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Metal Detectoring

WW2 dog tags found by metal detectorists and returned to family ..

 
Interesting. They won't find many WW2-Era British ones:

Second_World_War_British_dog_tag_reverse_side_(RAF).jpg
 
I'm a bit excited because my irrepressible neighbour told me last night about a way to make a metal detector using a pocket calculator and a small AM/FM transistor radio .. if I understand correctly, once the two are connected using some kind of metal plate design that we haven't had time to discuss yet, you simply turn the dial on the radio as if you are trying to find a radio station, the sounds that emit will help identify any metal apparently. I've got a pocket calculator or two, I just need to scour a car boot sale or charity shop now for a cheap radio. He says it's not his theory and that he's seen it working :) ... fingers crossed ...
 
How would you connect the 2 gadgets together?
 
We noticed anoth
CarlosTheDJ said:
I wonder if Detectorists on BBC has caused a spike in detector sales?

It's tempted me....
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We noticed another effect of the TV show today. Something on the radio used the opening of "The Sounds of Silence" and we just giggled. We so enjoy the S&G snark Andy and Lance throw at the dim whateversharks whenever they meet. Our giggling will probably baffle our S&G fan friends from now on.
 
GerdaWordyer said:
We noticed anoth

We noticed another effect of the TV show today. Something on the radio used the opening of "The Sounds of Silence" and we just giggled. We so enjoy the S&G snark Andy and Lance throw at the dim whateversharks whenever they meet. Our giggling will probably baffle our S&G fan friends from now on.
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But didn't they actually turn out to be called Peters and Lee? :D
 
Lenborough Anglo Saxon coin hoard valued at £1.35m
7 June 2016

A metal detectorist is to get a share of £1.35m after finding a hoard of 5,251 Anglo Saxon silver coins.
Paul Coleman found the coins in Lenborough, Buckinghamshire, in 2014.
The Treasure Valuation Committee has ruled on their worth and Mr Coleman will split the money with the land owner.
The Buckinghamshire County Museum had already launched a fundraising campaign ahead of the valuation, with the aim of buying the hoard.
The coins, which were found buried and wrapped in a [lead] sheet in the village near Buckingham, depict the heads of King Ethelred the Unready and King Canute and came from 40 different mints around England.

Mr Coleman, who lives in Southampton and is a member of the Weekend Wanderers Detecting Club, said he was accepting the valuation and wanted the hoard to go to the Buckinghamshire County Museum.
He said: "It's open to wild speculation and it has been suggested to me by some experts that was worth £2-3m.
"We believe it's worth more than £1.35m, but we can't really say by how much.
"It would probably be very difficult to get the value increased anyway and we would rather see the collection go to a museum, rather than separated and sold to collectors around the world."

The BBC was unable to contract the Bucks County Museum at the time of writing, but in December it had raised £12,000 in pledges.
At the time, Brett Thorn from the museum said: "Our trustees will make a decision as to whether or not we are going to try to raise the money.
"Hopefully we will be able to, as we feel it is important to keep this in Buckinghamshire and keep it available in public hands for future research."

The coins are being looked after by the British Museum, which said it was supporting the local museum's bid to buy them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-36475046
 
Mythopoeika said:
How would you connect the 2 gadgets together?
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I'm not sure yet but I know this guy pretty well, he's very clever at tech related stuff .. something to do with a metal plate connecting the two together? .. all he's said so far is that the calculator inner workings are sensitive to being used with AM frequency .. you turn the radio dial and wait for different feedback sound when detecting apparently. I'll wait for the next car boot sale to see if I can pick up a cheap radio.
 
Swifty said:
I'm not sure yet but I know this guy pretty well, he's very clever at tech related stuff .. something to do with a metal plate connecting the two together? .. all he's said so far is that the calculator inner workings are sensitive to being used with AM frequency .. you turn the radio dial and wait for different feedback sound when detecting apparently. I'll wait for the next car boot sale to see if I can pick up a cheap radio.
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Probably thinking of this:
 
Metal detector expert finds Vanished mother-in-law buried under patio
By maxc73 | Posted: September 16, 2016

A metal detector expert called in to track down a lost mother-in-law eventually found her - buried under a patio.

A family was forced to call in a metal detectorist after they forgot where they buried their mum-in-law's ashes - in a tub of Vanish stain remover.
Lilian Jackson was cremated and her remains interred in the back garden of son David and his wife Penelope. They placed her ashes in an urn which they put into a plastic tub of Vanish.

But years later the couple redesigned their yard - including building a patio. They then realised they didn't know where Lilian was buried and sent an SOS to a local metal detector club.

SWNS_METAL_DETECTOR_07.jpg


They posted a message to them which read: "Metal canister with mother-in-law in it, was under a rose seem to have lost her, not a wind up!!! Help".

Morley Howard, a member of the Somerset Artefact Seekers metal detecting group,
went to help find her.
Stunned Morley said he is more used to receiving requests to find missing wedding rings, car keys and the odd tractor part.

Morley, 44, said: ''They told me they'd put her in a tub of Vanish and she's literally vanished.
"She was laughing about it. Not knowing these people I didn't really know how to react."

Morley says despite digging several holes in the garden, the couple were unable to find her. Unsure quite what to expect, he turned up at their home with his XP Deus Metal Detector.
He said: "After about five or ten minutes of searching the flower beds I managed to locate the ashes under the patio, believe it or not - right at the edge.
"It was definitely the most unusual recovery mission I've ever been out on. They were happy to get her back.
''And the husband whose mother it was brought out a photograph of her and asked to have a photograph with us."

Penelope, of Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, added: "He was great.
''He quickly found the canister and we're now planning to re-inter the ashes and keep a very careful note of the location."

Morley, whose 14-year-old son suffers from Cystic Fibrosis, said he did not ask the couple for payment and asked them instead to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/met...-under-patio/story-29722441-detail/story.html
 
Swifty said:
I spoke to him tonight and he directed me to this site .. now all I need to do is scour the car boots for a cheap AM abled radio, I've got everything else needed ..

http://www.instructables.com/id/Real-Metal-Detector-Using-AM-Radio/
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Yes, it will work but:

Needs a relatively large piece of metal close to devices before any change in noise is noted, so not very sensitive.

Will be give false signals depending upon the dampness or mineral content of the ground.

Won't work on rough ground as it must be close to the surface. A dry sandy beach is perfect!

Will not be able to discriminate (i.e.) ignore nuisance ferrous and and aluminium junk.

That's why proper metal detectors are so expensive - they are quite complex devices. There are various designs using different principles, all with pros and cons. But they aren't be manufactured on a mass scale like other complex devices to bring the price down because not every home needs one!

However, the above video is a fine example of lateral scientific thinking whoever invented the combination.
 
drbates said:
So how did a metal detector find a plastic tub? And why would you put the ashes in a Vanish tub? Iirc you don't pick them up in a paper bag.
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Read the article. The ashes were in a metal urn, which was put in the Vanish tub, (presumably to keep water out).
 
drbates said:
Bloody big tub of Vanish.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Urns-UK-10-inch-Cremation-Gloucester/dp/B009KNL8N6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1474050920&sr=8-3&keywords=funeral urn

3.3l for an adult. Are they sure she wasn't a cat or something?
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"Should hold the full ashes of an adult - up to bodyweight 200 lbs"

We aren't told Lilian Jackson's weight, but I have the impression (from witnessing a scattering of ashes at sea) that British undertakers only provide a sample of the ashes anyway, not the whole lot. Does anyone has any info on this?
 
drbates said:
As far as Im aware you get the lot. What would they do with the rest? You can't just pour it down the sink
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They'd just chuck the rest in the bin I expect .. my mate's son used to smoke so much weed that I told him when he eventually dies and is cremated, we're all just going to stand around the chimney with giant paper rolls and inhale ..
 
drbates said:
It would be classed as hazardous waste I bet - it'd probably have to go to special landfill
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I have heard of Mercury fillings in teeth being a problem. If so, something for the undertakers to deal with. Passing on mercury to the bereaved might be looked down upon!
 
I've just discovered my favourite youtube metal detectoring mentalist 'Digger Dan' was on our beach about 3 months ago .. me and the Mrs are always hunting for interesting stuff in the exact same spots he's chosen .. (the first object he finds in this video is part of the support struts from the wrecked sea defence walls btw)

Sadly he doesn't find any 'treasure' this time but there's a lot of our coastal history that some people might find interesting ..

 
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This tiny 500-year-old Tudor treasure was found by chance in field near Helston
By G_WIlkinson | Posted: February 09, 2017

15848384-large.jpg

Helston Museum curator Katherine Ashton with the tiny hook, shown in close-up.

A tiny but precious 500-year-old Tudor clothing hook – which was only found by chance – is now to go display to the public.

Amateur metal detectorist Rosemary Rundle, from Porthleven, scooped up a ball of earth from a farmer's field near Helston and immediately picked out highlights of silver.

Her remarkable find in 2015 turned out to be a silver-gilt Tudor clothes hook, only 18mm by 15mm. It was officially declared as treasure at an inquest in Truro last year. Since then, it has been in the keeping of experts at the British Museum and is now to be bought and put on view at Helston Museum.

It is thought to date from the early part of the 16th century, during the reign of King Henry VIII – and the elaborate filigree decoration and the remains of a gilt finish over the silver, points to it having belonged to someone of high rank, possibly a nobleman.

The elaborate silver gilt dress hook would have been paired with a matching loop, similar to modern day hooks and eyes, and would have been part of a set which fastened the front of his jacket instead of buttons.

Ms Rundle had only taken up metal detecting as a hobby five months before her discovery. After her find was officially declared as treasure, she spoke of the day she unearthed the precious object.

She said: "I couldn't believe it. I went out one day in November and it had been raining really hard the night before so there was lots of mud. I was practising my swing. I hadn't worked in a field full of stubble before and was making my way through the field when I got a really good signal."

She added: "I thought at first I'd found a horseshoe, as the beep was so loud. I found this clump of mud and as I looked I could see little silver highlights. I kept looking at it and I was very excited. I carefully put it in my finds pouch to be washed later.

etc...

http://www.cornwalllive.com/tiny-50...lston-museum/story-30124536-detail/story.html

I first posted about this find on this thread just over a year ago:
http://forum.forteantimes.com/index.php?threads/metal-detectoring.58405/page-3#post-1556350
 
Metal detectorist rewarded with nearly £2m after unearthing Britain’s biggest Viking treasure
The haul of 100 items has been described by experts 'of outstanding significance'
Chloe Farand
a day ago

A metal detectorist has learned he has hit a £2m jackpot after uncovering Britain's biggest ever Viking treasure.
Derek McLennan unearthed the 10th-century collection of rare Viking artefacts in a field in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland's south-west in 2014.
The haul of about 100 items included silver bracelets and brooches, a gold ring, an enamelled Christian cross and a bird-shaped gold pin.

The bulk of it is silver jewellery, but it also contains textiles and a range of precious metal and jewelled items described as “outstanding and exceptional” by experts, including a rare gold ingot, beads, crystals and a decorated silver-gilt cup thought to be of Byzantine origin.

Mr McLennan passed on the treasure to the Queen’s and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer (QLTR), which rules on found goods and property without an owner.
David Harvie, from QLTR, described the hoard as of “outstanding international significance” and “one of the most important finds ever discovered in Scotland”.
QLTR ruled the collection should be handed over to Scotland’s National Museum for display, provided it can pay Mr McLennan £1.98m to acquire the treasure.

Sharon McKee, Mr McLennan’s partner, who is also involved in the treasure hunting, wrote on Facebook: “We are honoured and feel privileged to have saved this internationally significant treasure and we look forward to the many exciting discoveries that will be further revealed.
“We cannot wait for its eventual display in Scotland's National Museum.”

Unlike the rest of the UK, where the awards are split between the finder and the landowner, in Scotland rules on discoveries allow the finder to keep the full amount of the award.

etc...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...king-treasure-scotland-dumfries-a7733831.html
 
The lovely Detectorists series is being repeated on BBC2. First episode last night. If you haven't seen it, watch it. if you have, watch it again!

On a slightly related note, I plan to try gold panning soon. It is something I have always wanted to try. It is not really about the gold, more about washing about in a stream which sounds like a nice way to spend the time and a vegetarian form of fishing. :D There will be a gold dance of course should I inadvertently find anything.
 
Good luck! Off to Wales, are you?
 
Good luck min !

Mundelsy is just up the road from me, I've just found the second part of Deep Digger Dan's adventures around here :)

 
min_bannister said:
On a slightly related note, I plan to try gold panning soon. It is something I have always wanted to try. It is not really about the gold, more about washing about in a stream which sounds like a nice way to spend the time and a vegetarian form of fishing. :D There will be a gold dance of course should I inadvertently find anything.
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Cornwall was scene of prehistoric gold rush, says new research
A detailed analysis of some of Western Europe’s most beautiful gold artefacts suggests that Cornwall was a miniature Klondyke in the Early Bronze Age
David Keys Thursday 4 June 2015 18:18 BST

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...ric-gold-rush-says-new-research-10298343.html
 
min_bannister said:
On a slightly related note, I plan to try gold panning soon. It is something I have always wanted to try. It is not really about the gold, more about washing about in a stream which sounds like a nice way to spend the time and a vegetarian form of fishing. :D There will be a gold dance of course should I inadvertently find anything.
Click to expand...

I bought my first gold pan last year. We have visited an old copper mine two year in a row now. The do tours and the kids get excited wearing hard hats and wellies.

They also let you have a go at panning for gold. I loved it the first time. I found a decent amount (and by that I mean 3 or 4 grains per pan. You don't get rich panning for gold). But it is incredibly meditative and soothing. I stood undisturbed and blissfully happy for 4 hours whilst the wife and kids explored the mine, played and ate lunch. After I had tried it the second year I decided to buy my own pan in order to try elsewhere. Now that the weather is better it's time to head back out again. Here's a good link to get you geographically tuned in (if you've bought your own pan): http://www.goldfeverprospecting.com/whtofigo.html
 
Ringo said:
They also let you have a go at panning for gold. I loved it the first time. I found a decent amount (and by that I mean 3 or 4 grains per pan. You don't get rich panning for gold). But it is incredibly meditative and soothing. I stood undisturbed and blissfully happy for 4 hours whilst the wife and kids explored the mine, played and ate lunch.
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Sounds perfect! Thanks for the link, that looks really useful. I expect planning via geological maps to be part of the fun! (Sounds sad..)
 
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