The Beep Goes On
Silver Member
- Jan 11, 2006
- 3,403
- 207
- Detector(s) used
- CTX3030, Excalibur II, V3i, TRX
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
I was tempted to mount the controls on the balanced shaft I bought, but I really did not want that weight on my arm. So, looking at this post, http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,126974.0.html, I started thinking about making my own harness. The Minelab waist mount is crap, as many of you have said. I had an "E-Z Swing" harness (used to take weight off your arm) that I used every once in a while, but I found that it was too cumbersome for its intended purpose. I have another, more efficient detector support harness that I use when swinging big coils for extended periods of time. Anyway, the shoulder straps on the E-Z Swing were perfect and all I needed to do was make the belt part. I don't sew, so I decided to use grommets to put it together.
The main thing I learned about working with nylon belts was that (1) punching holes in them is practically impossibe, (2) drilling holes in them tore the surrounding material up when the drill bit pulled out the threads and (3) the only good way to do it was to melt holes through the webbing. Just get a round piece of metal of the appropriate size, heat it over a gas flame and punch a hole. This has the added benefit of sealing the material around the hole.
I used two sizes of grommets. 1/4" for the holes that hold the controls. 1/2" for the four shoulder strap clips. They only had brass grommets at Home Depot, so that's what I used.
Grommet tools
Front view...I added an little cable-keeper on the cable-side bolt. I took a little piece of webbing, installed two small grommets, folded it over the cable and tightened it down. You can see that I used the Minelab waist mount metal rod to hold the controls. It has the benefit of being able to unclip the battery easily. Hey, I thought metal detecting was supposed to make you lose weight!
Back view...I added a large grommet to the waist belt to hold a carabiner on which I could clip my scoop.
I used a velcro strap at the very top and the very bottom of the shaft to hold the cable, but I taped the cable to the shaft from the grip to the coil to cut down on the drag. If you tape the cable to the side of the shaft you will reduce the cross-section. Any reduction in drag will help you swing for longer periods of time. I used Gorilla tape...we'll see how it holds up. I also used two lengths of cable sheathing (you can see it in the second pic). One of the problems with chest mounts is that the cable flexes much more than a shaft mount and the cable can break from repeated bending. I figured the sheathing would help in this regard.
Stainless Diamond Scoop (7.5" x 12"). This is a great scoop, and costs a lot less than other brands, even though it seems to be made as well, if not better. The grip that you mount on the shaft gives you a lot of leverage to overcome the suction and the weight. You can also position the grip to your liking.
I would like to add some grommets to the shoulder straps so I can clip on some items and somehow add a water bottle holder...we'll see...this is a first attempt. I am going to replace the control mounting nuts and bolts with nylon replacements and replace the scoop grip hardware with stainless replacements. I am currently using nylon washers throughout on the control mounts (four per bolt).
I'm going to try this setup this weekend in Galveston. There's not a lot to be found down there at the moment, being winter and all, but it will be good practice and I can work out any functional kinks in the configuration. Plus, you never know...I may find something
HH!
TBGO
The main thing I learned about working with nylon belts was that (1) punching holes in them is practically impossibe, (2) drilling holes in them tore the surrounding material up when the drill bit pulled out the threads and (3) the only good way to do it was to melt holes through the webbing. Just get a round piece of metal of the appropriate size, heat it over a gas flame and punch a hole. This has the added benefit of sealing the material around the hole.
I used two sizes of grommets. 1/4" for the holes that hold the controls. 1/2" for the four shoulder strap clips. They only had brass grommets at Home Depot, so that's what I used.
Grommet tools
Front view...I added an little cable-keeper on the cable-side bolt. I took a little piece of webbing, installed two small grommets, folded it over the cable and tightened it down. You can see that I used the Minelab waist mount metal rod to hold the controls. It has the benefit of being able to unclip the battery easily. Hey, I thought metal detecting was supposed to make you lose weight!
Back view...I added a large grommet to the waist belt to hold a carabiner on which I could clip my scoop.
I used a velcro strap at the very top and the very bottom of the shaft to hold the cable, but I taped the cable to the shaft from the grip to the coil to cut down on the drag. If you tape the cable to the side of the shaft you will reduce the cross-section. Any reduction in drag will help you swing for longer periods of time. I used Gorilla tape...we'll see how it holds up. I also used two lengths of cable sheathing (you can see it in the second pic). One of the problems with chest mounts is that the cable flexes much more than a shaft mount and the cable can break from repeated bending. I figured the sheathing would help in this regard.
Stainless Diamond Scoop (7.5" x 12"). This is a great scoop, and costs a lot less than other brands, even though it seems to be made as well, if not better. The grip that you mount on the shaft gives you a lot of leverage to overcome the suction and the weight. You can also position the grip to your liking.
I would like to add some grommets to the shoulder straps so I can clip on some items and somehow add a water bottle holder...we'll see...this is a first attempt. I am going to replace the control mounting nuts and bolts with nylon replacements and replace the scoop grip hardware with stainless replacements. I am currently using nylon washers throughout on the control mounts (four per bolt).
I'm going to try this setup this weekend in Galveston. There's not a lot to be found down there at the moment, being winter and all, but it will be good practice and I can work out any functional kinks in the configuration. Plus, you never know...I may find something
HH!
TBGO
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