So you want to learn a bit more about the hobby of metal detecting? I have been metal detecting for 6 years now and I have decided to talk about it in depth and help out those who have been interested but have not got into the hobby yet.
Reasons you should NOT get into the hobby,
1. Your only interested in finding gold jewellry or other valuables and your sole goal is to make money. This is the wrong mindset sure you might find these things, but dont make it your sole goal. Metal detecting is both great excercise and a lot of fun, you can find some objects with great historical importance, Old Silver Coins, Religious Crosses, Civil War Bullets, its about the thrill of the hunt, you never know what you will find.
2.You arent willing to ask permission to hunt properties, a integral part of finding good areas to metal detect is to ask around, do research and then ask the property owner for permission to metal detect on their property. This is the best way to find sites that havent been touched because anything easily within driving distance or walking distance is pretty much guaranteed to be hunted heavily, now this doesnt mean that you will not find things it just means that you will have massively lower chances.
3. You arent willing to walk, Metal detecting is good excercise and you will be walking and swinging a detector, if you are unwilling to walk far or even walk to areas to detect then I recommend that you dont get involved.
4. Metal detecting has a startup cost, in order to do it right you will need to spend at least $250 on a good metal detector and a proper digging tool among other equipment. If you arent willing to invest in it then this hobby is not for you.
Reasons to get into metal detecting
1. You are interested in history, Metal Detecting can take you to a lot of older houses, and buildings you will learn a lot of history just talking with people and you will find items occasionally that are historically important or even historically tied to the area that you are detecting.
2. You like walking and would like to get into a hobby that will take you all over the place and might even make you a couple dollars a trip. Now as I said some days are better than others, this is not a get rich quick scheme, if you have that mindset you are already getting into it for the wrong reasons.
3.You like participating in group events, metal detecting clubs exist all over the world and I highly recommend that you find the closest one and join it, you will get to participate in a lot of great events, and see a lot of great finds and even learn a lot.
Necessary Equipment
1. Metal Detector, Their are many different metal detector models on the market, from $100-5000 now with metal detecting just because you spend more will not always mean that you will find more. All metal detectors are will pick up iron, all metal detectors can give false signals, It is generally recommended to get a mid priced detector, they offer the best performance and features, and really are the best value. Down below are 3 options that I highly recommend.
1.http://www.garrett.com/hobbysite/hbby_at_max_main_en.aspx
If you purchase this metal detector I highly recommend going through a Authorized dealer such as http://www.indiannationsdetectors.com
2.http://www.colonialmetaldetectors.com/teknetics-patriot-detector.html
3.http://indiannationsdetectors.com/safari.html
The Next Piece of equipment you will need is a proper shovel, you can use anything but dont take a fullsized shovel if you damage grass or leave big holes you will not only give others a bad taste for metal detecting, and get locations closed down to metal detecting but you will probably get banned.
1.https://www.predatortools.com/products/model-31-c-raptor
2.https://www.predatortools.com/collections/handtools/products/model-85-b-digging-tool
3.https://www.predatortools.com/collections/shovels/products/model-35-piranha
Okay, Now notice how they have serrated edges? you want that because of roots, believe me if you have a shovel without them you will spend all day trying to dig up a target, they make life much easier, the last option is a full handled shovel but with a very small blade on the end, its a good option for areas where digging bigger holes are allowed, and it will still cut through roots.
The next piece of equipment you will want is a pouch to store your good finds and trash items, you should always pick up all trash items and throw them away, you want to leave an area cleaner than when you arrived. Cover all holes, pick up all trash and leave no dirt on top of the grass.
1.http://indiannationsdetectors.com/camopouch.html
You will also need a pair of headphones, sure metal detectors have speakers, but you wont always hear extremely deep quiet targets, headphones make a huge difference plus, you dont want to anger anyone by disturbing them with your detector, some detectors are really really loud.
1.http://indiannationsdetectors.com/blackwidow.html
2.https://www.amazon.com/Garrett-DELUXE-GARRETT-HEADPHONES/dp/B005U5T1B4
Okay, thats pretty much all the equipment you need to get started, I always recommend taking some sunscreen with you and a bottle or canteen of water, especially if you are going to be out for long periods of time, EXTRA BATTERIES are a MUST! You have no idea how many times I have gotten out and found my batteries to be dead with no spares and had to drive all the way to the store to buy some new ones.
I will now mention the Treasure Hunters Code, this is something that everyone who metal detects should have memorized.
- I Will leave gates as found.
- I Will Not contaminate wells, creeks, or other water supplies.
- I Will fill all excavations that are made while treasure hunting.
- I Will Not tamper with signs, structural facilities or equipment.
- I Will use thoughtfulness, consideration and courtesy at all times.
- I Will protect my hobby, and always act as a goodwill ambassador.
- I Will respect private property and will not treasure hunt without the owner's permission.
- I Will appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, and private property.
- I Will Not litter and will pick up any trash that I dig up or find on the ground while treasure hunting.
- I Will Not destroy private property, buildings, or what is left of ghost towns and deserted structures.
Please take this seriously!
Now that you have both your gear and the code of ethics in mind we will move on to finding areas to detect,
1. Public Parks- Public Parks are a great place to detect for coins and jewellry, sure a lot of other detectorists might hunt them, but parks are used a lot and stuff gets replenished really fast, but along with the good stuff you will find a lot more trash items such as Pulltabs off soda cans, ScrewCaps off bottles, and Beer Bottle Caps. Be Prepared to dig some trash.
2.The Beach- The beach is another fantastic area to metal detect, stay on the dry beach sand away from the water, most metal detectors are strictly water resistant and might get damaged if you use them near a water source. VLF detectors which make up the bulk of todays metal detectors dont do well on salt water beaches because they can see through the minerals, this is not the case if your beach is a freshwater beach. Stay out of water unless your machine is made for it. The beach will have much of the same targets that a Public Park will have except that you might find more jewellry you would be amazed how many rings are lost on beaches.
3.Old Locations Houses, Barns, Former Homesites etc- These are the honey holes of the detecting community, you will have a higher chance of finding old relics, and old coins and such at locations like these , but they also will have a higher amount of trash and what is known as iron contamination so you might find it to be harder to detect these locations. Take your time, and do a thorough job, and you will likely find a good target. Remember to cover up your holes. And pick up trash.
Now that you know of the bulk of good hunting areas get out their and metal detect. I will post a further post later going into more details on sites you can use to gather information about areas that you are interested in detecting.
Thanks for reading