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Introduction:
Steps:
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Fill a large tub with water (e.g., a laundry tub).
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Place about 1 cup of gold-bearing sand in the gold pan.
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Gently immerse the pan with the sand in the tub, without splashing out
any sand.
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With the pan under water, shake the pan in a small circular motion, so
that all of the sand is moving. With this motion, you have mobilized the
bed. That is, water os moving freely between the sand grains of gold
to sink rapidly to the bottom of the pan. With correct motion, all
of the gold should be at the bottom of the pan within a few seconds.
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Continue the swirling motion, but tilt the pan away from yourself.
This moves the gold grains to the edge of the pan, or the cease (right
at the edge of the bottom of the pan and the upward sloping sides of the
pan).
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Using a vigorous motion, begin to slop out the sand on the top of the bed.
The gold is so dense that it will remain on the bottom, so don't worry
about losing it (as long as you are not too vigorous)! At this stage,
unlike step 4. the bed should not be mobilized. The sand should be
"still", and just the top layers of sand should be washing away.
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Continue slopping out the upper sand, even using little "waves" coming
into and out of the pan when the only the far half of your pan is immersed,
sweeping sand off the top.
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When you are nearly out of sand, you can shake the pan in a horizontal
position (i.e., this time you can also pour out the sand + gold onto a
dark coloured tray and pick out the gold grains with tweezers.
Panning:
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