Updated version of my homemade sand scoop

[Zeke]

Did some refining on the sand scoop I built from scrap at work. How does it look now? Weighs in at 2lbs.
Trying to see if I can sell a few on ebay to upgrade to a better 'tector.

 

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[Darren in NC]

You may be one of the few of us who could make a living at this, Zeke!

 

[True_Metal]

Nice work, dude. You do all the welding on that? Looks like Aluminum, did you TIG it? I'm a welder/fabber and been thinking bout building stuff like this to make some extra coin to furthur finance my addiction to this sport. 8)

 

[Zeke]

Thanks for the compliments. Yeah, its aluminum but I MIG welded it. Havent learned how to TIG yet.Not the prettiest but was doing it at work on my lunch so it was sort of a rush job.

 

[Damon]

Yeah, nice work Zeke! Hmmm...maybe I'll buy one from you if you produce these!

 

[True_Metal]

Thanks for the compliments. Yeah, its aluminum but I MIG welded it. Havent learned how to TIG yet.Not the prettiest but was doing it at work on my lunch so it was sort of a rush job.

Looks nice, and thats the only diamond plate scooper i have seen. Know well of the those rush jobs as i have built a few personal things that had to be rushed by the end of lunch, or before the boss got back Once you learn TIG you will never want to weld with any other process as it's so sweet and clean. Tip for ya, if your interested, and plan to build more of these. Weld (any process and any metals) with good ventilation or use a respirator under your hood, as metal fume poisoning is no fun, and aluminum fumes can cause early alzheimers disease. My memory has turned to sh*t from fume exposure after 20 years welding and i hate to think what it will be like in another 20. Play it safe and have fun.8)

 

[Zeke]

Thanks for the advice True.........but probally a little late. Im a welder by trade also and have been welding aluminum for 5yrs now. I work for a company that makes aluminum beverage bodies, trailers, and ambulance bodies. You've probally seen them........the kind with the roll up side doors that Coke, Pepsi, Bud, Coors, etc delivers drinks to the stores in. I've worked on both Body and Trailer lines but at the moment working on the ambulance line. They have looked into getting us fresh air ventilation hoods but that has never happened. All we get is basically a dust mask

I made a new one today that is clean.......didnt use TreadPlate.....just smooth aluminum. Also instead of drilling holes out to 1/2"...... I drilled a 1/4" pilot, then used a countersink to open them up a bit more. Looks sweet. Will take some pics of it tomorrow.

 

[True_Metal]

That pisses me off to hear that the company would rather jeopardize you alls health instead cutting into their profits to spring for a vent system. The dust mask will take care of particles but is useless on fumes. I was chief tigger at a place that made? alum and ss blood filters and they had no vent system. me and the other guys were getting massive headaches by midday so i finally told the owner, look your killing us and the machinists slowly in there and he finally got a system that we installed ourselves. I was persistent and it finally paid off. If your place wont budge, spring for a respirator for yourself and use it. I got a decent one i dont use thats yours if you want it?


Yeah, post pics of that new scooper.I would like to check it out 8)

 

[JohninCT]

Only things that i notice, is the angle of the scoop section as compared to the handle seems too close. It should be more of an L shape, but not quite an L. With the angle you have, you would lose to much of the contents before lifting it out of the water or sand, and it would have to be high up in the air to shake sand out. Also, the diameter across the mouth of the scoop, 6" is normal and 7" is better for in water use. Other thing is in a rocky area, the aluminum would break down too fast. So be sure to mention 'for sandy areas only' when selling.

 

[Zeke]

I was wondering about the angle of the handle also. My buddy that I work with(that has gotten me back into detecting) was coaching me while I was trying to come up with a design. The angle was his idea....so I did it and it worked good for me. If you think about it.....if it was more of an L shape(closer to 90*...you wouldnt be able to hold the handle and step on the back of the scoop at the same time.? Plus its 6061 alum. .....not just run of the mill stuff. Its stout.

I know the mouth is a little narrow but I dont have access to the right size material to make it wider. I have to use what I can get out of the scrap bin. I could take some aluminum sheet and try and make a wider scoop....but then it would look shoddy. The stuff Im using already has the curve....so it looks neat...even if I have to weld 2 pieces together to make the scoop body.

AFTER I made it.......and I affirm to after....I was looking at detector sites and found an aluminum one almost just like this one. I couldnt believe the price....and the design is about like mine. Similar handle angle....just has a bigger mouth on the scoop and the scoop itself is 1 piece instead of "pieced".

 

[mxtman2]

Hi Zeke. Glad to know someone else out there likes to do "G" jobs as much as I do. Your scoop looks great. It gave me ideas for my next one. The one I built is a hand scoop, But the real beauty is that I have axcess to Titanium!! I have probably the strongest and lightest sand scoop in the world! If you can get ahold of Titanium sheet metal. You will love it. It TIG welds about like a cross between alumnim and stainless .. Ill post pic's when I learn how...

 

[Zeke]

True.....I hear ya about being ticked. We do have exhaust fans WAY up in the ceiling and in warm weather we have fans blowing on us. This place is hot as 40 Hades in the summertime and cold as the North Pole in the winter. The working conditions arent the greatest....but its a living

Heres a couple of pics of the new one with counter sunk holes and made of smooth alum. instead of Treadplate.

Was thinking about asking to buy the materials to make these....instead of having to scrounge the scrap bins.....and then staying after work on Fridays(we usually work 1/2 days on Fridays) and welding them up. Then I could make more by having the parts and having more time to work on them....cant get much done in a 30 min lunch.

Wonder how an anodized finish would hold up?? My stepdad has connections where I could probally get it done cheap.

 

[Zeke]

Another angle

 

[mvSWAT]

I think your scoop looks great. How about a slightly longer handle with a grip on it similar to our detectors so we could lift it using more of our forearm strength than wrist? Just a thought.

 

[Zeke]

Hey Swat.......how long of handle are you talking? I putting something together at work.....I'll take a pic 2morrow before I weld the scoop on it.

I made one sort of like the detector shafts and it has the "cuff"? that goes under your forearm. Not really sure how it will work....but I'll snap some pics and let ya see.

 

[Zeke]

Hi Zeke. Glad to know someone else out there likes to do "G" jobs as much as I do. Your scoop looks great. It gave me ideas for my next one. The one I built is a hand scoop, But the real beauty is that I have axcess to Titanium!! I have probably the strongest and lightest sand scoop in the world!? If you can get ahold of Titanium sheet metal. You will love it. It TIG welds about like a cross between alumnim and stainless ..? ? Ill post pic's when I learn how...

Yeah.......post some pics of that thing. Not hard at all. Just click the browse button on the reply page......go to where your pic is on your PC...click it and your done.

My Bro-in-law has access to titanium and he would probally weld it for me. All I have to work with at work is MIG aluminum and steel.

 

[Statenisland Keith]

Why aren't there any holes on the back of the scoop? You have a great talent looking to sell stock?

 

[Zeke]

By "in the back".....do you mean the top where the handle is connected?

I did it like that so that the sand wouldnt come back on you as bad when shaken to get the sand out. Nothing worse than getting an eyefull of sand

As for the stock......I doubt I could compete with whats out there already. If I saw a definate market for them, I would look into buying better material to make them out of.....instead of using scrap. They are rough....as in the curve pieces of the scoop actually had "webbing" (structural) inside of it. It started out as an extruded cornerpost for an aluminum truck body. I have to cut that out and dont always get it perfect....but hey, its functional.

I started out by making me one to take to a beach detecting trip with a couple of guys from work. Im on a budget and couldnt afford to buy one so I made my own. It was hard enough convincing the wife to let me go much less springing for a scoop...lol

 

[mvSWAT]

Yeah Zeke, one with a cuff sounds very functional to me. I've not detected on the beach yet but it seems that if I was able to leverage the scoop (like with a cuff) it would make it easier, also be able to keep that scoop farther from my eyes to avoid getting sand on me. Looks like you've got a real talent there. Keep up the good work. Happy Hunting. Dan

 

[mxtman2]

Hi Zeke, Here is a picture of Titanium sand scoop and digger that I made. The scoop on left is 316 stainless steel, 3.4lbs. The scoop on right is grade 2 Titanium, 1.5 lbs.. The drawback of Titanium is cost. This scoop would cost around $100 for material alone.
HH? ?Dennis