Metal detectors

[Ga_Boy]

Maple,

I got me a set of those same e-mails.  I log on to UPS and status is "In Transit". >:(



Mark

[tawilson]

UNCLEBUCK,
You sure you didn't get a geiger counter by mistake? :D

[Captain]

I bought my first White's (a Classic 2) from Kellyco.  Good Deal.

When it began acting up after a rain incident, and a supposed coil problem from mishandling, I went to a local dealer for service.

He took a rental unit and we changed the coil with no difference, and the battery pack with no difference.  We then decided the problem was beyond either of us and needed to be sent to a service facility.  I bought a new Classic 1 from him as I NEEDED A DETECTOR NOW!!  He gave me a good deal..not as good a Kellyco, but hey, this guy runs this shop out of his basement part time.

I returned my Classic 2 to White's with a note inside describing what we did and the rain incident, requesting an estimate for repair and sent it off to the factory.  I got a call 5 days later saying the cost was going to be $15 for shipping, the unit was fixed no charge, under warranty, even though technically the warranty had expired 2 months before.  Obviously, I was very pleased.

Now I have 2 metal detectors.  Great items to have around with a 5YO son who likes to take keys, tools, router bits, shaper cutters....

They have both paid for themselves twenty fold with the blade service savings and the retrieval of lost items....

Captain

[Cedarman]

The only good thing about hitting a ceramic insulator is that it takes all the decision effort out of what to do with the blade.

[leweee]

The only good thing about hitting a ceramic insulator is that it takes all the decision effort out of what to do with the blade.

Ditto that for chainsaw chain also

[maple flats]

GA_BOY, I went to UPS and tracked the shipment. It was sent about 5 hours after I got the email from Kellyco, I guess that is close enough. UPS says I will get it on the 4/26, Sure hope they are right, usually are.

[Ga_Boy]

Maple,

I got my unit Thursday afternoon. 

I called Kellyco Thursday morning and told them that UPS had "rescheduled" my delivery from 4/20 to 4/21.  Kellyco said this was not a good sign. :(  This usually means the package is lost in the system some where.

Well, I got another e-mail from Kellyco last night; they refunded my shipping charge as the service that I paid for was not provided.   This is a step in the right direction.

I am still a little upset with these guys.  It took them 2 days to find out that the unit I ordered was not instock.  The rub is, I paid for 2 day shipping and the day the unit was to arrive is the day they called to tell me they did not have a unit to ship.  From the day I placed my order to the day I received my unit was 7 days of clear sky and great weather.

Now its raining and I gotta wait until the weather clears to scanning my logs. >:(   I could have had this done by Wednesday if I had gotten what I paid for.

I hope your unit works well.  From what I have read about these Classics they appear to be good units.  Time will tell.




Mark

[Smakman]

Let's say you have a nice log, but your metal detector tells you that it has some metal in it.  What do you do with the log?

[DanG]

It depends on several factors. If it is near the end of a long log, I may just lop that part off with the chainsaw.  If I can't do that, and the log is worth the extra effort, I dig it out with an air chisel.  Having air power is a luxury that comes with sawing at home. ;D  I probably save some logs that would be lost if I had to do that by hand.  I have trashed a couple of logs after digging to the point that it just ain't worth sawing. :-\

[Tom]

A lot depends on the value of the log.  I've taken metal from cherry logs until they looked like Swiss Cheese because the log owner had sentimental ties to the tree.

It is a good reason to learn how to make Plunge cuts with a chain saw.  You surround the site with plunges and pop it out with a hammer.

The Hammer that I've found to be the most useful is a heavy ripping claw hammer.  Sharpen the claw from the underside so that it can be used more like an axe.  Don't put a bevel on the top of the claw because you still need to be able to get it under a nail for extraction.

Other tools I use are Water pump pliers (use the back to roll the nail out of the wood), Vice-grips, chisels and axes.   I make my own chisels from old files or pieces of lawnmower blade, etc.  Don't strike these with a hammer.  You will produce metal shards that are dangerous to you and your by-standers.   I make a mallet from an old limb of hardwood like dogwood or beech or some of the oaks or hickory.

You can make a mallet during a those boring times when everybody else is taking a lunch break.  :D   Take a limb and score it all the way around in several places about an inch apart.  A chain saw will do this if you are careful.  Split the scorings off and whittle the "handle" smooth.  Then cut the head off at the desired length.  You will end up with something that looks like this.


Use the long piece of the limb when scoring to keep your hands away from the saw. Then cut it to length later.   Heck, it's just common sense.  :D

[JP]

Hi all: My "other" hoby is Metal detecting-- Beaches, celler holes.parks etc.
I own a Whites DFX top of the line unit. a Bounty Hunter-Quick draw 11 and a Garrett 135--None will detect a nail or a coin at over 12" in the ground ( or in a log)--I use the Quick draw on the suspecious logs and its brob. good for 5-6",  any more and I would be amazed//--a detector that can find a nail at 36" will find the saw rails at 48" and be usless// JP

[Gilman]

Dang Tom,
I read your directions three times, I still can't get it right.  This is as close as I can get using my chainsaw and pocket knife.  I guess I'd better keep trying until I get it right.

[UNCLEBUCK]

Nice Gilman  ;)  JP are you saying that you do your metal detection when the log is on the carriage before the dogs go down ?  When and where do you find a good place to check for metal ?  Thanks , You  ever run a bounty hunter 212 ?

[Ga_Boy]

JP,

When I scan logs they are wooden runners.

I found that using the Fisher 1225 on a 18" log sitting on a Woodmizer was useless.  No matter what I did I detected the mill.

It did not take long to learn to scan logs before they go on the mill. :



Mark

[Tom]

I see what's wrong, Gilman.  That stick must've had a hole in it.    :D

[JP]

i CAN SCAN A 20" LOG ON THE WILL--LOOKING AT THE TOP 6ISH "
WITH THE BOUNTY HUNTER qUICK DRAW II- I have not tried any other unit but been on the beech with lots --except for the descrimination and bells and whistles they all are about the same within each price range//--I have a "test plot" in the yard with coins ,nails,etc set at from 2 to 12" in the ground-THe DFX (900.00$) is the best but only by a few inches. none can find the Quarter at 12" in spite of all the add BS.-this summer I will purchase the big 18" super coil and see what that does--JP

[maple flats]

My new metal detector arrived today. Now I've got to test it out to see how well it will find metal in logs. I know of 2 trees at my boundry lines that have wire in them to try, but not really sure how deep it is, I assume it would be sort of straight from the ends that show and will test with that idea to see if I can detect at a guessed depth of up to 18 inches in one case. I will not however cut that tree, not worth anything. A cherry about 36-40" at base but rotten in many spots and a real danger to cut besides the wire, a widdow maker for sure, not for me to try! After the test I will try it on some of my logs and see if any have metal inside. 8) 8) Already went outside and got some readings in the back yard, but all I found was junk, NO VALUABLES YET!! 8) 8) Ha! and I was sure there was burried treasure out there!

[woodbowl]

Every now and then, a customer will bring out his metal detector and attempt to find every nail in their log pile. Up untill now, I've not seen a no nonsence detector that could tell me, with pinpoint acurancy, where the bad day object is! Well..........it's somewhere right in there. I heard it a while ago but now it won't do it. Oh, there it goes.  Yea, it's got to be somewhere within that 10" disk area!----------One day I got a job sawing some logs for the telephone man. He just happened to have in his truck the wand used to locate telephone wires under the ground. The end of the probe is about the size of a walking stick. We found every nail right on the money! Somebody help me. What is the official name for it, what do they cost and where could they be found for the general public. Got to get one of those.

[Tom]

Here is an URL to one like you describe.

Using a coil one a hobby detector is an art too.  If you place a coin on the ground and hold the detector as high as you can get a signal, then you have placed the coin at the apex of the "cone" that the coil sees.  That cone appears above and below the coil.   By moving the coil in a sweeping motion, one can get good at determining the exact spot that the metal occurs.  If the metal isn't too deep, using the edge of the coil can help too.

[UNCLEBUCK]

Good tip Tom , I am going to take a stack of boards and place some nails and tinfoil in between and keep adding boards until I dont get a signal . That will be my test so I can figure out this bounty hunter . I will lay boards against the side of the stack too . Yep I gonna build a log !

[Tom]

You probably won't find much difference in the wood or detecting through the air.  Air is easier to learn.

The density of some woods and the amount of water in the wood might effect it some.  I have found a nail that was sticking out of the wood because the detector was pointing at it.  It didn't go off.  I'm told that the reason is that a detector works by seeing the difference in density between the iron and the surrounding materials.  Wet wood can imitate the density of iron.   Now I don't really know that, but, it does answer the problems I've run into when I couldn't "see" the nail with the detector.   You also have to keep the coil moving too. It's the only way to find the location of the iron.   If you move real slowly, a lot of detectors won't sound off.

[UNCLEBUCK]

Thanks again , I will keep it moving and just take some time and practice alot until I learn all the beeps. I tried it through 4 inches of cement and found where the rebar was but I was looking for the floor tubing that had aluminum in it. I will definatetly work on my sweep.

[maple flats]

My new detector flunked the test. I could not find known barbed wire in a log. Only could read it where it stuck out and then only 5" thru air. I sent a request to Kellyco to return it and get a different one. The specs on this one said 8" but only got 5". I'll keep you guys posted about this saga. smiley_annoyed01 smiley_argue01

[Tom]

Wire is a difficult thing for most detectors.  Wire the size of barbed wire isn't too bad but smaller stuff gives strange readings.  You have to get used to the sounds that a detector makes when it finds certain articles.  Pop-tops sound different than quarters.  22 casings sound different than nails.  A nail on end sounds different than a nail from the side.   Wire the size of Bee Frame wire or fishing leader will drive you nuts.  Something that has turned completely to rust can drive you nuts as can mineralized ground.

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Unfortunately, Mapleflats problem is all too common. I have posted here several times about finding a Detector STORE, and trying out the machines, before the purchase.  Usually, operator error is the reason detectors don't perform to the specs.

  A detector is actually a "send and receive" radio. It sends a signal and whatever bounces back, the detector will "see".

  A lower priced detector will do a fair job, IF you learn how to use it.

  We KNOW the Bounty Hunter Quickdraw is a better than average machine, for the price. We used to sell them.

  Minelab makes a different configuration coil and will DEFINITELY go 18" +.  Detectors "see" mass. The more solid the target, the better. Jewelry Chains are found by the clasp or Pendant, because the chain is NOT solid mass.

  Coil size is paramount to depth. Air tests are nearly worthless. The more moisture and minerals around the target, forming a "Halo" from breakdown of the target metal, the better the signal.

  An experienced operator can find things with a less expensive machine, the same as a race car driver can win races with a less than perfect car.

  We sold a couple of Garrett machines to members of this forum, and received no feedback. I told them to IM me if there was ANY problem learning the machine. No response, so, I don't offer anymore.

  Kellyco is our closest big competitor, and many people drive 2 hours or more, to buy from us, than have to deal with Kellyco. Not my words, just passing along info. I am not knocking Kellyco.

  General rule of thumb:  Sensitivity wide open  Discrimination low as possible.  All metal mode if the machine has it.   HEADPHONES are a BIG factor.  Some models offer Pinpoint Mode.  Good feature.