Funnel Shaped Classifiers

There are funnel shaped classifiers in the market that can be used for wet or dry material because they allow the material to go down to the bottom quickly. The designs that are round make the material flow throw quickly when the prospector does a twisting motion to it. The other ones have to be shaken from side to side and can be quite exhausting if done for a long amount of time. There are classifiers that have legs extended on the bottom of them as well and these can be set on to and the legs rock around the outside of the pan. The classifier and the pan will hold firmly together if they are grabbed with both hands and a twisting motion is used on them, this will very rapidly separate the large pieces from the smaller material in the pan. These classifiers are quite ideal because the legs on them have a pronounced slope that allows the classifier to be put on any type of gold pan, which is very convenient. All you have to do is put the classifier on the top part of the pan, hold the classifier and the gold pan with both your hands and twist it so that the material flows through and some classifiers as we previously mentioned have designs that can be used in wet or dry material.

A good number of classifiers also fit over plastic buckets if this is where you want to do the job. There are five gallon plastic buckets sold and they have become very popular when it comes to prospecting. Dredge operators use these types of buckets to carry their concentrates in to then take them home and pan them later. A lot of gem hunters also use them to classify their material in so they can then examine it later as well and dry wash panners use them to put their heavy concentrates inside so they can wet pan it later on. The funny thing about this bucket is that it looks like a regular every day plastic bucket however it is very commonly used. The advantage of it is that a good amount of material can be placed inside of it. The material is shoveled onto a classifier and placed inside the bucket. Using a classifier will save you from taking home a lot of worthless material so it is very convenient to have a good one.

Dredge operators also use classifiers and empty their sluice boxes in classifiers; they do this by holding it under water so that the material suspends directly over the big gold pan or plastic bucket. The classifier is then taken out of the water and it is examined to see if there are big rocks and to see if nuggets can be found, then the remaining material is thrown out and the smaller concentrates are taken home so they can inspect them later. Keep in mind that there are some classifiers that have bigger sized holes and the problem with them is that sometimes they allow too much material to flow through and cleaning up the material later on may take a lot more time.

Depending on what type of hunting or prospecting you are going to be doing is what will determine the type of classifier you will need to get. A lot of gem hunters are interested in obtaining larger size materials such as gems and semi precious stones etc, and this is why it is important to know what type of classifier to use in each case. Some classifiers have holes that have a uniform size; others have smaller sized holes in them.