SorryDangDog
Jr. Member
- Jan 8, 2013
- 83
- 28
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
So, first off I have to say I am brand new digger. I have always wanted to and so recently bought a new Excal and 720 scoop. Wandered down to the beach, never having even swung an MD before but had watched a bunch of vids on it. Got to the beach on Friday, figured I would just learn how to do things. Honestly, I was kind of intimidated, lots of people around on Spring Break. Just kinda wondered here and there for 3 hours listening to the sounds and trying to get the levels right. I was in all metal mode....... found a bunch of trash and some clad.
Went back the next day closer to low tide, this is a beach I Snook fish at all the time, so know it pretty well. Dang!, look at the size of that dip from the noreaster (Florida version) we had 2 weeks ago. Dip was about 100 yards long and varied from 30 to 50 feet wide? The sandbar it created was covered by 2" of water at dead low and I was in 4 - 5 feet of water in the deepest part. Noticed I was hitting stuff in a fairly consistent line, even though I was trying to work the whole width. Found a ton fishing gear and then my first score of a piece of jewelry. I still don't know what it is made of, looks like copper but had zero blue corrosion on it. All the paint flaked off when it was in the ultrasonic and vinegar baths, weighs 9 gr. Oh well, I have a lot to learn for sure but was totally psyched after being in the water the whole day, finding LOTS of stuff.
Went back the 3rd day in a row. Funny, you know how you never notice a yellow truck until you have one? Sunday, I decided to go a little further south where the larger crowds are, parking was brutal, just as I was slowing down to grab a spot, there was another MD'er just entering into the area that I was going to hit. Even though I am fairly sure he was not going to be IN the water because of the way he was dressed, I still decided to let him have the beach and went back to my own spot. I picked up where I thought I left off on the dip and watched another MD'er working the dry sand area. Still finding lots of junk in a pretty straight line and then, GOLD! Could not believe it, 3rd times the charm and payback for letting Buddy have that other beach. What an awesome day, spent about 3.5 hrs in the water. Only disappointment was not remembering what the sound of gold sounded like, as every sound I hear is still a new sound and I have really crappy hearing. The ring's 14kt and weighs 6 grams, was actually several days before I found the 14 kt mark inside the only bit of corrosion on the ring! I had been trying to interpret the other mark on it, thinking it was an older ring or European.
Sorry, no pics of the beach or dip but going in the water, I leave the camera in the truck. Maybe one of these days, I'll have to get a waterproof one. But these last 3 days, the winds have gradually been clocking to the SE. The sandbar had been acting as a pretty good breakwater, making it much easier to work in the water. Low tide was also shifting later and later in the day. On the 4th and final day, Low tide was close to 7PM and sunset so I got to the beach about 3:00. Was basically a mistake, the dip was much deeper, the waves bigger, I was flying like a flag on some of my digs, trying to keep the scoop on point while the waves and tidal flow was blowing me off.....still finding junk but the dip is clearly filling in fast.
Finally around 5, conditions were more favorable, kinda found the line and then found another huge goober. Spent a total of about 4 hrs in the water.
Talk about being excited, with all the coral crud on it, it was heavy! But after a couple days of ultrasonic and vinegar baths, the center piece where there must have been a setting or something just dissolved into sediment and a piece of I guess electroplate was flaking......so assume it is junk. Now, that I though it was junk and the coral crude really was not coming off, I decided to do some electrolysis, after about four or five 30 second baths....here's how it looks.
Here's the 4 day total of fishing gear. Not shown is a bunch of fishing line, leader wire. I could not believe the Excal honked like crazy on a rusty piece of leader wire about 1/2" long, as well as a swivel. The wire didn't fall through, as it was laying on a shell in the scoop. The stainless swivel took me about a half hour to dig because it kept falling through the scoop, finally pulled it out when it was on top of a shell. Over 5 lbs of lead.
4 day total of clad and the tiny SS swivel.
Here's my fishing rig.
I'm definitely hooked and can't wait to find more ways of digging in the water. Cannot get back in the water until a week from today, that's a long time away.
Went back the next day closer to low tide, this is a beach I Snook fish at all the time, so know it pretty well. Dang!, look at the size of that dip from the noreaster (Florida version) we had 2 weeks ago. Dip was about 100 yards long and varied from 30 to 50 feet wide? The sandbar it created was covered by 2" of water at dead low and I was in 4 - 5 feet of water in the deepest part. Noticed I was hitting stuff in a fairly consistent line, even though I was trying to work the whole width. Found a ton fishing gear and then my first score of a piece of jewelry. I still don't know what it is made of, looks like copper but had zero blue corrosion on it. All the paint flaked off when it was in the ultrasonic and vinegar baths, weighs 9 gr. Oh well, I have a lot to learn for sure but was totally psyched after being in the water the whole day, finding LOTS of stuff.
Went back the 3rd day in a row. Funny, you know how you never notice a yellow truck until you have one? Sunday, I decided to go a little further south where the larger crowds are, parking was brutal, just as I was slowing down to grab a spot, there was another MD'er just entering into the area that I was going to hit. Even though I am fairly sure he was not going to be IN the water because of the way he was dressed, I still decided to let him have the beach and went back to my own spot. I picked up where I thought I left off on the dip and watched another MD'er working the dry sand area. Still finding lots of junk in a pretty straight line and then, GOLD! Could not believe it, 3rd times the charm and payback for letting Buddy have that other beach. What an awesome day, spent about 3.5 hrs in the water. Only disappointment was not remembering what the sound of gold sounded like, as every sound I hear is still a new sound and I have really crappy hearing. The ring's 14kt and weighs 6 grams, was actually several days before I found the 14 kt mark inside the only bit of corrosion on the ring! I had been trying to interpret the other mark on it, thinking it was an older ring or European.
Sorry, no pics of the beach or dip but going in the water, I leave the camera in the truck. Maybe one of these days, I'll have to get a waterproof one. But these last 3 days, the winds have gradually been clocking to the SE. The sandbar had been acting as a pretty good breakwater, making it much easier to work in the water. Low tide was also shifting later and later in the day. On the 4th and final day, Low tide was close to 7PM and sunset so I got to the beach about 3:00. Was basically a mistake, the dip was much deeper, the waves bigger, I was flying like a flag on some of my digs, trying to keep the scoop on point while the waves and tidal flow was blowing me off.....still finding junk but the dip is clearly filling in fast.
Finally around 5, conditions were more favorable, kinda found the line and then found another huge goober. Spent a total of about 4 hrs in the water.
Talk about being excited, with all the coral crud on it, it was heavy! But after a couple days of ultrasonic and vinegar baths, the center piece where there must have been a setting or something just dissolved into sediment and a piece of I guess electroplate was flaking......so assume it is junk. Now, that I though it was junk and the coral crude really was not coming off, I decided to do some electrolysis, after about four or five 30 second baths....here's how it looks.
Here's the 4 day total of fishing gear. Not shown is a bunch of fishing line, leader wire. I could not believe the Excal honked like crazy on a rusty piece of leader wire about 1/2" long, as well as a swivel. The wire didn't fall through, as it was laying on a shell in the scoop. The stainless swivel took me about a half hour to dig because it kept falling through the scoop, finally pulled it out when it was on top of a shell. Over 5 lbs of lead.
4 day total of clad and the tiny SS swivel.
Here's my fishing rig.
I'm definitely hooked and can't wait to find more ways of digging in the water. Cannot get back in the water until a week from today, that's a long time away.
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