A screwdriver... For digging?

[Auriemma]

Ok... I have seen several posts that in PA state parks, you can only use a screwdriver to probe and dig if You pinpoint something.

How the hell do you dig with a screwdriver?

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

You basically probe the target with the screw driver, once you find the target you simply pry it out of the ground with the screw driver leaving just a little hole in the ground.

Keep @ it and HH !!

 

[Argentium]

As long as the item isn't too deep you can get pretty proficient at probing - you do end up cutting a line to remove the
coin or ring or whatever .

 

[dirtlooter]

its better than not at all and some of these guys can make it look easy

 

[CincinnatiKid]

The Hamilton Co. Parks in S.W. Ohio say tools used for probing must be similar to a screwdriver, with a blade lenght of no more than six inches and a width of no more than one half inch.
I've become quite proficient digging plugs with a screwdriver.
Good luck
Peace

 

[lookindown]

A pin pointer helps quite a bit when using a screwdriver. With a screwdriver you can wiggle open a hole big enough to get a pin pointer and your fingers in. Most targets you can hit while probing and pop them out. You cant really dig very well with a screwdriver but you can recover targets up to 6 inches quite effectively. Youtube has videos on coin popping with a screwdriver.

 

[BigWaveDave]

The good news is, my screwdriver looks like a lesche.

 

[BigWaveDave]

Is that a screwdriver in your pocket?
or are you happy to see me?

 

[DonDigger]

A word of caution though. File the corners/edges of the blade of the screwdriver slightly rounded, then sand them smooth with 600+ grit paper to cut down on gouging coins. Just make sure there are no sharp corners or edges on the screwdriver. I used one all thru the 70's and 80's when we were still finding a lot of silver and scratched my share, saw a lot more scratched by my hunting buddies. Back then it wasn't as big a deal to scratch a silver quarter or half since we were finding a lot more of them. No so today.

 

[BC1969]

it is easy once mastered! takes time, all I use in turf, I'll take a pic of the Stanley screwdriver I've been poking with the last 30+ years, its completely worn smooth and rounded just from the soil.
Though it can and will leave nice long gouges in coins if not careful.

Mike

 

[Lady Pirate]

Ever see those screw drivers that are like 2 feet long !!! And they thought they would deter us! LMAO....

 

[JOHUNT]

Maybe a coating of flex-seal on your digging tool would keep you from scratching your finds. I wonder if yall could use one of those dandelion/garden weeder that has the "V" shaped tip?

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[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

You can dig a grave with a screwdriver, just takes more time

 

[JOHUNT]

You can dig a grave with a screwdriver, just takes more time

Just try not to get dirt in it. That's alcohol abuse!

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[stefen]

Ever see those screw drivers that are like 2 feet long !!! And they thought they would deter us! LMAO....

Yeah.

And they have a flat spot near the head so you can apply foot pressure...aka, shovel...

 

[Mr.T]

Probe. How do you think von meuller would do it. Anything on the beech that sounds like a beercan - i poke it with a rod..etc etc. Although I picked up the habit out of laziness in hard ground . listen. gl hh

 

[texasred777]

I've used an icepick for years. I've blunted the end a bit. I probe gently, until I find the target, then move the handle forward and backward to make a slit. Then if I can't 'pop' the target out, I use a tablespoon, bent like a 'ladle' to dip the dirt out of the hole. I put the dirt on a paper plate. When I retrieve the target, I simply pour the dirt back into the hole, tamp it down level, and pull/push on the sides to get the grass-slit back together. It's a little slower than cutting a plug, but very seldom leaves a dead spot in the lawn. If I'm somewhere I can dig without worrying about killing the grass, I use a Craftsman screwdriver with thin, 9 inch blade.

 

[CoinandRelicMan]

Maybe a coating of flex-seal on your digging tool would keep you from scratching your finds. I wonder if yall could use one of those dandelion/garden weeder that has the "V" shaped tip?

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The ones I used to modify are always made out of cheap steel that bends too much in the strong grass roots.

 

[CoinandRelicMan]

I use a screwdriver 99 times out of 100 or more in public areas out here. There is one site where the screwdriver is a bit problematic at times but there the grass roots are not thick and strong and the soil is sandy and not always hard packed so items end up deeper than 6 inches. Still the screwdriver seems to have advantage because it does not cut grass roots, thus causing much less grass die off. Also I have found that after a few sessions of use in gravel / sand mixes the screwdriver loses a lots of its sharp edges quite fast.

Here is my usual procedure for using a screwdriver, I pinpoint for best location , sometimes using both all metal and the wiggle-back method in discriminate, to see if both methods agree, if they both agree most of the time you have the targets location nailed. I put screwdriver in straight down a bit to right of target and tilt the screwdriver then if roots are tough it is time to made another insert on other side of targets location and do same again. Then(when roots are tough) make a third insert rather horizontal and pry up with handle. Sometimes if not so tough roots and not hard tough soil you only need one insert to move enough soil to get pin-pointer in. See if it goes off put in straight down if not wiggle around, take time pin-pointer often a bit slower to respond than regular metal detectors. If it seems you have completely missed target then close up and re-pin-point, sometimes having a marking on ground helps to make more easy to get accuracy on first insert too. Hope this is helpful. Happy hunting to you all =)

 

[JOHUNT]

I've used an icepick for years.

Please be careful doing that. My Great Grandfather died by falling on his icepick back in the 30's. He was an ice deliverer. My grandpa was only 1 year old when it happened.

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