Gold Panning. How do I separate the gold from stones?

[edible_chicken]

The pictures i attached. How do i separate it to get just the gold? I know i am missing a step here.
I am not certain if it is gold, but i need to separate it so i can have it tested. I found it near where i live.

 

[rufus]

I recommend a blue bowl or an Egyptian wheel. Google them to find out more.

My father used to pan it down to the black sand and the gold. He would then let it dry, and then he would dump it onto a piece of paper. He would pull a magnet across the under side of the paper. That will draw the black sand away because it is iron and it is magnetic. That will leave the gold and the other non magnetic stuff.

Then, he would stir in a bead of mercury. Mercury has an affinity for gold. It absorbs it, so he could roll the bead off into a bottle. When he got enough, he would hollow out the center of a large potato. Into that hole, he would pour the mercury and gold mixture. He would tie up the potato with a bit of wire. Then the potato would be placed into a bonfire. The potato would absorb the mercury, and leave a small gold button in the hole.

Mercury is not nice stuff. Don't stand around the fire while it burns; be elsewhere. Mercury vapor is poisonous. Don't handle the potato with your hands. After you have retrieved the gold, dispose of the potato where nothing will ever find it. Down and old mine shaft seemed to be the preferred method.

That is how he would process his gold. Don't do it. It is very dangerous and probably illegal. Pay the money and get the blue bowl or the Egyptian wheel. There are a lot of videos on youtube showing how to use them.

Good Luck

 

[rufus]

Thinking about it, I forgot to tell you to make sure you know who owns the mineral on that piece of land where you found the "hopefully" gold. You would need their permission to work the property.

My niece lived in Lake Havasu, Arizona. The neighbors were having a swimming pool installed. The backhoe dug up a good sized nugget. Everybody in the neighborhood went and bought metal detectors. As soon as they started searching yards and empty lots, the feds showed up. It seems the feds owned the mineral rights to the whole neighborhood.

You sure don't want to get crosswise with them.