Do most people pull off the pull tab ??

[mxtman2]

Every time I go hunting a park, I ask myselfe the same question. How did all these pulltabs get here? Some places are literaly carpeted with them! It gets me to wondering. Do most people remove them from the can? I can't remember EVER removing one from the can! Why would you!? They are made to STAY ON THE CAN!
I guess I've been doing it wrong all these years!
I guess the only good thing about it is that if it wasn't for pulltabs, everyone would be out detecting.
Anyway, I just had to vent. I feel better now. (not)

 

[Tom_in_CA]

silver surfer, get ahold of any of numerous "ring enhancement" programs, just to find out the odds ratios of where gold rings can show up on the TID scale. It worked like this: Back years ago when machines like the Whites Eagle first came out (with digital easy to read and program 0 to 95 scales), some people set out to determine where gold rings tend to read at. So they, for example, would take HUNDREDS of sample gold rings of all different randomly occuring shapes and sizes normally worn by people (they must've had a friend who owned a jewelry store, eh?? ) They would test each one, and put their TIDs on a spread sheet or whatever. Perhaps someone can find such a study that was done, to come out with these "ring enhancement" programs, and post it here. I recall, for example, that the round-pull-tab range actually had a very low percentage of the gold rings, that fell exactly in that range. This is speaking of a very expanded TID scale though. It wouldn't work on a simple 7 or 8 quadrant scale, like the CZ6, as too many things are grouped into broader ranges.

Generally, the gold rings came in the lower categories. Primarily around nickel-ish. But some down to as low as foil (a small enough percentage that you could elect to nix that range of smaller foil out, if you wanted, and only loose a certain small percentage of the sampled pool of gold rings. And some gold rings read up very high, like even up to zinc penny range. But again, that would be a very small percentage of gold rings (like big heavy men's 10k college rings or something). So again, you could nix that out, to pass zinc, and loose only a very small percentage of normally worn gold rings.

When machines like the XLT, Explorer, etc... came out, which had more than just the simple up/down axis, people thought they could *at last* pass aluminum, and figure out how gold hit different on the left/right axis, or by studying the smears of the XLT, etc... But alas, it's still impossible. Gold can still hit anywhere on those machines too :P

 

[pennyfarmer]

But they sure as hell could come up with an idea to get rid of these pop tops.. I cant remember where I saw them, but they were "push button" cans, you merely pushed a dime sized "button" that went downward in the can.. No tab to break off and toss. I wish that would have been made the norm.

Hutch sodas worked in a similar way. I actually don't mind digging a hutch top because I know I am in a old place.

 

[idig4]

I think i am the only one digging in wrightsville beach N.C. ...I hunt the beach three times a week ,2 to 3hrs each trip.I always get a pouch full of the pull tabs,foil,cancer packs,just alot of trash.I guess its also {cool} to bury your drink cans.

You forgot the endless supply of buried twist tops from beer bottles.

 

[mxtman2]

silver surfer, get ahold of any of numerous "ring enhancement" programs, just to find out the odds ratios of where gold rings can show up on the TID scale. It worked like this: Back years ago when machines like the Whites Eagle first came out (with digital easy to read and program 0 to 95 scales), some people set out to determine where gold rings tend to read at. So they, for example, would take HUNDREDS of sample gold rings of all different randomly occuring shapes and sizes normally worn by people (they must've had a friend who owned a jewelry store, eh?? ) They would test each one, and put their TIDs on a spread sheet or whatever. Perhaps someone can find such a study that was done, to come out with these "ring enhancement" programs, and post it here. I recall, for example, that the round-pull-tab range actually had a very low percentage of the gold rings, that fell exactly in that range. This is speaking of a very expanded TID scale though. It wouldn't work on a simple 7 or 8 quadrant scale, like the CZ6, as too many things are grouped into broader ranges.

Generally, the gold rings came in the lower categories. Primarily around nickel-ish. But some down to as low as foil (a small enough percentage that you could elect to nix that range of smaller foil out, if you wanted, and only loose a certain small percentage of the sampled pool of gold rings. And some gold rings read up very high, like even up to zinc penny range. But again, that would be a very small percentage of gold rings (like big heavy men's 10k college rings or something). So again, you could nix that out, to pass zinc, and loose only a very small percentage of normally worn gold rings.

When machines like the XLT, Explorer, etc... came out, which had more than just the simple up/down axis, people thought they could *at last* pass aluminum, and figure out how gold hit different on the left/right axis, or by studying the smears of the XLT, etc... But alas, it's still impossible. Gold can still hit anywhere on those machines too :P

That's very interesting Tom, I was always led to beleive that gold rings for the most part read exactly in the pull tab range. I'm going to have to do more invistigating. The few gold rings I have found read right in there with pulltabs on my MXT, although I did have a large mens ring read as zink.
You have a much better technical grasp of how these work than I do. I do remember visiting a local detector shop a few years back. We talked about this very subject. The owner pulled out an MXT and a box of rings he found. He demonstrated to me that gold rings can indeed read all over the scale!!
I was amazed at all the different VDI's gold rings can give! I guess you really have to dig everything! To be sure.

 

[Silver Surfer]

I think i am the only one digging in wrightsville beach N.C. ...I hunt the beach three times a week ,2 to 3hrs each trip.I always get a pouch full of the pull tabs,foil,cancer packs,just alot of trash.I guess its also {cool} to bury your drink cans.

You forgot the endless supply of buried twist tops from beer bottles.

Ahhh, but that is where the MXT book spoken about on here all the time came to be worth every penny to me... beer and other twist offs drove me nuts, as they would show as 1/10 cent and bounce to .25 and since I had found a few pocket spills that did that, I was digging every damn twist top in the area... The book explained that if you go just outside the target area with the edge of the coil on those targets, it will show as iron.. It works... Now if I hit that target, I sweep out to the far edge and if it is a twist cap, it WILL show as iron.. If it doesnt, then I dig it and although it still may not be a coin(s), it is not a bottle cap..
That saves me a ton of digging...

 

[GopherDaGold]

I think it's safe to say there are at least two groups of people who don't pull them off.
Detectorists and recyclers.

 

[Silver Surfer]

silver surfer, get ahold of any of numerous "ring enhancement" programs, just to find out the odds ratios of where gold rings can show up on the TID scale. It worked like this: Back years ago when machines like the Whites Eagle first came out (with digital easy to read and program 0 to 95 scales), some people set out to determine where gold rings tend to read at. So they, for example, would take HUNDREDS of sample gold rings of all different randomly occuring shapes and sizes normally worn by people (they must've had a friend who owned a jewelry store, eh?? ) They would test each one, and put their TIDs on a spread sheet or whatever. Perhaps someone can find such a study that was done, to come out with these "ring enhancement" programs, and post it here. I recall, for example, that the round-pull-tab range actually had a very low percentage of the gold rings, that fell exactly in that range. This is speaking of a very expanded TID scale though. It wouldn't work on a simple 7 or 8 quadrant scale, like the CZ6, as too many things are grouped into broader ranges.

Generally, the gold rings came in the lower categories. Primarily around nickel-ish. But some down to as low as foil (a small enough percentage that you could elect to nix that range of smaller foil out, if you wanted, and only loose a certain small percentage of the sampled pool of gold rings. And some gold rings read up very high, like even up to zinc penny range. But again, that would be a very small percentage of gold rings (like big heavy men's 10k college rings or something). So again, you could nix that out, to pass zinc, and loose only a very small percentage of normally worn gold rings.

When machines like the XLT, Explorer, etc... came out, which had more than just the simple up/down axis, people thought they could *at last* pass aluminum, and figure out how gold hit different on the left/right axis, or by studying the smears of the XLT, etc... But alas, it's still impossible. Gold can still hit anywhere on those machines too :P

That's very interesting Tom, I was always led to beleive that gold rings for the most part read exactly in the pull tab range. I'm going to have to do more invistigating. The few gold rings I have found read right in there with pulltabs on my MXT, although I did have a large mens ring read as zink.
You have a much better technical grasp of how these work than I do. I do remember visiting a local detector shop a few years back. We talked about this very subject. The owner pulled out an MXT and a box of rings he found. He demonstrated to me that gold rings can indeed read all over the scale!!
I was amazed at all the different VDI's gold rings can give! I guess you really have to dig everything! To be sure.

Tom does add some very cool info to this... The thing about my MXT is that the pull tab/ring zone is HUGE... But for me, I have yet to find one thing at 24-26 that is NOT a modern pop tab... Now even though I have yet to dig a ring that shows in the pop top range at all, the 28-40 range could at least still be a ring, but till now, they are either the colored tabs (have no idea why color makes a difference.. Tom?) or the old style beaver tail rings.. I can see why the MXT thinks they may be rings as they are shaped like a thin ring..
I just cant figure out why with todays technology, and the vast differences metalurogically(sp?) between gold and aluminum, that they havent pinned down how to differentiate between the two with these modern machines.. Maybe that is the difference between a $1000 machine and a $8000 machine? I cant imagine paying that much for a machine and still have to dig so much trash.. Maybe it is only about depth though..
I never thought I would hate the modern pop tabs as much as I do... A guy told me yesterday that he heard that kids can collect them and the companies would take them and donate cash to charitable groups in exchange.. Anyone else heard that?
If true, I have a ton of money saved up for charity... LOL..

 

[Silver Surfer]

Found a men's 14k wedding band today... Showed up in the nickel range...

 

[mxtman2]

Found a men's 14k wedding band today... Showed up in the nickel range...

What was the vdi number? On my machine that would be 18 to 20. For me that is most likely going to be a pull tab. With a few nickel's thrown in to keep me digging! lol. I have dug hundreds of solid 18's that I would have bet the farm will be a nickel or ring, only to find a pull tab :P

I see you mentioned earlyer that with todays technology, one would think they could come out with a machine that would tell the difference between pull tab and gold. My thoughts exactly! But, I don't think even with todays technology that you can buy your way out of the pull tab delema. ie..higher cost machine.

 

[hawk-run]

I would guess so.

 

[Keppy]

Yep it shure looks that way to me.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Found a men's 14k wedding band today... Showed up in the nickel range...

What was the vdi number? On my machine that would be 18 to 20. For me that is most likely going to be a pull tab. With a few nickel's thrown in to keep me digging! lol. I have dug hundreds of solid 18's that I would have bet the farm will be a nickel or ring, only to find a pull tab :P

I see you mentioned earlyer that with todays technology, one would think they could come out with a machine that would tell the difference between pull tab and gold. My thoughts exactly! But, I don't think even with todays technology that you can buy your way out of the pull tab delema. ie..higher cost machine.

VDI was 22... I would have dug even the 24-26 that I hate just because it was loose sand, and I pick up garbage in those kinds of tot lots just to clean it up.. I saw 20, and thought it was a nickel (My MXT shows NOTHING but 20 for a nickel), but then it bounced up to 22 and I thought "must be a bent pop tab... Glad I dug it... But I still have yet to find something good at 24-26... LOL

 

[mxtman2]

That's strange Silver searcher. On my mxt 22 is ALWAYS a pull tab! Nickels range 18 to 20 usually. I guess it may be different soil composition and maybe variances between machines?? Just goes to show DIG EM ALL!
I saw your ring in the todays find's section. Very nice!

 

[rjw4law]

For a very long time, kids ripped off the tabs, made chains or just pulled them off until they had enough to make pull tab chains.

 

[Silver Surfer]

That's strange Silver searcher. On my mxt 22 is ALWAYS a pull tab! Nickels range 18 to 20 usually. I guess it may be different soil composition and maybe variances between machines?? Just goes to show DIG EM ALL!
I saw your ring in the todays find's section. Very nice!

22 is 99.99999% of the time something other than a nickel on mine too... Usually a broken or bent modern tab. Nickels will rarely be an 18, most of the time they are an unwavering 20 on my MXT... When it hits 20 and stays there no matter the angle, I know it is a nickel..
While I am hijacking this thread, I wonder why lead sinkers always show as foil, even the 2 oz one I dug the other day.. It was down about 3 inches. I also dug several small split shot that were 8-9" down and showed a strong 10-12 on the MXT... I am really confused by how these identify things...