One thing about me is that I love a good mystery - especially when it comes to the possibility of finding buried treasure (I should specify that finding something "cool" counts as treasure to me, not neccessarily something of real monetary value.) Recently I've been watching some "metal detector treasure hunt" videos on youtube. Which of course got me thinking about buying a metal detector.
My dad has had one for decades, and took it to an old West Ghost town - which was just basically a grass field - and found a "cathouse" coin, goof for an "all night check". Not valuable, but pretty cool nonetheless. I'm kind of thinking about maybe buying one. It would get me out of the house more and make me more active, and I might be able to find some cool stuff along the way.
So... anyone here into metal detectors or other forms of amatuer treasure hunting? Any advice or "so there I was when I found..." stories?
Metals are generally harder than wood and won't dent when you push a finger nail into them. They also don't have a visible grain, that is, a pattern which can be enhanced with transparent color like stain .
I have occasionally found metal artifacts without a detector. Last week I found a quarter and nickel.
[This message has been edited by heybjorn (edited 02-06-2015).]
Originally posted by 1985FieroGT: ..., don't buy cheap... you gotta go expensive... there's also quite a few metal detector forums too.
Yeah/no. You don't have to spend a lot of money but you do want a quality one. I have a White's (mfg) Classic III (model). With a White's Blue Max 950 loop detecting disc. As opposed to a coil detecting disc. (Some detecting discs can be submerged in water.) White's is, and has always been, made in America. I got mine as a toy. After I had already bought a bargain brand to play with. My Mom lived in Corpus Christi and I would look for lost "drunken" treasures, in the sands of the beaches, . Pay day is usually after Spring Break, the Forth of July, and other three day holidays, . I also worked along the Rio Grand on the Texas/Mexico border and used my off time to discover some long lost Pancho Villa booty. They can actually come in handy. Once a spring from my riding mower took off while I was working on it. It took my metal detector to find it. You will need a "dig kit" to unearth whatever it is which gets a hit from your detector. The various terrain will dictate your dig kit's contents. Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers for you.
Just like finding the "holy grail" of Fieros you have to know what you want and be patient. Spend some times on the detector forums to learn about different features available you might want.
Yeah/no. You don't have to spend a lot of money but you do want a quality one. I have a White's (mfg) Classic III (model). With a White's Blue Max 950 loop detecting disc. As opposed to a coil detecting disc. (Some detecting discs can be submerged in water.) White's is, and has always been, made in America. I got mine as a toy. After I had already bought a bargain brand to play with. My Mom lived in Corpus Christi and I would look for lost "drunken" treasures, in the sands of the beaches, . Pay day is usually after Spring Break, the Forth of July, and other three day holidays, . I also worked along the Rio Grand on the Texas/Mexico border and used my off time to discover some long lost Pancho Villa booty. They can actually come in handy. Once a spring from my riding mower took off while I was working on it. It took my metal detector to find it. You will need a "dig kit" to unearth whatever it is which gets a hit from your detector. The various terrain will dictate your dig kit's contents. Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers for you.
Just like finding the "holy grail" of Fieros you have to know what you want and be patient. Spend some times on the detector forums to learn about different features available you might want.
I've always been a fan of the Garrett detector brand and their Garrett Ace 250 is a great beginners unit. Best used for beaches and yards, it gets great depth and has a lot of the features of higher end detectors at a rather affordable price of around $200 new (but you can get a used one used cheaper on ebay... often with numerous extras).
Of course, as you become more experienced, you're going to want a better detector and there are scores of them out there from many manufacturers. I currently use the Garrett AT Pro as it has better features than the Ace and it's submersible as well (eventually I want to hunt streams and waterlines).
Depending on your interests, if you want to go scuba diving or search for gold in the west there are specific detectors available for those activities as well.
You're also going to want a pinpointer. This is a smaller, hand held detector that can locate a relic once you dig the hole. This can reduce the time it takes to find that coin from minutes to seconds. For a long time, the gold standard among hobbyists has been the Garrett Pro-Pointer but within the next few weeks they're releasing the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT. This new unit will have additional features that will definitely come in handy for many people out there.
As has been mentioned before, there are numerous metal detector forums out there. My favorite is TreasureNet as they're a great group of people. Of course there are threads where people talk about their daily finds (some of them rather spectacular) but they also cover many other types of collecting or treasure hunting activities such as bottle collecting, gems, fossils, gold prospecting and much more.
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[This message has been edited by otakudude (edited 02-09-2015).]
I've always been a fan of the Garrett detector brand and their Garrett Ace 250 is a great beginners unit. Best used for beaches and yards, it gets great depth and has a lot of the features of higher end detectors at a rather affordable price of around $200 new (but you can get a used one used cheaper on ebay... often with numerous extras).
Of course, as you become more experienced, you're going to want a better detector and there are scores of them out there from many manufacturers. I currently use the Garrett AT Pro as it has better features than the Ace and it's submersible as well (eventually I want to hunt streams and waterlines).
Depending on your interests, if you want to go scuba diving or search for gold in the west there are specific detectors available for those activities as well.
You're also going to want a pinpointer. This is a smaller, hand held detector that can locate a relic once you dig the hole. This can reduce the time it takes to find that coin from minutes to seconds. For a long time, the gold standard among hobbyists has been the Garrett Pro-Pointer but within the next few weeks they're releasing the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT. This new unit will have additional features that will definitely come in handy for many people out there.
As has been mentioned before, there are numerous metal detector forums out there. My favorite is TreasureNet as they're a great group of people. Of course there are threads where people talk about their daily finds (some of them rather spectacular) but they also cover many other types of collecting or treasure hunting activities such as bottle collecting, gems, fossils, gold prospecting and much more.
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Thanks for the info. I was seriously considering an AT Pro but the price scared me away - at least until I can determine if this is going to be as much fun as I remember from when I was younger. I almost pulled the trigger on an Ace 350 last night, but my computer crashed and in my frustration I called off the dogs. I'll probably do it tonight. I've got a few places I can think of that will be fun to search (I'm already looking at who to get permission from to make it happen.)
The pointer is definitely in my future. My plan at first is to dig every target until I get a feel for how the MD squawks for each target/depth/soil. Underwater detecting is the end game. I love the water and live close enough to the beach that I could see making a weekend of it. That would be down the road when/if I got a fully submersible MD.
I've been watching tons of Youtube videos, including "how to use your Garrett Ace 350/AT Pro" type videos, as well as a few with folks who have a bunch of their MD videos up.
One more question: Why do metal detectorists call themselves "metal detectorists" and not "metal detectives?" Or "metal digger-outers?" Or maybe just "mine-sweepers" (where "mine" is possessive, and not describing buried ordinance.)
Great thread! Giving me the itch to get back into it, not that I was ever really really into it. Wifey got me one for my birthday maybe 15 years ago and I was amazed how far they have come. It stopped working after the kids borrowed it and never figured out why...... why it doesn't work and why I let them use it I had a borrowed one from back in the day ( very expensive quality unit) and it had to be set up (adjusted) EVERY time you used it. More than a week or two of non use and I had to get the manual out again Mine was point and go with all adjustments done automatically and it totally outperformed the old one. Different sound for different metals etc. Don't remember the brand, might have been a Bounty Hunter.
Found some coins, my property corners, square cut nails, Oxen shoes, some smelter equipment and a very old Peavey head. Great fun it was. Finding the surveyors caps paid for it alone.
There are a wealth of Metal Detecting videos and information on YouTube. I don't know much about the activity itself, but I love watching videos of other people doing it.
A fellow by the name of NuggetNoggin is my favorite, and I know he uses the AT pro as well as other gear from Garrett. Here's a video of one of his best digs. I think the marbles are the coolest part.
Great thread! Giving me the itch to get back into it, not that I was ever really really into it. Wifey got me one for my birthday maybe 15 years ago and I was amazed how far they have come. It stopped working after the kids borrowed it and never figured out why...... why it doesn't work and why I let them use it I had a borrowed one from back in the day ( very expensive quality unit) and it had to be set up (adjusted) EVERY time you used it. More than a week or two of non use and I had to get the manual out again Mine was point and go with all adjustments done automatically and it totally outperformed the old one. Different sound for different metals etc. Don't remember the brand, might have been a Bounty Hunter.
Found some coins, my property corners, square cut nails, Oxen shoes, some smelter equipment and a very old Peavey head. Great fun it was. Finding the surveyors caps paid for it alone.
No expert and no advice here, just joining in.
Welcome to the party.
I'm definitely impressed with the technology they seem to have now. When I was a kid my dad had a metal detector (still does in fact) and it was basically a box on a stick that beeped over any metal, be it nail, pop top, or gold bullion. Now these things can pretty much tell you what type of coin in dirt 10 inches deep.
There are a wealth of Metal Detecting videos and information on YouTube. I don't know much about the activity itself, but I love watching videos of other people doing it.
A fellow by the name of NuggetNoggin is my favorite, and I know he uses the AT pro as well as other gear from Garrett. Here's a video of one of his best digs. I think the marbles are the coolest part.
Yeah Nuggetnoggin! His videos are great, and you can hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he travels through his hunts. "Oh MAN! That's aw-sum! That there's a radiator cap from a old model T! Unbelievable!"
The best video is when he finds the class ring and gives it to the old lady to give to her son. Better than reality TV right there.
Well I broke down and did it. I just got a Garrett Ace 350. I should have it by Thursday.
Pictures to come, and I'll report in after this weekend on how my first hunt (around my yard) went.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I looked at Whites (from Cliff's recommendation - even drove over to Hobbytown USA to see them in person,) Bounty Hunter, Fisher and Garrett.
The Garretts seem to have the most universal praise and capability for their price. I liked the 350 because it had a more advanced coil than the 250 and the similarly priced competitors.
We'll see how it goes, but I've been meaning to get out more for my health and I'm thinking this just might be the thing to get me in gear.
Originally posted by Flamberge: Now these things can pretty much tell you what type of coin in dirt 10 inches deep.
They still can't tell you what year it was minted in, . Really ? You mean dime or quarter, or just silver or other ? I have had mine ten years plus and I still am a newb.
Great that you had fun. Great that you got out doing something. Great that you got to nature watch. Props for the blog title and also for you alter ego name. Nice write up.
I created a blog in the hopes that it will force me to put down on digital paper how it is going with the hobby.
You can read it here, but be warned, I'm long winded and there are a lot of pics.
The mystery item kinda resembles a grease fitting, but those are pretty coarse threads--close to acme threads, which was a common thread on late 19th-early 20th century farm equipment---BUT, it also appears they are "left" threads.
Great that you had fun. Great that you got out doing something. Great that you got to nature watch. Props for the blog title and also for you alter ego name. Nice write up.
Thanks Cliff! I was going to go with Flamberge....
The mystery item kinda resembles a grease fitting, but those are pretty coarse threads--close to acme threads, which was a common thread on late 19th-early 20th century farm equipment---BUT, it also appears they are "left" threads.
The park I was hunting is next to an old farm, so you're probably right.
Just as a fyi--There are also--and have been for decades, grease fittings on ag equipment that appear to have threads but actually are not--the spirals are not connected --just a series of raised individual rings. They are meant to be driven or pressed in and not screwed in. I hate 'em--most times fall out while the equipment is being used--- or have to be drilled out if you need to replace one that is clogged with rust.
Originally posted by maryjane: Will any of these things detect shallow fossilized remains in sandstone?
My detector has a "black sands" or "other" setting. Many things can be fossilized (I think) including wood. I really don't know. I never got too scientific with mine. What actually qualifies as a fossil ?
Will any of these things detect shallow fossilized remains in sandstone?
I bet higher end machines that are designed to allow for ground minerals may be able to do something. Not sure though and the machine I got is more of a welcome to the hobby MD, not a serious machine.
Cliff is more knowledgeable than I am in this hobby, so I defer to him.
Just as a fyi--There are also--and have been for decades, grease fittings on ag equipment that appear to have threads but actually are not--the spirals are not connected --just a series of raised individual rings. They are meant to be driven or pressed in and not screwed in. I hate 'em--most times fall out while the equipment is being used--- or have to be drilled out if you need to replace one that is clogged with rust.
I went back and checked that part. The threads are indeed threads. I stuck my thumb nail along the groove and spun the part, and my nail climbed to the wider part in the middle. I also checked again to see if it was hollow but it isn't.
Anyway, a cool find, and I am happy I located it without a pinpointer. :)
Jst wondered if one would be worth the trouble looking for fossils at the Hiway 21 Whisky Bridge crossing of the Brazos River. It's one of the premiere collecting places in Texas--lots and lots of seabed fossils, open to the public and they are down shallow. (NONE of these are mine, but I have been there years ago when I lived just west of Bryan) Million year old teeth:
Just do a search for "Whisky Bridge Fossils". It's about 9 miles west of Bryan Texas--TxDot has even built a parking area off the side of the highway so you don't have to get off in the median or grass.
Jst wondered if one would be worth the trouble looking for fossils at the Hiway 21 Whisky Bridge crossing of the Brazos River. It's one of the premiere collecting places in Texas--lots and lots of seabed fossils, open to the public and they are down shallow. (NONE of these are mine, but I have been there years ago when I lived just west of Bryan) Million year old teeth:
Just do a search for "Whisky Bridge Fossils". It's about 9 miles west of Bryan Texas--TxDot has even built a parking area off the side of the highway so you don't have to get off in the median or grass.
Thanks for the info. That is definitely something on my to do list. I've hunted diamonds in Arkansas, topaz in the Texas hill country, and now this metal detecting thing. I'm always on the lookout for something to find.
. Pay day is usually after Spring Break, the Forth of July, and other three day holidays, 
. I also worked along the Rio Grand on the Texas/Mexico border and used my off time to discover some long lost Pancho Villa booty. They can actually come in handy. Once a spring from my riding mower took off while I was working on it. It took my metal detector to find it.
Mine was point and go with all adjustments done automatically and it totally outperformed the old one. Different sound for different metals etc. Don't remember the brand, might have been a Bounty Hunter.
