Tot lot trash

[JMac48]

Anyone else find chunks of aluminum in the mulch. Gives out good signals and is everywhere. If anyone has ran into this I could sure use help. Using a Nox btw.

[pinkmagnolia]

Take a piece of aluminum home and run your machine over it. See what it rings up as on your machine and remember that # and memorize the tone to you can avoid it in the future. Other than that, all I know is dig everything. Good luck!

[Irishgoldhound]

I’m afraid to say but if you stop digging those aluminum signals you’ll miss gold rings and gold chains. You have to dig aluminum targets to get the gold. You’re going to dig lots of trash and pieces of foil and aluminum but along with that you will be surprised with the reward of gold. Just the nature of the game. Gotta dig the trash to get the treasure.

[JMac48]

Lol can’t believe the chunks of aluminum I’m not talking cans. It would imagine having kids play around this stuff.

[Clad2Silver]

Pieces of aluminum are pretty much everywhere. Doesn't matter the detector you're using, you'll just have to dig them. If you really learn and understand your detector you can probably eliminate SOME of the aluminum targets but not all of them.

[Irishgoldhound]

Aluminum cans get run over with mowers in parks and then you have can shrapnel everywhere. Somehow it just gets everywhere.

[JMac48]

This is as if someone threw a ingot of aluminum in the mulcher just to see what would happen lol.

[Indian Steve]

Don't ever dig aluminum, pulltabs or nickels and you will leave all the gold for the rest of us

[cudamark]

All kinds of crap ends up in the bark after going through the wood chipper. It just depends on the source of the wood. I just go ahead and dig it all out of the tot lots. Sometimes you end up finding something NICE! At least, the tot lot gets much cleaner and safer.

[JMac48]

Trust me I dig everything just never experienced giant chunks of aluminum that’s all I was getting at.

[boogeyman]

This is as if someone threw a ingot of aluminum in the mulcher just to see what would happen lol.

Can slaw. The city uses the chips from when they cut trees down for the tot lots. Cans get thrown in the chipper and can slaw comes out. One of the park maintenance guys told me they chuck cans in so the supervisors don't catch them slacking. The other guy said, "We throw a few in just to screw with you detector guys." Still not sure if he was serious or not.

Searching chips? Try this. Cut the bottom out of a Tupperware sheet cake container, add a piece of 1/2 inch plastic screen from the hobby shop. Pop out a handful swish it around eyeball it retrieve and dump. Takes about ten or twenty seconds. I just leave it on the ground & kick it along for three of four targets.

[cudamark]

I find that bark doesn't sift well. Sometimes the bark is really packed down too. I've tried using my sand scoop, but, I find that just using my Lesche and a pin pointer works best.

[JMac48]

I find that bark doesn't sift well. Sometimes the bark is really packed down too. I've tried using my sand scoop, but, I find that just using my Lesche and a pin pointer works best.

I agree it’s really packed here as well.

[RobNC]

The fun and adventures of wood chip and can slaw. I particularly despise the round foil drink tabs too. Wood chips are even more fun when they are wet. The first inch or 2 dry then you get on down and it is mud soup.
Something else that seems common in the tot lots are shoe and jean rivets. Always nice when you isolate such a small target that sounds ok and try to find it. YAY so much fun!
I've noticed too that unless the coins are less than an inch deep and were dropped a couple days ago they always come out horribly rusted and corroded. The tannins in the wood really works a number on clad. I've found nails, pistol bullets, rifle bullets, and also .177 caliber pellets in tot lot chips. The best strategy is to use a smaller than stock coil size first. Then go back with your stock coil once the beeps stop with the small coil. It will take you some visits to get things clean enough where you detect actual keepers. It can be done, but with a lot of trips and dedication. I've done it so it is possible. The bigger problem though is being able to get into places. Most are locked down and the busy body neighbors like to call the po-po and sheriff department. It's public property and there is no rule against it but they strongly hint for you to leave. One of my favorite places has put up cameras now. Can't say I enjoy detecting with a camera watching me 24/7.

If you have fun with wood chips wait until you get to try out the new replacement- rubber tire shreds. It's really interesting when you run across the steel belts in that medium.