Magnet Trick for high trash areas

scuba-bottler · Aug 13, 2022

This is a great forum and hopefully I can give back a little with this trick I discovered while metal detecting an old homesite. It is so filled with iron and ferrous trash that even with discrimination mode I chase signals and with my pointer endlessly dig iron. So I have a powerful double sided magnet from Amazon and use it where I'm digging a signal or even sweep a general area, picking up all sorts of trash quickly and easily. Helps clear area for better signals

FLOOD · Aug 13, 2022

That's a good idea, and along the lines of what the roofing companies do after finishing a roofing job. The magnet device they used on my property was shaped like a manual push mower. Had wheels on it and they just rolled it around sucking up the nails. I also detect in a lot of junk areas (oftentimes, it's lots of shredded cans that get chewed up by lawn mowers) and have been manually picking up metal debris to 'clear the field' for better signal ID, but I like your magnet idea. How do you move that about across the ground? Is it mounted to a staff? Also, if not too much trouble, could you post the Amazon link for the magnet you purchased? thanks

RgnFn · Aug 13, 2022

Thanks, Scuba-bottler, I have been thinking of doing that exact same thing around by 120 year old farm house, because there's tons of old nails and such especially around the old walls. Problem is, those nails are 2" deep, and I wasn't sure how well a magnet would work. I'd love to hear more details on how whether it worked on slightly-buried nails or only on the surface, and what magnet you'd recommend. Thanks in advance!

MuddyMo · Aug 13, 2022

I used to use one (roofing) They will only pick up surface nails etc

jimther · Aug 13, 2022

That would also work great for coins up in Canada, where just about all their modern coins will stick to a magnet.

Tinhorn3 · Aug 14, 2022

that's a good idea - looks good for sure

a mechanic gave me a small magnet that is strong, really strong [and only about 1"x1"x1\4"] from inside a Fuel injection car & I carved my wood shovel end to stuck it in that & find nails, etc in the plug. I stop using it cause my credit card started having trouble at a gas station... I thought the magnet damaged it but somebody told me that they used to but not any more...

Chaznsc · Aug 14, 2022

Clever, I’ve got one of those!

H Desert Digger · Aug 14, 2022

I wish they could pull shallow bottle caps up....smiles.

HDD

scuba-bottler · Aug 15, 2022

Magnet Cleaning MD Area

I bought my magnet on Amazon a few years ago, just search for double sided fishing magnet...thought I'd magnet fish but really haven't. It is just tied to the end of some paracord. I had it with me to drop down into this old well and when I left it on the ground nearby, noticed it had attracted all sorts of very small (and some not so small) pieces of metal. The problem I run into is I get a wonky signal to dig, then use a pointer but I can find dozens of nails and pieces of little tin, so I don't know if I'm leaving stuff behind. So then I start scooping the dirt onto the magnet and instantly all the fragments are removed. After a few times I can clear a hole well. I also can just drag it across the ground, there's lots of metal I can't see and discriminate out, but this helps clean area up. It's an old homesite, so first I weed kill area, then rake up surface clutter, then detect and maybe rub magnet around. Picked up old steel butter knife and fork that was discriminated out by etrac but snagged by magnet.

maxxkatt · Aug 18, 2022

I have that exact magnet. I may try it in a hole I did trying to recover non-ferrous items. I am sure it will clean out the dirt pile from the whole or if you crush the bottom 2/3'rds of a plug.

Magnet Trick for high trash areas

scuba-bottler

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