beach sift tool on the cheap
I have never had much money but have always had a will and determination to make something I have seen.
Detecting on beaches from Maine to Florida and all of California, I have seen tools for sale. I couldn't afford so....
At a Lowes Hardware I bought a short 4' broom style rake with spread bamboo tines. I then bought a 4" dia. wire tea strainer with a handle. I used duct tape and taped the strainer on the opposite end of the rake.
When I get a good tone I rake the sand then scoop the mounds of sand with the strainer. In 5 years of use it still works great.
So far.....several gold rings, more than 100 coins, bracelets, and religious tokens. Also used to help a couple find their car keys.
Thanks for the tip. I am going to make one. Looks like it works fine.
Got it that time Jim. Thanks. Very interesting looking device. It's strong enough to comb beach sand?
Where is the picture? I tried to find it but can't seem to be able to locate.
Way to go Red_Desert. I love hearing all the ideas.
Hello! I'm new to LT forum and this is my first post.
Here is something I've tried recently. Anyone who has done some gold prospecting should have a gold classifier pan. I attached standard galvanized rabbit cage mesh, to the bottom of a 14" Garret classifier pan, for trimming to a round shape. Then put the mesh in the pan bottom. Fastened it down several places using thin stainless wire.
Testing the pan scoop at the beach...you can turn it sideways for targets that have sunk too deep to get using smaller scoops at the waterline.
Away from the water, the mesh helps to break up hunks of sand. Wide trowel type coin diggers are useful for this, place the dug sand in it, as you check the hole with the detector, sift out the target.
Hello radiobuff777. You are right. Many times on beaches I feel like a pied piper. Kids follow and are more excited than me when I find a coin. Have fun is the real treasure.
Hi Jim,
I have actually had the opposite experience. I don't do tot lots when there are kids playing....but I have done school fields on non school days, only to be approached by kids who are very curious about what I'm doing. The parents usually come over too if they are there and I am more than happy to explain. I have even let kids try my m.d. and keep what they find. I always get a big "thank you" and a smile from the parents. Because the m.d. is a huge draw for the kids, I try to go to unoccupied spots, otherwise you never get anything done, but they do find you eventually. Its a shame that people need to be so suspicious these days...can't blame 'em really.
I finally enlarged the picture. That is awesome. It looks so professional.
Now that is REAL recycling. Great idea!
I thought detecting was a way to get away. Just kidding!
thanks
I fully understand your fear of detecting around parks with kids, but I do it with my wife. When I retired we bought two detectors. As for kids and parks, people feel safe with a husband and wife working together and with parent permission we let the kids put on our head phones and listen to the buzz of the detector. Then, if we detect any coins, we give them to the kids. If builds friendships and future detectors. huskie64
I didn't want to spend 50 - 60 dollars on a sand scoop, so I built my first one my self. I bought a big solid aluminum food/flour scoop at a restaurant supply store ($9.95) and drilled enough holes (a little less than the size of a dime to let the sand out) across the bottom and sides. It works great and should last forever. I made one for my wife too. I did buy a sand scoop from Ebay. It cost 20.00. So look there for bargains. huskie1964
I use a plastic maxwell house coffee jug,just drill holes{size optional}all over bottom and sides.With wet sand you might need to scoop it in and just shake it out and there's your treasure,it's free and it works well.If it wheres out just throw it in the recycle bin and make a new one.
The pvc is sounds like a good idea for a hand scoop. So many of the tools are expensive.
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You can take a 6" to 12" section of 6" schedule 40 PVC and glue a transparent cap on one end and mount a handle on it and drill holes through half of it and you have a hand scoop. The handle you can also purchase at a hardware store.
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Other than around the swings and slides in parks I have not had much luck in my home state.(Plus I'm kinda worried about the way people watch me walking around their kids.)
I've been researching sand scoops in anticipation of my first beach MDing vacation. I'm new to the hobby, just purchased a White's Prizm 6T and I've been searching all around my home trying to learn to read the detector sounds and displays. Anyway, I ran across a site rating sand scoops and the one that was recommended was actually a deep-fryer basket. Makes sense to me, anybody else got any ideas for a good sand scoop?
So who needs to spend $$$ when you have the know how to make your own tools to hunt with. Nice job!!
Sorry. Thought I had posted the picture. Click on the small pic and it will enlarge.
Jim