Prospecting for gold can be done in various ways, thanks to a wide variety of gold mining equipment on the market today. The most basic method is to use a gold pan. Although the old time prospectors used heavy metal pans, plastic gold pans are lighter and nearly indestructible. Today, pans come in a variety of sizes, colors, and even shapes. Not all gold pans are round anymore. The best example of that is the Gold Claw. You can still buy steel or copper pans if you prefer, but plastic pans are inexpensive and light-weight so your arms don’t tire too quickly. Gold panning kits are a great way to buy pans and accessories all at the same time.
Another piece of gold mining equipment that the old-timers used is a sluice box. Back in the days of the California ‘49ers, gold sluices were homemade, heavy, and built of wood. Not any more! A gold sluice is essentially a long, narrow "box" that water passes through when put in a creek or stream. The idea is to position a sluice box in a running stream so that the water does the work— separating the dirt and rocks away from the gold. Since gold is heavy, it will stay in the bottom of the sluice, trapped in the miner's moss or ribbed matting. Today’s gold sluices are available in a variety of lengths, usually constructed of aluminum, and are found in a variety of sizes— from folding sluices, which can be carried in a backpack, to solid body models up to 48 inches long.
A highbanker (also called a Power Sluice) is basically a sluice box with mobility and added height. It is mounted on a 4-legged stand that gives the sluice box the correct slope. Instead of being put right in the creek like a sluice, an engine with a water pump and some hoses transports the water up from the stream into the highbanker. Gravel is then shoveled into the hopper, which is mounted at the top end of the sluice box. Inside the hopper is a "grizzly" which is a series of sloping rods that filter out larger rocks. Also in the hopper are spray bars that shoot water onto the gravel that is shoveled into the hopper. In addition to the ability to go just about anywhere, the highbanker also is able to run more material in less time than a regular sluice. With power sluices, you have several choices of riffles, spray bars, carpets, miner's moss, engine-pump combinations, hoses, and frames so you can find the highbanker that meets your needs. The smaller models often come with a pack frame so it can be backpacked if your gold claim or favorite stream is in a remote location— making it a versatile piece of gold mining equipment that you don’t want to be without. If you’re not concerned with size and really want a workhorse, check out the CC690 Power Sluice. This power sluice comes on wheels so you can easily transport it down to your river or stream.
Drywashers are like highbankers but they do not use water. Drywashers are excellent gold mining tools for use in areas where water is not available, such as arid and desert areas.
To free gold from rocks, or to do sampling in the field, consider a rock crusher. And with all sizes of kilns available, you can do your own smelting at home, too. A Vac Pac is more like a backpack and is ideal for literally vacuuming gold out of dry cracks and crevices, and where it collects in moss and weeds along a riverbank.
