Gold Prospecting Equipment

Dip Boxes
In areas that do not have enough water to sluice in, and in places where the ground is too flat to allow a good enough slope for a sluice, you may opt for using a dip box if you are not able to get ahold of a rocker. A dip box consists of a short sluice that is placed over legs making it around waist high. A screen is placed over the head of this sluice and it takes care of sorting the gravel. The slope depends on the height of the front legs and the hind legs. A pail is then used to dip the water and gravel inside the dip box and then it runs down the slope and the gold gets concentrated inside the sluice. Even though it is an unsophisticated way of obtaining the gold, it can be effective in certain types of situations. Many people have made these on their own and they work when other kinds of sluicing cannot be done.

Picks
A pick is an essential item for placer or lode prospectors as well as for the dredge operator. It will be necessary to at least have the small portable ones that collapse and can be carried on a belt for example. There many stores that have these available and they are very useful for prospecting trips in which a lot of walking is going to be done. Picks are part of the essential tools that all serious prospectors should have. In occasions when you need to work in bedrock crevices, a pick chisel crevicer is the perfect tool for it. It is not easy to break down heavy bedrock with a trowel or a mayhoe. Keep in mind though that this is not a lightweight tool and it should only be carried when you have found an area that you are going to be working on in bedrock that is not decomposed. Decomposed rock is easier to break down with tools that are not as heavy. You may also want to consider getting a little crevice tool as well because these are very helpful for when you want to dig out or pull out teensy pieces of gold.

Shovels
Besides a pan and a pick, a shovel is one of the most basic tools for every type of prospecting or mining, whether it is placer or lode. A shovel is very essential and will help the prospector be able to dig up dirt into his pan. There are a couple of basic types, one of these has an extended handle and the other has a smaller handle. The long handled one is easier on one’s back; on the other hand the shorter one is more suitable when it comes to moving around and carrying it. It is also recommended you have a hand garden trowel with you as it will help you be able to get to those places that are difficult to get to.