1. Agitate 2. Separate 3. Check
CONING INSTRUCTIONS
Fill the CONE about three-fourths full of placer material to be concentrated and, holding it level, submerge it in the stream. When the sample is thoroughly saturated or flooded with water, hold the GOLD CONE upright between the hands, and roll it back and forth under pressure, as shown in Fig. 1.
Maintain this rolling motion (back and forth 3 to 4 inches) at a rate of about 80 motions per minute. The rate of the rolling motion can be varied to suit the conditions, primarily the density of the placer material and the comfort of the prospector in exerting a sustained effort.
Continue to agitate and work the material for a minute or two. During the operation, the dense, heavy-gold particles and nuggets will work their way to the bottom or apex of the CONE, while the lighter materials will work their way upward, as shown in Fig. 2. The CONING process can be accelerated by removing any obviously worthless rocks or pebbles and crushing any lumps of clay or dirt found in the material.
Separate the concentrated material (most often black sand which may contain gold) by pinching the CONE together about 2 ‘/2 inches from the bottom and dumping the rest of the material. At this point there are a couple of alternatives available: Further concentrate the material by adding a small amount of clear water and checking for gold or “colors” along the side of the CONE as the concentrate is carefully and slowly washed out. (The gold is easily spotted against the earthy, brown plastic.) Or, save the concentrates from several CONES full of material and separate the gold later by CONING the accumulated concentrates all at one time.
In summary, remember that CONING for gold is easy. Just: l.AGITATE 2. SEPARATE 3. CHECK
