Vernon in Virginia~Formerly Alaska
New member
[size=large]Got out of the truck, turned the detector on, walked into the woods 20 ft from the road and BAM!... dug a Civil War U.S. plate in 56 seconds ~ Yep, that's the way uh huh uh huh. It was hot, I didn't want to get roasted slowly in a pasture so I opted for some woods along Lee's retreat route. A couple of months ago I dug 46 bullets in 2 hours just up the road from this; the next little piece of woods I hit about a month ago, gave up about 15 bullets so I thougth I would continue the luck and ask the next land owner if I could search the woods that ran along the road in front of her house. I got the OK, stepped out of the truck, and within a minute had the US box plate. There were a lot of bottles and cans that had been thrown into the woods from the road. I got a good plate signal, checked the depth, and it was also deep so I dug it. Got down to about 10" and could see the edge of what I thougth was a bent aluminum can but I knew it was too deep for a can at this place that had never been dozed. I wish I had been a little more careful, and found out it was a plate before I popped it out with a shovel and bent it slightly. Started circling the hole but got nothing else in the immediate area. About 50 feet away I did get a lead back convexed button that used to be silver plated, unfortunately there is nothing on it. Also got a bullet. By this time the gnats had called in reinforcements and the sweat was pouring freely... time to make a run for the border [/size] .
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[size=large]One of the reasons I was out was to try out my new (used) Whites Blue and Gray I just bought off Craigslist at a good price. I had bought another Blue and Gray several months ago and was impressed with its ability to sniff out relics I had missed with my other computerized Whites detectors. I believe the analog B&G sees a target a little differently and has definitely found some keepers that my other had missed, including a Confederate I button at 10" I know I swung over with my other machines. Anyway, liked the Blue and Gray so much I decided to get a back up and it paid off today. Sure, my DFX or XLT would have found the plate also, no problem, but still I like that analog needle lock on, it doesn't lie.
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[size=large]I got a hair dryer and heated the plate pretty hot on both sides, used glass breaking pliers my wife had with protective plastic caps on them, and bent the plate back straight. The heat made it much more malleable than trying to bend it without it. Hey, I thougth I did a pretty good job; I may have to start repairing relics... not! The little dent between the U and the S is an original soldier made dent; I did lose a little patina where the bend was, but over all not bad for the bend I originially put in it. Thanks for looking.
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[attachment 202750 Plate2.jpg]
[attachment 202748 1.jpg]
[size=large]One of the reasons I was out was to try out my new (used) Whites Blue and Gray I just bought off Craigslist at a good price. I had bought another Blue and Gray several months ago and was impressed with its ability to sniff out relics I had missed with my other computerized Whites detectors. I believe the analog B&G sees a target a little differently and has definitely found some keepers that my other had missed, including a Confederate I button at 10" I know I swung over with my other machines. Anyway, liked the Blue and Gray so much I decided to get a back up and it paid off today. Sure, my DFX or XLT would have found the plate also, no problem, but still I like that analog needle lock on, it doesn't lie.
[/size]
[attachment 202749 A.jpg]
[size=large]I got a hair dryer and heated the plate pretty hot on both sides, used glass breaking pliers my wife had with protective plastic caps on them, and bent the plate back straight. The heat made it much more malleable than trying to bend it without it. Hey, I thougth I did a pretty good job; I may have to start repairing relics... not! The little dent between the U and the S is an original soldier made dent; I did lose a little patina where the bend was, but over all not bad for the bend I originially put in it. Thanks for looking.
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[attachment 202750 Plate2.jpg]
