GOT BALLS ???

Frodov · Nov 29, 2009

GOT BALLS

Oh Yeah.. I got’em I got BIG ones! I got a whole BAG full of balls! You may or may not be born with a pair, you might grow a pair, you might lose more than your fair share over a lifetime, but if you are a metal detectorist.. you will undoubtedly FIND some at one time or another. Now that you’ve all come to the conclusion that I’ve finally gone off the deep end or something, perhaps I should elaborate a bit on that first statement.. and everything I’ve written after it up till this point. <laughing> Yeah, I got balls, BIG ONES! And Lots of them! I have a very full bag.. finds bag that is.
Hi again everyone! It’s just me, your fellow treasure hunter and occasional verbal prankster. And yes, I’m at it again. I had a very enjoyable day today, playing with my balls.. or at least, collecting them. <laughing> It’s Sunday, November 29, 2009, the weekend after Thanksgiving. The weekend after “Black Friday”. Somehow or another I managed to survive the holiday and post holiday madness some call shopping. This morning dawned bright and beautiful, if a little chilly. No rain, no snow, no frost! Cool! After reading the Sunday paper over breakfast of fresh sweet rolls with my darling if drowsy wife, we both slept late you see, I decided I just had to get out and scratch that all too familiar itch. (nothing to do with balls this time.. get your minds out of the gutter!) METAL DETECTING! I just had to get out and get in a little swing time while I could. It’s back to work tomorrow and the weather is going to be decidedly more winter like and wet and dreary for the coming week or more, if you can believe half of what the weather forecasters predict. So I dressed warmly and grabbed my machine and off I went.
The venue for the day was a familiar park that isn’t too far from my home and one that just keeps producing time and time again, but first, a lesser visited baseball park (two small diamonds) beside the airport. Early in the day, on a Sunday and cool temps.. I had the park all to myself. My first target was literally my first swing, barely two steps from my truck and it was a quarter nearly three inches deep, a 1966 vintage. And off I went. Before long I was hearing that familiar and very much welcomed “clink” sound of another after another after another coin drops into my finds bag. Surprisingly I found two Wheat Pennies at this park, and they weren’t very deep. Both Wheaties were about two inches down in the soil, one looks as if it may have been dinged by a lawn mower at one time or another.

This little ball park (baseball) is pretty trashy, as far as metal detecting goes that is. I found lots of trash to keep my mounting coin finds company in my finds bag. There were the usual suspects..

I found several “whatzits” today and lots of “blobs”. Slag or molten metal that has cooled into a blob or chunks only to be detected and unearthed later by yours truly. I’m sure you’ve all found a few of these things too at one time or another. Along with scrap metal and busted light bulb ends and nails and screws and bits of pipe and crap like that.

There were some keys for locks somewhere that will never again be used for their purpose..

I unearthed a lock today too. My detector thought it was a half dollar or something in that range, but it turned out to be this big padlock. Not your ordinary padlock though, and not one that would accept one of the keys I had found, or any key for that matter.. Anyone ever seen this particular type of lock? I don’t have a brand name, but it appears to have been manufactured in Taiwan. Check it out.

That lock and all that scrap was beginning to make my finds bag weigh heavy on my hip, but I was far from finished adding to it. I found first one ball, in the grass and weeds along one of the fences. Remember, this is a baseball park, so it was a little odd to find a golf ball there. Not just any ordinary golf ball, but a Miller Lite golf ball. It wasn’t long till I came across my first tee. Yes “tee” as in golf tee. And no, it wasn’t detected by my machine, it was an eyeball find (yeah yeah yeah.. more balls.. ha! ha!) One, then another, then another..

All those tees, someone must have been shooting a little golf or practicing their swing or something there in the grassy areas around the baseball diamonds. I found first the one golf ball, then another and another. I found four in all at that park.

I also found, not surprisingly, a baseball at this park too. I found two for the day, a “pair” if you will, but one wouldn’t be found until a little later and at another park. A “soccer” park, on a Soccer field. WTH? Not a baseball diamond anywhere near for acres and acres, and yet there was baseball sitting in the middle of the field. Maybe someone really hit it a long long long way. <laughing>

Before I left the baseball park, however, I wasn’t quite through with my discoveries. Along with the tabs, crap, balls and lots of coins, I found a couple or race cars! Both have seen better times, but at least they both still had all their wheels.

I found a broken pair of scissors at that baseball park too. They are, or were, a very small pair like used for cutting bandaging or wrapping (athletic) tape. I only found the one “stem”. I also found a cleat stud nearby the scissors, and a zipper pull. I later found a different style of cleat stud at the soccer fields.

Not long after finding the scissors I decided I needed to answer nature’s call, and SOON! The morning’s milk I had for breakfast had gone right through me I guess. And all that bending over was putting pressure on parts that shouldn’t be pressured when full. <chuckle> Instead of driving a few miles to my home, I headed on over to the park with the soccer fields I like to hunt. There are multitudes of port-a-lets, or port-a-potties or whatever you want to call those lifesaving towers of iconic plastic excrement repositories. OH THANK YOU! Whew! What a relief!
With the “pressing business” attended to and resolved, I could return to my hunting. A rewarding hunt to be sure. Again I was finding targets not far from my truck. Lots of digging to be sure, but I don’t mind, especially when I keep hearing that joyful little “clink” or “plink” of another coin in my bag. Pennies, Dimes and Quarters, only found two nickels today. <shrug>
As with every adventure, every excursion, every metal detecting escape, this day’s searching was coming to a close, and in a timely manner I might add. By three in the afternoon (late in the day now that it’s getting dark around four thirty (ish), it was getting dark. Not that the sun had gone down, but that the clouds were rolling in. The weather, it is a changing, again! It’s supposed to get colder tonight, and start raining sometime this evening or overnight. At least I had the morning and early afternoon to enjoy today, and enjoy I did. When I decided to call it a day, I was at the far end of one of the soccer fields that I’d been detecting the sidelines of, a couple of fields over from my truck, so I decided to just cut a path directly across the fields towards my ride. It was in the middle of one of these fields that I got a target that I had to dig up. I always “swing” my detector when I’m walking back to my truck. Hey, you never know what you might find. This is a perfect example. Who wouldn’t enjoy unearthing something like this?

Ok, another “Flipper” or decision coin that the soccer referees use for these soccer matches. Pictured along with the “flipper” and the by now all too familiar wheaty, there’s a token that I dug up as well, though not from the same hole. Also, another commemorative “pin” from one of the tournaments held at the park this year. I found a few more coins on my way back to my truck, but this flipper pretty much topped off the day for me. I have quite a collection of these things now, and it continues to grow…. As does my “vacation fund” from all the clad I find while detecting. Today was a pretty good addition to that too.

Cool stuff, oddities, money in the bank. You have to LOVE THIS HOBBY! Well there it is folks, Balls and all! I hope you all got to or get to get out enjoy this hobby yourselves. As always….

~HAPPY HUNTING~

Frodov

Frodov · Dec 3, 2009

KylePA said:
Kirk PA said:

LOL! I can't stop laughing.

Kirk

Click to expand...

I haven't stopped laughing and I read it two days ago. You are a one of a kind, Frodov.

I sure hope so. You've heard the saying "They broke the mold when they made you.." Well.. actually it was me.. I broke it.. but it was totally by accident I swear! <grin> Besides, I'd hate to think I've got a twin running around out there doing the same stupid stuff I do, that would mean that I'm getting the blame for that too. <laughing>

~HAPPY HUNTING~

Frodov

dick99344 · Dec 3, 2009

ZoSo71 said:
Quote from: Frodov on November 30, 2009, 01:28:06 PM
Quote from: dick99344 on November 30, 2009, 10:56:31 AM
The padlock is a SEZAMEE Resettable combination padlock. Made by CCL, Corbin Cabinet Lock Co. One of the two keys you found is a Weiser house lock key (On the upperleft), the other is a Kwickset House lock key. I own and operate Dicks Lock Service in Othello. I sell a lot of those padlocks.

That last line explains your expertise in the lock and key identification. Thanks my friend. Cool! I wonder how hard it would be to get that combination lock open. I know the post or bail or whatever you call the curved hook of metal that you insert through whatever you are locking up is well.. rusted, the tumblers or dials on the bottom still turn freely I'm sure there are delecate springs and stuff on the inside that could be frozen up rusted up. hmmm.. that would be cool to get it working again. Out of curiosity, how much would a lock like this cost, new. Thanks again.

~HAPPY HUNTING~

Frodov

The one you have found is a model CCK436, it retails for $21.46 on average but they can be had at a cheaper price based on your location and retailer. The curved piece is called the shackle. There are very few springs to rust inside. The important parts are the small cams attached to the wheels on the inside, if these become rusted, that would have an adverse effect on getting it open. There are ways to determine the present combination. You could probably buy a new one cheaper than having the combination determined and having it opened. This is a 4 wheel lock with 10 digits per wheel. Your chances of getting it open in a reasonable amount of time are astronomical. There are too many possible combinations to go through. A locksmith should be able to have it open in under 15 minutes. Once opened, the combination can be changed by using the resetting tool that comes with each new lock. The lock is made in Taiwan under license from the Corbin Cabinet Lock Co. This lock is of fair to good quality and a popular seller due to the fact it is resettable. If you can get the shackle to move at all, then it may be possible to get it open. Thanks for reading. HH

Click to expand...

As a locksmith.. I can tell you there is only 4 springs in a " Sesame " lock.
none of the springs will hinder the lock useless if corroded.

The shackle of the lock is very corroded. That tells me 2 things.. The 2 bolts that run across the top of the lock (they connect with the shackle) Are also corroded and will not move from the locked position, There is very little tolerance between the bolts and the body of the lock. any dirt or rust will jam the bolts. Most "Sesame" locks have brass bolts and will not corrode, but the rust from the shackle will jam up the movement. The second is the shackle spring. It too is prolly rusted out. So the shackle won't pop out.

If you want to open the lock there are few things that will open it without major damage.
A Sesame decoder (A3) will pick the lock and tell you the combination. ( I use a small flatblade screwdriver that has been filed down to almost paper thin to read the flat spots on the cams) Or you can buy a decoder for about $10.00..

You can drill a small hole on the back-side of the lock "Deadcenter" about 1 inch down from the top of the lock. The housing is about 1/6Th thick and solid brass. Once through the body there is a paper thin sheet metal plate (stop lever plate) once through that you can take a nail and push it straight in and hold to push on the "Dog plate" and release the bolts. Yank up hard on the shackle and it should open.
If it opens then Let me know..I can tell you how to get the combo for it. you can use a little solder to seal the hole back up.

I can tell you "Sesame" locks are vary unreliable and I have had 3 of these locks fail on me that i used. They don't tolerate outside weather well and will jam in no time flat.. If in the weather too long the lock nut and bearing will freeze causing the cams pressure on the wheels to fail (meaning the lock will be stuck in "change combination" mode) I had to cut all 3 of these locks and was pretty upset when i was able to do it with a pair of dykes.. I guess the "Hardened" stamped shackle wasn't so hardened after all.. All 3 of my locks were identical to yours except mine are masters.

HH
ZoSo

What ZoSo says is that in a nutshell. As a personal preference, and no disagreement or disrespect with what he is saying, I did not wish to expand or elaborate on the inner workings, construction, or methods of defeating a lock system. His explanation is very well put. That said, I have never had one returned to me because of failure, they just keep selling. My customers are always right. If I can not convince them to buy a better quality lock, then I sell them what they insist on buying. I am not saying they do not fail. There are four different models of this lock available from CCL. Each model has an increase in price with the "Industrial Strength" model being the highest priced. I am not saying that just because a lock is higher priced that it is a better lock. The Master Lock Co. also sells two models, that I know of, that I suspect may be made by the same Taiwanese company as they look very similar. The Model 175 as being comparable to the one that was found and the model 176 that has a key override lock cylinder built into it. As for a lock failing, I live in the Sage brush desert here in central Washington state, the Columbia Basin. This is a huge agricultural area. We get dust storms in the summer, rain in the spring and fall. and sometimes winters are nastier than most. I have to contend with all kinds of lock failures involving the most cheapest to the most expensive and better quality locks that can be had because of this environment. It has been my experience, with the China or Taiwan manufactured products, the quality of the locks they sell are based on how hard set the manufacturing specifications are from the importer. If the exporter can not meet and maintain the minimum specifications then the importer will drop them as a supplier at the end of the contract. CCL has sold these for many years so I have to conclude that the exporter has met and is maintaining the importers minimum specifications. I have seen and dealt with locks made by a certain Taiwanese manufacturer that had contracts with several different importers in this country. This same manufacturer made a lock model that had varying degrees of quality based on minimum specifications. THEY will try to get away with making the product as cheaply as possible even to the point of using plastic and pressurized die cast zinc or pot metal parts in the lock cylinders and latches of certain house knob and lever sets. The locks that I refer to are sold in most hardware and big box stores and are sold cheap. I do not sell them because I would have to replace them after the first hard winter they go through.

There is level of quality available to anyone, from the cheapest to the best. It is a matter of the money they wish to spend for the product and how silvery tounged the salesman is who is selling you the product. My money is on the person that can see and understand what he is buying. He asks questions and wishes to see comparisons. I try to provide the answers they seek to make an informed decision before they make their purchase. I have found that security is sometimes the hardest thing to sell to some people unless you are willing to sell it on the cheap.

In my situation, it is a matter of a great many things that keep me going. Treating the customer right, selling a good product, service after the sale, geography, and the state of the local market and economy. I have blathered too long. thanks for reading and HH.

Frodov · Dec 3, 2009

What ZoSo says is that in a nutshell. As a personal preference, and no disagreement or disrespect with what he is saying, I did not wish to expand or elaborate on the inner workings, construction, or methods of defeating a lock system. His explanation is very well put. That said, I have never had one returned to me because of failure, they just keep selling. My customers are always right. If I can not convince them to buy a better quality lock, then I sell them what they insist on buying. I am not saying they do not fail. There are four different models of this lock available from CCL. Each model has an increase in price with the "Industrial Strength" model being the highest priced. I am not saying that just because a lock is higher priced that it is a better lock. The Master Lock Co. also sells two models, that I know of, that I suspect may be made by the same Taiwanese company as they look very similar. The Model 175 as being comparable to the one that was found and the model 176 that has a key override lock cylinder built into it. As for a lock failing, I live in the Sage brush desert here in central Washington state, the Columbia Basin. This is a huge agricultural area. We get dust storms in the summer, rain in the spring and fall. and sometimes winters are nastier than most. I have to contend with all kinds of lock failures involving the most cheapest to the most expensive and better quality locks that can be had because of this environment. It has been my experience, with the China or Taiwan manufactured products, the quality of the locks they sell are based on how hard set the manufacturing specifications are from the importer. If the exporter can not meet and maintain the minimum specifications then the importer will drop them as a supplier at the end of the contract. CCL has sold these for many years so I have to conclude that the exporter has met and is maintaining the importers minimum specifications. I have seen and dealt with locks made by a certain Taiwanese manufacturer that had contracts with several different importers in this country. This same manufacturer made a lock model that had varying degrees of quality based on minimum specifications. THEY will try to get away with making the product as cheaply as possible even to the point of using plastic and pressurized die cast zinc or pot metal parts in the lock cylinders and latches of certain house knob and lever sets. The locks that I refer to are sold in most hardware and big box stores and are sold cheap. I do not sell them because I would have to replace them after the first hard winter they go through.

There is level of quality available to anyone, from the cheapest to the best. It is a matter of the money they wish to spend for the product and how silvery tounged the salesman is who is selling you the product. My money is on the person that can see and understand what he is buying. He asks questions and wishes to see comparisons. I try to provide the answers they seek to make an informed decision before they make their purchase. I have found that security is sometimes the hardest thing to sell to some people unless you are willing to sell it on the cheap.

In my situation, it is a matter of a great many things that keep me going. Treating the customer right, selling a good product, service after the sale, geography, and the state of the local market and economy. I have blathered too long. thanks for reading and HH.
[/quote]

I used to work for a very well known (Nationaly) food service company that made sold and delivered pizzas in under a garunteed amount of time... In every store I ever worked at there was a hardened fast rule that was posted for all employees to read learn and live by. Actually it was Two(2) rules. *RULE # 1: "The customer is ALWAYS right." *RULE #2: "If the customer is wrong, see RULE #1."

Now that all sounds well and good, and in most cases it's easy to follow, but we all know that mother nature is a cruel prankster in that some beings put on this earth are just not graced with a fair share of common sense or even a modicum of intelligence in some cases. That said, you can only educate some people only so much, and when they've reached their limit, no amount of tollerance or patience will make them see reason or folly. So, you just smile, give them what they want, even if you know it's not what they need in reality. Ehh.. but who are we to judge anyway? <shrug>
Wow! Who would have thought my digging up some long lost and most likely forgotten dirty old beat up padlock would have spurred such an in depth lesson on the inner workings of padlocks, international consumer trade practices and work ethics.. and human nature? <grin> You got to love this hobby!

~HAPPY HUNTING~

Frodov

Eric Willoughby · Dec 3, 2009

Here you go Frodov, I thought this might be very fitting for the topic.

Fast_Dave · Dec 3, 2009

Re: GOT BALLS Mine are Bigger!!!

Or at least heavier!. I got these out from under a torn out section of sidewalk. The big one is 18 lbs. and the small one is 9 lbs.