Anyone else have a detecting problem like me?

[Tpmetal]

So I figured I would start a new thread after a post from someone on another website got me to thinking. The guy seemed appalled at the condition of my hands in a photo of some finds I posted. My tore up hands with open wounds, band aid, and remnants of old blisters. Provided some of it come from my job as a glass shop tech, most comes from detecting to the point that I am literally wearing through my hands/body. So my question is how many other people forget to drink, eat, sleep while detecting, or even detect to the point where they are doing damage to their body? Also how deep does this addiction continue to run? anyone lost marriages over detecting, or maybe that was just the final straw? anyone lose their job yet due to detecting? I don't ask for any other reason besides that i feel if i was married my detecting would get in the way and i feel that I'm only ever a few steps away from going detecting and never coming back to work. So I'm curious who else is weak like me and lets it take over.

 

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[smokeythecat]

I know when to stop. Arthritis does that to you. Best protection is eyewear, good shoes or boots, knee pads and gloves. Why cut up your hands detecting?

 

[Tpmetal]

I know when to stop. Arthritis does that to you. Best protection is eyewear, good shoes or boots, knee pads and gloves. Why cut up your hands detecting?

because i can work quicker with less chance of damaging something when i can feel it better without gloves, also more controlled feeling of using shovel and detector buttons. knee pads are on the list as mine broke. but mostly hte damage comes from the extended period of detecting untill i can barely stand. I always say ill stop sooner next time but i never do unless someone else is with me that i feel im keeping out too long.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... anyone lose their job yet due to detecting? .....

As a self-employed person, I've let my work success falter at the hands of the priority of md'ing . Like times when I *could* more aggressive at customer retention, I've been off on md'ing trips instead.

Example: One time I had a customer complaint that our regional employee in that area wasn't doing the job right . And they stressed that on an upcoming day, they needed XYZ better service, because they were having a site inspection. I knew full well I should not trust this under-achieving employee to do it right, as he'd been slacking off. HOWEVER, that day was slated to be good ocean swells eroding the beach. So rather than going to this account and doing it right, or further-training our employee to double-check, I simply called the guy instead and told him "do a better job, they're having an inspection tomorrow".

And ... you guessed it: The employee sluffed off again. So we lost the account. Thousands of $$ per month contract. My grand total of finds that day from the beach ? About $5 in change and some jewelry trinkets at best. Would I do it all over again ? You bet

 

[3cylbill]

the more you find the worse it gets , wait until you find some seated and key date coins and indians it will drive you to hunt more and more........ahhhh....what a way to go...

 

[Tpmetal]

the more you find the worse it gets , wait until you find some seated and key date coins and indians it will drive you to hunt more and more........ahhhh....what a way to go...

Bill it keeps me up at night haha. I did make it back to that property and popped out 2 more indians and another silver washington. Ive managed to hit silver my past 6 or 7 hunts now!

 

[JerseyDigger19]

I spend way too much time on and off my job thinking about detecting. It hasn't impacted the quality of my work, but ask my wife and she'll say something different. Like somewhere around 6pm on a Saturday or Sunday when we are chilling on the back porch and she looks over at me and says "I see that look on your face... you want to go back out there again, don't you?"

 

[coinman123]

I had a broken infected foot a few weeks ago, that a rusty nail had go right through and chipped the bone. I just had to go metal detecting, because I was reading about all the cool stuff people are finding in Today's Finds. I went out in the woods behind my house for an hour, finding a colonial button and a few nails. No matter how bad 2017 was for metal detecting, under 10 buttons until August 13th, and no coins other than one Indian Head Cent (until August 14th, where I got two colonial coppers!). I still stuck through it, and went out whenever I could, even though my honeyhole from 2014 finally dried up, and all my other sites were either too trashy or empty. I finally found another honeyhole on August 13th, and am back in business.

I have a metal detecting problem .

 

[Davers]

Great you admit a problem exists.

First , I'm guessing yr finding enough to keep you excited, that's good.

Human nature is the more you have the more you want, (for most people).
Or call it a form of "Gold Fever".

I have always been addicted to something, I call it my 'Elvis' personality, be it a drug or drink , a woman, or hobby, Some worse than others.

I started a similar thread 3-4 years ago after see a talk by the Founder of our MD Club in 1976.

He stated in his speech "beware Detecting can take you over" back when he started in many places all one would need is a rake to find Civil War relics, maybe a Plate almost every other time out, pouches of Minnies, Coins from camps .
He stated it about ruined his Marriage (then my wife gave me ' The Look') & he taken over his life, he got to a point where he had to quit & for him it was a Spiritual way out.

A couple years later I was talking to a local guy at a Civil War show & was commenting on his NICE
Confederate Buttons / plates & US relics and then he basically stated " Yea it's nice BUT I missed a-lot of time when my kids were growing up & should have stayed home more .

My wife Complains constantly about my detecting , even my 9 yo thinks it's a Bad thing :BangHead
but heck I only go 1 day on the weekend & "Maybe" a few hrs 1 day a week, except when construction opens up a site , or if i'm o a hot site. but that rarely happens these days.

As for your body , I hate gloves as well, but started using think black harbor Freight disposable gloves (hot in the Sun) but they work well or ill wear 1 thicker type glove on my right hand 'for digging' Those gloves make good relic /coin holders as well.

Knee pads ... Being 46 yo my knees are starting to hurt more , but unless 'custom ' knee padsend up bunching up behind my knee & hurt me worse that way.
So I don't wear them.

Often times I carry Drinks in my Backpack & be dying of thirst but won't stop detecting to drink until I find a good target. Then Ill Chug a 20 oz Gator-aide ...What a good feeling.
But That's my OCD at work.

All I can think to say now is 'If your body don't work ,you can not hunt', So take care of it , cause soon enough if will likely break down anyway.

I suppose in N NY Winter stops you from hunting ? Good & bad IMO

Me I'm almost 3 years behind on cleaning the more common relics I find , cause I reckon I'd better 'get while they are there & My body will still let me hunt' Then when I'm down ill stand in front of the sink & scrub Relics until it;s Tag, & Bag.

IMO Don't get Married except to a Woman with similar interests , I think it's so cool to see Husbands & Wife's / Family's detecting together

GL
My Name is Davers & I'm a Crazed Relic Hunter. .

 

[P.ALLEN]

It tears my body up too, when we take family vacations I "try" to bring my detector along. It doesn't make my significant other happy, and it puts pressure on her. We have a gifted son who is a lot of work, and needs the assistance. Every time I go to the creek or river or park I take him along, he loves the creek and when we go to the park he loves that too, but I can't always detect when I do that. Constant vigilance at the waterside with him, so we can hunt for stones and bugs instead of MD'ing. I have a lot of service connected issues that plague me so I can get worked up and need to decompress, the wife sends me away to relax and take my mind off of stuff. It helps, but it only gives me the "bug" to go out and hunt more. I've always been like that, I get engaged in a hobby or project and it's all I can think about. Think about Fenn, or Lost Dutchman, even John Swift. Gold Fever is what they used to say. Job, Family, personal health, none of that matters when you have the bug. Back when I was a kid they would say "oh he's hyperactive" or something like that, folks have called me crazy more times than I can count, nowadays they say things like bipolar disorder or depression or autism spectrum disorders. I don't take that for a grain of salt, I've made it this far in life, and I'll eventually make it to where the trail ends just like all the other "normal" people. If you are not a little crazy/ passionate about what you love, then you are the ones I fear are the lunatics. The Chinese believe that your birth month, zodiac symbol, the phase of the moon when you were born all impact your life and your passions. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. I've been there, life is funny isn't it.

 

[coinman123]

Every Sunday, when we boarded the horse, we would go to the horse farm. There was some nice colonial woods with stonewalls behind it that I got permission to metal detect in. Every weekend, when ever I tried to put my metal detector in the trunk, I would hear, "Don't bring that! You are going to get the trunk all muddy, and be covered in dirt by the time you get in the car. LEAVE IT at home." I only got to metal detect once there, luckily there wasn't much in the woods. She was a little mad that I "forgot" to tell her that it was in the trunk.

 

[Tpmetal]

First , I'm guessing yr finding enough to keep you excited, that's good.

Human nature is the more you have the more you want, (for most people).
Or call it a form of "Gold Fever".

I have always been addicted to something, I call it my 'Elvis' personality, be it a drug or drink , a woman, or hobby, Some worse than others.

I started a similar thread 3-4 years ago after see a talk by the Founder of our MD Club in 1976.

He stated in his speech "beware Detecting can take you over" back when he started in many places all one would need is a rake to find Civil War relics, maybe a Plate almost every other time out, pouches of Minnies, Coins from camps .
He stated it about ruined his Marriage (then my wife gave me ' The Look') & he taken over his life, he got to a point where he had to quit & for him it was a Spiritual way out.

A couple years later I was talking to a local guy at a Civil War show & was commenting on his NICE
Confederate Buttons / plates & US relics and then he basically stated " Yea it's nice BUT I missed a-lot of time when my kids were growing up & should have stayed home more .

My wife Complains constantly about my detecting , even my 9 yo thinks it's a Bad thing :BangHead
but heck I only go 1 day on the weekend & "Maybe" a few hrs 1 day a week, except when construction opens up a site , or if i'm o a hot site. but that rarely happens these days.

As for your body , I hate gloves as well, but started using think black harbor Freight disposable gloves (hot in the Sun) but they work well or ill wear 1 thicker type glove on my right hand 'for digging' Those gloves make good relic /coin holders as well.

Knee pads ... Being 46 yo my knees are starting to hurt more , but unless 'custom ' knee padsend up bunching up behind my knee & hurt me worse that way.
So I don't wear them.

Often times I carry Drinks in my Backpack & be dying of thirst but won't stop detecting to drink until I find a good target. Then Ill Chug a 20 oz Gator-aide ...What a good feeling.
But That's my OCD at work.

All I can think to say now is 'If your body don't work ,you can not hunt', So take care of it , cause soon enough if will likely break down anyway.

I suppose in N NY Winter stops you from hunting ? Good & bad IMO

Me I'm almost 3 years behind on cleaning the more common relics I find , cause I reckon I'd better 'get while they are there & My body will still let me hunt' Then when I'm down ill stand in front of the sink & scrub Relics until it;s Tag, & Bag.

IMO Don't get Married except to a Woman with similar interests , I think it's so cool to see Husbands & Wife's / Family's detecting together

GL
My Name is Davers & I'm a Crazed Relic Hunter. .

yup western NY does not not play nice in the winter.

 

[coinman123]

yup western NY does not not play nice in the winter.

Can't be any worse than NH .

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

Wow. Ya know, until I read this thread, I thought I was pretty intense into the hobby. But I have never let it significantly affect home or work, and especially not my health. I am fortunate to have a wife that likes to see me happy and enjoys seeing my finds- and I try to be as supportive of her interests as well.

Anyway, I guess I aint got it as bad as some of you all. Just remember to keep it Fun.

 

[4x4x4]

....Haven't vacuumed in three years , eat from paper plates and continue to buy new clothes in lieu of laundry. My social life is nil as is my dance card. Can't get the oil changed in the detection vehicle 'cause there are no Lube N Tunes enrout to the treasure fields.
I only have a kitchen because it came with the place. I could pull a "heist" as I have no discernable fingerprints left but could be easily identified by my crippled gait and and Batman like detector vest and belt festooned with my tools of the trade, pads and I always forget to remove my headphones.
Women shun me and children point or run . I can't keep a boss as they won't play by my rules . ALL purchases are made with crusty clad and I've been banned from my bank and local Target store. I gifted my neighbor with a found necklace and she called the cops.
I don't have time to shave let alone shower or remember key dates like birthdays, anniversaries or dentist appointments.
My mental health counselor just doesn't understand me and thinks there are more pressing issues than saving the gold . . . Nobody understands me......nobody.

 

[TerryC]

So I figured I would start a new thread after a post from someone on another website got me to thinking. The guy seemed appalled at the condition of my hands in a photo of some finds I posted. My tore up hands with open wounds, band aid, and remnants of old blisters. Provided some of it come from my job as a glass shop tech, most comes from detecting to the point that I am literally wearing through my hands/body. So my question is how many other people forget to drink, eat, sleep while detecting, or even detect to the point where they are doing damage to their body? Also how deep does this addiction continue to run? anyone lost marriages over detecting, or maybe that was just the final straw? anyone lose their job yet due to detecting? I don't ask for any other reason besides that i feel if i was married my detecting would get in the way and i feel that I'm only ever a few steps away from going detecting and never coming back to work. So I'm curious who else is weak like me and lets it take over.

Well, T P, you'll just have to give up the job so you'll have nothing to open those wounds received while detecting! I booted a friend out of a very productive site. I became a member of the American Legion post # 1 in Halifax County, NC for $15. Their lot was 3 acres and held the county fair every year. I was doing fine and invited a friend. At each coin, he used a large Bowie knife to cut a plug that was the size of a paper plate. He whacked the grass on his thigh until the coin (AND SOIL) came out. OUT!! Never invited him back. I did pretty good that summer, removing $128 in change. Not a bad trade. No rings and things, though. ╦╦Ç

 

[Obsessive]

No, not me. I don't have a problem. No problem at all with no one to complain. I'm as normal as you guys. Thanks for the support! I feel much better now.

 

[Tpmetal]

....Haven't vacuumed in three years , eat from paper plates and continue to buy new clothes in lieu of laundry. My social life is nil as is my dance card. Can't get the oil changed in the detection vehicle 'cause there are no Lube N Tunes enrout to the treasure fields.
I only have a kitchen because it came with the place. I could pull a "heist" as I have no discernable fingerprints left but could be easily identified by my crippled gait and and Batman like detector vest and belt festooned with my tools of the trade, pads and I always forget to remove my headphones.
Women shun me and children point or run . I can't keep a boss as they won't play by my rules . ALL purchases are made with crusty clad and I've been banned from my bank and local Target store. I gifted my neighbor with a found necklace and she called the cops.
I don't have time to shave let alone shower or remember key dates like birthdays, anniversaries or dentist appointments.
My mental health counselor just doesn't understand me and thinks there are more pressing issues than saving the gold . . . Nobody understands me......nobody.

I think a few of us do. I totally turned down a girl for drinks the other night to go detecting. The words no I'm busy digging holes came out of my mouth so fast with out thinking, I'm sure she was offended. probably not getting another chance after that

 

[Tpmetal]

Well, T P, you'll just have to give up the job so you'll have nothing to open those wounds received while detecting! I booted a friend out of a very productive site. I became a member of the American Legion post # 1 in Halifax County, NC for $15. Their lot was 3 acres and held the county fair every year. I was doing fine and invited a friend. At each coin, he used a large Bowie knife to cut a plug that was the size of a paper plate. He whacked the grass on his thigh until the coin (AND SOIL) came out. OUT!! Never invited him back. I did pretty good that summer, removing $128 in change. Not a bad trade. No rings and things, though. ╦╦Ç

If I could get rid of my job I would, but i need money to fuel my car to go detecting. Oh yeah and the whole daughter thing, can't be supporting a kid on clad alone. That friends needs to learn how to pinpoint those plugs, Gotta leave it like you found it!

 

[Slingshot]

Hmmm, wonder where all that blood is coming from...Woa, nice 1883 IHP!!...hey, there is another signal coming from this hole...dig, scrape, dig...Woohoo, shield nickel...being careful not to bleed all over it and put it in pouch to clean up later...dang got blood all over my goodies pouch, need to see where that's coming from...Oh man another signal from the same hole...scrape, dig, Oh Yeah!! 3c silver trime, YAHOO!!!...Oh man, that finger is cut to the bone, blood everywhere, glancing over at the old rusty bicycle that has all my worldly possessions, a tent and backpack strapped to the rack on back and realizing I need to go get my first aid kit and treat my finger, but, hey wait just a minute, still something good in that hole...digging, scraping, with a fleeting thought of tetanus...just get this coin, then I'll tend to my finger...