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Hint:
If you liquefy the contents of the pan well and allow the heavier materials to drop to the bottom of the pan, you will not lose your heavy black sands and gold. Keep the riffles pointed in the direction that the waste material is going off the pan. The riffles trap the heavy gold and black sands for you.
Use a little caution as you pan. Especially around the bottom of your concentrates. It is a good idea to use a "catch pan" when you get close to the bottom. This way if anything is lost out of the pan, it will land in the catch pan and will be caught on the second panning. I have had so much black sand on some outings it took 3-4 pannings before I got all of it.
When you get close to the bottom the contents of the pan will get dark gray then almost black.
Edge the pan slightly forward, bump it several times from the front. You can see the contents resettle, the lighter sand will be on the top, the heavier items will be forced to the bottom and to the very front of the pan. The black sands and some of the "blonde sand" will lay on top of the gold.
Use a little water in the pan to gently send a wave over the sand in a large swirling motion. This will "pull" the black sand away from your gold. If you go too quickly it will pull sand and your finer gold down into the black sands. As you get less and less black sand go easier, you are getting near the gold.
Allow the black sand to rest in the back of the pan. You can use a sucker bottle to pull them off to save. As you get closer to the gold "reclassify" from time to time by edging the pan forward and bumping again. Add water if necessary.
When you get to the bottom, you should see your reward a of gold lining the edge of your pan!
Use a separate sucker bottle to gather your gold, place it in your vial.
Then..
ON TO THE NEXT PAN!!
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