Lots of flakes! :)

[Spud]

Ok so today I went out panning for the first time. On my first bucket I started seeing flakes and I mean LOTS of flakes the whole pan was just glistening in the sun light
Only problem was collecting them, some were so small it was nearly impossible to pick them up with the tweezers
I ended up collecting a bit but nothing bigger then a flake.

Is this normal? Is it normal to see colour straight away but nothing bigger then a flake?
Do flakes mean maybe there are nuggets around as well??
I had soooo much fun and froze my butt off but can't wait to go again lol

 

[Colmaca]

Forget the Tweezers only way is to sux them up if its gold you need a http://www.minersden.com.au/sniffer-bottle/

suck it up take home and look some more

 

[Spud]

I had one of them with me but kept managing to pick up other stuff as well as the flakes, then I freaked out thinking every time I squeezed it was spitting it back out lol - brain wasn't working very well
I did bring a bucket full home with me haha

 

[Twapster]

Practice my friend!

 

[Colmaca]

I tend to suck all up and bring home to pan the black sand out later at home

 

[Spud]

Arghhh so frustrating lol I struggled to pan the black sand/mud/dirt at the bottom
Oh my so much to learn still

 

[Nugget]

Give it time mate, there's a lot to be learned and it won't happen overnight. Perseverance is the key.

 

[dazza1988]

spud im new to the game too and thy are right time is the key. the way I practiced was get so gold of some sort and practiced trying to keep in the pan im still not great but I can get most of the stuff out apart from the black sand

 

[Coyote]

A magnet may help to get the black sand out as well. sounds like your having fun and thats the main thing.

cheers

 

[Reeks]

Ok so today I went out panning for the first time. On my first bucket I started seeing flakes and I mean LOTS of flakes the whole pan was just glistening in the sun light
Only problem was collecting them, some were so small it was nearly impossible to pick them up with the tweezers
I ended up collecting a bit but nothing bigger then a flake.

Is this normal? Is it normal to see colour straight away but nothing bigger then a flake?
Do flakes mean maybe there are nuggets around as well??
I had soooo much fun and froze my butt off but can't wait to go again lol

Got any pics? Sounds like you had a pan full of Mica.
Gold doesn't glisten in the sun, it just looks yellow.
Could be wrong but it would be rare to have a pan full of gold flakes

 

[Gippy]

Ok so today I went out panning for the first time. On my first bucket I started seeing flakes and I mean LOTS of flakes the whole pan was just glistening in the sun light
Only problem was collecting them, some were so small it was nearly impossible to pick them up with the tweezers
I ended up collecting a bit but nothing bigger then a flake.

Is this normal? Is it normal to see colour straight away but nothing bigger then a flake?
Do flakes mean maybe there are nuggets around as well??
I had soooo much fun and froze my butt off but can't wait to go again lol

Got any pics? Sounds like you had a pan full of Mica.
Gold doesn't glisten in the sun, it just looks yellow.
Could be wrong but it would be rare to have a pan full of gold flakes

Thats what I was thinking.

 

[Gippy]

Spud. For panning practice try using tinny bits of lead.

 

[richo966]

mica tends to float on the water at grabben gullen it is every where my mate said look at all the gold took a bit to convince him it was not gold use some lead it is heavy like gold will give you idea how gold will behave in the pan good luck I have not mastered the sniffer bottle yet mate your not alone there like trying to back up a trailer for the first time

 

[Spud]

thanks everyone.
i really had noooo idea it would be so hard. i brought a fair bit home with me so will pan at home after work. try some lead and magnets!

uh oh now im nervous its mica lol

any ideas?

 

[Spud]

any ideas?

 

[Guest]

Mica is soft and light. Get one flake and break it up with a knife. If it breaks up easily its mica.

If its gold, it will be the last thing left in the pan and the majority of them will be concentrated all in the same spot. Gold is very heavy and will not shift easily when swishing water around in the pan.

I hate to say it but it may be fools gold!!!!!! Once you see and understand how the real thing behaves theres no mistaking the real deal.

Cheers

Let us know how you go.

 

[Reeks]

Looks like Mica to me
Get some and put it between to hard surfaces, like two table spoons and see if it crumbles. If it flattens out and doesn't crumble it may be gold, but looking at those pics it's either pyrite or Mica
What general area did you find it? Might help identifying.
Reeko

 

[Gippy]

Im no expert Spud but it dose look like mica to me

I find in areas that have Granite there will be heaps of the mica. Good luck.

Dave.

 

[Spud]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lol
i spent like 6 hours picking it out with tweezers, devastated lol
ill do the crush test when i get home, omg i'am guttered hahaha

i was down on the Goodradigbee River if that helps at all?

 

[Heatho]

Mica will easilly flake apart rubbing it with your fingers, looks like it is Mica, don't worry though, happens to most people the first time they see it.