurs so a word of advice is don’t practice on the kids, it could be embarrassing for a dad.
Look up some you tube videos on panning and go and practice on your own to raise up your skill level before “teaching” the kids.
Lead shot or small split sinkers would be ideal test objects. Count them before you put them in you pan and make sure you reach a level of expertise that you can recover all of them every time.

Love this. Thank you so much, all of these responses are so helpful. Genuinely love this community.

 

[Rookie Rockhounding]

try the local tackle shop rookie
you want (split pea sinkers) you should be able to buy them ,they used to come in a container with different sizes
where they are split you can cut them in half with a chisel or old knife to make even smaller bits

Brilliant! Yeah I’m gonna check out the local bait shop and do that. Thanks for the help mate

 

[Rookie Rockhounding]

If you can get hold of some shotgun pellets, mix a dozen with sand and gravel, then pan off the mixture into a bucket. When you can consistently end up with all 12 pellets in the pan, you're getting the hang of it.

Bags of alluvial "paydirt" are available on eBay and if from a well-proven seller, should contain some tiny gold in most bags.

Awesome! Thank you grubstake! Super helpful

 

[The Mad Rockhounder]

Hey my names Jesse,
I’m heading out to pan for the first time and want to see if anyone has tips for practicing panning with the kids without using real gold. Or if there’s a way to buy a small amount of a mixture of pickers or flour gold to practice with.

Any tips or anything would be super appreciated.
P.s.I’d even pay to borrow gold to practice with but I don’t think people would be into that.
Prosperous prospecting everyone

Hi Rookie I’m long time supporter of yours and I wanted to let you know of some spots to pan for gold! There is deep creek fossicking area on the edge of gympie and also the Mary river that goes right through gympie I also know of some other secret spots to find different gems that I would be willing to share with you and if you know of any places to fossick for chalcedony or agate within 2 hrs of Caboolture that would be amazing if you could let me know. Love your work and have a blessed day
Rachan or The Mad Rockhounder

 

[The Mad Rockhounder]

I have a little tube of small specks of gold if you wanted that for free even but has quite a bit of black sand and you can keep it. Honestly I can’t believe I’m texting you I love your videos and it would be a dream if we could meat up at the Redcliffe beaches and rockhound together or at another place and make a video together I also have a YouTube channel Called The Mad Rockhounder and am only just 15 yo and am still learning things I also love rockhounding for chalcedony, agate, and thunder eggs. From Rachan or The Mad Rockhounder

 

[Grey Panner]

Hey my names Jesse,
I’m heading out to pan for the first time and want to see if anyone has tips for practicing panning with the kids without using real gold. Or if there’s a way to buy a small amount of a mixture of pickers or flour gold to practice with.

Any tips or anything would be super appreciated.
P.s.I’d even pay to borrow gold to practice with but I don’t think people would be into that.
Prosperous prospecting everyone

Hi,
You have been given some excellent leads, all of which I endorse.
I would, however, offer an extra piece of advice.
Sometimes gold will be found in clay or in heavy black sand and it would be a very skillful, or lucky panner, who could recover every tiny spec in only one panning.
When you get into real panning you may find it useful to pan into a recepticle so that you can recover the first lot and then re-pan what you have already worked.
Depending on the constituency of the stuff you are working, you may find that it takes several repeats before you have it all.
By all means start practicing with small pieces of lead in clean, water-washed gravel but when you get out in the field you won't always find clean, water-washed gravel so be prepared to re-work your material

 

[Nightjar]

If you can get hold of some shotgun pellets, mix a dozen with sand and gravel, then pan off the mixture into a bucket. When you can consistently end up with all 12 pellets in the pan, you're getting the hang of it.

Bags of alluvial "paydirt" are available on eBay and if from a well-proven seller, should contain some tiny gold in most bags.

Used this same method when adjusting/tuning my petrol driven bellows dry blower. When it was set up for 100% return I permanently attached a two way spirit level to main frame so that it showed level. (When it actually wasn't if you know what I mean?) When out bush I levelled the machine using the spirit level knowing it was the ultimate postion for best return. (Flattened snips of resin cored solder can be handy if no pellets available.)