Were doomed!!!

[Treasure_Hunter]

I like the size of the 7/8" scoop but What does the Ball do ?

I also believe I would bend it first dig or 2 in the soil up here

They are made from tempered steel, I haven't even come close to bending one.

 

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[pepperj]

It is a pass/fail test. When your done can you see any sign of hole at all? If you can you failed the plug test....

I've left parks many times over the years because of digging issues, cut a plug, soil falls apart because there's no/very little moisture left. I figure the item has sat there for untold amount of years so it can sit there another few months till the soils are butter soft again.

 

[texasred777]

Again, I know it's a lot of work and effort, but I use an ice pick that's blunted, a tablespoon bent at about a 45 degree angle, and something like a paper plate to extract the finds. I probe with the ice pick, then make a slit in the grass if I can't pop the find out. Then take the spoon and dip the dirt out onto a paper plate, retrieve the find, pour the dirt back into the hole, and smooth the grass. It works quite well for me most of the time. I've dug finds that were several about 6 inches deep using this method, come back a day or two later, and not be able to tell where I had dug. I've tried cutting plugs, but like the ice pick much better.

 

[kayakpat]

This seems to be a popular digging tools used by some.

 

[Doug H]

They are made from tempered steel, I haven't even come close to bending one.

but like jeff said..."what does the ball do?"

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

but like jeff said..."what does the ball do?"

Ball is used as a fulcrum..,

 

[jeff of pa]

They are made from tempered steel, I haven't even come close to bending one.

Oh I bent this back in the general area where I put the Yellow line, using it like a wedge



I absent Mindedley do that with roots & Rocks.
No idea how many I've broken & bent over the Years,

That's why I take a Hammer & round My scoops now




Looks Like I'm going to need to Reshape & Sharpen the Tip again for this year.

bent back



But with the Curve I can push it straight down in most soil, pull straight up
& it works like a Golf Hole Maker at times

I work allot of Gravel though

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Very impressive tool set TH!

Jeff is absolute right it depends on where you are digging, we hope the guy was in a field or the like where neatness doesn't count. I do believe he needs a little help with pin pointing though.

I dig in public grassy areas neatness counts. The maintenance guy watched me once and was impressed, so I know I'm ok there. Screw driver is my primary tool to pop the item out with. The other two diggers and drop cloth are for the 6"+ goodies (the M6 not shown is pouting because It can't go out)

 

[slink]

Its that instant satisfaction world we live in.Its faster to make a large hole get the find and on to the next.Its the greed thats driving this way of thinking.The method of extraction used to be a source of pride for a detectorist.Now it seems the only thing that matters is the find its self.Good pinpointing before extraction,clean extraction in an almost surgical fashion are skills being replaced by shovels.

I dont probe a coin in the woods and I dont shovel a hole in the park.

Great thread,much respect to all posters never gave so many likes in a single thread before.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

The guy who made them lived in Wisconsin, their soil is just as hard as Pa, his personal one lasted 20 years and was still working when he died..

 

[CoilyGirl]

Just got a Little Eagle in the mail yesterday and oh the difference in how the plug you cut looks as compared to a garden variety shovel from Home Depot.

 

[pepperj]

Oh I bent this back in the general area where I put the Yellow line, using it like a wedge

View attachment 1120042

I absent Mindedley do that with roots & Rocks.
No idea how many I've broken & bent over the Years,

That's why I take a Hammer & round My scoops now

View attachment 1120043


Looks Like I'm going to need to Reshape & Sharpen the Tip again for this year.

bent back

View attachment 1120045

But with the Curve I can push it straight down in most soil, pull straight up
& it works like a Golf Hole Maker at times

I work allot of Gravel though

I've had issues of diggers bending or getting fatigue cracks along the blade. One simple solution is to run a welding bead or two along the length of the back edge to give it rigidity.

 

[jeff of pa]

I've had issues of diggers bending or getting fatigue cracks along the blade. One simple solution is to run a welding bead or two along the length of the back edge to give it rigidity.

Thanks ! off hand I don't know any welders personally, But may look into it

Being it is Too Cold to go out to my Garage

I did a quick Hammer & Doorstop correction.







I still need to take care if the center Lip and grind a bit,
but the proper equipment is out there in the cooold

 

[pepperj]

Thanks ! off hand I don't know any welders personally, But may look into it

Being it is Too Cold to go out to my Garage

I did a quick Hammer & Doorstop correction.

View attachment 1120082View attachment 1120077

View attachment 1120078

View attachment 1120079

I still need to take care if the center Lip and grind a bit,
but the proper equipment is out there in the cooold

View attachment 1120080

View attachment 1120081

When it's minus 25 with wind chills of -35+ it's hard to get motivated to do anything outside. Just add it to the to-do list Jeff I'm sure it won't be lonely there as my detecting equipment to do list is well under done.

 

[Higgy]

I have encountered people dig a hole (in their mind a clean plug) - pull out trash - leave trash - not fill in the hole (or very poorly). I questioned one guy about leaving trash and poor clean-up he said: " I leave it for you guys".

That guy needs one of these:

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello Slink,

You are right! There is a art to extracting/recovering a detected object. The method used is based upon the area hunted and the skill of the operator. Many take the time to learn their detector, but fail in the second and notability the most important; object recovery. Our hobby is based on perception to the general public. I enjoy and take pride in the fact after a recovery you will be hard pressed to find my plug area.

Regards,

 

[Jason in Enid]

Thanks ! off hand I don't know any welders personally, But may look into it

Being it is Too Cold to go out to my Garage

I did a quick Hammer & Doorstop correction.

The problem with re-hammering the bends is that the metal has already been stress weakened, and bending it straight weakens it further. I've never had a straightened digger last much longer after repair.

 

[jeff of pa]

The problem with re-hammering the bends is that the metal has already been stress weakened, and bending it straight weakens it further. I've never had a straightened digger last much longer after repair.

I've been doing this one pretty much every spring since I bought it.
& yes on occasion Several times a year. It is definitely Stressed
& actually from Grinding, a Few inches shorter then when I bought it I'm sure

it was probably a 22" or 24"

but it does it's job yet

 

[jeff of pa]

actually using the measuring inside looks like 4 1/2 MM Short

View attachment 1120230

 

[Peyton Manning]

here's a tip I use

when digging on a golf green: toss the dirt into the sand trap, paint the inside of the hole white. They just think it's the hole.