Doc

I may have jinxed myself with a name like that. But it was shorter than Swing Assist Guide Arm. One of the definitions of Saga is "a long story of heroic achievement." Hopefully it will be that kind of Saga. Not the kind of long story where I sit defeated in a corner and cry. 🤣 Doc

Hey Gang, Well, back to the drawing board. The first samples of Swing Arms we got into the field have failed miserably. Thanks to all of you who have put up with the frustration of being guinea pigs. If you have had one that failed, return to the dealer and he will refund your money, until the revised version is available. If you have one that has not failed, use it until it does, so you can give us feedback on what happened. Pictures are very helpful. So some of the things that have been identified are: 1. The strap, which I requested be made with some kind of UV rubber with fiber reinforcement was not made with reinforcement, so it stretches and then breaks. It also needs to be about 1 1/2 inches longer with one more adjustment hole. 2. The pivot ball joint has way too much play in it. It should only rotate 360 degrees with no side to side movement. Initially I thought it would give more freedom of movement, but it is movement that is not necessary and causes undo stress on the joint and a feeling of instability. The purpose of the ball joint is to only allow the arm to move up and down so it does not break. But the opposite is happening, because it has so much movement, there is a lot of stress on the part. That is an easy fix, the collar has to be redesigned to restrict the movement. I'll try to attach a pdf file to show you what I am talking about. Collar correction.pdf 3. The pivot joint, the one that has a pin in it that allows the Swing Arm to swing out and away from the detector is too thin and flimsy. This was supposed to be made of Nyglass, but I think they used something that was not suitable for this part. This will have to be redesigned to be thicker with tougher material and a more substantial nylon pin that will be sonic welded into place. The concept and functionality is solid, it is just the materials and some of the design that needs to be corrected. Now I don't know many manufacturers that announce to the public that they "screwed the pooch" so to speak. But you guys have always been very helpful with ideas and suggestions and helping me field test all this crazy stuff I come up with. So I wanted to include you on this. And trust me, this is the process I go through every time with everything I develop. From initial concept, to design to prototype to pre-production to testing to modification and back to testing and then to full production and shipping and delivery and to the market runs about 9 months to 1 year. Sometimes things go very smoothly, sometimes, not so much. It depends on the complexity of the item. Unfortunately for this SAGA swing arm there are so many different molded moving parts. 2 Molds for the handle, a mold for the storage clip, 3 molds for the pivot and pivot ball joint assembly, 1 mold for the straps, a mold for the buttons in the fiberglass rod, extrusion mold for the fiberglass rods. About $10,000 in mold costs alone. Fun, right? However, I have never brought to market anything that I don't use myself and stand behind 100% And the SAGA Swing Assist Guide Arm will be no different. So your patience is appreciated as we work on SAGA™ Version 2.0 Speaking of production, the "G Spot" scoops are in production but I had them made with a satin finish as in the attached picture. The shiny ABS material caused too much glare in my opinion and was too slick allowing small gold to slide too easily. The top picture is the new satin finish and the bottom scoop was the shiny prototype. Standby while we work out the bugs. Thank you and Happy New Year. Doc

An Aussie Prospector's Christmas Poem © 2002 G.M. "DOC" Louignont, Ph.D. 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all o’er the land. Not a creature was stirring, not even one bloke with detector in hand; The Roo Scrotums wereall hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that a gold nugget from St. Nick would soon be in there; The ol’ prospector’s in OZ were nestled all snug in their swags, The same for prospector’s in the U.S. but there they call them sleeping bags; Mamma was still at home and I was still out bush, Down Under I wanted to be home for Christmas but I was bogged down because of rain and thunder, When outside my tent a terrible noise waked me from my sleep, Fleeing for me life out of the tent I did try to leap. I rushed right through the mozzie netting ripping it right fast, Tripped over me privates parts I did, and fell flat on me ass. The moon on the dry lake showed wet puddles of muddy mush It brought a tear to my eye when I saw a full can of beer I did crush, When, what to my bloodshot eyes should make me scream WOO HOO, But a miniature sleigh, pulled by eight Big Red Kangaroo, With a little old prospector, so lively and quick, I knew in an eye blink it must be St. Nick. More rapid than emu his Roo’s they came, And he screamed, and cursed, and called them by name; "Now, Skippie! now, Shelia! now, Bloke and Wanker! On, Cobber! on Mate! on, Dingo and Drongo! To the top of the trees those eight Roos flew all! I heard him scream, "Get your arse in gear or I’ll cut off your balls!" As hot winds that blow sometimes on a blistering December night, When those Roo’s got out of line, he did make them fly right! So up over those tree tops those Joeys they flew, With the sleigh full of detectors, and St. Nicholas too. As quick as a bean fart, I heard somewhere from behind The rustling of the brush, and the smell of beer and cheap wine. As I rose from me arse, and was turning ‘round in my place, Into my camp stumbled St. Nick and he fell right on his face. He was all dressed in detecting gear, from his head to his no metal boots, And his clothes were all tarnished with red dirt; he was a nasty ol’ coot; A bundle of detectors he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes -- how bloodshot, his fat gut how disgusting! A string of rancid burps and putrid farts he kept busting! He smelled of booze, his breathe it was plain outrageous, And the beard of his chin so filthy I hoped there was nothing contagious; The stump of a fag he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath; But he had a broad smiling face when he screamed, "Put on the Billy." "You think I got all night to sit with you? Don’t be so damn silly!" He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, But his smell was so awful it about made me puke on myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, He told me he was so drunk he’d just like to go right on to bed; "But I got detectors to deliver," He said, "all over the damn place", "Getting them all to prospectors before daybreak, will be quite a race!" And grabbing a hand full of his knickers and scratchin’ his ass, He roared, "Is that Billy workin’ I want tea, I need to get out of here fast;" He sprang to his sleigh, to his Roo’s gave a cursing command, "You better get to friggin' flying or you’ll feel the back of my hand!" But I heard him exclaim, as he flew out over the lake, "Why don’t you quit looking for gold and spend Christmas with your family for Christ's sake!" Merry Christmas to all my mates here in the U.S. and Down Under wishing you a joyous and blessed Christmas and a glorious New Year - Doc and Diana

Merry Christmas Gerry and Michelle! Yes I have always believed that in Marketing the question, "What's in a name?" The answer is"EVERYTHING!". And you are right it started with the Swingy Thingy, with the tag line, "Stupid name, brilliant idea." When I originally started representing Coiltek when John Kah owned the company, I told John, I'm going to name your coils. The first sample coils he sent me he said, don't worry about the orange color, we can make them in a different color, that was just some scrap plastic we used. I said, on no! You don't understand, I am going to make that orange coil famous, you're going to need a lot more orange plastic. I want someone to look down the beach see someone using an orange coil, and say, "Oh look, that guy is using a Coiltek WOT coil." And so a whole line of coils was born, the Joey coil, the UFO, the Wallaby, etc. And I have had a blast working with all my great dealer like you and our fellow prospectors. Getting to see you and Michelle in far off places around the world when we get together for the Global Minelab conferences is something I really look forward to. And yes the Kangaroo Scrotum Pouches are real, from real Kangaroos harvested under license from the Australian government. They are so real they are illegal to possess in California, because some nitwit environmentalists convinced the legislature in California that Kangaroos are endangered. Kangaroo mice are endangered, not Kangaroos. (California, the land of fruits and nuts. Streets full of homeless and feces.) What a terrible fate for a beautiful state. Best Wishes for a great New Year, Doc and Diana

It will probably be about 40 days before I get the production run of 5000 scoops. I am going to have them made less shiny, I think it would cause too much glare for them to be that shiny. I want them to have a more matt finish. Doc

Oh come on, the fact that someone thought I didn't know it was a double entendre, is hysterical. I'm a 70 year old man, married 50 years, with a PhD and extensive education in human anatomy and physiology. And I was a street cop. There isn't too much I haven't seen or heard, my life has definitely not been lived under a rock. I think it was really nice for Lacky to be concerned and try to delicately explain that maybe I did something unintentional that I might be embarrassed by. I mean that could be a very big WHOOPS, if someone was sort of staunch and didn't realize they had done something like that. I think we all need to look out for one another more. Thanks Lacky! I thought about it. I don't think I would ever refer to it as the "G Spot" in advertising???? I guess I would have to see how it is received. All you need is one person that doesn't have a sense of humor to make a fuss. But I knew inevitably the jokes would come. "Hey what kind of scoop is that?" "It's my G Spot." "Can I touch it?" "No! Keep your hands off my G Spot." "You're awfully sensitive about your G Spot!" "Well it's the only one I have, and I don't want you to lose it?" "Damn it, I loaned my G Spot to John and he lost it." "Your G Spot??? John lost it? What in the hell are you talking about?" Don't tell me this won't be the source of many giggles among us goofball prospectors. I mean I could go crazy with ads about this scoop, but they might offend someone. Not to mention the magazines might not even run them. AD COPY: "If you've been looking for the G Spot all your life and haven't been able to find it, WELL, here they are!" I mean look at the LOGO on the scoop, it says Gold SPOT. OK so the G and the SPOT are all capitalized, must have been a typo??? 😀 Merry Christmas gang! -Doc

You know, all kidding aside, it sounds like something I would do. I mean it wouldn't be the first time that I got words confused, or used a word in a sentence that was impromptu, I mean inappropriate. 🤣 Doc

OMG, really? So do you mean I shouldn't use the tagline. "When you learn to use the G Spot correctly, women will want you, and men will want to be like you." or "The "G Spot" treasure scoop... turning prospectors into something they've always wanted to be... sex objects." OK, so originally I thought of the name Gold Spot, because it just made sense, and I liked the name. But then I started calling it the G Spot, because I think we have a natural inclination to shorten words. I know the connotation, but it's not like everyone and their brother wouldn't shorten it. Not to give it a sexual connotation, it is just what people do with words. I mean we call the GPZ7000 the ZED. I can't be held responsible if you guys have a dirty mind. Besides I did a focus group with a bunch of your wives, they said it was no problem because most of you don't have a clue what it means. 😀

It would probably work fine, if you can remove the base stands. Then I would get suspender clamps and secure them to the back of the speakers. Then you can clamp them to your suspenders or back pack and they will not be flopping around. Doc

Doc's Nugget Stalker Brand™ "SAGA™" Swing Assist Guide Arm $44.95 -Doc

The second NEW ITEM - Coming soon in approximately 40 days. Doc's Nugget Stalker™ Brand, The "Gold SPOT" or "G Spot" Nugget recovery scoop/pocket gold pan. So what about a recovery scoop and a pocket gold pan in one? I promised you that I would be giving you another surprise this week. I have always loved using a recovery scoop, but it sort of aggravated me that little pieces of gold would sometimes sneak out of the scoop when I was trying to sift dirt into my hand. This aggravation has been even more exacerbated by the introduction of machines like the Gold Monster that find such dinky pieces of gold that they can surf right on top of the dirt and be easily lost. I have always advocated that when you get the target into your scoop try to agitate the dirt so the heavy gold sinks to the bottom. Well what if there was a scoop made where the bottom of the scoop was recessed a little to make it a SPOT to catch the GOLD. A Gold SPOT, Or a "G" Spot? Then what if the scoop was designed with an incline that led to three riffles of three different heights? This way when you sift the dirt out into your hand, the riffles stop the heavy gold and hold it making it easier to recover? I designed the "G" Spot so the scoop is smooth on the bottom so you can shove it in your pocket and take it out with ease. I looked at gold pans and they always form the riffles by molding them into the pan by raising the riffles on the inside of the pan by indenting the molded material on the bottom of the pan. This just causes a weak spot, and leaves crevices for dirt to collect in. This scoop is made of tough ABS plastic, the same thing they make sewer pipes out of. I weigh 170 pounds I stood on one and bounced up and down and it's solid. I am seeing whether they can tone done the shiny look as it causes too much glare. Like to work crevices? Scrape the material out of the crevice, put it in the G Spot, add a little water to the "G" Spot and you have a pocket gold pan that really works great, very fast and very convenient. I think the "G" Spot with these unique features will speed up target recovery and it's just fun to use.. I guess this is actually sort of a tease because I only have these 5 scoops. They are just the pre-production proto-types sent to me for approval. So what do you all think should I approve these to go into production? I vote yes! What do you think? Price to be determined after I know the shipping costs, duty and tariffs. I don't even want to tell you what the mold costs were for this project. My kids and grandkids really didn't need to have Christmas presents this year. LOL Doc

So first, we have the new Nugget Stalker padded arm cuff cover for the SD/GP/GPX series of detectors. There must he a gazillion detectors out there and no one has ever made a decent arm cuff cover to pad that steel arm cuff. Well, no more. And we are now using quality 3M hook and loop. Hook and loop inside the pockets allow you to secure the pockets of the cover to the steel arm cuff, to give a solid fit. You have no idea how comfortable this is on your arm and elbow. The cushion of the padded cuff and the way this cover cradles your arm really makes you wonder how you ever detected without this accessory. $24.95 -Doc The feedback I got from the very first one I sold on Ebay was: " A++ The Most Beautiful Item I have ever purchased, Fits my Minelab SD2200D ! " A great comment, but "The most beautiful thing he has ever purchased?" Has be been shopping at Goodwill all his life? ...however, these cuffs are extremely well made.

Your Gold Digger picks look amazing. However, my experience with S.H.Wallace was disappointing. Don't get me wrong, they are a fantastic company and Cliff and company are great people. However, I think they underestimated the American market and in particular my marketing reach. And they had no control over their suppliers who could not meet demand. Once I started ordering 300 picks at a time, and placing additional orders before they had even shipped the 300, they started having supply issues with the company that supplied handles. I had spent thousands and thousands of dollars advertising and marketing WALCO picks in the United States and it was way more successful then I think they could have expected. I overwhelmed them with orders and ended up with a lot of disappointed customers. Not to mention most of the cost of the picks were wrapped up in exorbitant shipping costs. We parted way as good friends that realized some things were beyond our control. S.H. Wallace had no control over a handle manufacturing company that could not timely deliver handles to fill my orders. Doc

Dear Digsalot, Glad to have your feedback. As with everything, everyone has different opinions about what they like and what they don't. I'm not going to get too involved in explaining why I designed the pick in this manner. I value all criticism and opinions because after all, all opinions are valid, and they will help me make better products. I used the pick on an outing for the first time last week. I was very pleased. I designed this pick based on things I want in a pick. But what I want, may not necessarily be what the masses want. The sharp blade that you mention could develop nicks??? Under no circumstance should you ever use the wide blade of the pick to hack at the ground, so I assume that is not what you were doing. I always use the pick end to break up the ground and the wide blade to pull the dirt out of the hole. I know I sometimes have to fight the urge to use that wide blade to hack at the ground. The purpose in having the sharp edge on the wide end is to deal with dead brush that many times get in the way of recovering a target. I detect a lot of nuggets that are close to or in bushes that line gullies. Being able to clear that brush and get my coil over the target is a plus. I do agree that I think the blade is a little too sharp, but man does it clear the brush. I do take exception to your statement. " I was going to special order picks like this from Australia from the original designer." I am the original designer! Yes! I am the original designer of the WALCO pick with bent edges from S.H. Wallace in Australia. At one point in time I was the major importer of WALCO picks into the United States. At that time they offered the W1 and W3 pick. The smaller one was shaped like a piece of pizza, and the other was larger with a spike on one end welded to a wide blade on the other end. I told S.H. Wallace that I wanted them to make two picks that were basically the same size, but I wanted the wide blade to be shaped differently with bent wings to enable more efficient dirt removal. They complied with my design request and I dubbed these picks the WOMBAT picks. I still have the emails from November and December of 2004 where I am giving them instructions on making the blade wider, and then finally to bend the edges in. December 9, 2004: "Can you call Cliff at S.H. Wallace and ask them if they got my email back to them upping my order of picks in the new design, and whether they can bend the edges in a bit ? Thanks! Doc" The bitter truth is that WALCO makes amazing picks, but they could not keep up with my demand here in the U.S. I remember the first time I ordered 300 picks, and they asked, "Mate, what are you going to do with 300 picks?" LOL They were having problems getting the number of handles needed to fill my orders. I personally found the handle on my new Nugget Stalker pick very comfortable, but I may not be a good judge. I'm a little guy, 5'7" with small hands, and wear a 9.5 shoe.... no jokes please! So for me the handle feels good. I grasp it right in front of the end of the handle where it gets larger. That larger end gives me the feeling that the pick will not slip from my hand. How did you feel about the weight? It is one of the lighter picks I have ever designed. It comes in right under three pounds, which is significantly different from the prior pick I designed which weighed almost 5 pounds. I am wondering whether the pick point seeming to slide to the side is a product of the pick point, or the lack of weight? As I said I am going to be very interested in how your modifications affect performance. Fortunately my pick is made in the United States and I have complete control over modifying the design elements, including the grind of the blade shaping the point and the way the handle is made. I hope others will be as thorough in testing this pick and offering their input. It was 1990 when I designed the first commercially available prospecting pick. Up until that time everyone was making their own with their trusty welders. However if you were not fortunate enough to know how to weld, you were stuck trying to use a Estwing pick, which were woefully inadequate. I really do appreciate your in depth critique. I know it takes a lot of time to do a write up like this, and a lot of thought. I look forward to hearing your evaluation after you have done your modifications. My first run of picks was only 200 pieces, so there is always room for improvement. Thanks again for the thoughtful evaluation. Digsalot,, Listen if you need another pick to play with modifications, let me know. I would only ask that you share with me the results, good or bad that you experience from modifying. Doc