Do metal detectors find plastic buttons ?

[ToddB64]

Hi Everyone !

I was out with my Ace250 yesterday, hunting for coins & jewelry in a local park. I had been at it for approx. 2 hours and was in coins mode all that day, with sensitivity at 4 or 5 bars, which are my usual settings.

I got a bouncy signal and it was somewhere in the penny to silver dollar range on the target display, the audio fairly high-pitched like a coin. I dug a dirt plug and found a plastic shirt button approx. 1/2" dia. with the typical four mounting holes and dark grey color. The button was down 2-3 inches in rock-hard very dry yellow clay. I re-scanned the area around the hole and over the dirt plug, thinking the Ace had actually been sensing a nearby metallic item, but no audio/visual reports !

Is it normal for metal detectors to find plastic buttons ? Maybe this button was made from metal impregnated plastic, for extra strength. If that were the case, it would make sense. I thought metal detectors only detected metallic targets !

Has anyone else been finding plastic buttons with your metal detector ?

Todd

 

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[pinkysbliss]

Now I'm confused.. I read allot of these messages and here others talking about relic hunting..Do they do that with a detector? surely not all relices are made of metal or have metal in them?? I have never come up with a button before not plastic..but the one I use pics up the smallest pieces of wire, foil, gum wrappers and such..when on All metal..hummm.. good question will have to watch for replies to this.. GL...
I do get this odd looking metal..kind of looks like plastic but it's not.. will have to post it next time I find some...

"TR"

 

[desertfox]

Just plain luck. The answer is
" NO " there had to have been a piece of metal there somewhere near your plug. Or, any and all metal detectors will sometimes give off false siginals or hit on very smal trash due to the halo effect and when the ground is disturbed not give off another siginal due to discrimination settings. Like I said, plain luck. HH

Desertfox

 

[diggummup]

There could have been a small iron object that had completely rusted away in the ground near the button. Although there was nothing left to "see" of the iron object the residual matter (rust) which absorbed into the soil remains, giving off a signal that there is iron present (conductive soil). Hence the term "halo effect". So even if there is not a metal object found, it doesn't mean that there wasn't one there at some point in time. Once the matrix of the conductive soil is disturbed you won't get another signal from it.

 

[jeff of pa]

As the Others Said you Got the Signal From Metal.

Either Rusty Metal.

A good Object that is Deeper & you Broke it's Halo
& now can't read it.

Or your "Plastic" Button, Isn't Plastic.
Did you Rescan the Button ?

 

[Leon]

A good Object that is Deeper & you Broke it's Halo
& now can't read it.

Ditto...

I was also thinking the button may have had metal inside with a plastic coating? Does it still register on the detector?

At first I thought maybe you had found a rubber button with a small shank in the center, but with it having (4) holes, I'm not sure...
Here's a link to a page showing a "Goodyear Rubber Button" I found back when I first started detecting:
http://www.geocities.com/leonsdetectingsite/Buttons.html
Good luck figuring it out, & Happy hunting~

P.S.> If it won't register on the detector, you might think about going back to the hole and digging a little deeper to see if you did break the halo on something...

 

[UnEarthed72]

I agree the button may have had a metal inner part,or it was on top of some sort of metal in your hole that you may have missed.

I sometimes find non metal(plastic) items in holes that I dig,but you gotta always swing over the hole before you fill it back in just to make sure.

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

For plastic buttons I would think you need
a good set of dowsing rods...........

 

[luvsdux]

No! To me it's just this simple - no metal, no signal. Therefore, either the button does have a bit of metal in it, or as mentioned in other posts, decomposed iron or some other metal related phenomenon is involved.
Keep diggin
Bill

 

[hollowpointred]

There could have been a small iron object that had completely rusted away in the ground near the button. Although there was nothing left to "see" of the iron object the residual matter (rust) which absorbed into the soil remains, giving off a signal that there is iron present (conductive soil). Hence the term "halo effect". So even if there is not a metal object found, it doesn't mean that there wasn't one there at some point in time. Once the matrix of the conductive soil is disturbed you won't get another signal from it.

yup i agree

 

[hollowpointred]

For plastic buttons I would think you need
a good set of dowsing rods...........

 

[DANGLANGLEY]

Here's a button I found that looked like it was plastic with cork in the center but it will most definitely make my Ace 250 give a signal at 6 inches.

 

[ToddB64]

OK, everybody.........I read all of your replies today, and thank you, however, the button does not react to a magnet even the slightest bit and yet gives strong audio and visual signals when scanned with the Ace250. More specifically, here's the test I just did in my recreation room downstairs, over a carpeted concrete floor.....

I did this test twice, once in All Metal mode and again in Coins mode, with the same results each time.

First I checked an area on the floor to be sure it was "clean", no rebar in the concrete, no signals from the Ace250, etc..

Next, I placed the button on the floor in the "clean" spot and with the coil approx. one inch off the floor, scanned the button and, as I said before, got strong signals. The visual indicator was bouncy, but generally staying at the penny icon .

I'll post a pic asap, although don't know what that's going to prove, in view of the tests I've already done. So think I'll email my good friends at Garrett, to see what they say about this phenomenal event ! Will post their reply, hopefully this week.

Todd

 

[ToddB64]

Dear friends,

I sent the Email to Garrett today, 09-03-2007, asking if it is technically possible for the Ace250 to find plastic buttons..........we shall see !

I had another thought. Even though my test with a magnet gave a negative response, there could be a nonmagnetic aluminum or other nonmagnetic metal disc inside the plastic button, used for added strength.

The button is slightly dished, so even though a very thin aluminum disc only a few thousands-of-an-inch thick might have been used, if it were formed slightly dished, this shape would resist bending to a greater degree than if the disc were left flat. This might have been a way to use low-grade plastic, reduce manufacturing cost and still maintain button strength. That might be a wild idea if you're a button maker...I dunno, but does provide one answer to this mystery !

As I said in my previous post, I'll let you all know what Garrett says.

Todd

 

[luvsdux]

I admire your persistence in solving this. You have for sure shown that for whatever the reason, the button is causing the response, but I for one, am convinced it must have a bit of some sort of metal (or mineral) in it. Will be interesting to see what Garrets offers.
Cheers,
Bill

 

[jeff of pa]

OK, everybody.........I read all of your replies today, and thank you, however, the button does not react to a magnet even the slightest bit and yet gives strong audio and visual signals when scanned with the Ace250. More specifically, here's the test I just did in my recreation room downstairs, over a carpeted concrete floor.....

I did this test twice, once in All Metal mode and again in Coins mode, with the same results each time.

First I checked an area on the floor to be sure it was "clean", no rebar in the concrete, no signals from the Ace250, etc..

Next, I placed the button on the floor in the "clean" spot and with the coil approx. one inch off the floor, scanned the button and, as I said before, got strong signals. The visual indicator was bouncy, but generally staying at the penny icon .

I'll post a pic asap, although don't know what that's going to prove, in view of the tests I've already done. So think I'll email my good friends at Garrett, to see what they say about this phenomenal event ! Will post their reply, hopefully this week.

Todd

If your test was under controlled conditions
as you say, I see only one answer.

There is Metal in the button, as plastic is not a conductor.


DANGLANGLEY

 

[BuckleBoy]

As the Others Said you Got the Signal From Metal.

Either Rusty Metal.

A good Object that is Deeper & you Broke it's Halo
& now can't read it.

Or your "Plastic" Button, Isn't Plastic.
Did you Rescan the Button ?

I thought about adding one to the list...I'd have said that perhaps you turned a coin on edge in the dirt and it "disappeared" from your detector. I left coins in the ground on edge several times when I was a newbie--before I figured out what was up. I always take all the loose dirt out and put it on the drop cloth when this happens just to be sure.

But since it's the button itself, then you certainly have a metal one or one with metal in it.

Buckleboy

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

Were you in All Metal when you re-scanned that hole/plug? If you were, then the mystery continues, if you weren't, there's a good chance that whatever caused the signal was not coming in the same way once it was disturbed or made contact with the air. I always switch to all metal mode when using my 250. I once had a mercury dime that did not ring off when I was checking the plug/dirt in Coin mode. Almost missed it. After that, I ALWAYS switch to All Metal when checking dirt or plugs.

 

[ToddB64]

Were you in All Metal when you re-scanned that hole/plug? If you were, then the mystery continues, if you weren't, there's a good chance that whatever caused the signal was not coming in the same way once it was disturbed or made contact with the air. I always switch to all metal mode when using my 250. I once had a mercury dime that did not ring off when I was checking the plug/dirt in Coin mode. Almost missed it. After that, I ALWAYS switch to All Metal when checking dirt or plugs.

Thanks Ricardo.........did you see my reply #13 ?

Todd

 

[ToddB64]

Got a prompt reply from Garrett.....they want to see a pic of the button......I'm working on that.

Will advise asap.

Todd