DO YOU GO METAL DETECTING, with a metal detector?

No,
I don't do metal detecting, but i have always wanted to do a Civil War Battle Field sweep at some of the less famous battles.
i know there are probably restrictions as to where you could do this but i think the idea is really appealing.

i would like to branch out in that direction,
but my time is limited and i don't think i could devote enough time to become proficient.

i think it's really cool for those who can do it, you have my envy...
mike)

Those are some cool stories...I would love to go to FL someday and walk the beaches after a Hurricane. I just saw last night how some scuba divers in 4' of water found some gold coins....I have also thought about going to a old abandoned farmsteads and explore on the fence lines...maybe when I retire... Where do you find all these coins John?

Ray C said:

I don't think I'd have much luck with one as my hands would probably be triggering false detections

I had to get an MRI the other day and they waved me over with a metal detector. Everything was OK but it did detect the tiny slivers in my hands -nothing to worry about and no special attention was needed. They only worry about bigger pieces -like people walking around with nails in their head and don't know about it (don't laugh, it's happened).

Ray

Click to expand...

when my high school girlfriend had an MRI,
i was going to be in the room for moral support while she was going to be stuck in the evil tube of claustrophobia.
i would not spend 1 minute in there, much less the hour or so she did..
one of the first questions was my occupation...Forklift Mechanic at that time...
they were concerned for metal particles embedded in my eyes due to my use of metal shaping mediums of many sort.
i had to sign a waiver ,blah blah, don't sue us paper so i could sit in there with her.
the funny part was i forgot i had a folding knife on my belt, when they fired the electromagnet off there was a very noticeable tug at my waist the scared the begeezus out of me!!

Rich,

I don't know where John looks, but I can tell you where I search.

It sounds obvious, but you need to search where people have gathered over the years. Metal detection requires a lot of research to find places where the probability of finding coins is high. Look for places where people gather or have gathered for annual events like fireworks displays, picnics, county fairs and reunions. Schools also make great places to pick up a lot of change and no one will bother you there on the weekend. City parks are good, especially old ones, but the caretakers tend to get picky about people digging around in their grass. If that's the case I just use a probe instead of my digger. It's just a long thin screwdriver with the end ground round. I've also had pretty good luck along sidewalks, especially near driveways where people fumble for their keys. Just be careful to stay out of areas that are posted and get permission if you go on private property. I have had people approach me out of curiosity, but have never been run off.

Tom

My first experience with electronics was to make a metal detector from a magazine article. I still have it. My main unit now is a Tesoro Bandito. Years of use have taught me to tell the difference between different targets, both by what discrimination settings gave which results, and by the sound.

For some years, pennies here were made with a thinner centre and eleven flats around the rim. Pennies made before and after these were round. I can still tell you before I dig if the target is one of those eleven-siders. A pull-tab will often ring three times - once for each 'rung'.

Unfortunately, aluminum has close to the same conductivity as gold. If you want to avoid pull-tabs (by adjusting the discrimination), you won't find any gold rings. As mentioned, the best sound you will here is from silver. It has the highest conductivity (lowest resistance).

When I was going to school in Kamloops, I often went out with the Bandito. One time, it was McArthur Park. When it was time to leave, I left the detector on as I walked across the park to my truck. In the middle of the playing fields, I got a loud, 'round' sound that stopped me in my tracks. It turned out to be a 1947 (IIRC) silver dime. I hadn't even been swinging the coil as I walked. Not bad, hitting a 1/2" target in the middle of at least ten acres.

I saw a show on cable, I think it may have been canceled that was about 2 guys metal detecting and they were down in Atlanta and got permission to crawl under a porch that the floor of a old Inn and it had about 1/2 wide openings between the floorboards...He said to be careful of spiders and snakes...lol but he found a dime from 1866 I think...When it starts to cool off..It's been over 90 this week I am heading over to the local park where they had fire works over the forth, I have the itch now after reading this. It's fun to discover what we do beside milling, drilling and scraping. Have a great weekend! Rich
PS: I have a small fishing boat and speed boat, but never put in the lake last summer....

TomG said:

Rich,

I don't know where John looks, but I can tell you where I search.

It sounds obvious, but you need to search where people have gathered over the years. Metal detection requires a lot of research to find places where the probability of finding coins is high. Look for places where people gather or have gathered for annual events like fireworks displays, picnics, county fairs and reunions. Schools also make great places to pick up a lot of change and no one will bother you there on the weekend. City parks are good, especially old ones, but the caretakers tend to get picky about people digging around in their grass. If that's the case I just use a probe instead of my digger. It's just a long thin screwdriver with the end ground round. I've also had pretty good luck along sidewalks, especially near driveways where people fumble for their keys. Just be careful to stay out of areas that are posted and get permission if you go on private property. I have had people approach me out of curiosity, but have never been run off.

Tom

Click to expand...

Tom,

That pretty much sums it up... One Merc dime I found was from a park in Queens NYC. A friend had been searching that park for years and invited me to drive to the city to hunt with him. In an area right off the sidewalk and hunted to death, the detector rang strong and out popped the dime from a depth of 4".

Here's some more interesting finds from last summer (a oil lamp wick holder from the 1800's, A Look Magazine 25th anniversary token, a brass shoe buckle, a silver Washington quarter, said Mercury dime, a silver Roosevelt dime, two IH pennies and some of the older wheat pennies. Funny thing how copper comes out of the ground green and nasty, but silver always seems to come out like the day it went in. No tarnish, corrosion, etc...



John

I recently got a Tesoro Compadre for my third grade daughter, and we've been having fun with it at the beach and playgrounds- maybe a dollar in change, some costume jewelry, some dog licenses and a lot of nails, pull tabs and bottlecaps. We're still getting to know the instrument- there definitely is a learning curve-but we're having a good time.