"Andrew" <Reply@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:uuncf3l6mldlle1obc5j8uc3ec09f68ogp@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Greetings,
>
>
> 1. I fill the bucket with water by the time I get a some cons and may be
> losing gold because I've
> no choice but to tip it over and pour the water out.
>
> 2. But more worrisome is that a 5gal. bucket has the amazing ability to
> hang on to the best cons
> at the very bottom of the bucket until you can't trowel them out and
> you just have to tip it
> over your pan and hope you catch it all.
This suggestion comes from teaching hundreds how to pan or sluice with
less
effort at Horseshoe Bar out of Foresthill, CA and working with GPAA.
First go Keene (http://www.keeneeng.com/)
and get the screen that fits
inside a 5 gal bucket. Use 1/4 or 1/8 mesh or both, I prefer 1/4"( a CS4 4
mesh). It is im****tant the screens nest well to the bucket. The screen rim
should almost seal to the bucket.
Take two buckets to the gravel area. Fill one with water and put the
screens
in place. Using the other bucket fill the one with the screens to
overflowing. Turn it over and use it as a stool if you want.
Shovel the gravel into the screen and rock the bucket. The rocks will be
washed enough and the gold and fines will drop into the bucket. Glance at
the rocks on the screen for the miracle nugget (almost never happens but
you
may see some pretty rocks) and dump the screen. Replace the screen and
keep
going until the bucket is full of fines. Do not get worried about losing
gold, add one shovel of dirt at the end of the day and it will make up for
all you lose.
In most areas it will take at least 5 or 10 buckets worth of gravel to
fill
the one. A lot less panning, you get all the gold, and the panning is
easier
with the small uniform size gravel.
In areas of fine gold this is also a good way to feed a small sluice.
Always
make sure your sluice has a ribbed mat tattle tale at the front.
There is a ton of gold for everyone out there for the taking. Why is there
so much dirt in the way?
Jim
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