If you can’t find it amongst the clay, then bring the clay home!
Mystery Coin
The other day when I was Lake Metal Detecting I got a nice little sound on my Minelab E-Trac Metal Detector and when I started digging, I just could not find it, and I was getting pretty tired as it was hot weather and almost dark, so I just dug out a big lump of the clay hard mud, waved my detector over the lump of mud, then got the same tone again.
I put the lump of clay in my sifter and took it home.
Because the lump of clay was really hard, the next day I got my high pressure hose out which I use the clean the motor of my car and sprayed the high pressurised water onto the clay, it cut through it like a hot knife in butter, and abracabra it revealed a coin in the middle of the clay!
So that’s my tip of the day, if you find something in clay, and can’t get it out, and are worried about damaged the hidden treasure, bring it home and high pressure hose it to find the coin like I did!
Mystery Coin
I just identified the coin by using electrolysis … what was the coin you ask?
A lousy 10 cents! All that work for 10 cents! At least that is more rewarding than finding a pulltab!
But thats one of the best things about metal detecting identifying what you have found, whether it is worth something or worthless, it’s all good fun … and the worlds most rewarding hobby!
Beach and Sand Scoops For Water, Beach, River and Soft Sand Metal Detecting
One thing for certain, if you are going to buy a Metal Detector with the aim of going coin or ring shooting on the beach sand or in the water, you will definitely need to invest in a good Metal Detecting Sand Beach Scoop
Having a Beach or Sand Scoop is going to save you alot of time when searching for a found target, there is nothing worse than finding something in the sand, you don’t have a scoop and then you have to try and find it with your bare hands.
You might have a shovel, but then you have to dig and flick away the sand.
Not only can digging around in the sand with your exposed hands bring you potential harm, but your hands and fingers will get sore.
When it comes to harming yourself, such examples are as follows:
- Possible Used Dirty Syringe Prick (I hate to bring that up, I have never encountered a Syringe on the beach, but you just never know, and please don’t let that turn you off metal detecting!
- Possible cuts from broken glass, rusty nails, fishing hooks, rusty metal, pieces of wire, alumin cans
- Sharp shells
- Poisonous animals, such as dead jelly fish, dead poisonous fish with spikes, and even dead stingrays (poisonous barbs)
- And much more
I will admit some of the above examples would unlikely happen, but you just never know, however I have cut my fingers a few times from glass and shells, nothing major, just little nicks. But when Metal Detecting, you have to expect a few cuts, bruises and blisters every now and then.
There is another good tool besides the Sand Scoop, and that is just a simple Plastic Garden Sieve which I sometimes use. Read my story on Metal Detecting Sieves.
But buying a good sand scoop was a great investment for my metal detecting adventures and jobs. With my Sand Scoop, 90% of the first scoop will result in me finding the detected target straight away.
Some Scoops are heavy and some are light, my Sunspot Scoop is quite heavy and it takes some getting used to when carrying the scoop in one hand and in my other hand swinging my Metal Detector and I will admit carrying both can get quite tiring, but I suppose thats just one small disadvantage that comes with the hobby. So don’t let that deter you, but you really need to find a scoop that will suit your needs.
I would not recommend you go investing in a heavy long handled scoop when it may be for a small child or a person who is not physically strong.
So my best advice is to shop around and do a bit of research.
There are some inexpensive sand scoops and sand expensive sand scoops on the market, and if you want to save yourself money and your a handy person, then just make one yourself.
Some Hand Held Beach Scoops
Krylar Steel Sand Scoop
Compact Beach Scoop (I also use this Scoop)
Galvanised Sand Scoop
Kellyco Plastic Scoop
Some Long Handled Sand and Beach Scoops
Stealth Sun Spot Scoop (I use this one)
The Beach Master 16 Inche Scoop
Long Handled Sand Scoop
Ebay Australia
Ebay England
Ebay USA
Kelly Co Detectors (USA)
Detector Depot (USA)
Stealth Gold Scoop (USA) What I use
Metal Detecting Sieves
Plastic Metal Detecting Sieve
I get quite a few search engine hits from people looking for Metal Detecting Sieves, so I thought I would throw a few photos up of the Sieves I use.
These Sieves are very cheap and absolutey brilliant when going metal detecting, they are very light weight, easy to carry in your free hand.
The first one I use is a Plastic Garden Sieve I bought from Bunnings in the Garden section, it cost me around $10 from memory and will last many years! You can also get them from BCF Stores.
It has helped me find many rings, jewellery, old australian coins (pennys, half-pennys, silver coins, modern day coins, bullet shells, old military buttons and badges and small relics.
When I get a signal from my detector, I will dig up a small amount fo soil and place that soil in my Sieve, then sweep the detector coil of the Sieve and if I get the same signal again, thats when I will give the Sieve a good sideways shake (be prepared to get dust in your face, clothes and hair … thats a fund part) and then all the sand will drop through the sieve holes, leaving behind material such as grass, small stones, leaves, you just pick that stuff out carefully not to pick out the possible ring or coin.
Then shake it sideways again until the sieve reveals your treasure!
It is so easy, and most of the old pennys, silver coins, militaria objects and some jewellery and rings I have found this way.
Using a sieve reduces the risk of you cutting yourself on broken glass, rusty nails, wire, and even getting bitten by a spider or small snake which might be hidden amongst the soil. I have been bitten by a spider once this year and its not nice.
The other day I went to my local rubbish dump, did a bit of rummaging around and found myself a “seed sieve” used by farmers, garden nurserys, gardeners and so forth.
Perfect for Metal Detecting
Its downfall is that it is aluminum, so there is no point sweeping the coil over the top, but still nethertheless will come in handy, the holes are bigger and will be much quicker to sieve the soil to find the gold, rings, coins and much more.
I also have a water sieve, this is pretty good, and you can buy them on internet metal detecting shops for around $40 USD, but why waste $40USD when you can make one yourself from around $10 AUD! All you need is the Plastic Garden Sieve as per the photo above, some long cable ties, and a small old tyre tube, you can get the tyre tubes from any tyre place like Ian Diffen, Beaurepairs and so for, no doubt for free! The tyre places are happy to get ride of their old tire tubes for free.
Then all you need to do, is place the plastic Sieve in the middle of the trye, cable tie it securely, and thats it, go metal detecting in the water, place the sand in the sieve, it washes away to reveal a beautiful lost ring!
I have also made myself a Mobile Metal Detecting Sieve, I call it the Shermanator, see the threads and what I found found using Metal Detecting Sieves on How to build a Shermantor
Some Recent Metal Detecting Sieve Finds
Aboriginal Stone Knife
The Aboriginal Knife
Around a week ago I went out the local bush to test out the Shermanator Sifter I just made, unfortunately I forgot to put in the battery for my detector so could not do any detecting…. always the way!
Anyhow I dug around a few spots where I had previously found some old coins and here is what I found.
No much, but at least the sifter works well and I was surprised to find a very old Australian Aboriginal Stone Knife, basically would have been used to skin Kangaroo’s, cut meat and so forth.
Not exactly a good specimen, but I know an Aboriginal Tool when I see one, a Stone not native to this area and probably bought in by local tribes, many years ago, hundreds, thousands who knows.
Also a few pics of The Shermanator in Action.
Shermanator in Action
A Shovel load of hidden treasure?Pieces of Glass, Metal, Nails, Small Stones etc
Old Buttons, Nails, Bottle Tops and the Aboriginal Knife!
The Shermanator!
I decided to make myself a little toy to hopefully make my Metal Detecting Hobbie a bit more easier… when out in the Australian Bush and also down the Beach, I have named it “The Shermanator” (Sherman is my surname, my first name is William … For all you Civil War Buffs, there was a very famous American General in the American Civil War named General William Sherman.
Anyhow, I made this today and here is my Step by Step guide to making it!
I made this because it will be great for many uses, whether being on the Beach, on a old road or out the bush and many more examples.
Obviously it is not allterrain, but the small trolley can be attached to a Four Wheel Motorbike.
This will in my opinion make my detecting experiences so much easier.
The trolley will be used to carry all my equipment to my detecting location. Such equipment as my Metal Detectors, Food, Water, Camera, all my little Detecting Accesories, First Aid Kit.
Easy, now all I need to do is pull the trolley and not cart around all the other stuff on my back!
The trolley is also completely detachable to fit in my car for long journeys.
The Sieve is securely attached to the trolley and it lifts up and down for storing stuff and also to work the sieve easier and can be easily removed for water detecting, yes it floats.
The sieve will be great for finding all coins, jewellery, rings, and larger items such as old bottles when digging around old bottle grave yards.
I am sure you can get similar type Trolleys in the USA, Europe, UK etc, go to your local Garden Centre or Handy Man Centre – Walmart etc.
All up it cost me $200 Aussie Dollars to make, thats approximately $140 USD.
Here it is! I like it.
THE SHERMANATOR
1 x 4 Wheel Garden Trolley (Cost $115 AUD) Assorted Plumbling Pipes & Attachments (Cost $60 AUD)Birdcage Mesh (Free - from Disposal Dump) used as a second type of sieve to catch other items missed by the first top layer. (Bottm Layer)Door or Window Security Mesh - Aluminum (Cost - Free from my Door) (Top Layer)
Detectable - Floatable Sieve
Billy Sherman and The Shermanator
Uses on the Beach
Bottle Dump Sifting - Coins - Jewellery - Old Bottles
open it to get rid of the stuff which does not fall through the holes, such as glass, bits of metal, nails etc
It works Perfectly!
