My yard hates me

[Durt McGurt]

Sup everybody, I'm new to the hobby and this site, but I've always loved old items and I've been trolling around the forums the past few months and I love it. Very informative and everyone here seems super supportive and awesome. I just got an Ace250 and here in Central IL, it's just now getting nice enough to tolerate being outside. My first day out in my yard I found a zinc glass lid liner to a Ball mason jar, and from the text on it and about an hour of online research I deduced that style was produced from 1920-1933. Pretty stoked with that find, especially on day 1. Since then, I've had less luck (it seems whoever owned the house before me liked to shred beer cans with the lawn mower), and one thing that's been consistent are seemingly false signals. The thing will beep like crazy, I'll dig a plug, and about 90% of the time, it's telling me the item is in the plug. Problem is, nothing's there! I've destroyed many plugs in looking for these ghost objects, and my yard is starting to look like a dug up minefield. I've got the sensitivity turned down to 3 notches. I've only dug in my own yard, as my parents and friends have seen the way it now looks and won't let me dig in theirs My house was built in 1910, so I'd like to believe there was an outhouse in the yard at some point. I'll keep on digging until the city tickets me for having the shittiest yard in town, but if any old pros have some tips or knowledge they'd like to share, it'd be much appreciated. Looking forward to getting to know yall!

 

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[robgwv]

Can slaw errr.Do you have a pin pointer if not get one.That said I have the same problem. A very small piece can read deep, Only to show up in the plug AND hard to find.They will shield deeper targets.Look for the strongest consistant signals and start get'n it out. Better stuff is in there...If the yard looks to chewed up,Tell people its a garden.happy hunting :-)

 

[Durt McGurt]

Thanks for the info, I'll grab a pin pointer after a paycheck or two. Good to know about the bits of trash throwing the machine off. My yard's full of that crap. I've got a garbage can lid about half full of bits of cans, foil and nails/staples already. Sucks, but it feels kinda good to get em outta there.

 

[Ism]

Practice cutting your 3 side plugs, flipping them up, and placing removed dirt on a rag so that after returning the dirt into the hole, flipping plug back over, and stomping it down, the final result will look reasonably nice (except for the flattened grass that will revive in an hour or so). Perfecting the process will go a long way when you are in a public setting. After you master it, you will waste very little time with the whole process and take pride in the fact that nobody will have a reason to complain about your hobby (except the busybodies that look for the opportunity).

Pinpointer is a very important tool. Some people assure you that its not necessary, but if you want nice looking digs it will be a big help to reduce damage.
Many times I pry the plug up just enough to get the pinpointer in the hole and find the object. The grass roots act like a spring hinge if you don't tear them.
The plug will drop back into place and a quick stomp will seat it into the ground making it virtually invisible.

 

[Durt McGurt]

Thanks Ism! My plug cutting skills DEFINITELY need refining. I'm just glad I have my own yard to work in for now so it doesn't really matter that I suck.

 

[Wyomingmedic]

Yup, I will echo what everybody said here.

Especially about the pinpointer. You will dig signals, and extremely tiny things like .177 cal pellets or rifle primers or chunks of foil. They will essentially be invisible when looked at. You will have the tip of the pinpointer sitting on the item and still won't be able to see.

I saved a lot of stress when I got a pointer.

WM

 

[Durt McGurt]

I'm seeing the Garrett Pro Pointer on sale for about $130, which I could part with. Will it do the job or should I save up for something better?

 

[SusanMN]

I'm seeing the Garrett Pro Pointer on sale for about $130, which I could part with. Will it do the job or should I save up for something better?

Defintely go with the Propointer. It is an outstanding pinpointer.

 

[Wyomingmedic]

I'm seeing the Garrett Pro Pointer on sale for about $130, which I could part with. Will it do the job or should I save up for something better?

Yup. It seems to be at about the top of the heap. I have one and have so far loved it. And it seems that 99% of users are just like me.

WM

 

[Mzjavert]

Metal Detector For less than $20 this will save those plugs. Then when you have the extra cash you can upgrade to a propointer and keep this as a backup. When you have a hit that may be shallow, scan the area with the pin pointer...if it's near the top, you'll be able to recover it without cutting a plug.

 

[GeekNJ]

I would suggest digging a shallow 3 sided (U shaped) plug maybe 2 inches deep. Flip it on the uncut edge and until you get a pinpointer scan the hole and the plug and see if you can determine which might have the metal. You can always dig out more dirt on a towel as suggested above.

A pinpointer will help a lot as others noted, and if you can with a Garrett off the bat, I wouldn't suggest a less expensive one to start. If the Garrett needs to wait, a less expensive one is better than nothing. You can even sometimes run the pinpointer over the spot before you dig and sometimes identify a shallow target.

It does take practice to dig well so it wouldnt hurt to pick a spot on your lawn that is out of the way and dig a bunch of plugs just to practice.

But don't get discouraged and as you become more familiar with your machine, you will probably start to find items in your own lawn you don't see right now.

David

 

[GeekNJ]

I also wanted to add that the better you get at pinpointing the spot to dig, the smaller the plug you make needs to be. You can practice this by scattering a couple coins on the surface of your lawn and detecting with your eyes closed. Listen to the detector as you pinpoint and when you feel you identified the spot to dig, open your eyes and see where the coin is vs the coil.

 

[Produce Guy]

First thing,welcome to this site,you'll probably never leave.Buy a good pro pointer,Garrett makes the best.You might look on You Tube on how people cut their plugs,also check out Ace 250 videos,as many as you can find.Remember practice,practice,practice.