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7.62marksman said:
Mate i cant wait but not arriving until late next week (then we can teach each other) i have a park 50m from my house it is going to get hit hard as i have never seen anyone detecting in the parks at all here (have 3 large parks and the show grounds within a kilometer radius) it seams that i may be the only one in town that does any detecting if i am wrong (hope i am not lol) i am sorry

for starting points anywhere people sat down on a grass bank to watch sport , if there is a tuck shop or similar where people stand in line and pull out their coin , or in the grass around permanent seating is a good starting point for coins and relics.
 
i have been looking at it for a while and after a phone call yesterday i made up my mind to get one
from what i have found with my goldseeker and minelab on the beach which amounts to lots of junk very little coin
then i will be happy just finding anything
at this stage until or when it teaches me how it works then no coin will be safe
 
7.62marksman said:
finished product however some adjustments may have to be made i will have to wait and see
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/8005/1485500177_101_60931.jpg

Hi 7.62

Great job on both tools 7.62, good to see another keen hunter out there, go get em, my family is getting a lot out of the hobby.
Chances are you will find that broad edge of the plastic shovel is a bugger to push through the sand.

Thats why I shortened my shovels down to about the front third holes of yours, and then cut an angle for a point,
it does make it easier to use as sand is very heavy too.

The original guy to do this is a forum member I think, brilliant idea, digs fast, scan the sand in it - best in dry sand for sifting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6cBsLru_qY

I have to say I will cut a flatter point on mine and Kato's as it seems just a bit too flexible at the point, in harder sand it
isnt quite stiff enough.
My other mod is to use a tappered step drill, or counter sink to enlarge the holes from underneath to allow the sand space
to fall out as it can stick or compress in the holes.

1485510303_img_0110.jpg


1485510304_img_0112.jpg
 
yes i looked at yours (its when i decided it was about time to do mine) and was going to cut mine down as well but the sun bug hit and decided to see how it went like it was
i will take up your idea tomorrow when i get home
 
7.62, you need to make your gear to suit yourself, thats the beauty of the hobby, it may be just fine for you and your beaches as is.

So get out and test before you change, its a part of the learning and development of your tools.

I went through about $200 worth of Bunnings tools before settling down to my current kit.

But I will recommend without any fear to buy a "diamond digger" the hand tool, it is simply the best for ground soils in parks.
We never leave home without it, they just do the job right, form the start. Worth the money, every cent.
They come in Right and Left, its the edge where the root cutting teeth are.
I am RHD and cut a plug clockwise - so I have Left sided teeth, thats me. Such a good solid tool for the job!
Oh yeah and a Deteknix pin pointer too.

Call Nenad, https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/profile.php?id=3149

We have one MineLabs Pro pointer and three Deteknix, I feel the Deteknix work well, I like some features of the ML but sometimes
when a target is being painful I want to grab the Deteknix from Kato.
I think the next model is going to be rechargeable so check that with Nenad - you may want to hold back until that comes thru,
our pin pointers chew 9V batteries, but work well as PI units.

Just found out a week and a half ago that we need to build some hard ground picks like Gold picks, never needed to use one
as we have always been digging in softer soils, but after searching around an old country hall the ground was so hard we
could not get 3" into it, so now we will be making some picks.

I see another DIY coming, but will search this website first for good ideas :D

You really did a great job on your DIY tools 7.62. :D
 
thank you for that it was a lot easier then i thought
i got a small pick off bunnings as well it has a small handle but is heavy spade on one end and pick on the other looks like it will eat the hard dirt
i have a pro pointer i got it early last year however i keep forgetting to get it out when i go so what i have done is attached it to my tactical vest so now it comes with me every where
as i have said before i am still learning and i think i will be for a long time to come but it is fun and can be frustrating at times lol
i read everything that is put on here but dont reply to many however i take everything on board
 
7.62, mate I know what you mean, this is our first detecting forum we have been joined to and we read EVERYTHING too.

I have done this for 30 years, but the last 7 yrs have been much more serious because of the kids, so I have spent time
testing lots of garden tools LOL

The first mistake -
wrong tools - garden tools are not designed for this hobby, they are for home owners that dont work them hard and replace them every six months or every year.
OR they are designed for the wrong type of digging unless modified

Second mistake -
not really seeing what kit others have used successfully in the hobby

Third mistake -
heavy to carry tools in the field, and the wrong tools for the day

Fourth mistake -
being too tight to buy the good gear if I cant make it :(

All a learning curve, and I hope I will not ever stop learning or listening.
I dont know anything much compared to the combined experience on this forum, and I want to learn much more too.

Cant wait for you to get the NEW toy and smash some good targets ! :D
 
yes i know i am always getting another tool that i think would do a job
and then finding something better
so i have been giving a lot of tools away that i have had 2 or 3 of
no use to me if i upgrade lol
the detector should be here next week and i am sitting at my window looking at the park across the road and thinking i wish it would hurry up and get here

i have spent days reading the forums on here and got a lot of good information and i am sure there is more to come

thank you both for all you help and input
 
7.62marksman said:
yes i know i am always getting another tool that i think would do a job
and then finding something better
so i have been giving a lot of tools away that i have had 2 or 3 of
no use to me if i upgrade lol
the detector should be here next week and i am sitting at my window looking at the park across the road and thinking i wish it would hurry up and get here

i have spent days reading the forums on here and got a lot of good information and i am sure there is more to come

thank you both for all you help and input

Marksman nothing better than trial and error :) It's as Greenhornet has said "You need to test before you change"
I found when I laid shovel down on the ground the back of shovel was holding a lot of water so drilled the back out ................. also staggered holes to try and avoid a weak line across shovel and left holes of the point of shovel so it maintained it's strength . Dry sand wasn't a prob but the heavy wet stuff was. The small ally one is an old alloy fire extinguisher total cost was 50 cents for the grip ;) The price they are asking for some of the sand scoops to buy is unbelievable.
Re the Hart pick you brought ? What does it weigh please ?
Cheers

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1485633604_sand_scoop_1.jpg
 
Hi Bogger
thanks for that i will look at the back part after i run a test on it
i would say you are right it would fill up
the weight of the little pick is just on 1kg by my kitchen scales
 
Hey Marksman, I remember reading somewhere that certain pipes and glue's are not good for using for drinking water.
Just a heads up to look into it so you don't poison yourself.
 

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