Metal Detecting in the cold. What not to do.

[Skippy SH13]

EDIT: No longer maintaining post.

 

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[Showtime2385]

Could always put on a pair of nitrile disposable gloves on under your other gloves.. or take timely breaks to warm your hands..

 

[Ammoman]

LOL ouch! Nothing like getting caught up in the moment. What about some thin soft cotton gloves covered with latex gloves and then your digging gloves over that?

 

[RobRieman]

LOL ouch! Nothing like getting caught up in the moment. What about some thin soft cotton gloves covered with latex gloves and then your digging gloves over that?

That's the key right there. I work outside all year. Plastic dipped gloves that are not insulated are the coldest thing you can wear. We have no cut Kevlar gloves that are dipped and your fingers will freeze in minutes. Your better off with multiple pairs of insulated leather gloves. When they get soaked all the way through, swap them out for a dry pair.

 

[OBN]

Wow, That finger looks ruff. I would suggest a double setup.. a outer water proof glove with maybe a warmer lining inside. I know neoprene glove don't work because they are not wind proof, I've used about all types and found the Atlas gloves to work very well for me in the water with my drysuit setup, dexterity is very good as you can see in my video..






Go to 1:15 in the video to see how easy it is to pick up a ear ring..Ooo and my famous fall is in there also, stepped in my own hole .. water temp was in the mid 30's

 

[relic nut]

I also work outside most of the year. I will put hand warmers (the ones you shake) in my gloves, on top of my hands. They are out of the way but warm the blood going to your fingers that is in the vains on the top of your hands. The only thing that works better for me is Evan Williams!!!!

 

[RobRieman]

That sounds like a plan. I'll give it a try in the next two days. It's now almost 3 hours later, and my middle finger on the right hand STILL hurts (but the swelling has gone down in all but the pad). Who'da thunk it?

Frost bite really sucks and it can come on fast. And I swear it happens at the time you think it's not that cold. Temperature, humidity and wind chill line up just right and it's over before you know it.

 

[BigWaveDave]

I remember being cold once.

Sorry you had a tough go of it.... glad you were on the coin.

 

[boogeyman]

Have you thought of wearing a pair of THINSULATE gloves inside of a pair of leathers? Used to help a bunch when I lived in Colorado. Second to that I liked was insulated gloves inside thicker insulated gloves. Tie a piece of mason twine to the outer glove of your dominate hand. Pop off the glove for dexterity & back on for warmth. Why the mason twine? so you can tie it to a buttonhole or zipper end. It beats picking up the glove all the time. Yup! only took me 10 or 15 times to figure out that one!

 

[Fletch88]

I wear 5mm neoprene gloves when beach hunting in the winter. I don't thing I could bear that temp looking for clad

 

[flgliderpilot]

Oh man that is a feeling I hope never to experience.

I got up at 5:30 am and went water hunting in shorts and a t-shirt... and today is considered "cold" in Florida.

I feel a bit guilty about it now.

 

[dokc]

I usually put on 3 pair of the thin disposable latex gloves then a pair of the cheap cotton gloves and then 1 more layer of the thin latex. I keep a couple of extra latex in my pocket so that when the latex rips I can put on another pair. The latex keeps the wind out and the cotton keeps you warm enough.

 

[OBN]

OBN:

Impressive! Have you tried dirt hunting with them? I'm concerned they won't last long in the abrasives...

Really can't say, I got pairs last winter. Put about 100 hours on the one set with no ill affects but all in the cold water.

Not a lot of abrasives other then the sand, shells, and gravel. And that's limited.. since I use a sifter all the time.

Good Luck, You really have been on the roll and I enjoy the Gold treasures you have been saving...

 

[NC Digger]

Today at lunch, I REALLY wanted to get out and detect. I expected clear skies and decent weather. A snow front came in.

"No biggie," I thought, "I've got a jacket and gloves."

Yep. I do!

I went out detecting in the nice medium-sized snowflakes. Unsurprisingly, I had the park all to myself. I like that. I had my ACE350 wrapped in a clear plastic trash bag (like for th really small trash cans. Worked great, kept the snow and moisture off the display, and allowed me to both see and push buttons. I think I'm going to just have to make a clear protector out of a cut up ziplock bag and tape for winter... but that's a different topic.

I get out there with my yellow dipped gloves from Harbor Freight. The snow hit the back of them and melted a bit. Not wet, really, just every so slightly moist.

Combined with the steady light wind, while my body was warm, my fingers quickly started to get cold. But then I started finding clad... in the wet ground. Of course, digging up stuff, pulling it out, and grabbing mud makes the gloves worse. But then, I figured I got into the swing of things and warmed up (all those squats tend to make for a decent workout, I figured.

WRONG

Wow, was I wrong... My fingers stopped hurting because it was 27 degrees outside, and add some windchill and they basically FROZE.


After I was done detecting (about 45 minutes) I went back to the truck and took off my gear and got in. Right about the time I reached for the keys, my fingers woke up. I swear, if I wasn't such a manly-guy, I'd have cried. I certainly whined out loud enough that had anyone been near, they'd have assumed I was 9-years old. Holy Frozen Fishsticks Batman! I don't think I've dealt with frozen fingers since I was a kid.

It's now an hour and a half later and the pads of two of my fingers still feel like they've been burnt. I think I managed a little nerve damage. When they finished stabbing my brain with pain, I noted I couldn't pick anything up, because the fingers were swollen like little sausages.

This picture has my fingers at the same distance. They should be the same size. The fingers on the right were the ones that got wet. The middle finger is especially swollen. and this is 90 minutes later, now!
View attachment 1239718

Hmmm. I think I need a new pair of gloves. That'll be the next purchase with my clad.

Anyone have any suggestions for waterproof MDing gloves? I'm thinking I either need to go to a fully dipped set (just completely waterproof), or a set of neoprene gloves. The neoprene I'm not thrilled about because they're so thick.

Ideas T-Net family? I'd like to be able to get out for more than 10 minutes in the wet!

Skippy

Oh... and I found 8 quarters, a dime, and 7 pennies. In my book, TOTALLY WORTH IT. *grin*

Here is something I used to use while ice fishing. The sticks last maybe an hour but they do get toastie warm!

Stansport Pocket Hand Warmer | Sportsman's Warehouse

Zippo also makes a hand warmer, never used one though.

Hand Warmer - Chrome : HAND WARMER - CHROME | Shop Brownells

Hope this helps ya out!

HH!

 

[rick67]

TORQUE? NEOPRENE GLOVE - Stormr
I use these. I get two years out of them but I also use a lesche ground shark and not so much a hand shovel.

 

[relicmeister]

I like mittens and a hot shot inside

 

[digger460]

I'm not sure of the brand name for the gloves I use, but there just pick off the rack what looks like rubber dipped work gloves. But I where a pair of jersey's under them and have alway's used hand warmers. Good for 6 to 8 hrs. The rubber lets you dig, and it keeps your hands dry.

Sorry about your hands man. This addiction can be brutal.......................................................lol, and by the way, Your Addicted!

 

[JoeB_OH]

I get out a lot in the cold- N. Ohio & Showtime is right! Use them as a liner & Keep the moisture from direct contact.

 

[GA_Boy]

I also work outside most of the year. I will put hand warmers (the ones you shake) in my gloves, on top of my hands. They are out of the way but warm the blood going to your fingers that is in the vains on the top of your hands. The only thing that works better for me is Evan Williams!!!!

I agree about the warmers. The Evan Williams won't warm you up---------just makes you not realize how darn cold you are. LOL

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I did that, it was raining and a cold front moved in. Took 20 minutes before I could start the truck and drive home. Boy that hurt!
I keep a bunch of cheap gloves with me and keep changing the wet one's.