Possible ford with Ace 250. HELP!

[Heston83]

I'm new to MDing. By new, I just installed my second set of batteries into my first detector, an Ace 250..

I have been doing much research and live in an area with history dating back to early 1800s. During a recent hunt in a small stream I have found about 30-35 horse/mule shoes, and parts of shoes as well as tons of other iron. Bedrock is visible in some places, so I'm assuming that I may have a ford, or maybe old bridge?

Either way, I'm growing frustrated with my Ace going crazy on the iron, and telling me that silver is EVERYWHERE. Is there anything I can do aside from spending more $ on an upgraded detector? I'm thinking I may simply dig every single target, but.. Ugh.

Thank you in advance for any tips and advice! So far I'm loving my new hobby!


Ps. Found my first buffalo nickel last sat. Now I'm REALLY addicted. Haha

 

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[cactusrat]

Hah, the question. What would I do?

I would dig every thing. For me it is all about the hunt, not the finds.

If the ground is that loaded with iron and the soil is only inches deep, have you thought of using a screen to sift the soil. You could make a screen cheaper than a magnet would cost, I would think.

 

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[Heston83]

have you thought of using a screen to sift the soil.

Ha! No I had not thought of that! I may have to give it a try. Plus side to the screen is that unlike a magnet, it could help me find non-ferrous goodies.. I guess i could just build a sturdy screen, and shovel the muck, rock, sand, glass, iron and hopefully something more precious all in together then hand sort? I haven't used a screen for anything besides recovering Cretaceous fossils. I am assuming its pretty similar.

I also have to keep in mind this good quote, "Dont spend 20 minutes trying to figure out how to do a 15 minute job 5 minutes faster."

 

[cactusrat]

There are You Tube videos of people screens, give it a look.

You could make a floating screen and have the water help wash out the mud.

Just depends on the mud on how sturdy the screen will need to be. A 2 ft. x 2ft. screen of quarter inch wire shouldn’t need to be more than a frame of 1x2 boards. Swimming pool noodles could make it float. If more floatation is need, a 2 litter coke bottle in each side will work pretty good.

On the plus side, you could always take a bucket or two of the siftings home with you and sort threw them after work or in cold weather.

 

[Rawhide]

In every detector I've owned (seven total), buried rusty iron sounds like a good target. Don't understand the scientific reason why, but it happens a lot. If you have a good but iron filled spot, and the digging isn't extraordinarily difficult, it's worth trying to clear to get to what is underneath or masked by the iron. I found a site a few years back where the shoreline was littered with rusty iron landscaping pins and my detectors (I used three different ones on the site) all sang on the iron. I was emptying a gallon bag of mostly iron and aluminum junk three or four times per hunt, But I also found a bunch of turn of the century coins mixed in and under the iron. This was in a heavily hunted park, but apparently others had written this area out because of the trash.

So, no need for a new detector, just keep on digging.

I have two detectors and a friend who runs a T2 which I believe the best relic detector out there. Along with my F75 and old vlf BH 202, I can tell you a new detector isnt going to help much. You are going to have to dig the trash. Old rusty nails as mentioned above sound like good targets. That iron will be hiding bullets and all sorts of treasures, good luck.