One Year Warranty

Metal Detecting Tricks Tips and Secrets -- Part One

This is a part of my book which began as a blog, with a lot of the superfluous stuff taken out, and some other valuable pieces added. They are all short lessons, in no particular order, except that I have used caps to headline rough subject matter, so you can then highlight or underline later for study purposes.

INTRODUCTION:
I live in a ghost town in New Mexico. One of the big draws to this rural
lifestyle is the fact that I have access to some real good metal detecting.
This actually all started long ago, with a machine I got on my 10th
birthday, called a Jetco Mustang. Yes, the Jetco Mustang is a metal
detector. I do not really like to think about exactly how long ago this was,
and I do not dwell on it at all, but it was some DECADES ago, and thats as
far as I am going with it. I like Whites metal detectors now, but have used
many different types, and any metal detector is definitely better than none
at all. Stay tuned here for tips on using yours and finding more!

I sold my first treasure hunting article to Western and Eastern Treasures
magazine when I was 19, and this too, was quite some time ago. 1979 I think.
Over the next 10 or 15 years I sold them 30 or 40 pieces of my writing work,
and I addressed many types of treasure hunting, not just metal detecting.

And truth be told, the many forms of treasure hunting actually do overlap a
lot, and many times, by being aware of different types of collectibles, I
have turned bad days into good, so it pays to keep an open mind here in
infinity, or as open as possible.


KNOW YOUR METAL DETECTOR:
The prime rule with any metal detector is to know your machine. Many people
think that the more money they spend on a metal detector the more they will
find. This is simply not true. It has been proven over and over again that
the type and price of a metal detector does not even compare to the amount
of time one spends practicing with their machine. I know this to be so,
because I went through all that at a young age. Imagine my surprise when I
got my first discriminator, and thought OH BOY now I am going to be rich,
but that was not the case at all. I actually had to use my old jetco mustang
for awhile, in conjunction with the discriminator, until I learned the new
machine well enought to retire the jetco for good.

Even after I learned my newer metal detector, and its discriminating
attributes, it took awhile for me to get good with it, and truthfully, I am
still learning new trix and refining my methods, to this day. I especially
know that it pays for me to be willing to try new things while metal
detecting, and I never scoff at any idea, no matter how silly it might
appear initially.

I have also learned that just because someone says something is so, does not
necessarily MAKE it so, and by experimenting freely, I know that theory is,
many times, definitely not all its cracked up to be. If I try something and
it works, regardless of the theory involved, then what matters most to me is
that is DOES work, and we will sort the theory out later. This works for
many other things in life as well.

Discriminating metal detector circuits work in several different ways, but
as I understand it, there is actually an analyzation circuit now in most
discriminating metal detectors, which compares a signal with a second signal
derived from the same source, but in another electrical phase state, such as
180 degrees out of phase with the first signal. This analyzation circuit is
actually an electronic recognition circuit, very cool, and this is what
causes the machine to either give a good strong BOING-RINGING-ROUNDSOUND
signal, or a crackly broken abruptness, which you will soon learn means
garbage. The difference between a good signal and a bad are generally very
easy to discern, although one must always be aware that sometimes junk can
mask a good target, and it pays to listen well, and to enhance your
listening capabilities whenever possible.


METAL DETECTORISTS ARE SWINGERS!
There are many things you can do to help you get the most out of your metal
detector. Conversely, though in the same vein, there are also some things a
metal detectorist should not do. Today we will address one of the things all
metal detector operators would be much better off without.

The most common mistake everybody makes when metal detecting is this: they
inadvertantly vary the distance of the coil from the ground, as they swing
the coil. People do not even realize they do this.

Thankfully, though this is a major problem in metal detecting, its very easy
to correct once you see whats going on.

Most if not all metal detectorists have been guilty of this at one time or
another, and I am no exception. In fact, I had read about this digression in
tactics several times, but still did not get it. Finally, an older, more
experienced detectorist literally pointed it out to me in the field one day.
I began finding more good stuff immediately. Just remember that for every
inch the coil is lifted from the ground, you lose a corresponding amount of
coin detecting depth. Which defeats the whole purpose of metal detecting for
treasure, and as stated here already, is by far the most common mistake in
metal detecting today.

If you wish to get the most from your metal detector, you must make a
conscious effort to keep the coil as close to the ground as possible. Do not
lift the coil from the ground in any way, at any time, especially at the end
of the swing. At the end of the swing is where it happens habitually, by the
way: its a matter of physics, and human tendencies and physical limitations.

To overcome this tendency of lifting the coil during the swing, some
professionals first coat the bottom of their coils with epoxy, to keep from
wearing a hole in it, as they literally SCRUB the ground. This insures
uniform swings and maximum depth, but takes some getting used to. In shallow
water metal detecting, scrubbing works very well too, and is the preferred
methodology. You cannot get the coil too close to the ground. Closer the
better. Always.

On land the way to overcome this is to concentrate on the fact that this
onus of inefficiency happens all by itself, 24-7, as a matter of course.
Concentration on the activity at hand will break the old inefficient habit
and establish a new efficient one, and you too will begin finding lots more
right away.




METAL DETECTING AND TREASURE HUNTING UNDER BRIDGES
Under bridges are great places to hunt for lost items, but they can also be
dangerous, for many reasons, not least of which is the boat traffic. Watch
Out!

Many people hunt bridges with big treble hooks, and this goes for piers too:
they drag the bottom using a nylon rope to swing the weighted hook out 40-50
feet, letting it sink to the bottom, then draw it back slowly. Some truly
amazing things have been found this way, but a lot of hooks get lost too!

I have heard of bridge sites that separated areas of poverty from wealth,
and many times there are all kinds of interesting things at either end of
these bridges, in relatively shallow water.

If the area is tidal, its good to at least look, and preferably metal
detect, at the base of the bridge on either end when some of the rocks are
exposed at low tide.




TARGET RETRIEVAL IN WATER
When wading in hip and chest deep water with a metal detector, especially in
lakes and around some other beaches, you can dispense with the scoop and
floating sifter, if the bottom is relatively clear. Wear a dive mask, and
your wetsuit, or not (depending on how cold it is), and drop to the bottom
and hand fan the targets. It takes some getting used to, but is worth the
effort on many occasions. If you wear a wet suit you will need your weight
belt too, of course.

This method of target retrieval works very well in areas where the water is
calm, and somewhat clear, and where the trash is not piled up too badly. If
there is some sort of current, including tidal currents, that is even
better. In very cold conditions, this method is not recommended.


METAL DETECTORS IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY
I once gave a lumberman a metal detector, and it served him very well. It is
probably still serving him well. This person was a tree surgeon by trade,
and he also owned a Lucas Mill. The Lucas Mill is a portable lumber mill
made in Australia, that processes rough wood, like tree trunks and large
branches, into high quality lumber: 2x4's, 1x2's, anything you want, this
mill would make it. Easily, and fast.


The biggest problem this lumberman had was this: his saw blades were very
expensive, because they were very large, and because they had special teeth.
These teeth were easily damaged by nails in the tree trunks that he made
into lumber, so everytime the blade would hit a nail, and there were many
such nails, there went another tooth or two on the blade; when enough of the
blades teeth were shot, and it was time for a new blade, that rather
defeated a lot of the profit of making lumber.


I got him an old Bounty Hunter ALL METAL DETECTOR which I had picked up at a
flea market almost for nothing because it did not work. I replaced a bad
transistor in it, and that was that. This bounty hunter was not too good for
treasure hunting, but it sure did the job of finding nails in the tree
trunks! The nail signals in the tree trunks were circled with white or
yellow grease pencil, and it was then easy to avoid them. That was just one
good way I have seen metal detectors used in Private Industry.


Another is in Plumbing. When I was a boy, with my first metal detector, the
world famous JETCO MUSTANG, I used to hunt the schoolyard at Amelia Earhart
Elementary in Hialeah, where I went to grade school. Mr. Tyree, the janitor
there, saw me doing it one day and asked to borrow the machine. I asked my
parents if he could borrow it, because it had been a birthday gift to me
from them, and they said sure, as long as it was alright with me, and of
course it was. Mr. Tyree had such success finding lost pipes and hitherto
unlocatable water mains and such, that he had the school system spring for a
metal detector for himself to use at the school, doing his janitorial work.


He said later that was one of the most valuable tools he had ever had for
plumbing, and I know many plumbers who use the metal detector to locate
plumbing of all types.




SOME METYAL DETECTING TRICKS
When attempting to get the deepest targets at a good site, go very very
slowly, and be very methodical in your movement of the coil forward. Make
sure there is only an inch or so of forward movement with each swing. This
is the best and most productive metal detecting trick I know of. I mean it.


If you are getting a good signal from your Motion-discriminator in an area
chock full o' nails or bottlecaps, which are notorious for leading the metal
detectorist astray, and even into insanity, with false signals, then check
the target signal at 180 degrees off the original swing. This means make a
square X over the target. Most times the signal will break up if it is a
nail, when you go over it at 180 degrees off the original swing. For bottle
caps the only trick I know is to burn the coil across the target FAST. If it
is a bottle cap it will usually break up the signal when you burn the coil
across it fast, whereas it is nearly impossible to make a bona-fide Good
signal break up.


Burning the coil FAST across a target in motion-discriminate-mode will many
times give you greater depth as well, and also may allow you to discern a
good target that is near a piece of iron trying to mask it. At some clean
sites like fort sites in Florida, where all the targets are worthy, the very
deepest signals will many times just cause a very indistinct wavering of the
detectors tone, like an electronic butterfly flapping its wings in your
earphones. My, thats almost poetic, hmmmmm? Sometimes I surprise even
myself...


But whatever...for these miniscule signals, a fast burn of the coil across
the target may get you a signal clear enough to warrant digging. Don't
damage the detector doing this though, and also be careful to keep the coil
as close to the ground as possible, and at a uniform distance from the
ground.


I use my transmitter receiver (TR) discriminator mode a lot, even in highly
mineralized areas, because it is unparalleled in its ability to key on round
sounds (see earlier post explaining the Round Sound). I was given permission
to hunt a trashy lot in Largo Florida once, back before the mind control
state of jeb-antennae-bush, where three real old houses had been bulldozed.
The city official giving me permission said -- sure go ahead -- and they had
me sign an insurance waiver which I was more than happy to do (Sign
Everthing ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THOUGH!). This city official also advised me
pickings would be very slim, as it had been hit hard by another detectorist
for some weeks before me.


I went slowly and methodically with my TR circuit almost exclusively, and
found over 750 coins before 1960! Many deep silver dimes, one silver watch,
and a lot of the regular stuff you always get like costume jewelry
(Victorian!), keys, toys, and I even found a commemorative Sterling Silver
Medal of the Sherwin Williams company dated 1923, as big as a silver dollar!
I found a plethora of wheat cents, all the way back to 1909, and Indian Head
cents and barber dimes too! The detectorist before me not only missed all
that but I do not think he dug one nickel, because I found so many Indian
Head/Buffalo Nickels I got sick of them.


Not.


But I sure did found many of the things, from Almost Uncirculated, to nearly
worn flat, and everything in between. Most of the signals were tiny little
blips, but I had set the discrim so that ANY signal was diggable, and I
wasted very little time trying to figure should I dig or not. Yes, a good
memory to keep forever, and I sure did find a bunch of cool stuff too.


These few tricks will help you find a lot more fast, if you use them. Be
careful, have fun, and as always, Good Luck.


SCISSORS AND OTHER IRON TARGETS
Vintage scissors of all kinds are very collectible. These range in quality
from hand wrought iron scissors that look almost like HEDGE trimmers, to
finely made embroidery scissors of special metal alloys, and everything in
between. Sometimes scissors survive being buried a lot better than many
people would think, because of the alloys used, or because some of the
wrought iron was treated at the fire with rustproofing in mind.


As a metal detector target these qualify as one of those targets that may
sound good because of the ring shape of the handles, but generally get
bypassed by most detectorists as junk, because of their size, and because
they do register as iron most of the time.


If you ever get to hunt a site that is so old and good that you dig
EVERYTHING, then you will learn many things, not least of which is just how
much good stuff there is in the ground that is made of iron or other metals
normally considered trash.


Many detectorists also judge a target/sound by its size, and that attribute
does come in handy when searching for coins and rings, but believe me, if
you don't dig some of the bigger targets, you are really missing out, and
scissors are just some of the collecibles you will leave behind.




BE AWARE OF THE VALUE OF ALL COLLECTIBLES
Needle cases and the actual needles and pins they contained, can be very
collectible. I once dug an anamolous target that to my ears was a lot like
iron, but just sounded funny to me, so I dug it. It was at a fort site in
sand that drained well. The target turned out to be a true winner, a set of
hand wrought needles and pins still wrapped up in deteriorated but
recognizable linen ribbon.

There were many elaborate contraptions in which to carry and secure needles
and pins during olden times, such as the brass REVOLVING NEEDLE CASE I found
in Tampa and which I traded for 3 large cents from the 1840's. These types
of organizing sewing collectibles are highly sought after by many collectors
now.

The revolving needle case is just one example of this type of thing. I dug
it while sifting around the fort site in downtown Tampa, and it came out in
five pieces. It was easy to put back together, and it was like a brass
wallet for pins and needles with the interior revolving out of the exterior
covering. All the parts of this brass case were very ornately machine
stamped with acanthus leaf designs and the companys logo, name, and the name
of the product itself, which of course was this: THE REVOLVING NEEDLE CASE.

Other types of needles cases in metal are the book type and tube types,
although many of the metallics lose a lot of their value by being in the
dirt. Unless they were machine stamped with design, these type of
collectibles may not even be recognizable for what they are.

Because sewing itself has been around quite a long time, many of the tools
of sewing have become quite collectible. One of the most collectible sewing
items are thimbles. A trip through ebays Sewing Collectibles categories will
affirm this in no uncertain terms. Thimble collectors are called
digitabulists, and if that does not key you into the fact that this field of
collectibles is well developed, then I do not know what will.


Thimbles are also a fairly common target to most metal detectorists. How
something that was supposed to be in Moms sewing basket ended up in the
backyard can only be guessed at. Undoubtedly via the same mode of transport
as all the spoons, forks, knives, scissors, compact cases, and what have
you. Little hands with little legs. Yes, perhaps this type of thing could be
hidden from Mom, but not from us, the metal detectorists of the future -- no
WAY!


Some sources state that the first thimbles were Roman, and as far as metal
thimbles are concerned, that may be so. The same source also stated that
many old thimbles were made from bone, wood and leather, so thimbles no
doubt have been around a lot longer than many people think, its just that
the oldest thimbles have gone back to the dirt from whence they appeared. I
personally have found some thimble-like devices used by ancient native
Americans in Florida, made from various shell types of that area. No doubt
the thimble preceded the Romans by quite a good ways.

Many different cultures possessed the thimble in some form or another,
because it has always been necessary to have a tool by which to push a
needle through a fabric, like cloth or leather. One interesting note is that
the modern thimble as supplied by the white man, to the Native Americans as
trade goods, was mostly ignored for its real real purpose, and was used as
decoration for various items, most notably decoration for leather dresses!
In fact dresses of this type are well known and valuable.

There is not much to say about the thimble as a metal detecting target,
except that they usually sound good because of their shape, and many are
made of silver, and some even of gold. One type known as the dorcas is heavy
silver inside and out, but with a steel interior, to keep the steel needle
from puncturing the softer silver, of which many thimbles were made until
the Dorcas method of manufacture evolved.

So.

The variety of collectibles that can be found with metal detectors is
nothing less than astounding. As time goes on we will individually address
the many different types of collectibles that can be found while metal
detecting, and this article is one such -- as the title indicates, its about
sewing collectibles.

One dream find of most metal detectorists is whats called a chatelaine. This
was a ring or loop of chain or wire, sometimes ornate, sometimes simple,
that contained the full sewing kit for use by its owner. These were popular
during the victorian period, and some were quite fancy.

wiki says this about chatelaines --- A set of short chains on a belt worn by
women and men for carrying keys ... which to me seems a very modern
definition, and incomplete at best I think, because some of the chatelaines
I have seen pictures of were a lot more intricate and utilitarian, being an
actual collection of sewing accoutrements and tools.


To find one of those intact from the victorian period is a trip through time
and could very well be quite profitable to the finder too. Many were made of
silver.

Seam rippers, scissors, thimbles, and a lot more were carried on chatelaines
by their users. The best place to look for, and find chatelaines with a
metal detector is around the yards of old Victorian homes. There are many of
those places still around, and even more which have been torn down, and left
as vacant lots. These are sometimes best because they may have escaped
detecton by other hunters.



THE LIBERTY COIN GRADING SYSTEM
Many people, myself included, have found quite a message in the fact that a
number of the coin designers throughout our American history have seemingly
designed coins so that the first device which wears off is the word LIBERTY.
Yes Liberty is always the first thing to go.

If there are any doubts about that, just scan through the patriot act,
authored in main by M. Chertoff, a foreign security specialist, holder of an
American top secret security clearance, as well as being a dual citizen of
Israel. I personally believe the man should be hung, and as soon as
possible, because he and many like him in government today are simply
traitors. But I digress.

Be all that as it may, the incidence of the world LIBERTY being worn off
coins first is so prevalent as to have inspired what is called by many THE
LIBERTY GRADING SYTEM. Though a totally informal, and incomplete system,
many coins can in fact be accurately described, as to their condition, by
being explicit about how much of the word LIBERTY is either remaining, or
worn off.

This single grading system covers about 60% or more of American Coinage and
is used by many numismatists worldwide, to refer to the condition of some
American coins.


HIGH VALUE SALVAGE WITHOUT A METAL DETECTOR
There are many people who have the time to treasure hunt, but do not want to
spend the money on fancy equipment, or cannot spend that money. Take heart!
There are many successful treasure hunters in this world who use nothing but
screens to sift around habitation sites for coins and rings, and I myself do
this a lot when the area is rich enough. I like marbles, and if I want
marbles I have to sift. By sifting I get ALL the coins, buttons, rings,
marbles, and a LOT MORE, that any given site has to offer.

Sifters can also be rigged for water, by making pvc-pipe-floats, or even a
simple innertube will do to float a screen basket. Float it on a cord tied
to your pants, and make a scoop from a can or a piece of pvc bisected with
threaded rod. See the plans elswhere in this book.

By sifting the sand under piers or around swimming holes, either in the
water or out, I guarantee you will find things over time that will make it
all worthwhile.
Surface hunting is called Eyeballing by many people, and thats rather
literal and crass, but it works, no? Eyeballers have worked the beaches,
plowed fields, and eroded areas of all kinds, for years and year and years.
There are many eyeballers among the Native Americana collectors, who hunt
the riverbeds at low water, and the riverbanks at high water. Even diving
most-times entails eyeballing, if non-metallic treasure is what you're
about. And you should be, because non-metallic treasures make up the
majority of findables worth looking for!

There are tools that can make the finding of non-metallic objects easier,
such as probes, and sifters; but overall, and for the time spent, a hunter
will be much better rewarded by hunting out areas that erosion has had its
way with, so that all you have to do is walk and look. This is good exercise
and a very fruitful way to spend time treasure hunting too.

As mentioned in an earlier installment of this blog, even when metal
detecting it pays to use your eyes to look for non-metallics, because you
will be amazed, I am sure, at the number of actual METALLIC treasures you
find too, simply by being more aware and LOOKING! Erosive forces usually
accomplish more in a single rain, than a fleet of bulldozers could do in a
week, and even wind is your friend if you make erosion your tool when
searching for treasure.

Drainage in general is what you must get to learn, and if you remember this
rule here: WATER FLOWS DOWN HILL, you will not only understand the rudiments
of searching for surface treasures, but you will also know the prime rule in
Roofing and Plumbing too!




THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCRIMINATING DETECTORS IN THE WATER
I have met many people in my nearly lifelong career of metal detecting, who,
because they had some money stashed away, thought they could gain an edge on
other treasure hunters by buying the most powerful metal detector that money
could buy. Sometimes that mindset works, but not usually, because there is
also a God-awful bunch of trash in the earth, alongwith any treasures. There
are literally years and years worth of bottle caps, nuts and bolts,
fencewire, etc., and a more powerful metal detector also senses this trash a
lot better.

And to top it off, the most powerful detectors are not discriminators, they
are whats called -- ALL METAL -- detectors, which of course means they
cannot tell the difference between iron and not, between ferrous, and
non-ferrous. Because most of the trash in the earth happens to be iron
(ferrous) by virtue of its availablity, then you can see that in many
places, to a very powerful non-discriminating metal detector, there is a
literal iron shield or blanket which covers everything below it, thereby
nulling and voiding any advantage one might hope to achieve by buying a
super powerful detector. In fact, simple proximity of a good target to a
piece of iron will many times MASK that good target, even to a
discriminating metal detector, which of course is exacerbated if the
detector is super powerful, and can not discriminate iron.

Usually these type of deepseeker detectors are used in specialized
situations. Like when hunting for a stash/cache, like a buried mason jar at
a post hole bank, or in a cave. Many times stashes such as these can be
found with just a regular metal detector though, and it is only when one is
looking for real deep targets, say over 48", where a truly deep seeking
metal detector is even necessary.

When treasure hunting in the water this is all multiplied. In the water
there is a lot of trash, and a lot of iron, and it is especially necessary
for the novice or the experienced metal detectorist to obtain the very best
and simplest DISCRIMINATING metal detector available. I have met many people
who spent 3500++ dollars on underwater pulse units, and wish they had not.
My 500 dollar submersible discriminator has found over 300 gold rings! Some
of the guys I know who bought the pulse machines for power have still not
found 30 gold rings!

In the water it is a necessity to have a good discriminator, and a detector
with a field whose size is usable, versus one that can pick up too much
trash.


SHALLOW WATER METAL DETECTING
Shallow water metal detecting is usually some of the most productive metal
detecting that can be had, at least in this day and age. Shallow water for
wading with a metal detector means less than 4 feet deep, and shallow water
for diving with a metal detector would be 20 feet deep or less. Whereas most
land sites have been hit hard over and over, for decades, many water sites
are still untouched territory, and it is a lot harder for a hunter, or group
of hunters, to totally clean out a spot in the water. If you are near water
sites where the tide has an effect, then this goes double, because tides are
always changing the situation at a water site. Remember too that in the
water, the targets will always sink much faster than on land, meaning they
will tend to find the rock bottom, or layer of rock, which generally
underlies most mud or sand beaches. Any heavy erosion usually creates a
bonanza for the savvy metal detectorist at a decent water or tidal water
site. The best book in the world on shallow water metal detecting is by
Wallace Chandler, and it is called Advanced Shallow Water Treasure Hunting
(With the Fisher 1280-X Aquanaut Metal Detector).


PAY ATTENTION
While out metal detecting it always pays to watch the ground around yourself
carefully. Many times you can find things like marbles, porcelain doll
parts, or even coins and buttons, just laying out exposed. Be aware and
concentrate! While diving with underwater detectors I have found three or
four gold rings just by seeing them out in the open, where the tide had
obligingly removed a layer of sand. I kid you not. Many of the most
successful treasure hunters do not even use metal detectors. They are just
aware that there really are all types of things lying on the surface of the
world, or right below the surface, left behind for various obscure reasons.

BUYING USED DETECTORS
Buying used metal detectors can be very rewarding. It can also land you
right into metal detector hell. If you are fortunate enough to be able to
obtain the unit from a place such as a thrift store or flea market (where
the prices are usually real good) take the time to power it up before
buying, even if you have to go get batteries. Shake it a little after you
get it going, see if the sound cuts out, or if there are any rattles. Watch
the meter for erratic behaviour. If any of that happens, get an even better
price for it!

Sometimes buying a used detector that does not work is a great deal,
especially if its something simple, like a wire, or corrosion at the battery
receptacle. If you go after one particular type of machine, one brand I
should say, then you can use cheap dead detectors for parts. That works.

There are many other quick fixes, like the classic in-operative speaker,
which is REAL easy to fix (Just use headphones!) and tuners and other
adjuster/variable resistors sometimes seize-up easily, but can also be fixed
easily too, with just a little spray oil, like welldone40. Corrosion or
breakage at cable hookup points is something to look for, and only twice did
I buy a used metal detector that the problem was on the circuit board, all
the rest were quick fixes. The two circuit board problems were both
transistors FYI.

The only way I know to test a faulty circuit board is to power it up, then
place my palm over the board itself to feel for excess heat. This of course
necessitates the removal of the circuit board, and will void any warranties
so be careful! I have found and subsequently replaced bad circuit board
components this way in the past, but this method is by no means foolproof,
its really just a neat trick to know. Also, if the board is having a
problem, or you think it is, many times a refrigerant or cooling spray sold
for cleaning electronix can be sprayed on the board -- if the problem is one
of the electronic components, then this cooling effect of the spray will
many times let you know, by correcting the problem until the component at
fault heats back up again.

Sometimes a simple mechanical fix will work for problems like loose coils,
circuit housings, handles, wands, etc. Replace all those cheesy little
pop-rivets as quickly as possible with real nuts and bolts, and that will
take care of looseness problems 4ever. Thats one of the first things I do on
all metal detectors I buy. As Always Good Luck, and Good Hunting.


SAFETY IS FUN WHEN METAL DETECTING
Safety is fun because it doesn't hurt -- which means safety is fun when its
done right. Always be aware of the many things that can mess up your day
while out metal detecting, and like ALL trouble, do your best to avoid these
things. Rest assured that no matter how hard you try though, there will be
some stuff that just happens anyway. Nobody can anticipate everything, and
this is what makes reality interesting, but also dangerous too. Make sure
you do not set yourself up for danger. Use tools and methods that you have
studied and practiced with. Be aware of power lines both above and below
ground, Poisonous plants, snakes, and especially the possibility of old
wells. Many times the latter occurences are well grown over and invisible to
the eye. Sometimes they are manifest as a lush area where one would expect
to find some sort of water oasis. Wells are around all old houses and many
times were hand dug and deep. Any wood coverings are generally rotted wood
but may still retain some shape. Ghost towns are rife with this type of
thing. Wear gloves whenever possible, and do be aware of the suns
dessicating and radiative effects on you. Drink plenty of water whenever
doing anything outside in the heat. Conversely, extreme cold is something to
be VERY careful about, especially if one happens to get wet by accident.
Finally, perception and concentration are your greatest assets when doing
anything, especially metal detecting. By exercising those two attributes you
will find a lot more and live a lot longer.


THE ROUND SOUND
The nature of any metal detectors field is circular. It is generally toroid
in shape, which means like a donut shape. Circular. The lines of force
emanate pretty much as circles, all around the coil itself, which is usually
circular too.

Because of this characteristic of the field, its interaction with round
objects causes a distinctive sound or signal to be created. The Round Sound.
Good metal detector circuit designers utilize this characteristic of
circularity, and all modern metal detectors, as well as many older models,
are designed to capitalize on a round objects shape, and its interaction
with the coils field.

This most certainly creates a fuller richer sound. Again, the Round Sound.
Once you learn the Round Sound, it will become actually melodious to your
ears, in every sense of the word.

The only drawback of designing metal detector recognition circuitry for the
Round Sound, or programming for the Round Sound is that it can be overdone.
The attempt to get the very best possible round sound is the reason a lot of
detectors go bananas over bottle caps, and steel washers many times sound
like rings. It is possible, with great care, to separate the various round
sounds, pertaining to good and not-good. Practice is the key to that, and
when in doubt, dig.


PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
It is very easy to build your own test area for metal detecting. Somewhere
in your yard bury the various types of things you wish to get good at
hearing, at various depths, and make a map of it as you go. Include deeply
buried coffee cans at 36 and even 48 inches, and even a baby jar full of
brass washers at about 24" or so. Do individual quarters, nickels, and
dimes, at various depths. Do not get the items too close together though, or
your signals will not be true. Practice often, in all the modes your
detector has to offer. You will be amazed at what you learn, and quickly
too.

FIELD REPAIRS OF METAL DETECTORS
Metal detectors requiring repairs are a real problem. The machines
themselves are highly specialised, and though I won't say that the
maintenance of them has been intentionally defeated by the manufacturers, I
will say this: No efforts have been made to make repairs easy. None
whatsoever! Replacement parts can be had in total, but as to repair of
individual items like plugs and coils and circuits, you are on your own! And
problems with circuit boards usually mean a very expensive trip to the
technicians bench. Fortunately, the circuit boards themselves are rarely the
problem, in spite of what some technicians say.

Many years ago, I sent a detector to 2 different technicians, on three
separate occasions, for a recurring problem which was driving me crazy.
Every time I sent the metal detector in for repairs it cost over $75, and I
was without my machine for some months. Each time I was told it was a chip
on the circuit board. Finally this same problem happened in the field again,
and I accidently hit the cable hookup to the box as I was moving the machine
around trying to spot any problems I could see. The unit was a hip mount. I
got a good tone for a second when I hit that plug, and that was enough to
let me know the problem was the plug. I fixed it then, and have fixed it
several times since. It causes the very same symptoms that the --
technicians -- told me was a circuit board chip.

Live and learn.

So. Not only is metal detector repair daunting, it is doubly hard in the
field, and let me say right here that even though I have had some success in
the field with on-the-spot repairs, success has been nowhere near 100%. When
it comes to the point of being able to metal detect, or not, any attempts at
repair are better than none at all as far as I am concerned, and thats what
this article is about. If you have a machine thats still under warranty
though, do not try ANY repairs on your own, or that will void your warranty,
more than likely. Take it back to where you bought it, pronto.

Most metal detector problems, or many at least, take place wherever there is
a wire allowed to move around freely, like where a wand cable hooks up to
the box on a hipmounted unit. Where the headphones plug into the box is a
real troublesome area too, or where the headphone wires actually hook up to
the headphone earpieces themselves.

I have also had some intermittent problems caused by dirt or corrosion on or
in the rheostats which are used to adjust the various levels of the machines
circuitry. The volume, tuner, discrimination levels, and so on. So far, a
quick squirt of electronic lubricant directly onto the stem of the rheostat,
so it seeps inward, then a few quick turns of said rheostat, has cleared up
any problems that way. Hurray for our side.

Most problems in my experience with detectors occur anywhere a wire is free
to move about, especially near a plug. That spells TROUBLE. It pays to
fasten these wires with cable ties, electrical tape, or twist ties ahead of
time, whenever possible. This is all made worse by the fact that many times
the wires inside the actual cables are very tiny and thin, and they are
easily fatigued, worn out.

Here is a partial list of things to make repairs in the field:

Pocket knife

Needle nosed pliers

Small screwdriver set

Cable ties

Twist ties

Hot Glue Stix

Electrical Tape

Extra wire of various sizes and lengths

Strong metal foil

Regular aluminum foil

Electronic lubricant in can

Electronic pressurised air in a can

Anything else you can think of

Carry this kit in a small tacklebox

The best you can do in the field is repair a wire. Or two. But repairs like
that many times are the difference between being able to metal detect and
not. Your worst case scenario, as far as I am concerned, would entail having
to reattach one or more wires to say, a five pin plug. difficult, but
possible. Not exactly rocket science. Don't be skeered.

:)

The best cold solder I know of is to twist two wires together so there is no
chance of them coming apart, then coat and hold in place with hot glue, from
a hot glue stick. That glue can be melted easily with a lighter. Don't get
it on ya.

The foil is on the list because it is a conducting material and easily
molded. Hopefully you will never need any of this stuff, but foil is better
to have, than need it and not.



A GOOD METAL DETECTING TRICK
One of the best metal detecting tricks that I know of, is to use a regular
shovel when metal detecting. This statement usually horrifies the
inexperienced, and some people actually go running around in circles waving
their hands above their heads!

Oh well.

I guess thats better than having their eyes spin round and round, and smoke
come out of their ears. Hmmmm?

The reason I use a shovel is many-fold. It saves your back and knees, it is
a tool SPECIALLY made for digging, it is durable and will go the distance,
and comes in handy for things like probing the brush ahead of you for
snakes, or as a walking staff for support in rough terrain. It is more
efficient all the way around.

Some people are worried about tearing up a lawn. If I cannot use a shovel in
a place I will not detect there. Also, I have not only seen, but actively
participated, in the mangling of lawns with such idiotic tools as large
screwdrivers or knives (Dangerous!), and special 30 dollar METAL DETECTING
SPADES, so I know from whence I speak. I have also mangled some targets that
way too. Unpretty to the max.

If you are concerned about preserving lawns, use the tool made just for
that. The Shovel. On a lawn the accepted method for target retrieval is to
slice the sod in a TRAPDOOR kind of effect, so that a piece of the sod can
be peeled back easily, and intact. The digging or the coin or button or ring
then takes place in the opening created when the trapdoor is removed. When
its all said and done, the sod door goes back over the hole and voila, no
one the wiser.

The creation of a trapdoor on a lawn is much easier and better accomplished
by using a shovel. And you can give yourself plenty of room so you do not
have to worry about hitting your target and scratching it, or worse. It only
makes sense.








THE COIL
The coil of the metal detector is of course the flat round item at the end
of the wand, the part that is passed over the ground itself. The coils FIELD
is like a big invisible donut surrounding the coil itself, and most of the
newer coils actually are designed with that very same basic exterior shape.

In the old days, coils were actually what their name implies them to be:
actual coils of wire wound into a coil in a specified number of turns. Some
of the real powerful machines back then could be modified by hardcore nuts
such as myself (Oops!) adding some more turns, or even sub-coils, alongwith
more power. But thats definitely a story for another day, so don't try that
at home kidz! Today we are just covering some of the basics of coil
construction, with some tips on how to make best use of these field emitting
devices.

Truly modern metal detector coils are Printed Circuit Coils, and this is
because instead of actual copper wire comprising the coil, there is now a
round flat donut shaped printed circuit board, with the number of turns
coated in metal on the circuit board itself. This makes for greater
efficiency all the way around, because now the coil is much lighter, much
more powerful, and a lot less prone to damage through use.

So. The field of either type of coil, meaning the old wire type, or the
newer printed circuit type, emits a field all around its total self, very
much the shape of a donut, as has already been mentioned. Once you get this
idea down, you can then imagine this: alongwith the donut shaped field
surrounding the coil, imagine two cones, like ice cream cones, one on top of
the coil, and one below. The open end, which means the large part of the
cone, emanates from the coil, with the pointy part sticking upward on top of
the coil, and most importantly to visualize, the POINTY PART of the lower
cone going down into the ground.

The point of imagining this pointiness (Oh thats BAD) is so that you can
imagine the way the field really acts, as it gets farther and farther away
from the bottom of the coil, penetrating the ground. The farther away from
the coil the field gets, the more restricted the effective detecting area of
the field, as it comes to a point down around the maximum detecting depth.
At the bottom of its effectiveness, it is very small. To overlap your swings
is a must, and forward movement should be an inch or less if you are trying
to get maximum scan-ability. Thats another way of saying -- Its Real Easy To
Miss Deep Targets Unless You Take Great Care To Move Forward Slowly and
Methodically. Concentrate.

END CHAPTER ONE OF TRICKS TIPS AND SECRETS

One Year Warranty@SFSU WHAT Showcase 1

Next page: Cadillac Extended Warranty

Bookmark/Share This Page:

One Year Warranty News