How to dig nicely?

[E59]

Okay, I am still waiting on my agonizingly slow to get here detector and I was just wondering how you all clean up a hole. Do you dig a little round plug and go straight down, maybe set the dirt on a cloth so as not to make a mess or do you just dig a big 'ol hole and cram it back in when you're finished? I know it depends on where I'm hunting, I'm talking of public parks or schools. I can be as messy as I want in the timber!

 

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[DirtDiggerDaveinMD]

Good question Sara. Extracting a find from the ground is a task the requires practice to get good at. If in a park or at a public school, neatness counts. Sloppy holes can get a detectorist barred from detecting those types of places. What I do is probe first, dig(if I have to)second. Usually if the item is shallow, say up to 4" then I can quickly find it by probing, and remove it without cutting a plug. Sometimes moving the probe in a circular motion will give you enough clearance to insert your fingers and remove a coin, though it does take some time to extract this way. Cutting a slit can also allow you to remove an object without cutting a plug.

If you must cut a plug, cut it in a U or horseshoe shape, leaving a hinge attached to the plug so it won't come out of the ground. Lay a drop cloth of some sort on the ground to catch the dirt that you remove from the hole. When you find the object, dump the dirt back into the hole, push the flap down and step on it, and around it. Leaves virtually no trace. Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to dig a hole nobody will be able to spot. I know my plugs today, compared to when I first started, are like night and day.

Dave

 

[Monty]

I try to cut out a plug approximately the same depth as the item is shown to be on my detector. ?I then run my detector over the plug and often find the item there in the plug. ? ?If it's not in the plug I widen the hole and check often with my pin pointer until I find the coin or item. ?Once found I scoop any loose dirt back into the hole first and pack it down with my digging trowel. ?I then carefully set the grass plug back into the hole as it came out and then step on it to set it back into the hole. Other than a little loose dirt you can't tell I have been there. ?IUf the ground is carefully landscaped and sodded I just don't dig it as there's no way you can keep from showing a little damage around the peripheral edges.

 

[spotz]

Sara! If you practice digging cleanly all the time, you will find that you will just do it automatically no matter where you dig. Always fill in the hole, even on a sandy beach. This habbit helps us all in promoting the hobby & in getting permission to hunt good sites. Spotz

 

[EDDE]

oh pirate "no" your given use a bad name!

 

[E59]

Here's another newbie question, hopefully you won't be guffawing. What is a probe? Is it a screwdriver or are there little stick type metal detectors? I guess I'll be making another purchase if it's a tiny detector. I"m not enthusiastic about the digging part I hate getting dirt under my nails. So I'd prefer to use a probe as opposed to the diggin like a dog way. Yep, I'll be wearing gloves!

 

[Jim Cal]

Sara, There is a difference between an electronic pinpointer and a probe. A probe is a long, thin brass or metal rod attached to some sort of a handle. Sometimes people even use a thin bladed screwdriver with a rounded and smooth tip so they will not scratch any finds while using the probe. I am attaching a picture of one type.

On the other hand an electronic pinpointer is used to help you locate the target once you've dug the hole by either scanning the dirt already removed from the hole or by inserting the pinpointer in the hole to find the target, or pinpoint it, in the dirt. Hope this helps. Jim Cal

 

[Monty]

The soil I dig in mostly makes a probe useless. Usually there is tiny to medium rocks somewhere in the target zone and I can't tell them from a coin or other object. And in loose soil I guess my hands just aren't sensitive enough as in either case I cannot feel a coin. I have made probes from variouis substances from BBQ spits to fine stainless steel wire, but it just doesn't work for me. I wish it did as it would save a lot of digging.

 

[Monty]

Also, the acid , chemicals or whatever in the soil tends to eat my hands up....actually causes them to dry up and peel, so I usually wear gloves. I found a pair at Wally-World that are made of cloth with rubber coating on the palms and insides of the fingers. They keep my hands clean, prevent exposure to the harmful chemicals in the soil, are waterproof in the coated areas and provide good sensitivity for picking up small items. The run about $12.00 and well worth it. I found them in the garden section.

 

[omnicognic]

Sara, in grass I have a kitchen gadget that was originally intended to cut steaks into mock filet migion, it has a serreted edge and looks like a cookie cutter on steriods! This thing cuts a perfect 4" plug through grass and roots, small stones pose no problems! After I cut the plug, I pass it by the coil. half the time the target is right on the bottom, otherwise it's not too deep into the hole and my trowel fits perfectly. once I have finished I fill the hole and replace the plug, which is cut so neatly that often I can't even tell where I've dug! 8)

 

[DirtDiggerDaveinMD]

Here is the probe I use. It is just a converted phillips screwdriver that I ground the flutes down and rounded of the tip. Used a scotchbrite disc to polish and round off the end. No scratches left on coins.