Detector - for sewing needles

[klauszoll]

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum, and won’t be of much help to you guys, since I know not much about MD. But I am in need of help from you. My request may seem a bit unusual, since most of you probably search for other much more valuable things than sewing needles .
I need to buy a metal detector for my work as a tailor. Its main and actually the only purpose is to detect sewing needles (or event their broken parts) in plush toys (depth max. 3 inch.). It will be used inside a building. I do not want it to be a large standing machine (as are used in big sewing fabrics), but rather a regular or hand detector.
Max. price would be around $700.
Can you, please, help me? I would be really thankful.

 

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[Fletch88]

After many days of reading, calling shops, asking questions, I came to the same conclusion as you. I probably need a device that is meant to detect gold nuggets, but I'd rather take something less complicated than Minelab GPX. Unfortunately nobody tests those on needles, so I have no real idea, if it will work.

I tested a needle on the SDC 2300 and was able to pick it up at 5-6" consistently. The SDC is the simplest Pi there is to use but cost a little more than the GPX.

 

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[klauszoll]

I tested a needle on the SDC 2300 and was able to pick it up at 5-6" consistently. The SDC is the simplest Pi there is to use but cost a little more than the GPX.

Thank you. That would be fine with me, but the price is just a little out of my range .

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Maybe a used SDC would fit your needs.

 

[Fletch88]

I have a gold bug pro in trying to sell. It hit a needle with the 5" coil pretty well at 4-5" in all metal mode

 

[enamel7]

I'll be the devil's advocate here. If you are sewing these by hand and don't know if it has needles in it there is a problem. I'm assuming you're using one needle to do this sewing. I'm sure anyone with common sense won't lose a needle. Not trying to offend you, just trying to figure out where you're coming from.

 

[klauszoll]

I have a gold bug pro in trying to sell. It hit a needle with the 5" coil pretty well at 4-5" in all metal mode

Sound good. What exactly was the needle size?

 

[klauszoll]

I'll be the devil's advocate here. If you are sewing these by hand and don't know if it has needles in it there is a problem. I'm assuming you're using one needle to do this sewing. I'm sure anyone with common sense won't lose a needle. Not trying to offend you, just trying to figure out where you're coming from.

:-) Yeah, I know, how it sounds. Crazy tailor with needles all around him. Well, I do use many needles at on time, for different parts being stitched together. And many pins. I am always careful, but just wanted to be even more careful. And also - I consider having some fun time with the detector, so I figured, it would serve two needs: practical and for fun.

 

[Beans]

For those who do not sew. A lot pins and needles are used at the same time. I do not know how many times I got stuck with a pin my wife missed when removing them.

 

[klauszoll]

Just as a reminder, there's no reason you have to have a metal detector coil on a long pole. You could literally lay the coil on a table surface, and simply pass the toy over the top. If you can find a metal detector/coil combination that detects the small object, it's just a matter of pulling the coil off and laying it on the table (most coils detect OVER the coil as well as under, so just lay it flat. MOVEMENT is also required on most coils, so even if you're laying it on a counter with some metal in it, it's the movement of the toy that will cause the beep.

If you've got a Metal Detecting shop somewhere near you, you could test needles at distance.

For you, tonight, i'll grab a needle and test against the at Pro. I'll just stick it in an envelope and air test. I'll try multiple sizes (i'll break the needle). Will post results (and possibly video).

Thank you for the suggestion concerning the coil. Did not thing of it - a great idea. It will make things much easier (I was imaging myself spending a couple of hours standing above toys with a metal detector in my hand :-)). Unfortunately, no shops in the area I live, and when I call, they are rather amused, and confused with my questions.

If you did the test it would be really amazing! All the tailors around the world would certainly love it. For me it is especially valuable, since I am considering AT Pro or Deux XP (thought also of Makro Racer), but AT Pro is my favorite. If it works, I will be finally done with this search for a detector. My needles are exactly 1.3 inch long, and 0.02 inch in diameter, so really small.

 

[Fletch88]

I will have to carry micrometer home to mic the diameter.

 

[klauszoll]

I will have to carry micrometer home to mic the diameter.

Well, for what it's worth, let me give you the dimensions in cm/mm. So my needles are exactly 3,4cm long, and around 0,3mm in diameter. Small. Very small.

 

[ivan salis]

ever thought about a hand held metal scanner of the type they use at a airport --a flat style paddle type device?

 

[klauszoll]

Hi Klauszoll,

I wish I had better news. I setup the AT Pro this evening and ran tests for you. It's all on video, but it's unnecessary to post it, since the question "failed."

I ran a 1.75" pushpin needle (the kind with the yellow ball on the end), and then cut it down to 1" and re-ran the tests. I ran in two different modes, with full sensitivity on. The first mode was Standard All Metal, which produces a bell tone sound. With a 1.5" needle, I could only get 2 - 2.5" out of it with the bell tone. On Pro-Mode, which is not bell-tone, but provides a signal, I could get another 1/4" consistently, but VERY (and I mean VERY minor chatter about every 5th swing out to about 4.5". I couldn't tell if it was simply because the sensitivity was so high, that I was picking up slight variations in how I was holding my cell phone closely, or not. No repeatable pattern to it past 2.75".

When I moved to a smaller needle, of course, the results were worse. at 1", I could only get 2" in distance on Standard Mode, and 2.25" in Pro. Chatter was even less.

Basically, AT Pro will not work for your application, since you're looking for 3" or greater. Sorry.

Skippy

Hi Skippy,
I don't even know, how to thank you. I was almost about to buy this device, since in a shop they told me they did a test, and it worked fine. Actually, your results are not as bad as I thought, because 2.25 (as I understand was the best result I could expect) could be acceptable, if it was repeatable. I will not give up yet, will look into a couple of other detectors such as:
- Euroace (although this is cheaper than AT Pro, so I doubt it will do the job)
- Makro Racer (although this one I am not sure of; people say it is impressingly sensitive)
- AT Gold
- XP Deus
- XP Goldmaxx Power
- Teknetics T2

There is a slight chance, one on them would give me another inch, and then it would be good. Not perfect, but acceptable.
Once again, thank you. You did me a really great favor, saved my money, and time buy spending your time on checking this for me.
-

 

[klauszoll]

ever thought about a hand held metal scanner of the type they use at a airport --a flat style paddle type device?

Yes, that was my first idea, but then people started to test it for me, and it did not work. Still, no one actually tested SuperScanner, only pinpointers.

 

[Fletch88]

I can tell you that any machine like the ATPro or Euroace or anything without a true all metal mode with a background threshold will not work. The ATGold (with a small coil) will work as did the Gold Bug Pro already.

 

[klauszoll]

I can tell you that any machine like the ATPro or Euroace or anything without a true all metal mode with a background threshold will not work. The ATGold (with a small coil) will work as did the Gold Bug Pro already.

Allright. I did not realize, that was someting like a "true all metal mode". Thank you. So you're saying I should get a device dedicated for gold searching? How do I tell, if a detector has this a true all metal mode?

 

[Fletch88]

Klauszoll it is listed in the usually listed in specification chart.

 

[klauszoll]

Klauszoll it is listed in the usually listed in specification chart.

What you told me about true all metal mode seems extremely important. I see it in Garrett's Gold models, but in Gold Bug Pro or T2 - no. I don't know, if they don't have this mode or it is not listed or called differently. I will look more closely into every considered detector specifications, and look for that particular fraze.

 

[klauszoll]

Thanks to all your tests and suggestions, I narrowed my choice to 4 detectors:
- Garrett AT Gold
- XP GoldMaxx Pro
- XP Deus
- Teknetic T2

As far as I understand they should have true all metal mode, which is responsible for a greater sensitivity. And I guess, I must take the smaller coil - 9''? But some of them have static, and some motion all metal mode (motion meaning that the object must be in move in order to be detected). Is any of these modes better for my purpose - influencing sensitivity?
It is all so fascinating, but also very confusing. I just hope I will not bother you all for much longer, since it is all getting clearer.

 

[Fletch88]

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