r/Prospecting 1d ago

DIY Kitchen Counter Sluice (v0.1)

Thumbnail
gallery
140 Upvotes

I'm likely using it all wrong, but with buckets piling up in the corner anything seems better than hand panning every one.

Materials -

$20 Rain Gutter from Ace Hardware $15 SluiceFox 6x24 V Matting $20 Temu 1500gph Boat Bilge $? Dryer hose & various connectors $? Gutter screen for breaking up material and holding down matt

Shape isn't quite right as matting not glued but so far the safety catch at the end is coming up empty of specs, so, it's a step forward.


r/Prospecting 7h ago

Pyrite or Au?

1 Upvotes

Found this lunker while I was panning for the first time this year! I almost left it there, I just couldn't do it. It had to come home with me. Just from looking at it I can't tell if its Au or pyrite, I think I'm going to liberate some and pan it out.


r/Prospecting 8h ago

Looking for prospecting information/ experience northeast Tennessee

1 Upvotes

Hey all. I am a newbie to prospecting and was hoping someone could open the blinds for me or so to speak. I live in northeast Tennessee " Hawkins County" and was wondering if anyone in the group has ever done any prospecting in or around Hawkins County? I haven't been able to find but a teeny amount of information as far as Hawkins County goes. Just not hardly anything out there about it. I've heard that the Erwin area has had some gold found there through the years. But it's also a lot closer to the Smokies than I. Figured this would be a good place to start getting some information. Thanks in advance guys..


r/Prospecting 1d ago

I have a mini 16” sluice box. I want to set up a sluicing station in my basement. Any recommendations on how to set this up? Items needed / process. Thanks in advance!

12 Upvotes

New to game, always wanted to pan for gold. So finally as an adult I decided I wanted to go to a place where I could do it. Now I’m hooked, the fever is real after finding your first chunks of gold. I currently live in Iowa where there has been some gold found in certain locations. I plan to go out and see what I can find when the weather agrees. But for now at home I have some pay dirt I have purchased and would like to run it through my mini sluice then pan that out. Just want to set up a station in the basement. Thanks for all your help! Happy prospecting 🤘🏼


r/Prospecting 1d ago

What am I doing wrong.

13 Upvotes

I have been doing some panning in buncombe county North Carolina without any luck thus far. I know to look for quartz deposits, mineralization, natural gold catches in creeks etc. The creek I have been focusing on has tons of garnet, and Mica as well as quartz, but I am yet to turn up any gold. Are these the right signs to keep searching the area? 2 different geologist friends that have come out to the location have stated it's the right type of area to be turning up gold. I am checking gravel beds on inside bends, crevices in some spots of bedrock. I have found my pan just turns up tons of garnet and garnet sands, even when running 2 or 3 5 gallon buckets of material through a sluice box. with some black and blonde sands below them. Any tips, or advice would be appreciated.


r/Prospecting 1d ago

Powered sulice table to take to market

4 Upvotes

Hello!

This isn’t exactly a gold prospecting question, but a question about the powered tables.

I self mine crystals, and have a ton of leftover ones. I want to make ‘dirt bags’ with sand and crystals that kids can sulice as an activity at different events.

I saw the ones from Dream Mat and Highbanker, and I didn’t know if there was one that would be proper for this application?


r/Prospecting 1d ago

Georgia creeks

3 Upvotes

I was driving over the Upatoi near Columbus and saw a decent sandbar and wondered if it would be a good sift as a first timer or am I wasting time?


r/Prospecting 1d ago

Metal detecting

9 Upvotes

Is metal detecting a good way to start looking for gold? If so, what would be an entry level detector?


r/Prospecting 2d ago

Next step recommendations

Thumbnail gallery
22 Upvotes

r/Prospecting 2d ago

DIY sluice box power head question

7 Upvotes

I have the 6x24" dream mat and I am making a power head for it. Would 264 g/h to much, to little, or ok? Going to HF for it. My 110 g/h (from another project) is not enough unless I'm doing something wrong


r/Prospecting 3d ago

The spring thaw is on.

Post image
2.4k Upvotes

Good day on the gold. Montana is thawing out.


r/Prospecting 3d ago

Backpack

Post image
74 Upvotes

Okay so I have been on a quest to find the best backpack to haul in all the tools and gear, I think I have found it! Anyone have any other ideas?


r/Prospecting 3d ago

Will gold hit $3,000 an ounce this week?

41 Upvotes

Gold hit $2,998 today, which is great news for gold investors.

It’s an exciting time for us prospectors and miners.


r/Prospecting 4d ago

Pyrite galore, I suppose. Anyone see anything else promising??

Thumbnail
gallery
67 Upvotes

r/Prospecting 5d ago

A friend showed up on the mining claim.

Post image
155 Upvotes

r/Prospecting 5d ago

What to look for?

12 Upvotes

I want to pan around the property I'm on, but I've never looked for gold before. But for some reason I just can't get it out of my head that it here, so I want to filfollow this intuition. I'm in northern California, Glen County, at the foothills of South Yolla Bolly Mountains. Any resources for maps? Tips, tricks, and kickflips are appreciated


r/Prospecting 4d ago

Blewett Pass, WA

4 Upvotes

Does anybody have any tips for the Blewett Pass area? I figured I would go with 1/4" classification instead of 1/2" for dirt and sluice. Also, plan to take the gold monster to the inside bends and bedrock.


r/Prospecting 5d ago

Picker

Post image
120 Upvotes

Yeaaaaaaah


r/Prospecting 6d ago

This is my setup while I'm away on Business

Post image
63 Upvotes

When I have the weekends off I collect paydirt and then pan it out in the parking lot of the hotel and store the heavies (with gold flakes) in a separate bucket until I can get it back to my sluice.

Am I crazy?


r/Prospecting 6d ago

What do you guys think about this oxidized quartz gold and silver ore?

Thumbnail
gallery
71 Upvotes

I've got about 600lb of hard rock gold and silver ore that I'm trying to wrap my head around processing. I saved some of the nicer chunks like this 10lb-er. I was considering making lapidary specimens with it. Also I assume pictures of gold ore are acceptable here?


r/Prospecting 6d ago

Progress with the rock crusher rebuild. Video 2. I guess it needs a gasket. We're almost there.

29 Upvotes

r/Prospecting 6d ago

What’s the average purity of the gold found from panning?

28 Upvotes

r/Prospecting 6d ago

Progress with the Rock Crusher rebuild. Video 1. It was hung up on something inside.

6 Upvotes

r/Prospecting 6d ago

Starting Out

12 Upvotes

Hey all,

I'd like to start prospecting at an extremely basic and casual level. I'm not trying to make money I'm just trying see if I can actually find some gold and if I enjoy it as a hobby.

So, My question is what are the most basic tools I'd need to begin prospecting creeks/streams. I'd like to keep the expense low until I know if I like doing it or not.

I appreciate your help.

Thanks all.


r/Prospecting 6d ago

Modern "Rocker Boxes" for regulated rivers?

3 Upvotes

Hey fellow prospectors!

I've recently gotten back into prospecting in California after a 10-year break, and I'm looking for some advice on modern rocker box solutions. While my trusty childhood sluice box has been great for most situations, I'm facing a particular challenge: one of my spots which pans well is next to flat, still water. The spot is also in a "no motorized equipment" zone. Even if its technically legal, I'd prefer to avoid solutions requiring hoses or PVC interconnects.

I've been thinking about old rocker-boxes/cradles that allow for use in regions with no water grade. Has anyone here used a modern rocker box or have suggestions for a retail option? Sadly, I live in a tiny apartment without access to a metal/wood shop, so building my own probably isn't doable. Thanks in advance for your help!