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How to Make a Gold Separator With a Cake Pan

Gold prospecting can be a highly lucrative hobby if the gold market and prices are right. With the right tools and a little ingenuity the materials you need to get your start as a gold prospector can be found around the house. Modern gold prospecting and mining equipment can be extremely expensive, running into the hundreds of dollars. Recycling old cooking equipment, household goods and even reclaiming items from a local used goods store can save a would-be prospector quite a bit of money.

Things You'll Need

9 inch heavy duty metal cake pan
Electric saw
Metal cutting blade
Steel 1/4 inch mesh
Metal clippers
Drill
1/8 inch drill bit
Tape with strong adhesive
12 1/8 inch pop rivets
Pop rivet gun
Build gloves
Protective eyewear

Instructions

Preparation
- 1
  Use the electric saw to completely remove the bottom, starting in the center of the cake pan. Cut through the metal toward the outer ridge of the cake pan and follow the curve of the pan.
- 2
  Place the metal mesh on a flat work surface and place the metal ring of the cake pan on top of the mesh.
- 3
  Cut the mesh in a circle around the metal ring using the metal clippers. Leave two inches of clearance.
- 4
  Attach the 1/8-inch drill bit to the drill. Place the cake pan on its side and firmly hold it in place with one hand. Placing the pan on its side allows for greater stability and ease of drilling.
- 5
  Drill holes around the perimeter of the cake pan in three inch intervals, 1/4 of an inch from the base .
Assembly
- 6
  Place the cake pan on the mesh screen and fold the mesh up over the outer sides of the pan.
- 7
  Tape the mesh into place to keep it from moving. Ensure that none of the drilled holes are covered.
- 8
  Insert the long end of a pop rivet into the pop rivet gun.
- 9
  Push the short wide end of the rivet into a hole in the side of the pan and through the mesh screen.
- 10
  Squeeze the trigger of the pop rivet gun until you hear and feel a pop. The gun has popped the mandril off the pop rivet and locked the mesh to the pan. Repeat this process with the remaining holes and then remove the builders tape.

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