Anyone ever tried this?:stretcher:

[markg]

Find a clean place where there's no metal.
GB if need to.
Place a large rusted nail (about 4" long)on the ground.
Lay a silver quarter on the nail.
Sweep your coil over the nail and quarter.
Gradually increase the disc as you sweep.
Surprised where it disc out.
Now move the quarter to the side of the head of the nail.
Now sweep the coil in different directions and see where it disc out. Surprised! Well I was totally shocked.
Now carefully move the coil in small sweeps around the quarter. This will give a very good signal some of the time.
Now what's the odds of iron and nails being beside coins at an old homestead? I think it's most likely.




So....
Now when I hunt around old houses I've got to run the disc just high enough to knock out the small iron and nails. Any more than that may cause me to disc out a silver coin.

 

[Monte]

Most hobbyists are searching for things like coins, tokens, rings, buttons and similar-shaped targets made of non-ferrous metals. Of this group, some want to use visible TID and recover only those targets that give a nice and proper and accurate (consistent) TID read-out. They are usually only going to recover a smaller percentage of those desirable targets that are lying reasonably 'flat' to the coil, sufficiently away from a nearby target, and within a shallower depth range.

There are many of us, however, who want to find ALL possible good targets at various sites and realize we have to deal with many challenges. One challenge is caused by good targets that are 'on edge' or a pronounced angle, good targets close to other targets (good or bad) of a non-ferrous make-up. Another challenge is sometimes it's those blasted iron-based targets that are out there waiting to mask desired targets. Sometimes, it's just ground challenges, but this topic is about iron.

There are basically two classes of metal targets that have different effects on an electromagnetic field: Iron and Non-Iron.

Iron tends to enhance an EMF while Non-Iron (referred to as "eddy current targets") objects actually reduce the EMF, briefly, as it enters and departs from the field with the coil's sweep. It is sometimes easy to demonstrate this phenomenon with smaller sized targets and in a threshold-based All Metal mode.

But as the coil is moved over and across a non-ferrous target two things actually happen. Some of the generated field is robbed, which the detector's electronics actually sense, and almost immediately the electronics respond to the much larger EMF generated about the good metal target.

If "iron" was simply in a powdered state it would be very easy to reject. Take two of those large 4" iron nails and file one of them up into nothing but 'filings' or 'powder. Put that powdered iron nail in a small plastic container and lay it on the ground a few inches from the iron nail. Same metal type, but a drastic difference in the effect on the EMF.

Iron, in and by itself, isn't the challenge. It is MAN-SHAPED iron that gives us fits. For example, if you were to take a 3rd 4" iron nail and bend it into a circle and connect the two ends, you would have a completely different audio response and masking challenge than you would with the straight, or bent, 4" iron nail. So, three 4" nails in different forms or shapes will cause different challenges.

An iron nail, especially one in the ground and laying flat to the coil, can cause a response all alone off the ends of the nail. Some detectors have a lot of difficulty rejecting iron targets, especially iron nails. Earlier Tesoro's rejected them much more cleanly than most of those offered today. Fisher's have usually be noisier in iron trash with more ticks oir clicks or a raspy audio.

The Bandido and Bandido II were much quieter in iron (nails and similar small iron) plagued sites than the Bandido II

 

[Pap]

When "that" book comes out you definitely have my order. I've been saving a number of your comments for years and would love to have everything available in one "collection".
Pap

 

[ernied]

man you are a book of knowledge.i can't wait for you to write it all down.i will be one of the first to buy it.

 

[tab-nabit]

If I typed that much at any one post, I'd be confusing myself - but reading - nice info you put there...

 

[markg]

GREAT POST, THANKS.
LET US KNOW WHEN YOU PUBLISH THE BOOK.

 

[Uncle Willy]

Are you going to get your book done Monte like I'm always going to get mine done.? Old Ken Weinman already beat me to it and has raked in a bundle. How did you do ghost towning?

Bill

 

[North Georgia Relics]

n/t