GotAU?

Nice work, beautiful tools! Curious- I assume you are cutting these with a bandsaw? What type of blade? Also, would tempering them when complete be good or a bad thing?

Looks like he’s using pipe and making it oval. Very nice indeed!

Nice! What are you cutting the discs with, a bandsaw? Also, are you tempering the blade any?

That manzanita handle is beautiful! Its hard to find a straight piece of it much longer than a couple feet!

Yeah and don’t forget to look up when you think there’s a target under a bush. I dug a pretty big hole only to realize there was a piece of foil in the branches above my coil!🙄

Well, at least you know your detector works! 🙂 We have coyotes spreading foil around here- they eat it along with whatever food residue some slob threw out and they chew it into bits and it falls apart in their digestive system even further and they leave it in their scat for the winds to spread around. Terrible stuff!

And this one about beach metal detecting really hits home! Know anyone like this guy? 😆 The best thing about it is at least it was short! 🤣

Nice writeup Simon, and thanks for sharing! Pretty nice lump you found there! So I cringed reading the last part of your title… maybe change it to something less scary like “the funeral of a GPX 6000 coil”? 😉

I hate headphones and the internal speaker really isn’t all that desirable, so I “boosted” my audio with the Avantree collar speaker - I can still hear the significant changes in tone with it, even in a pretty noisy environment. So I saved my money for the larger coil instead.

Using the GPX6000 for prospecting, 14” DD and found these bits buried rather deep- over 1-foot each. I thought the star is a Matoushek barbed fence star, but a buddy ID’d it as a drawstring holder from a Star Tobacco bag. Also found (and lost 😞 ) this bit that looks like a Stubbe type of plate barb, redrawn only from memory. It had a #7 stamped on it and was about 1/2” wide. Does anyone recognize it?

The 14 is certainly sensitive! I picked up very small birdshot and tiny lead fragments with it at considerable depth.

I forget where I read it, but you could try lifting the 6K coil a bit off the ground when swinging in trashy areas to attenuate it’s sensitivity to the small stuff.

JP- the mic covers are called “dead cats”. Terrible name, but they work really well. Some motorcyclists and bicyclists use a similar one that goes on the helmet strap. @jasong as pointed out, the Avantre Neck collar speaker works well in wind, even better with its earplugs, and maybe even better with some over the ear wind covers for hearing aids and ear buds. Haven't tried these, they’re way too expensive for what they are and reviews are bad, but look at the photo for another idea… Windfree Wind Reduction https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L4IFB3I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CPJR0W5AWBMEHRV85F1E?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 I’ve also heard of bicyclists using tape over their earbuds- that’s got to be uncomfortable! The suggestion of earbuds with some sort of cover like a soft headband may be the less expensive and most comfortable option for strong wind…

Vance- just a warning. In case you search ebay for one- there’s a 8” mono on ebay currently on sale for $100, but I wouldn’t buy it because theres a glob of glue right where the cable goes in- may be issues there. If I see one pop up, I’ll give you heads up. Might want to ask Gerry also, he’s got some used coils. Also let me know if you are interested in either of the ones I am selling here on the classifieds- I’m open for offers!

Certainly ask the property owner like Reg obviously did! That’s a great photo of the two together like that.

Relic hunters already know this, but I’d think that many who search for nuggets and natural gold would have dismissed detecting in those plowed fields like the one Reg found that nugget. There are probably several disturbed places like roads, plowed and fallow fields, etc, where many detectors just simply haven’t been because we (beginners at least) just assume that the area is too disturbed. I know I would have dismissed it, but not anymore! Good job Reg, you showed many of us not to assume and dismiss the types of areas one can find natural gold!

Nice writeup Gerry, hope to meet up sometime in the near future- keep on writing and sharing the adventures!

Animal control in the US uses coyote baits with cyanide- a friend’s family dog died from one while he and his son were out for a walk. It was really tragic. I hope your post helps protect some family pets. Thanks!

And the 14” can pick up #5 shot several inches under ground, never mind my swinging arm and shoulder, it’s now my knees that won’t stand for it! 😉

I understand your hesitancy to take it underwater, I would probably only go as deep as the front end of the unit as well. It is a great idea to check O-rings frequently, one grain of sand can mess them up. Also check to see if the ring is getting flattened or hardened with age. If it is or has an indentation it should be replaced. Wipe and clean the ring and the channel, and use silicone grease - just a light film. Don’t use petroleum-based grease like Vaseline though, it’ll eat o-rings up.

Have you seen Gerry’s and his friends underwater finds with SDC’s?

Well, I figured out what that little dimple is on the front end of the 14 inch coil - it makes a perfect nugget holder so they don’t roll off for pictures, and they fit the little dimple perfectly. This thing is really good at finding them, I found patches all over the place, deep ones too!😉 First weekend out with it, And it’s finding birdshot all over the place. At least I’m using it right! I really like this coil and see being on my detector a lot. One thing I figured out with using it, don’t extend it all the way forward, sure makes the front and lighter. It’s also working well with my gear, pick stays in a holder behind me. I could also use my cell phone for mapping while using the detector, Guess that’s what the DD is best at. One other suggestion, I tested it and was able to use an Apple tag on the detector to help track it if it ever gets stolen. I imbedded it in the bottom of the case, and the tag does not seem to interfere with the detector, Even when using the mono coil. Just a thought if you were concerned about somebody “borrowing” it. If you’re worried about it being on the detector during use, another option is just put it in when you store the detector.

The little 8” coil is a great one. Also a good choice going with the Gold Screamer setup, it really makes for a nice package and the batteries last quite some time. Good luck with that setup, should be interesting hearing what you find with it!

One thing to try is burning off the spines in a fire- that’s how some Native Americans prepared the pads and fruit for eating them. But I can’t believe how desert tortoises can eat those without getting thrown off by the spines in their mouths and throats- Ive seen several wild ones munching on pads as well. And captive tortoises do the same with the fruit, so it isn’t for the lack of water, they just really love the stuff even if it has spines! We ‘modern’ humans are so fragile! 😉

Watched two people share a cholla ball between each other like a game of toss one time- the gal was yelling and her friend pulled it off with two sticks and flung it onto his arm. She pulled it off and got it back! Hope those spines work out, Ive had to throw out light hikers that had a bunch through the soles.