Guide to cellar hole hunting?

[EnvoyToTheMolePeople]

Does anybody have some good tips for hunting cellar holes? I've found a few that I think are unhunted, but I struggle because there is just so much iron, mostly in the form of nails. If I dug every signal, I would be out there forever. I use an AT Max, which seems to have good discrimination. Would a smaller coil than the 8x11 help? Is there an ideal discrimination setting or place to hunt in the vicinity? Should I just get down and dig every signal?

 

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[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

I don't have the AT Max and don't know what its features are, but I'd do the following....

Smallest coil I had

Iron volume at a low setting or I'd discriminate just high enough to eliminate the nails.

Slow, methodical swing.

I'd hunt it from multiple directions.

I'd try to figure out where they played, rested, ate, etc.. outside and I'd spend time hunting those areas.

 

[3cylbill]

Before you do anything find the well and mark it...

 

[1637]

get a screen and get all the good stuff ,also use a rare earth magnet on the end of a piece of 2 in pvc.to get some of the iron out of the way.
good luck brad

 

[monkeys uncle]

get a screen and get all the good stuff ,also use a rare earth magnet on the end of a piece of 2 in pvc.to get some of the iron out of the way.
good luck brad

I'm confused. Explain please how the screen and magnet are to be employed? I'm guessing you're using in water and not dry ground?

 

[EnvoyToTheMolePeople]

Before you do anything find the well and mark it...

Is this so I don't fall in, or is this a good place to check?

 

[1637]

get a piece of screen and shovel dirt on to it,shake it,then look though what is left, use the rare earth magnet to pick up some of the iron and get it out the the way, so you can detect easier. good luck

I'm confused. Explain please how the screen and magnet are to be employed? I'm guessing you're using in water and not dry ground?

 

[augoldminer]

i always looked for outhouses.
less iron more purple glass.

in old ghost towns i wanted to find the saloons and houses of ill repute plus in the ones with chinese china towns.

for getting rid of iron get a cone type fishing magnet and some pvc pipe.

get two sizes of pvc that will slide over each other and use a piece of rope that will pull the cone into one end of the doubled pvc pipe bunge cord works good and then you have a walking stick with a very strong magnet on it that you can pick up near surface iron before you sweep with a metal detector.

 

[pa-dirt_nc-sand]

From my experience 75 percent of the keepers will come from within 25 feet of the perimeter of the cellar hole. This area is usually loaded with iron, so swing very slowly and keep the sensitivity down. Dig any signal mid tone on up that you can get to repeat in at least one direction. Move stones and logs in this area.

The area outside of this hot zone is easier swinging, expand out another 75 feet. This should cover the other hot zones such as carriage loading and unloading area and out buildings. If no well, maybe search around nearby stream or potentially spring area.

If the cellar is really old, well over 100 years with no occupancy, usually just a depression with stones and brick scattered about. This type of cellar is worth actually swinging in the cellar as targets at the perimeter of the cabin often with erosion drop inside. For more modern foundations, not worth swinging in the hole.

Good luck!

 

[Tpmetal]

Is this so I don't fall in, or is this a good place to check?

both. the area to check is between the well and house where water carrying was done daily.

 

[ticndig]

get a piece of screen and shovel dirt on to it,shake it,then look though what is left, use the rare earth magnet to pick up some of the iron and get it out the the way, so you can detect easier. good luck

Doing this I've found clay marbles , bone buttons , glass buttons , clay smoking pipes , clay dolls and small bottles. all things that won't go beep when I'm using the detector .

 

[prospexican]

Does anybody have some good tips for hunting cellar holes? I've found a few that I think are unhunted, but I struggle because there is just so much iron, mostly in the form of nails. If I dug every signal, I would be out there forever. I use an AT Max, which seems to have good discrimination. Would a smaller coil than the 8x11 help? Is there an ideal discrimination setting or place to hunt in the vicinity? Should I just get down and dig every signal?

the cellar hole we found we dig and clean screen soil by hand, most old antique glass and metal bottles found. excuse my english and cant find pictures but video might b at my youtube chanel, ( prospexican treasure hunter.

 

[Gare]

A great question and LOTS of GREAT ADVICE 111
thanks all

 

[Gare]

get a piece of screen and shovel dirt on to it,shake it,then look though what is left, use the rare earth magnet to pick up some of the iron and get it out the the way, so you can detect easier. good luck

Probably BOTH are good ideas