Recommend A Long Handle Detecting Shovel

[Doc Bach]

44 minutes ago, Bootscrape said:

Sorry NCtoad, but after making this lot from the one disc, I’m all outa steel.

Thanks for the endorsement though👍

 

Impressive work there Bootscrape.I really like the long handled pick with it's wide blade...move a lot of dirt with that one.

[phrunt]

Avoid the Lesche Samson T-Handle like the plague, absolute rubbish, Imported one myself from America, broke in the first couple of weeks with it bending backwards at the join and snapping, got a replacement, it broke a couple of months later in a different spot, the shaft snapped in half lifting out a plug and I'm in soft loamy soils.  Since then I've used a $9.95 Chinese made mini camping shovel from the local hardware store, well over a year now and not had an issue.  Previously I was using a 10+ year old cheap junk camping shovel which I retired as it's handle went pink from old age when it used to be red and pink wasn't a colour I wanted to be prancing around the fields with, the Sampson was it's replacement that I expected to be an upgrade, huge mistake.  Absolute junk.

[Bootscrape]

Sorry to hear that about your Lesche digger mate, but I couldn’t disagree more after having used my Sampson for many years now. I have found it to be very robust and effective in all types of Aussie ground. I have also used it to dig many a “long drop” dunny in hard rocky campsites without problems.

Maybe yours were ‘seconds’ or just had some manufacturing stress faults.

These pics of mine show how much wear the blade has suffered over the years, but the integrity of the welds is fine.

 

[phrunt]

9 minutes ago, Bootscrape said:

Sorry to hear that about your Lesche digger mate, but I couldn’t disagree more after having used my Sampson for many years now. I have found it to be very robust and effective in all types of Aussie ground. I have also used it to dig many a “long drop” dunny in hard rocky campsites without problems.

Maybe yours were ‘seconds’ or just had some manufacturing stress faults.

These pics of mine show how much wear the blade has suffered over the years, but the integrity of the welds is fine.

I think it's more a case of quality has gone downhill over the years, mine was a recent purchase, they were great replacing it under warranty as it bent so quickly, but the replacement was no better.  The tube is super thin.  I put photos up on here, I can find them if you want to see them but the first bent easily, the second snapped on the shaft.

Maybe you're lucky to have an old one

 

[Bootscrape]

6 minutes ago, phrunt said:

I think it's more a case of quality has gone downhill over the years, mine was a recent purchase, they were great replacing it under warranty as it bent so quickly, but the replacement was no better.  The tube is super thin.  I put photos up on here, I can find them if you want to see them but the first bent easily, the second snapped on the shaft.

Maybe you're lucky to have an old one

 

Yes, you’re probably right with the downhill trend regarding quality with anything these days. I got mine almost 10 years ago.

 

[unox]

23 hours ago, Bootscrape said:

I made my own version of the Predator Phoenix shovel from a plough disc. The steel in these discs is ideal for prospecting picks and shovels. The curvature is similar to the Phoenix blade and cuts a perfect plug.

 

That's a great looking tool you make there Bootscrape, I am big on Diy stuff. Did you use some sort of template for that shovel or did you just wing it as you went along.

[eclipse]

I'm using Noka Makro foldable shovel. It's not best but it does the job and you can put in in you backpack for easy transportation. 

 

[Bootscrape]

22 minutes ago, unox said:

That's a great looking tool you make there Bootscrape, I am big on Diy stuff. Did you use some sort of template for that shovel or did you just wing it as you went along.

Hey unox.... as you can see from this pic, I just drew out the shape on the plough disc and cut it out with a angle grinder. The curvature of the disc is ideal for a digger. I did get the cutting slits done by a saw workshop.

 

[unox]

4 minutes ago, Bootscrape said:

Hey unox.... as you can see from this pic, I just drew out the shape on the plough disc and cut it out with a angle grinder. The curvature of the disc is ideal for a digger. I did get the cutting slits done by a saw workshop.

Thanks Bootscrape, I will keep a lookout for a plough disc. I made all my own picks from 4wd springs, but I want to refine them a little and the plough disc will be the perfect for what I am looking for.

[JCR]

You might check with a farm tractor/implement repair shop. They probably have some worn discs in their scrap pile.