Plastic Gold Pans

One of the advantages of plastic pans is that the nitric acid can be applied directly to it to clean up the gold. Nitric acid corrodes steel, so the steel pan cannot be used to clean up gold.  Another advantage that plastic pans have is that they can be used as a magnet to separate magnetic black sand (iron) from the final concentrate directly in it. A steel pan would react to the magnet and interfere in the process.

During the final clean up stage at the campsite, it is always necessary a metal container to stack gold in it in order to heat it and dry it. A steel pan can be perfect for that. It is also a good idea to have a plastic pan at hand if you are planning to use an electronic metal detector in his research activities. Like this when you find a signal coming from the ground you can start digging and pour the contents into the plastic pan and later scan its content to see if you have recovered some gold without having interfered with the signal. Steel pans would interfere with the detector.

Many plastic pans are molded with a small set of riffles (gold traps) at the side of the pan. Different manufacturers have designed and used different types of riffles, each one with a unique shape to assist the recovering of gold. Some of these riffles when used properly help a lot in recovering gold, and they known as “cheater riffles.” This because the if an amateur uses it a lot he can quickly learn to use the pan very well, and as fast as an old professional with many years experience in handling them.

One of the advantages that plastic pans have is that they melt very easily, so keep your plastic pans far away from the bonfire and from the rear of the car in a hot sunny day.

Plastic pans are made in dark colors, mainly black, blue, and green and some others so that it can overload it with tiny particles of gold. This allows us more visibility control over the smallest particles of gold when working with them in the pan. I have heard steel pans have as an advantage over the plastic ones, and that one can cook in it. This could be true you know, but it is not suggested to use the pan to cook. The fat of food and oil used in it can be absorbed by the pan and affect the clean up of gold. Oil tends to stick to gold pieces, which are then susceptible to stick to the air bubbles and float out of the pan when working with it!