Charles Garrett & The Coming Storm

[JohnnyRox]

Welcome and I thought I remembered reading about you somewhere.  Good read!

 

https://stoutstandards.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/bob-sickler-the-detectorist/

[Redneck]

Welcome Bob!  When I was a Minelab dealer in the late 90's I sold a few of your books. And I loved your artwork in the Western and Eastern Treasure Magazines. Glad to hear you are doing well.!

[Bob Sickler]

Thanks Guys! I had fun doing that interview with Dick Stout back then. I was a bit younger looking for sure! 🙂 Kinda like being Rip Van Winkle in the public sunshine! It brought back some really great memories of my time involved writing and metal detecting in general. My time in the industry feels like when horses were abandoned for the automobile! I've witnessed the change from early analog to present digital, but the Induction Balance principle of detection still remains the same. Will we ever re-invent the "wheel"?... Only time will tell. At my current age and health, I'm blessed to still be able to get out and hunt most of the day. Glad I didn't head out today though, it's raining "14" searchcoils" here in NY! Even an AT-Pro wouldn't stay dry today!

Thank you for the praise on my artwork. To a life-long graphic artist and designer, that is very nice to read. I had fun re-designing the department headers for WE&T. It's not every day you get to use two of your talents at once. Writing my books was another great way to use two talents. Both were written, designed, illustrated and self-published from 1993 into the 2000's. Income from the books helped me start my own graphic design business which I have enjoyed for the last 28 years. Today I'm semi-retired, only writing on this forum, and spend more time outdoors when able.

[Steve Herschbach]

45 minutes ago, Bob Sickler said:

Thanks Guys! I had fun doing that interview with Dick Stout back then. I was a bit younger looking for sure! 🙂 Kinda like being Rip Van Winkle in the public sunshine! It brought back some really great memories of my time involved writing and metal detecting in general. My time in the industry feels like when horses were abandoned for the automobile! I've witnessed the change from early analog to present digital, but the Induction Balance principle of detection still remains the same. Will we ever re-invent the "wheel"?... Only time will tell. At my current age and health, I'm blessed to still be able to get out and hunt most of the day. Glad I didn't head out today though, it's raining "14" searchcoils" here in NY! Even an AT-Pro wouldn't stay dry today!

Thank you for the praise on my artwork. To a life-long graphic artist and designer, that is very nice to read. I had fun re-designing the department headers for WE&T. It's not every day you get to use two of your talents at once. Writing my books was another great way to use two talents. Both were written, designed, illustrated and self-published from 1993 into the 2000's. Income from the books helped me start my own graphic design business which I have enjoyed for the last 28 years. Today I'm semi-retired, only writing on this forum, and spend more time outdoors when able.

Was this your work Bob? If so, one of the more famous illustrations in metal detecting. I believe I lifted this from one of the old Tesoro catalogs and repost whenever the subject of proper digging technique comes up.

I really appreciate good illustrations and graphic design, and it was the quality of your work in that regard that really helped set your books apart from all the rest.

[Bob Sickler]

Yes, and thanks Steve. Jim Lewellen (then president of the original Fisher) commissioned me to create a digging tutorial for his own use originally. It then became one of my articles in WE&T that I would not take compensation for in hopes it would better educate the digging public and those who would give us permission to so. While I didn't invent the rudimentary techniques I'm sure, I did improve on them a little I hope. The text and graphics became very popular and was picked up by Jack Gifford of Tesoro later on. Jim then offered me a position at Fisher in CA in 1984, but I had to turn him down. My mother was ill with cancer and I didn't want fly back and forth frequently.

The use of my own illustrations in the book was in part purely to economize on the printing costs and to add my "signature" to the work. Sometimes halftone photos just don't do it for me as far as clarity goes. Besides, computer graphics were just becoming popular for graphics and I was able to publish all on my own and save. I found a good printer in Florida and the rest was setting up a dealer network. I did the pallet lugging from the trailer trucks and the re-ships to individual customers and dealers at the PO. Not an easy life, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

[Bill (S. CA)]

My gosh, Bob, you are a detecting rock star!  That illustration should be framed in a metal detecting museum.  It should also required reading for our new generation of hunters that seems to like to use backhoes at parks to recover targets.

[Bob Sickler]

Ha Steve, now that I look at those illustrations (above) I realize we didn't have hand-held electronic pin-pointers yet! Only the modified screwdriver and brass probe! I'm sure people were thinking about them around that time though, but I don't think they were in general use yet.

OK Bill, now I am starting to feel like an old dinosaur!😆 But then again, I did spend a lot of years playing electric guitar in bands! 🎸 You are correct, people are using the wrong tools in public parks today. But, this has been said a long time ago as well and was the reason Fisher first wanted me to do the T'N'T piece.

[rvpopeye]

 

Welcome aboard from uptah camp Bob !

After reading several posts here by the forum's heavy hitters (I am not worthy) I want to thank you for deciding to make the best forum even better by comin' aboard !  I remember seeing that illustration too and I still use what I learned from it. 

I see you mentioned something about replicating guitars and amps in your bio.  Did you mean build from scratch kinda stuff ?  That's impressive . I designed a prototype circuit for a local luthier and dabble a bit myself .  I spent my life on the road in the business as a sound system tech , now just an OSM (old sound man)  and a fan of Uncle Doug.....  

 

 

[Bill (S. CA)]

1 hour ago, Bob Sickler said:

Ha Steve, now that I look at those illustrations (above) I realize we didn't have hand-held electronic pin-pointers yet! Only the modified screwdriver and brass probe! I'm sure people were thinking about them around that time though, but I don't think they were in general use yet.

OK Bill, now I am starting to feel like an old dinosaur!😆 But then again, I did spend a lot of years playing electric guitar in bands! 🎸 You are correct, people are using the wrong tools in public parks today. But, this has been said a long time ago as well and was the reason Fisher first wanted me to do the T'N'T piece.

I would refer to us as cagey veterans, Bob.

I remember practicing and practicing your probing technique.  My dad got me an ice pick and rounded the tip of an eight inch screwdriver.  I could never get the last step right where the turf went back together seamlessly. The rotation with the screwdriver part was always my nemesis!

I do remember being pretty good at pinpointing without having a pinpointer.  I used to practice with a coin taped to a piece of cardboard and I would use a pin to poke through to see if I was on the target.

My first pinpointer was a Tiny Tec.  If I remember correctly it always went out of tune and got zero depth.  But I still thought it was cool to have.  Nowadays there are so many options but I still like my ProPointer II the best of all.

Bill

[Bob Sickler]

20 minutes ago, rvpopeye said:

 

Welcome aboard from uptah camp Bob !

After reading several posts here by the forum's heavy hitters (I am not worthy) I want to thank you for deciding to make the best forum even better by comin' aboard !  I remember seeing that illustration too and I still use what I learned from it. 

I see you mentioned something about replicating guitars and amps in your bio.  Did you mean build from scratch kinda stuff ?  That's impressive . I designed a prototype circuit for a local luthier and dabble a bit myself .  I spent my life on the road in the business as a sound system tech , now just an OSM (old sound man)  and a fan of Uncle Doug.....  

 

 

Thank you! I just hope I can live up to all this praise! It's nice to know my work has helped so many... Gosh, this thread sure got off topic! 🙂

Oh boy, you asked... Yes, I am my own luthier of sorts. While I'm not an amp builder who is real strong on tube circuit theory, I know enough to electrocute myself! 🙂 Seriously, give me a schematic, a pictorial layout and photos of an old "Tweed" and I can replicate it to great detail. I make my own cabinets and cover them too. Since it sounds like you have been around awhile you might know the attached guitar...

Background... I taught myself how to play the guitar listening to The Ventures back in 1961. Predictably I became a big fan of Mosrite guitars, but it wasn't until the early 2000's that I took on a year long massive project to replicate a 1963 Ventures model Mosrite from scratch... Two blocks of wood kinda scratch! I had many friends contribute to the project who owned originals and supplied me with measurements and sometimes parts, but for the most part I worked from a single photograph and created drawings for the metal parts made by a dear friend (I've also worked as a machine draftsman). The guitar was painted (my request) by another  good friend (plant manager/head luthier) who worked at Mosrite in the 60's. The highest compliment for me was for him to tell me he had "no idea I had that kind of talent". I miss him dearly as a friend and mentor.

I guess now I'll have to change all my doorways to look like old keyholes to get my head through! 🙂