ML Safari and gold?

[dgrs2]

Here's a question. I have a ML Safari. Found many coins and relics. I have not really found gold with it. Does anyone know the numbers and tones that should show up when you find it. For all I know I'm passing right over it. High tones in the 20's low tones in the 20's? Keeping the setting at coin jewelry mode. I'm sure 10k, 18k all have different tones and numbers. Any one have a chart they use or something that would be a help. I'm also pretty sure it would be a strong solid tone without any fade. Thanks.

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

reply

Here's a question. I have a ML Safari. Found many coins and relics. I have not really found gold with it. Does anyone know the numbers and tones that should show up when you find it. For all I know I'm passing right over it. High tones in the 20's low tones in the 20's? Keeping the setting at coin jewelry mode. I'm sure 10k, 18k all have different tones and numbers. Any one have a chart they use or something that would be a help. I'm also pretty sure it would be a strong solid tone without any fade. Thanks.

If anyone comes on here and says that gold has more solid (or softer, or whatever) tones, or different "fades", or certain numbers, etc.... then here's what you do: You invite those persons over to the nearest inner city blighted junky park, and turn them loose. See how many gold items they find, while passing even a tolerable percentage of aluminum junk. I bet that within 20 minutes, they cease making their claims.

Truth is, gold can read all over the scale, depending on size, purity, etc... Size and density/shape play into it big time. 24k is actually a very high conductor. But no jewelers (in the USA anyhow) work in 24k (too soft). It's the alloys that make it a low conductor. And just like aluminum, it can read all over the scale. For example: take a snippet of an aluminum can (or simply take the tab). What does it read? Around nickel or tab or whatever, right? Now take the entire aluminum can and wave it. What does it read? Up at quarter or half, right? BUT WAIT! At no time did the composition change. In each case, each item was still the same metal: Aluminum. So what changed? The SIZE.

Same logic for gold unfortunately. So if you want to up your gold vs aluminum ratios, you're going to have to go to places where gold is more condusive to losses, to begin with: Swimming beaches. NOT relicky sites or junky parks.

 

[dgrs2]

If anyone comes on here and says that gold has more solid (or softer, or whatever) tones, or different "fades", or certain numbers, etc.... then here's what you do: You invite those persons over to the nearest inner city blighted junky park, and turn them loose. See how many gold items they find, while passing even a tolerable percentage of aluminum junk. I bet that within 20 minutes, they cease making their claims. Truth is, gold can read all over the scale, depending on size, purity, etc... Size and density/shape play into it big time. 24k is actually a very high conductor. But no jewelers (in the USA anyhow) work in 24k (too soft). It's the alloys that make it a low conductor. And just like aluminum, it can read all over the scale. For example: take a snippet of an aluminum can (or simply take the tab). What does it read? Around nickel or tab or whatever, right? Now take the entire aluminum can and wave it. What does it read? Up at quarter or half, right? BUT WAIT! At no time did the composition change. In each case, each item was still the same metal: Aluminum. So what changed? The SIZE. Same logic for gold unfortunately. So if you want to up your gold vs aluminum ratios, you're going to have to go to places where gold is more condusive to losses, to begin with: Swimming beaches. NOT relicky sites or junky parks.

Great point. Didn't look, or listen to it that way. Very true. I'll still keep looking where I currently detect. I live in a very old area. Possibility of gold coins more than anything.

 

[jmoller99]

When I tested this detector for Gold Prospecting, it came up poorly. It also did not find small gold chains (that a Tesoro Compadre could find). However it worked fine on the Gold Ring in my test garden. The ML Safari is a fine detector (really deep for most targets, depending on the frequency we ran it at), but small gold is a challenge for any detector that is not designed to find it.

It's very possible you simply have not gotten the detector coil over anything big enough with gold in it. I suggest you get some gold jewelry, put it in plastic baggies (with some paper so it is easy to find again) and take a few swings over each target while on the ground - It may help you adjust your detector to get better response for Gold, however, if you can't find gold items with it on the surface of the soil - you won't find it deeper. You also may find that the ground is more mineralised in some places, masking the gold items more.

 

[dgrs2]

So is the Tesoro a good "Gold" detector? Are there any detectors used just for gold?

 

[dirtscratcher]

So is the Tesoro a good "Gold" detector? Are there any detectors used just for gold?

The Tesoro he is talking about finding small gold chain with the disc set in a way to find them will also find every scrap of trash with only one tone for everything. You could get a compadre and hit all your parks looking for a small gold chain but you'd better take a big trashbag.

 

[Salura]

Just get yourself samples of each type, put them under something (planks of wood, bags of spoil, etc) and listen to see if you can pick them out.

 

[dgrs2]

Just get yourself samples of each type, put them under something (planks of wood, bags of spoil, etc) and listen to see if you can pick them out.

That's my plan.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

So is the Tesoro a good "Gold" detector? Are there any detectors used just for gold?

dgrs2, some detectors are better at very small teensy conductors, than others. But you're talking a VERY small slice of the gold jewelry items out there. Eg.: earing studes, tinsel thin chains, etc... that .... yes .... some detectors can get, while others (ironically the power-house best coin machines) can't. But as dirtscratcher is telling you: that type detector will intrinsically be a magnet for all sorts of other teensy flitty stuff (BB's, flecks, etc...) too. That's not a bad thing, mind you (if you want to not miss earing studs and tinsel thin chains). But just be aware of the downsides of such machines.

But really, now that you give a hint at your objectives (which can include gold coins, and are not *specificially* for teensy flitty dainty items), then when you think of it: A metal detector that is "better for gold" is NOT your worry or objective. Because you can take ANY machine (yup, even the power-house coin machines), and simply lower your disc control, and have NO SHORTAGE of low conductors to choose from. So "finding low conductors" is 99% of the time NOT the problem for any machine. There's scores of them out there (especially in junky parks) for the choosing, any day you like. And gold coins, for example, will come up on any machine (yup, even the smallest of them, the $1 gold piece, will ring the bells of notre-dame, as long as you have your disc. down).

So unless you're angling for grain-of-rice sized nuggets, or worrying that you might miss an earing stud, you're going to be ok with most machines, when/if you just lower the disc. knob.

Also: If gold jewelry is your goal (as opposed to gold coins), then concentrate on areas which are more inclined/condusive to jewelry losses: swim beaches. NOT junky parks.