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Finding chains and bracelets
- Thread starter alton
- Start date
Gulf Hunter
Active member
It is not a common thing to find them alton. The unit does not read the complete chain, but each link. May detect the clasps, if they are significant enough for a read. Not even something you can count on. I did recover an 18K fine chain, back in mid April, see previous post. It was a broken low tone and there was no pendant or medallion on it. Low and slow, will give you the best possibility of recovering one though, unless there is a pendant or medallion, on it or near it, then you could get both. Good luck. GH
Jason in TN
New member
Alton have found two rope type gold chains at myrtle beach with the dfx and bigfoot coil. the Excal will not pick them up in a air test but my Garret infinium will with the 10 in dd coil.
Jason in TN
New member
Alton are you hunting any of the rivers up your way. I was thinking of hunting a few near the park have you tried them?
Silver, and big ones, at that. I found one last year that's absolutely HUGE. Even still, all of those chains read as Pulltabs, because of the size/mass of each link, and the fact that each link is not a complete loop. Gold chains are even harder to find. A Discriminating detector, if it can read the chain at all, will probably read a gold chain as Iron. Just my two Stinkin' Zincolns.
scott (wi)
New member
I found a medium sized gold chain that hit hard at 5". I think the type of link sometimes makes a difference. It seems like my Excal saw this chain as more of a rope than individual links. But I do agree that it is darn hard to find small chains. The ones I find, I eyeball or find it attached with a medallion.
Some have already said it, but it bears repeating:
"Chains are more air than metal, and all detectors have trouble with them, some more than others."
The thing to do is test as many as you can find to see what the reponses are for your instrument.
Doing this may give you the edge, but be forewarned, you arent likely to be pleased with the results. I have had alot of detectors and have listened to the comments of others and I have never found a detector that hits reliably on chains alone. Bunch the chain up, make it a large-linked silver one and you are getting somewhere. Otherwise, hope like heck that it still has the pendant attached.
"Chains are more air than metal, and all detectors have trouble with them, some more than others."
The thing to do is test as many as you can find to see what the reponses are for your instrument.
Doing this may give you the edge, but be forewarned, you arent likely to be pleased with the results. I have had alot of detectors and have listened to the comments of others and I have never found a detector that hits reliably on chains alone. Bunch the chain up, make it a large-linked silver one and you are getting somewhere. Otherwise, hope like heck that it still has the pendant attached.
diggindirt
New member
n/t
RandyNorthridgeca
New member
I agree Gulf Hunter. I've never found a thin chain but I've found some large & medium sized ones and about the only thing I can say is they didn't sound good. They're usually soft broken hits. None of mine sounded good but I could tell it wasn't iron. About a year or two ago I was using the explorer 2 with Sunrays 12.5" coil and my buddy was using the explorer 2 with the WOT coil. I got a crappy reading, thought I was going to dig up some small bits of tin foil and out came a gold chain. It was only about 1 to 3 inches deep. My buddy came over and asked me to throw it down on the sand so he could hear it. He had to actually rub the WOT on the chain to get a sound. I tested the chain too and I could still hear it at about 2 or 3 inches. If you go to Sunrays site and look under testimonials you can see the size of the chain.
I got a nice large gold chain in the wet sand one time and part of the chain was hanging over the lip of the scoop. It sure looked good
HH Randy
I got a nice large gold chain in the wet sand one time and part of the chain was hanging over the lip of the scoop. It sure looked good
HH Randy
[size=small]I have been re-reading Wallace Chandlers excellent book, "Advanced Shallow Water Treasure Hunting," this week. Here's what this undeniable expert has to say about gold chains, chains in general, etc.:
"Gold chains are probably the most difficult item to detect because you don't detect the chain as a whole. Your machine only sees each individual link and since alloyed gold is not very conductive, you are at a great disadvantage in trying to find them. The job is much easier if there is a medal or trinket attached. Silver chains are much easier to detect, for sterlin silver is very conductive. Most gold chains will be found at or near the surface. There are a lot of chains in lakes, just out of reach, probably, to present day metal detectors.
When you DO detect a gold chain, it will probably have a weak or erratic sound, not unlike a small piece of tinfoil. A friend of mine is so determined to find a gold chain that he runs little or no discrimination to increase his chances. He ends the day with not much more than a pile of junk to show for his efforts. If he used around three on the discrimination dial,** he could find enough gold rings to buy all the chains he could want, instead of digging 95% junk. Did I make a point? I hope so
** In case you don't know this book, Mr. Chandler wrote it around his favorite instrument, the Fisher 1280X. A DISC setting of three on this unit would be well below large foil, yet still be knocking out most iron crap.[/size]
"Gold chains are probably the most difficult item to detect because you don't detect the chain as a whole. Your machine only sees each individual link and since alloyed gold is not very conductive, you are at a great disadvantage in trying to find them. The job is much easier if there is a medal or trinket attached. Silver chains are much easier to detect, for sterlin silver is very conductive. Most gold chains will be found at or near the surface. There are a lot of chains in lakes, just out of reach, probably, to present day metal detectors.
When you DO detect a gold chain, it will probably have a weak or erratic sound, not unlike a small piece of tinfoil. A friend of mine is so determined to find a gold chain that he runs little or no discrimination to increase his chances. He ends the day with not much more than a pile of junk to show for his efforts. If he used around three on the discrimination dial,** he could find enough gold rings to buy all the chains he could want, instead of digging 95% junk. Did I make a point? I hope so
** In case you don't know this book, Mr. Chandler wrote it around his favorite instrument, the Fisher 1280X. A DISC setting of three on this unit would be well below large foil, yet still be knocking out most iron crap.[/size]
I just air tested the Excal - it didn't pickup any of my gold chains, at all. So what's the solution?
I've noticed that the only chains that I find are those with medallions etc. attached to them....
So what's the solution, will the PI machines pickup gold chains?
Or maybe purchase the Sunray coil as Randy in Northridge suggests?
What detectors/Coils will pickup gold chains?????
OUTATIME
I've noticed that the only chains that I find are those with medallions etc. attached to them....
So what's the solution, will the PI machines pickup gold chains?
Or maybe purchase the Sunray coil as Randy in Northridge suggests?
What detectors/Coils will pickup gold chains?????
OUTATIME
Consider setting up as Mr. Chandler suggests. You will never get it all, so go with those things that offer the BEST odds of successful recovery. Dont give up on chains, but understand the limitations they present... fine gold chains are the bane of every detector, so why beat yourself up over it?
RandyNorthridgeca
New member
Please don't buy the Sunray 12.5" coil thinking it will pickup fine gold chains because I've never found one of those with the 12.5" coil unless it had a charm or pendant on it. I'm one of those guys that runs wide open and I dig anything that doesn't grunt iron. Here are some of my finds from the past.
Gulf Hunter
Active member
n/t