Need help please, 1902 home I got permission + 1 billion trillion nails=?

[TheRockDoc]

Hello everyone, hopefully someone here can give me some solid advice. As title states, I got permission to hunt the yard/property of a home built in 1902. Now its not a huge yard, so picture this. I get there today, and the guy is dumping what looks to be an empty case of beer that is completely full of all sorts of nails into the dumpster. I mean that, picture an empty case of beer-full of assorted nails, thats prolly 5 or 8 pounds of nails. and he says he is trying to pick them up cause he keeps gettin flat tires. I looked at the massive pile in the garbage, and thought, "well my god, it looks like he must have got most of them right?" how many could there be? Boy was I wrong, I started to detect, and just as I feared, nothing but null.... I take about 4 nails off the top of an area as big as my coil and.... still null.. the guy is just renting the house, so I dont know if anyone has already hammered the yard, (I would detect there anyways if someone has). But I then notice the house looks like it has new shingles, so that must be why all the nails, Im literally talking buckets of them. Should I find somewhere else to detect? Or is there a way to make this a remote possibility?

Please help if you can, the nails are right on top of the ground, for the most part anyways, some have started making there way into the grass but still on top.


Thanks guys, I appreciate the help.

 

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[cooperriver]

Ok - you say the nails are on top of the ground. How about buying a magnet from harbor freight and dragging it over the area you intend to detect. Should make it easier to clear your area.
Good luck. HH

Cooperriver

 

[Tom_in_CA]

are these the more modern aluminum roofing nails? Or iron nails?

If they are iron, and on top of the ground, then cooperriver has a good idea.

But if that won't work, then a 2-filter machine (like the silver sabre, shadow x2, or whites classics) can see through a nail or two, and get a conductive target underneath them. Or a Compass 77b can see through up to 3 nails to get a conductive target. Naturally these machines have their "downsides" when compared to powerhouse deepseeker discriminator machines, but do work well for ghost-townsy nail riddled sites.

 

[TheRockDoc]

Ok everyone, thanks for the help. I will look into the magnet idea, and depending on how inexpensive (and big) the magnets are, I may be able to try that. For the others, I have an etrac, and am not interested in getting any other machines (paid way to much for my machine to get another one for this one situation).

to TheOldman- I have an etrac, and there is no problem with distinguishing between iron/any other metals.. The problem, is that there are literallly 5-6,+ nails in an area no bigger than my 9 inch coil. (whatever dia. the stock etrac coil is). So the problem is not me being unable to mask the iron, the problem is that there is soooo much iron, that they "null" out my machine, making it impossible to detect anything below the surface of the ground where all the nails lie.

anyway, if anyone else has any help.... keep it coming please. I appreciate it greatly.

Thanks,


Chris.

 

[Indian Steve]

Some home improvement stores sell magnetized garden rakes that are used for cleaning up older / not aluminum roofing nails. They cover 18 inches at a time. Good luck.

 

[TerryC]

Pick a spot on the yard... at the rear door or in line with the parking area for transportation. Rope off a 10 foot by 10 foot area. Dig EVERYTHING that gives a signal... everything. If the silver or clad is there, you will find it. More than one "plot" may be needed. Lots of work, but so is picking up hundreds of nails throughout the yard! At least this way, you will know. TTC

 

[Jason in Enid]

Get a HD steel tined garden rake and a HD magnet. Rake up the ground in a small area and run the magnet over it. Rake more and remove more nails. This should clear everything in the top few inches of ground. Sounds like the tenant would be glad to rid of them all too.

It will be a lot of work. Only you can decide if its worth it or not.

 

[Swartzie]

If it was me I'd just get away from the nails. At least to a point where they don't null the signal. You may be 20 feet or so from the house. Get to a place where you can work the coil in between the nails. Use very short swings of the coil and overlap your short swings a lot to give the detector a chance to respond. The site sounds similar to a cellar hole site with a large iron patch where the house once stood. Just find the spots where the iron is not so dense. This is a good opportunity to learn your detector on a trashy site. Keep at it. If nothing, at least you will have learned patience which is golden.

-Swartzie

 

[BosnMate]

I had this problem with my MXT. The house had been re-roofed, and there were galvanized roofing nails every where, at least 2 inches under ground. I got tired of digging them, so I was ignoring the nail hits, and the moment I got a hit other than nail I dug. It was a diamond ring, and I got the rush we have all experienced, but alas, the diamond was glass and the ring plated. At that point I gave up on that property.

 

[TheRockDoc]

If it was me I'd just get away from the nails. At least to a point where they don't null the signal. You may be 20 feet or so from the house. Get to a place where you can work the coil in between the nails. Use very short swings of the coil and overlap your short swings a lot to give the detector a chance to respond. The site sounds similar to a cellar hole site with a large iron patch where the house once stood. Just find the spots where the iron is not so dense. This is a good opportunity to learn your detector on a trashy site. Keep at it. If nothing, at least you will have learned patience which is golden.

-Swartzie

I am going to try to explain this the best I can (I appreciate the feedback, and I did try to spend some time all the say against the fence in the back yard). Guys, this yard is not huge, and the nails are on all four sides. and Im not talking about a hail every few sweeps.

Im talking about a handful of nails on the top 1 inch of ground in an area as big as my 9 inch coil.... LITERALLY, HANDFULLS OF OLD NAILS, IN AN AREA AS BIG AS A SQ. FOOT COVERING THE ENTIRE YARD.... As long as the magnetic rake, or HD magnet etc... arent too expensive, I am going to try that next, TerryC... I like that idea, and I will definately do that too.. seems for me, I have found already that If I dont literally rope the area off, I tend to wander... like a lost, ADDHD squirrel-hunting dog in the forest...


Thanks guys.
happy hunting.

 

[mfitzy111]

http://www.harborfreight.com/retrieving-magnet-250-lb-pull-36905.html

seriously - it's only 6 bucks. if they are on the top they can be cleared off. if they are two inches deep- well then it's an issue- but I know from my etrac I found a clad dime yesterday under a rusty car bumper bolt. found the bolt first dug removed- exposed nail- slow going...but likely totally worth cleaning that area up.

after posting this the idea hit me that once my water detector comes I'll want to clear the junk from an area I'm working underwater- this magnet might be a really good tool for removing fishing hooks, and unwanted metal in the water...

hum...hope it helps you. I think I might have just helped myself!!!!

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Bunch of good suggestions here. Sniper coil should help tons!