Help.. out detecting.. screw caps killing me

gene the machine

Sr. Member
Apr 24, 2012
304
379
Western New York
Detector(s) used
Compass Coin Magnum, Garrett GTP1350, Minelab CTX 3030, XP Deus, Nokta Impact
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
How can we differentiate screw.caps from pennies and dimes? Thanks to this
is to this forum I can deal with rusty bottle caps by going to 15khz and if tone/vids goes up its iron. Any .magic solution for screw caps.?
 

SD51

Silver Member
Aug 24, 2016
4,831
9,955
MI
Detector(s) used
E-TRAC
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The famous aluminum screw cap usually reads around 12-40 on my E-TRAC. I know what you mean, they are just above the Zincolns and just below the copper pennies on my conductivity numbers. I usually know when I'm going to dig one but I will always dig them now because I have found silver rings that also read at 12-40. The only saving grace is I don't seem to come across as many screw caps as pulltabs.
 

ARC

Gold Member
Aug 19, 2014
37,248
131,547
Tarpon Springs
Detector(s) used
JW 8X-ML X2-VP 585
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I was wondering that too, but now I see it's posted in the Equinox forum. Sorry, didn't see that earlier...

lol... I don't know what machine I am using either...

I haven't had much luck finding anything with any of these...

54ca643368cc2_-_string-trimmers-01-0411-md.jpg


:P
 

wilcam47

Full Member
Dec 29, 2019
174
302
Idaho
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Prob just a right of passage...wont know what it is till you dig it up
 

Donut

Sr. Member
Jan 25, 2010
392
334
Coloma, Michigan
Detector(s) used
Xterra 70 6" 7.5khz concentric 9" 7.5Khz concentric, 5x10 18.75Khz DD, 10.5 18.75Khz DD.
Equinox board,,, you’ll be back
 

OP
OP
gene the machine

gene the machine

Sr. Member
Apr 24, 2012
304
379
Western New York
Detector(s) used
Compass Coin Magnum, Garrett GTP1350, Minelab CTX 3030, XP Deus, Nokta Impact
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I was in enough pain by then to not take the Deus out to see what it could do since it has 100 tid's to work with. I'm really displeased with Minelab for only giving us 40 tid's to work with. I hear you saying 50 numbers but will we ever use zero to minus nine? Anyway, very frustrating.
 

sgoss66

Supporting Vendor
Supporting Vendor
Jan 11, 2011
1,085
1,396
Norman, OK
Detector(s) used
Minelab Manticore, Minelab Equinox 800, Minelab Equinox 600, Minelab CTX 3030
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
gene -- I know for me, those aluminum screw caps have always been difficult; even with the Explorer series, and the CTX, they hit very solidly, just above zinc penny and just below copper penny range, as SD51 noted. They are one of those targets that are difficult to readily identify as such, and so it's hard not to dig at least some of them, ESPECIALLY in some parks, where around here they can be prolific, and sometimes relatively deep, too...

Steve
 

3cylbill

Hero Member
Jul 2, 2015
844
1,424
s.tier NY
Detector(s) used
TESORO, MINELAB, WHITES , GARRETT
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
you gotta dig them....OR find an older site to dig that was before the dam things , they sound like a good target on all machines..:dontknow:
 

No gold in NY

Bronze Member
Mar 22, 2015
1,688
2,921
Detector(s) used
Whites Coin Master,
Whites Gold Master GMT, Whites MXSport
High banker/dredge,
DIY hand trommel,
DIY Miller table,
DIY fluidbed gold trap sluice,
Keene A-52 A-52s
2186 Wheaties
Primary Interest:
Other
Screw caps are a nemesis along with crown caps and pull tabs. Now my favorite tot lot is getting loaded with vaping paraphernalia.
 

Toecutter

Bronze Member
Nov 30, 2018
2,433
7,443
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ok since no one is stepping up Ill dig all those caps for you :thumbsup::occasion14::laughing9:
 

SD51

Silver Member
Aug 24, 2016
4,831
9,955
MI
Detector(s) used
E-TRAC
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Ok since no one is stepping up Ill dig all those caps for you :thumbsup::occasion14::laughing9:

I'm right there with you Toecutter…

Two years ago, when my wife and I were visiting the great state of Florida in the panhandle (Navarre Beach) as we have done for over twenty years, a young man asked me if I could look for a lost ring on the beach. I said "Absolutely" and asked for some details. He said he friends daughter placed her silver ring on the beach blanket yesterday and forgot about it when they all left the beach.

I asked if he recalled where they were sitting and we were able to mark the corners of a very large area off and then his wife walked over and said the area was even bigger so we moved some corner markers further out. I started at one end and searched every square foot without any targets detected. On my last pass of the area, I get a 12-40 reading and sure enough, there was the silver ring. Very glad his wife had us move the search area out because it was that area where I found it.

I dig any 12-40 signals now...
 

CoinHunterAZ

Hero Member
Feb 18, 2013
858
1,498
Flagstaff, AZ
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sidewinder Umax, Garrett ATPro, Minelab Equinox 800, Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The aluminum screw caps are a tough one, especially when they are deeper and flattened. I will wiggle the coil over them when I suspect it's a cap. A lot of times when you do this they will give sort of a fluted warbled broken tone. I usually try to dig them anyway, because they can be masking something good underneath them. One of the older parks I hunt is loaded with them, so it's a matter of systematically clearing them out.
 

galenrog

Bronze Member
Feb 19, 2006
2,016
2,203
That’s the rub, isn’t it SD51. You want a target whose VDI falls in the range of “junk” targets, such as a ring on a beach full of screw caps, then all targets have to be dug.

VDI and tones are tools to help out. They are not definitive indicators. An experienced operator needs hundreds of hours of field work, some in challenging conditions, to become proficient in determining what the detector is telling them.

I applaud you. First for doing a grid search. Second for recognizing that your target was not a flat metal disc staring up at you, but rather a small piece of wire whose target characteristics, from the machines viewpoint, could be all over the map.

Lastly, digging everything. Knowing that the detector will say one thing when a ring is flat on ground, and will say quite another should the ring be at any other position relative to the coil.

Again, kudos on the successful search.

Time for coffee.
 

No gold in NY

Bronze Member
Mar 22, 2015
1,688
2,921
Detector(s) used
Whites Coin Master,
Whites Gold Master GMT, Whites MXSport
High banker/dredge,
DIY hand trommel,
DIY Miller table,
DIY fluidbed gold trap sluice,
Keene A-52 A-52s
2186 Wheaties
Primary Interest:
Other
I'm right there with you Toecutter…

Two years ago, when my wife and I were visiting the great state of Florida in the panhandle (Navarre Beach) as we have done for over twenty years, a young man asked me if I could look for a lost ring on the beach. I said "Absolutely" and asked for some details. He said he friends daughter placed her silver ring on the beach blanket yesterday and forgot about it when they all left the beach.

I asked if he recalled where they were sitting and we were able to mark the corners of a very large area off and then his wife walked over and said the area was even bigger so we moved some corner markers further out. I started at one end and searched every square foot without any targets detected. On my last pass of the area, I get a 12-40 reading and sure enough, there was the silver ring. Very glad his wife had us move the search area out because it was that area where I found it.

I dig any 12-40 signals now...

Guess that's why they say "dig all penny signals" Nice save SD51!
 

gunsil

Silver Member
Dec 27, 2012
3,863
6,204
lower hudson valley, N.Y.
Detector(s) used
safari, ATPro, infinium, old Garrett BFO, Excal, Nox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
lol... I don't know what machine I am using either...

I haven't had much luck finding anything with any of these...

View attachment 1792858


:P

I find lots of thing with those. Snakes, toads, baby rabbits, even found a spotted fawn hiding in the tall grass. Heard me coming but was too afraid to move until I was right on top of him.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top