Post-hole digger for coin hunting?

[pyrogort]

Anyone here ever contemplated that? Just like the full-sized ones
at the hardware store only scaled down for coinshooting. Say, maybe 3-inch wide
blades with handles about 14 or 16 inches long. I find that for recovery at over
less-than-easy depths (3 inches or so) after carefully folding back the "plug" if I
have to go deeper in the now exposed hole I have a tendency to "lever" the dirt
with my trowel to get it up and out.....sometimes this action scratches the coin.
One always has the option of scooping deeper with a bare hand, but sometimes
the dirt is packed enough to require a tool to loosen it and there is always the risk
of cutting a finger on something sharp. A "mini" post-hole digger would penetrate
straight down and allow removing the soil without levering the metal tool. Seems
like this would reduce the chance of scratching the coin while also keeping the
overall hole diameter small.
What do you think? A reasonably good/novel idea or am I just being ridiculous?

 

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[A2coins]

Seems like alot more work plus if your at a park or something people might complain that you tearing up the place I think it would be overkill and kind of a pain to lug around. Just me but could work great for someone else.......Tommy

 

[No gold in NY]

I agree with A2coins. I have been as deep as 14 inches with my digger tool.

When I do this, I spread an 18 inch square canvas tarp that I carry folded in my pouch to place dirt on to avoid a mess.

 

[TooManyHobbies]

I've thought about a Golf Green Hole Cutter. Probably wouldn't work in our rocky soil though. I'll stay with my digger and cut a horseshoe plug.

 

[Indian Steve]

You could get a plastic trowel to use once you open the hole to avoid damage.

 

[nuggetdog]

Maybe out in mountains or farm land if light weight but I’ll stick with my lesche Sampson and lesche knife.

 

[G.I.B.]

Waaaay to much work lugging a post hole digger around, unless you have a cooperative caddy following you around.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

A Model 31 C hand digger can be used for deeper and shallow targets. With a little bit of practice you will leave no trace, a must for our hobby in schools and parks.

 

[cudamark]

I think a post hole digger would be just as likely to damage a target as any other method....maybe more since you would be slamming it in to the ground. If you were off a bit in your pin pointing and nailed the target, you could severely bend it or cut it in two. In a park, school, or other turfed area, the main problem would be the complete circle plug you would be removing. It's pretty much standard practice these days to cut a three sided plug so that some of the roots stay attached to the soil for faster recovery and less of a chance of the plug being sucked up by a lawn mower or removed by an animal or curious child. Same goes for a golf hole plugger in most cases. Better to cut a trap door plug and use a good pin pointer to zero in on the item without much chance of hitting it with a tool.

 

[McKinney_5900]

I think a post hole digger would be just as likely to damage a target as any other method....maybe more since you would be slamming it in to the ground. If you were off a bit in your pin pointing and nailed the target, you could severely bend it or cut it in two. In a park, school, or other turfed area, the main problem would be the complete circle plug you would be removing. It's pretty much standard practice these days to cut a three sided plug so that some of the roots stay attached to the soil for faster recovery and less of a chance of the plug being sucked up by a lawn mower or removed by an animal or curious child. Same goes for a golf hole plugger in most cases. Better to cut a trap door plug and use a good pin pointer to zero in on the item without much chance of hitting it with a tool.

My thoughts as well. A friend just getting into the hobby, feels a need to hack at the ground with his Sampson, instead of simply digging. A piece of jewelry will be damaged soon or later.

 

[pyrogort]

OK....thanks for all the input boys & girls!
Just to clear up some points from my original post....1) as stated, the device would be scaled way down for coin-hunting use. So no "caddy" to carry
it would be needed. Shouldn't weigh any more than a Raptor trowel......2) as stated, it would be applied AFTER cutting a 3 sided plug...so no full-circle
cuts like a golf hole digger.
Although not originally mentioned.....the dirt removed would , of course, be deposited on or into a controlled surface for 100% reentry into the hole. (I use
a modified kids traffic-style cone they use for marking lawn games. It's small, light, plastic, solid at the small end, and already shaped for perfect pouring of
soil back into the hole).
Just an idea.....to me, seems like a way to penetrate down vertically for a deeper target in places where large diameter holes are not practical and trowels or
knives cannot be "levered" to get the dirt out, thus requiring sticking that hand in to scoop......ouch. There is always the chance of scratching a coin when a metal tool
is used for recovery (that's why I never use a probe), I just feel the chance would be reduced by not having to "lever" the trowel or Lesche-style knife in the hole
to get the dirt/target up and out. A tough plastic/composite trowel may be another good idea BUT would still require that inefficient "levering" action or, once again, fingers
in the hole. I sure would like to try it, but neither Home Depot nor Lowes carries what i'm envisioning!
As I alluded to in my original post, I may just be being ridiculous

 

[BigRay]

I like to go slow when i dig a hole. Leave good plugs and take my time because you never know what you will find. Rather take time an not damage what im diging.

 

[gunsil]

pyrogort, no need to try to re-invent the wheel. People have been doing fine with hunting knives, screwdrivers, and trowels for over fifty years of detecting. One needs only to get their pinpointing down to an art and one will not damage coins. I have no problem "levering" dirt out to ten inches with my Kellyco gator digger or my old cheap Imperial hunting knife and I haven't damaged a coin in over forty years. Pinpoint, pinpoint, pinpoint, learn it. I also just take off the top of the soil and dig with bare hands deeper where possible, not going to damage anything with fingers. And don't get me going about getting fingers hurt, cut, or poked, It has never happened in fifty years of hunting. You can feel glass and sharp objects before you actually put enough pressure on them to get hurt. I don't need more than a 3" diameter hole to recover coins down to 8", and a 4" hole to go to 10-12". Pinpoint, pinpoint, pinpoint.

 

[ecmo]

pyrogort, no need to try to re-invent the wheel. People have been doing fine with hunting knives, screwdrivers, and trowels for over fifty years of detecting. One needs only to get their pinpointing down to an art and one will not damage coins. I have no problem "levering" dirt out to ten inches with my Kellyco gator digger or my old cheap Imperial hunting knife and I haven't damaged a coin in over forty years. Pinpoint, pinpoint, pinpoint, learn it. I also just take off the top of the soil and dig with bare hands deeper where possible, not going to damage anything with fingers. And don't get me going about getting fingers hurt, cut, or poked, It has never happened in fifty years of hunting. You can feel glass and sharp objects before you actually put enough pressure on them to get hurt. I don't need more than a 3" diameter hole to recover coins down to 8", and a 4" hole to go to 10-12". Pinpoint, pinpoint, pinpoint.

Exactly, well stated about cuts, pinpointing, and all the rest. Yes I did put a bad owey on one coin once and it was a very nice bucket lister to boot.

 

[Sandancer]

I am going against the crowd here and think your idea may have merit. A well designed "modified" post hole type digger could be quit innovative. Downsized, collapsible, maybe even non metallic, could be the digging tool of the future. Add to that perforated and you could have a beach tool!

 

[pyrogort]

Again, thanks for all the input!
Wow Gunsil......no scratched coin in 40 years! I'd really like to watch how you do it as I can't even come close
to your record. Conceptually, i can't grasp how one can bring dirt up from the bottom of an 8-inch deep hole that is is only
3 inches in top diameter without using the hand to scoop it up. Trying to "lever" the bottom dirt under & up one side of the
hole is where (i think for me) the damage danger comes in. Pinpointing accuracy is of major importance of course but one is
only human!
And thank you Sandancer for considering the idea. Another "spark" came to my mind......what if we made the mini-post digger
blades out of that tough carbon-composite fiber some trowels consist of? No scratch there....
I also worried about cost, but then saw what some people are willing to pay for an Xtreme-brand sand scoop....whoa!

 

[Timecop67]

And thank you Sandancer for considering the idea. Another "spark" came to my mind......what if we made the mini-post digger
blades out of that tough carbon-composite fiber some trowels consist of? No scratch there....
I also worried about cost, but then saw what some people are willing to pay for an Xtreme-brand sand scoop....whoa![/QUOTE]

A carbon fiber trowel is a great idea.....but still need the knife to cut the small circular plug. All depends on the ground one is digging in....will justify the correct tool to use. Those 18 inch Samsons or a Leshche 40 would be ideal if you need to go deeper.....but some places I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing those tools into. Right now using a Premium Makro blade digging tool. And using concentric coils on detectors for city digging is preferred to those DD coils to get the holes smaller if you need to worry about hole size.

 

[kingvegan]

Try a landscape plugger , some are for sod plugs others for planning bulbs, some you stomp on like a shovel some you just use your hand. If you pinpoint well, those may work for you.

 

[Aeds151]

No on post hole digger

 

[Xraywolf]

How about this bad boy, get down 3 ft in no time flat !