Gold Classifier

Whichever type of tool or equipment used to separate the material into a variety of sizes can be a. classifier; this apparatus is commonly called the "grizzly" in the mining trade. The classifier is used to allow small gravel to pass through into another container at the same time as retaining the larger rocks which are examined visually for gold content before being discarded where the concern for gold panning at hand. The small gravel can at that moment be panned or run through a sluice box to recover any fine gold which may still be present. To classify or separate the ore material in this manner possibly eliminates two-thirds of the work that would be necessary to pan or sluice all of the material, including what we would consider worthless rock.

Classifiers have the option of being constructed from quite a few different types of materials and in quite a few different forms. The most common construction is a piece of heavy screen, with puncture sizes which vary from one-quarter of an inch to maybe even one inch, they should be fixed firmly in some way over a square or round box with side walls which permit the material to be positioned into the enclosed space where it is afterward shaked to force the smaller material through the screen, leaving the larger material on top to retain or discard, as the situation warrants. Haphazard design has at all times presented problems of weight, portability, not an appropriate size of mesh, failure to fit a particular gold pan, spill over, and so on: Classifiers have been designed from tin, plastic, and other materials, without regard to any specific uniform size or figure.

Most of these classifiers worked reasonably well where the classification size of the material was not of importance. On the other hand, the loss of even one small gold nugget, sapphire, garnet, or whichever other gemstone or precious metal for the reason of inefficient design can be exceptionally disappointing. We have taken the optimum requirements for size of mesh in dry and wet panning, sapphire hunting, and garnet digging, into consideration and in all the various needs of the prospector who encounters many different situations when he is working in the field. By well thought-out manipulation and application, the Garrett classifier can be adapted quite easily to fit any situation.