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Digging Pick

S

silversmith

New member
There is a heavy duty digging pick used mainly by folks metal detecting for gold. The head is fairly heavy and triangular shaped. Suggests, but not necessarily so, that it might be made from a car leaf spring. Any one know who makes these? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
 
The digging tool you describe sounds like what I use for all around hunting. I've never seen them sold but home built. The busines end is a leaf spring from a small car (makes a thin blade) 1.75" wide, one end has rounded point and the other is squared off root cutting end.
 
Sorry about the delay, yes I will take a couple pictures of it tomorrow. I've tried different tools for digging, but I haven't found anything I like better yet. Its very light, spring steel keeps an edge forever it seems.
 
This is my third variation of it, I welded the blade to the handle on the first two but they broke at the weld when prying too hard (It made the blade too brittle). On this one I welded a fine thread grade 8 nut into the end of the handle and used the hole in the spring to bolt it together (this seems to be the ticket). I also kept the blade from heating during cutting and sharpening. Blade is between 1/8th and 3/16th inch thick, 2 inches wide and comes to almost a knife edge, it holds a heck of an edge. Handle is (I think) 1 inch tubing, rubber is an old Honda three wheeler grip.
After pinpointing, one or two cuts (depending on depth needed), tip handle away from you and it usually exposes the find.
 
Well now actually, as usual. I found an acceptable pick like I'd seen before, on the Internet. I ordered 2 of them, with a smile on my face. Are you ready? The very next day, I found the SAME EXACT THING at OSH for half the price. Why doe's it seem to always go that way?????????????????/:nopity:
 
This is the one I made to Rockhound with about 10 years ago, it's the only one I haven't broke... yet.
I made it from 6-4 titanium.

tool7.jpg
 
Boy, that's a beauty number9. You must be a "hell of a welder". I've heard titanium's really hard to weld. What I found will do for now. One day I'll go the car spring route, although I'll probably Braze, not weld, it together. I've seen brass do some amazing things that welds won't. Thanks for your posting! :please:
 
Well silversmith... you heard wrong.
Welding titanium isn't any harder than welding stainless. They both weld about the same using tig.
Weld metal that is clean and free from oil, etc, Titanium is more sensitive to porosity than most metals, you need to make sure the weld is covered good with the shielding gas.

Most welds will have problems when welding mild steel to tempered steel. You may try to preheat the area to be welded and use a 7018 low hydrogen rod. It will need to cool slow and you can peen the weld to help minimize residual weld stresses.
 
Sounds good number9, but all I have is a gas rig and a dc stick machine. I'd love to have a tig but, cost to much. Maybe some day.
 
Hey silversmith...
If you have a "DC" stick machine, you're half way to welding stainless, titanium, as well as regular steel using the tig method!
I use a Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC welding machine, a "dry rig" tig torch(not water cooled), regulator/flow meter, and a bottle of argon. You must have a DC welder, just AC won't work!

My Son bought a Miller Thunderbolt about 4 months ago for around $500. The salesman at the weld shop said he couldn't use a tig torch with the machine, it couldn't be done! I don't think he believed me when I told him that I've been using one for about 20 years to tig carbon steel, stainless, and titanium... but he wouldn't bet with me!

You can find AC/DC Thunderbolts on eBay for less than $200. An air-cooled tig torch, regulator/flow meter for about the same.

Will it work... yeah it will!! I built this "Rubi-Trailer" using only the tig torch to make all welds!

CONSTRUCTION

FINISHED

Best at ya!
 
Wow number9, that's was quite a very professional all the way through. Thanks for uploading, I really enjoyed it. I have a small Lincoln 125 amp DC /225 amp AC welder which should be big enough so will look into the TIG add on. Thanks for the heads up. Just curious, was this project job related? Are you a professional welder / fabricator was this hobby? Thanks again.
 
Hi Pal,

Your welder should do just fine to use a tig torch. Most of my welding is below 100 amps.
Most "buzz-box" welders have a small duty cycle, so you may need to weld for a minute and then let it cool for three or four? If you use a tig torch on your welder, make sure the torch is "negative(-)" and your ground is "positive(+)".

I've been a metal fabricator for 40 years, I love to design and make tools and other stuff related to my hobbies.
Been working on my titanium beach scoop, now that I've received the pieces to finish it, maybe I can find the time to work on it next week?

Best at ya!
-Wayne
 
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