Would wire mesh spaghetti strainer work?

[DaytonaRacer]

I've been fossil & shark tooth hunting (60-120 million yrs old) in central NJ for many years but just first getting into MD'ing now. One of the primary items I use to sift through the river beds is a sturdy plastic spaghetti/pasta strainer with a long, thick, plastic handle and a wire mesh basket (available very cheaply in supermarkets and home stores).

I scoop the strainer into the bed and let the current pull out the finer particles. The mesh is tight enough to not let any small teeth out yet large enough to allow for sand/sediment/silt to be washed out after gently swishing it just below the surface of the water. Then any larger rocks/shells can be hand picked through.

I've been highly successful using this method and now that I'm moving my attention to MD'ing I'm wondering if this same strainer can be used in place of an expensive sand/water scoop.

Has anyone here ever tried to use one for MD'ing in sand/water?

Thanks.

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Sure it will work in dry sand, but not in wet sand. The problem is usually the handle which if too thin bends too much, and sometimes the wire mesh tears after a while. In the wet sand, you can't dig in deep enough..

 

[DaytonaRacer]

Thanks.

Yeah, I've experienced torn wire mesh when shark tooth hunting, but it usually takes a few years before the tears begin from all of the rocks and once they do I just toss the scoop and buy a new one for a couple of bucks. And the strainers I use have very thick handles that can also take a beating scooping out large amounts of gravelly and rocky sand over and over. I've only had 1 handle break on me and in that instance I had to resort to 2-handing the scoop and digging with it that way. I've also used a small children's sandbox shovel to dig into tight spaces to pull out detritus and push it into my scoop.

 

[baywalker]

If you plan to dig with it it wont work and if you plan to dig with something else and pour it in it you are carrying to much stuff with you. buy a good long handled scoop and save your back. I use mine for MD and fossil hunting.

 

[GTzer]

What you have been using is way better than just your hands. It's a tool that makes it a bit easier for what you do. If you're going to MD also---take the above advice and get an even better tool. The better the tool- the more efficient, productive and pleasurable your time will be.

For just fossils- I put a screen (1/4") onto a clam rake. Great for raking shells out of the way and retrieving gravels from the surf line. Next time I go I'll bring the rake and my recently acquired scoops.

 

[dewcon4414]

These scoops have been well thought out for the conditions we hunt in. Can you go cheap sure you can.... but its also very time consuming being and takes a lot out of you being careful and digging more scoops only to have it break on you in the middle of a hunt you just drove 3 hours to get to. You want to dig as many targets as you can with the limited time you have.

Dew

 

[DaytonaRacer]

Thanks, folks. I appreciate the honest responses and advice.

 

[Sandman]

You are going to be surprised at the prices we pay to get a long handled stainless steel scoop for digging in the wet sand and the water where shells and rocks slow you down when you get the tone on the metal detector. You want to get the target out fast so the hole doesn't fill in on you and bury it deeper. I use the Sunspot Stealth as the best for many places and bottom conditions.
There is an earring stud in front of the magnets.
http://www.stealthscoop.com/

 

[bigscoop]

Time management. Get the right setup for the job and it will allow you cover a lot more ground through the course of the average hunting day. Every time you add a process it steals coverage time. "Efficiency" is a big part of the hobby, the ability to cover the most ground by the most efficient means possible. The right scoop for the job can save you a lot of time.

 

[DaytonaRacer]

You are going to be surprised at the prices we pay to get a long handled stainless steel scoop for digging in the wet sand and the water where shells and rocks slow you down when you get the tone on the metal detector. You want to get the target out fast so the hole doesn't fill in on you and bury it deeper. I use the Sunspot Stealth as the best for many places and bottom conditions.View attachment 812391
There is an earring stud in front of the magnets.
Stealth beach scoop

Sandman,

I went to Sunspot's website (thanks!) but I noticed that none of the scoops had magnets in them. Is that something that you added yourself?

Thanks.

 

[grlangfitt]

I mentioned to my wife that I would like a scoop for when we go to the beach, (once or twice a year). After looking at the cost she ended up buying me a kitty litter box scoop that is made of metal. I thought, geez, this will last all of one dig. But, it worked very good. In dry sand it would sift well and in wet sand it digs really good without bending.

 

[chroniefind]

I mentioned to my wife that I would like a scoop for when we go to the beach, (once or twice a year). After looking at the cost she ended up buying me a kitty litter box scoop that is made of metal. I thought, geez, this will last all of one dig. But, it worked very good. In dry sand it would sift well and in wet sand it digs really good without bending.

Did it have any mesh? In other words - what were the openings? Simply holes?

Does anyone here have an opinion on what the best sized openings in the wire mesh will be?

Do you think a 12 x 12 wire cloth would have narrow enough openings to let sand get through?
Custom Wire Cloth - Belleville Wire Cloth Co - Cedar Grove, NJ

I think I am going to go ahead and order a stainless steel mesh coarse assortment and see what works best - will post results when I think I have them.

 

[snokid]

it depends... dry sugar sand or wet sand?
I would size it so a dime wouldn't slip thru. smaller and it take too long to clear the scoop larger and you will be chasing too much small stuff...

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

I had to use a spaghetti strainer set-up when I went overseas - NO FUN!
I might as well been trying to sift tennis balls through the thing, the sand just clogged it up.
But, I was able to get my target in it. I'd try to sift it, but it went quicker, when I just scooped the sand out by hand and waved it under the coil, to find it.
I'd get a scoop!