What do you think of this article (re: iron masking)?

[TrpnBils]

Can a standard office staple completely mask a silver dime?

I found this in another forum and a quick read is kind of discouraging, but I find myself wondering how accurate it is. Several members there said they tried the same test and were able to see right through the offending staple.

What do you all think? FYI - this article was written in 2009 I believe so it's a bit dated.

Beneath The Mask ? NASA Tom ? Detector Stuff

 

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[Jason in Enid]

I don't believe it entirely. Sure iron masking exists, but I have dug too many targets next to, under, and in contact with iron in the ground to believe that a staple is going to block the signal of the coin.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

In my test garden I have nails over and beside deeper coins. From what I found there I no longer notch or use much more than 6/99 for discrimination. A coin "peeking" beside the iron gives a signal that was lost if I use higher discrimination. I do believe many detectors null out if iron is closer to the coil than a coin and you never "see" it.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

that article/link seems to imply that it's an "all or nothing proposition". I agree with Charlie and Jason: There's a never-ending middle-ground, where there's degrees of masking. A single staple (for pete's sake), will not eliminate a silver dime. Yes the signals (TIDs and depths) start to wain as depths and sizes of iron increase. But no, it's not an all-or-nothing proposition.

 

[Davers]

I have found the staple & the Dime thing to be a Myth.
Then again Several Variables Come into play when it come to "Masking" IMO

Davers

 

[cudamark]

A lot will also depend on the type of detector you have. I see you list an E-trac as your machine. If you run it in two tone ferrous and work it real slow, you will have the best chance in avoiding iron masking. Naturally, a small coil will help quite a bit too in separating out the targets.

 

[gunsil]

That article was written almost 15 years ago, and there have been advancements in machines since that time. I think a lot of modern machines will see through the mask better than the machine used back then although the same basic machine is still used and loved by some. I gotta agree with Jason, Tom, Davers, and Charlie here.

 

[jeweler21]

That article was written almost 15 years ago, and there have been advancements in machines since that time. I think a lot of modern machines will see through the mask better than the machine used back then although the same basic machine is still used and loved by some. I gotta agree with Jason, Tom, Davers, and Charlie here.

I keep reading of the great improvements in technology? Everyone seems to be of the opinion that early years of metal detecting was like a caveman with a pointed stick. I assure you this was not the case. I have a forty + year old A. H. Electronics machine that its discriminating will equal or surpass any machine produced today. The problem was retaining good depth while discriminating (maximum depth in discrimination, about three or four inches). I, also, have a Fisher VLF 555 D/B that will attain as much depth as just about anything produced today (15" on a quarter). The difference is in the combination of depth and identification. And a person with enough experience learns the chances of a signal being of value and they become the discrimination themselves. I love the AT Pro simply because of its ability to cover a lot of territory fast while giving the operator a good idea of the signals composition without a lot of thought making for an enjoyable outing without much work and still retaining good depth, but don't put down old technology, its from whence the new technology was developed.

Good Luck & HH

PS,
I sold A.H. Electronics detectors in the 1970's and you can take a dime, clad or silver, and lay a pull tab on the ground and set the discrimination to completely cut it out move over six inches lay a pull tab on top the dime and you will receive only the signal of the dime. I have never used a discriminating detector that a staple would mask a coin.