Can You Pan for Gold Without a Pan? (Guide)


Investing in a professional pan is a must for any prospector – novice or expert – as it will yield the best performances. However, it can happen that you have forgotten a pan on your trip, or you unexpectedly find yourself in a gold-bearing location without any prospecting equipment. Luckily there are viable alternatives that can save your day. 

Panning for gold without a pan is possible by using bowls, buckets, Tupperware, or even plastic bottles. However, understanding the fundamentals of panning is essential to pick the right tool. The device you select should be lightweight, easy to grip, shallow, and, ideally, water-resistant.

If you find yourself by a gold-bearing stream, read on to learn what alternatives to a pan are available to you. Let’s get started!

Fundamentals of Panning

Prospecting for gold

Before picking an object to use as a gold pan, it is essential to understand what are the fundamentals of panning and how this technique works. This is essential to identify what items in your home or kit could successfully replace a pan. 

Start by thinking about how prospectors use their gold pans. You might need to pick a device that allows you to collect enough material to make your efforts worthwhile and ensure that it is easy to grip. 

However, using such alternative devices is only recommendable for those familiar who have. Indeed, they can hardly outperform a commercial pan and might have several downsides to consider. 

  • Firstly, you won’t be able to count on “cheaters riffles.” These are molded-in riffles that you are likely to find on commercial pans. They can be extremely helpful, especially for novice prospectors, as they can help you trap the gold in it. 
  • The material might not be as resistant. Modern gold pans are made of durable plastic, which is impact resistant and lightweight. This allows you to prospect and hike without having to worry about ruining the container.
  • The shape is not ideal. Commercial pans are crafted to offer prospectors the best shape to pan for gold. Not many substitutes boast such a feature.

Due to the great advantages of having a real, plastic gold pan, I recommend you get one for yourself. They are really cheap, and will hold for ages! Here are the gold pans I recommend!

What’s Important when Choosing a Makeshift Gold Pan?

As we have seen, using a DIY alternative to a commercial gold pan has downsides worth considering, especially as prospecting pans are inexpensive to buy. However, if you find yourself in a moment of need and wish to pick an alternative to a classic pan, you should ensure it can work like one. 

To do so, you should consider that panning for gold mainly leverages the weight of gold. Indeed, being much heavier than the surrounding materials, gold tends to fall toward the bottom of a container, while lighter elements are washed off by the water.

When picking your alternative to gold pans, ensure it is shallow enough to easily allow water to flow through it. However, your device should also be deep enough to allow for separation and suspension of materials. 

Features Alternatives to Gold Pan Should Have

Independently on the type of device you have picked for your prospecting operations, this should have some essential characteristics. 

It is true that several artisan prospectors still use “bateas” today[5]. These are wooden baskets used to retrieve the gold and considered the prototypes of the new pan. 

These – just like alternatives to commercial pans – are efficient in the hands of expert prospectors. However, they will hardly boast riffles and might be heavy to carry around. Therefore, novice prospectors can quickly end up losing precious particles in the panning process with alternatives to commercial pans. 

Lightweight

The tool you pick should be lightweight. This is essential to carry it around with you on your trip and ensure that it won’t strain your arms and hands in the panning process. 

Shallow

Shallow devices allow the water from the river to enter the DIY pan and carry any lighter elements in the streambed mix off it. This characteristic is essential to pan the material down to the black sand. Prospectors won’t be able to separate the lighter materials from the gold if they remain trapped in the pan.

Easy to grip

The panning process can take several minutes, and if you are not an expert, you might have to stay in the same position for prolonged time frames. Since the streambed material will already be quite heavy, you should ensure that you can firmly hold the pan in place during the process.

Water-resistant

Most of the panning process will be completed within or nearby water bodies. Even if you have found the perfect shape for your pan substitute, ensure that it can be submerged without the risk of breaking or dissolving. This is essential to avoid losing streambed material – and, therefore, gold particles.

Capacious 

The streambed material has to be collected and moved onto the pan, so you will need a large item to speed up the process. Little tubs or bowls might work too, but they can significantly slow down the process and allow you to process only limited amounts of materials. 

(List) What Can You Use Instead of a Pan?

Here are some of the alternatives to a gold pan that you could use on your next prospecting trip. However, you can use your inventiveness to make the most out of items already in your house or garage.

Bowl or Bucket 

Hollow containers such as bowls and buckets are the ideal substitute for a gold pan. These are easily found in most homes and garages, and you are likely to have one among your possessions already. However, choosing among several bowls, opt for one that is made of plastic, resistant, and easy to carry. 

Additionally, you should discard any item that is in poor conditions or boast holes. Indeed, the gold will drop to the bottom of your device during the process, so panning with a perforated pan will cause you to lose it.

Tupperware

Tupperware is so common that you won’t struggle to find a viable option among the ones in your home. Some artisan prospectors still use square and rectangular-shaped tools and devices during their prospecting efforts. 

Ensure the item you have selected is spacious enough to hold satisfying quantities of streambed material, and it is in good condition. 

Water Bottle

Using a plastic water bottle should be the last resort for prospectors. This item is not shallow enough to allow the water from the stream to carry off the lighter materials in the mix. Additionally, it is not the most comfortable device to maneuver. If you have already learned the basics of prospecting, you might have to retrain yourself to make the most of this device. 

Additionally, when using a plastic water bottle to pan for gold, you might need to use a pan once you have returned home, to work the black sand concentrates.

Indeed, it is incredibly challenging to pan the material down to the black sand without the right pieces of equipment. So, using a water bottle is an ideal substitute if you have forgotten your pan at home, rather than a generic alternative. 

The short video below will explain in detail how to use a water bottle if you are interested in using this device during your prospecting efforts. 

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, investing in a gold pan is the best option for prospectors. However, if you have forgotten yours at home or you are looking for an alternative for your first prospecting trip, there are alternatives. Bowls, Tupperware, and water bottles are only some of the options and can serve you well. In any case, ensure the DIY device you have picked is lightweight, easy to hold, and in optimal conditions.

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