Beach / Sand Scoops - information and questions

[Digger]

The time has come to replace my now broken alluminium sand scoop, it's one of those single weld jobs which cost me about $70 and hasn't been too bad until now.

I think this time around I'm going for a reinforced scoop. I've seen some one ebay recently but don't want to risk it.

Do you guys know of anywhere in OZ that has stock ready to go?

 

[dave14110]

I believe the stainless one with the stainless wire mess back are better. I have not done much beach detecting only 2 or 3 times. I have just been using one of those plastic one's with the holes in & find you stand there to long shaking sand through the holes. With wire more holes & less to stop the sand. Wire mesh needs about 12mm holes also as i have tried a few sieves as experiment & that worked best. They will more than likely cost a lot more but worth it if we aren't standing there all day doing shake rattle & roll. More time detecting more finds.

 

[Nugget]

Check this out (I put the holes in it), $43.95 at Bunnings. Works very well.

 

[dave14110]

Nugget the shovel is great on sand but not as good in water.

 

[Nugget]

Thats true Dave, I should have mentioned its more of a land sand scoop.

 

[josh87]

I seen a home made job it looked great get and old aluminium alloy cooking pot drill the holes you need get a pole and attach together with a i don't know the name for it but ill try to explain a bolt that is U shaped with nut on each tip can attatch the right sized pole nicely the one i saw was on YouTube the bloke looked like he was happy with it. Also when i say alloy pot i mean the old type with the shiny copper or purple lids u can pick em up at opp shops pretty cheap..

 

[Aussie Detecting]

Digger check out our huge range of scoops mate to suit every budget.

 

[Goldbuzzhashit]

Thought I was going well with my design (well what I thought to be my design) any way I shaped my plastic spade a little to allow easy digging in wet sand, works really well.

Haven't found anything yet with it, but in the back yard works great.

 

[Nugget]

Yeah they work really well, gives your knees and back a rest anyway. I also drag mine behind me on the beach to mark out where I've been

 

[Goldbuzzhashit]

Great idea, for marking a grid

 

[Scoopa]

I Recently updated my sand scoop for working the beaches to a Stealth Sun Spot 'Classic'. These scoops are a large stainless steel design and originate from the USA. ( I was lucky enough to pick one up second hand on ebay Australia). The design cuts through the sand with ease and they hold alot of sand. No good for kids or if you have trouble lifting but they do cut your recovery time on finds. Have a look on their web site (www.stealthscoop.com). They're not cheap but are a quality item.

 

[dave14110]

Scoopa some pics would be great if you can so people can see it. Cheers dave

 

[Muttering]

great gridding idea...

wire mesh is best for wet sand, holes in plastic or old pots are fine for completely dry sand

also

Also when i say alloy pot i mean the old type with the shiny copper or purple lids

I think that's anodised aluminium

 

[cabwoody]

Hi Digger, I spoke to Aussie Detecting and Prospecting (a sponsor of this site - look in Sponsor Directory)as I am looking to buy a stainless sand scoop soon and they said that they don't have them in stock,they order them direct from the factory with an expected 2-3 week delivery from when the order is placed.
I just bought a Cyclone shovel the same as Nugget to give that a try on the beach.Shop around - I checked the price at Bunnings here,$52.98.Went to Masters up the road and it was $48.55.Went back to Bunnings and asked for the "10% discount on a cheaper same stocked item" and got it for $43.70.Now to drill some holes and to angle the cutting edge (like Goldbuzzhashit) to improve digging in wet sand.Hope this is helpful.

 

[kleinman98]

I am in Bangkok at the moment and happened to notice some nice stainless scoops that would be ideal for sand. They are about the size of 1 1/2 mugs. A bit small I know but I will try to practice my rusty Thai and find out if I can get bigger and how much.

 

[gavfromoz]

Great stuff mate, I'll be interested in your findings

 

[kleinman98]

Nah bombed out. Too flimsy. I talked to my Thai brother in law and he said if I can come up with a drawing and material list he can pitch it to some fabricators and try to get a wholesale price.
So if any of you guys can help with that then maybe we could get some going

 

[Sa_bogan]

I'm always keen on helping. How many do you need to buy for it to go ahead?

 

[kleinman98]

Well thats the thing. I need drawings first so my brother in law can take them to the fabs.he can then negotiate a price and arranga shipment if it gets that far

 

[kleinman98]

I mean if no one is interested much then I wont bother. Just thinking we could get some made at cheap labour costs and quality here is as good as anywhere.