1. Gold panning and mining is a great hobby, and the
good news is that the basic gold mining equipment for
the weekend recreational prospector is not going to
cost you a fortune.
2. So if you are hankering to get out there and find some gold for yourself,
you can round up your basic gold getting equipment quickly and cheaply
Online stores can show you the basic gold panning tools you need, and
save yourself the trouble of finding a local store that actually stocks such
things Even in gold country, it can take a bit of research to find a store
So, what are we looking at for the basics? Obviously, a gold pan
3. Can't get more basic than that Gold pans come in different shapes
and sizes and features A real simple little black plastic pan can be had
for about three and a half to five dollars, depending on the size The
larger green or blue plastic pans can range from maybe eight dollars up
to over twenty, depending on the kind of built in features the pan has -
and its size
4. One feature that is a must for any good pan is that it have riffles formed
into one or more sides of the pan These make it much easier to retain
the gold as the gravel is passed over the lip of the pan in the panning
process to reduce the amount of material in the pan I recommend the
space age durable plastic gold pans over metal pans
5. Plastic is lighter, doesn't rust, and is much easier and faster to
learn on than the metal pans You may already have some of the
equipment you need A sturdy bucket, like a five gallon one
6. A digging tool, like a garden shovel or garden trowel Some people like
the small folding GI shovels A nifty little gold panning tool is the plastic
snuffer bottle
7. For maybe two or three dollars, you have a little suction device to slurp
up the gold that appears in the bottom of your pan You might want to
use a gold screen, called a classifier, to reduce the size and amount of
gravel you will be panning Placed over the top of your big bucket, you
screen out the larger rocks, so your panning material is more
concentrated
8. Your panning is now more efficient and you will lose less gold out of your
pan Finally, a gold vial in nice for showing off your gold These can be
glass or plastic
9. With a little water in them, your gold will have a pretty bright color, and
you can tantalize your friends with your findings And that about sums up
your basic gold mining equipment needs