Home-made scoop pvc project

[TheGeorgiaCanuck]

Well, I've spent my monthly allowance...so I can't afford a $150+ stainless steel scoop. So I spent 25$ to buy the parts for this baby.

I looked at all the designs on youtube and frankly, they all look weak....like McDonald's coffee...

So I went with what I think will be a stronger design.

Parts list:

2- 1 1/2" inside diameter u bolts.
1- 11" long, 6" diameter thick wall PVC
1- Deep 6" PVC cap fitting.
1- can of pvp glue
1- shovel handle, cut off at the metal join. (its a bit short, but I can't find ANYPLACE that sells handles here. The shovel cost 12$

Needed:

Drill
1 1/2 diameter hole bit
3/8" or 1/2" drill bit
Hacksaw
File

And this is the final product. Gonna test it out tomorrow on sand and sand/mud bottom. The heavy/deep pvc cap really gives it alot of strength for the handle area. I think i have enough drain holes, if not its easy to make more. I went with 3/8" holes, in hopes that it'll catch ear studs/necklaces better. I wanted some 1/4" screen wire to put in the end cap, but dang it....nobody cuts wire fence anymore. And I'm not paying 38$ just to cut out a 7" circle.

 

[tomtomnc]

Stop at home depot or lowes and pick up the wire mesh for a couple of bucks.

 

[TheGeorgiaCanuck]

Stop at home depot or lowes and pick up the wire mesh for a couple of bucks.

Here in Canada they no longer cut wire/mesh to length anymore, I'm not spending $38+ bucks for a whole roll to make a 7" circle of wire

 

[Finderskeeper]

Not to be critical, but the PVC will crack. It's just not designed to be used for a digging tool. Been there, done that a long time ago. Nothing worse than going out on a hunt and having your scoop fail you. A good scoop needs to be comparatively light weight and strong. PVC is lightweight but is not very strong. Try this........Put the lip under a big rock.....one that you could never move. Put all your weight on the handle. That will show the weakness of PVC to you.

My recommendations...build your scoop out of either aluminum with a stainless steel lip or out of stainless steel. Those are the two most commonly used materials. I would also say titanium but it is very costly and requires special equipment to weld. Ditto with aluminum and stainless though.

But keep going. Experimentation is the best way to learn how to build your ultimate scoop plus it is fun.

 

[tomtomnc]

All of what Finderskeeper has said is true,but if your making that scoop for the lite stuff (dry sand area) you should be ok .If your getting deep signals and try to go after them particularly in the wet sand area that's when your scoop may fail you.Try to keep a back up scoop just in case one kick the bucket on the beach.The main thing is to get out there and have fun over time the kinks will get ironed out.

 

[OldBeechnut]

George that is a nice looking scoop and a very gallant shot for the first...If I can make a couple small suggestion on it to make it a little stronger you may want to shorten the nose by a few inch's then sharpen her up like a knife in the front and where you cut the pipe you need to have a rounded corner..square corners are more likely to be a weak spot...and crack...besides that let us know how she goes...I think if you go easy on her she will be fine until you can get the cash built back up.....with that Infinium, you will need a deep digger down the road..........Good Luck..Joe

 

[OldBeechnut]

On the mesh, I looked on line for a place and asked for some samples...they send me just what I needed to cover the rear, and lower...for free

 

[TheGeorgiaCanuck]

Not to be critical, but the PVC will crack. It's just not designed to be used for a digging tool. Been there, done that a long time ago. Nothing worse than going out on a hunt and having your scoop fail you. A good scoop needs to be comparatively light weight and strong. PVC is lightweight but is not very strong. Try this........Put the lip under a big rock.....one that you could never move. Put all your weight on the handle. That will show the weakness of PVC to you.

My recommendations...build your scoop out of either aluminum with a stainless steel lip or out of stainless steel. Those are the two most commonly used materials. I would also say titanium but it is very costly and requires special equipment to weld. Ditto with aluminum and stainless though.

But keep going. Experimentation is the best way to learn how to build your ultimate scoop plus it is fun.

Well it's cheap....that's what I was going for atm. I'm gonna buy a stainless steel one once I have the cash again. Hopefully this will last if I don't try to pry boulders

 

[TheGeorgiaCanuck]

On the mesh, I looked on line for a place and asked for some samples...they send me just what I needed to cover the rear, and lower...for free

Thanks OldBeechnut!

 

[nge]

Since your scoop is made of plastic, why not use plastic mesh. I have a partial roll of 1/4 inch around here somewhere. But, I am sure that we are not close in mileage to each other to tell you come over and get a piece.....lol

 

[lel]

Good job, here is one I have been using for 3 years. I works fine for me. I also want to drill a hole in the end of it to place a lanyard to keep it from floating away when I need 3 hands. I didn't use any glue as the handle holds the pvc pieces together and I hammered the handle into the pvc so tight that it doesn't require any other hardware. I also like the fact it is buoyant. Ed

 

[TheGeorgiaCanuck]

Good job, here is one I have been using for 3 years. I works fine for me. I also want to drill a hole in the end of it to place a lanyard to keep it from floating away when I need 3 hands. I didn't use any glue as the handle holds the pvc pieces together and I hammered the handle into the pvc so tight that it doesn't require any other hardware. I also like the fact it is buoyant. Ed

Ok my next one will look like yours, much superior to mine! What kind of handle is it? And what size are the holes for the handle?

Also what size holes did you cut for the drainage? And what did you use to cut the angle on the front end? I had to use a hacksaw, no power tools other than drill.

 

[lel]

It is a standard shovel handle purchased at Lowe's. Hickory, I suppose. For the handle hole I used a 1' drill bit, then I used a wood rasp to round out a larger hole to allow a custom fit. Just rasp & fit until you get the fit you want. I made the hole very tight and used a maul to hammer the scoop onto the handle. I suppose that after using it in the water it probably swelled somewhat also. It is very tight and does not have any movement at all. I did have about 1 or 2 inches protruding from the scoop which I then cut off and sealed with paint.The drainage holes are 5/8". The only problem is bobby pins and of course small earrings will slip through and drive you crazy. I liked the previous post about plastic mesh. I may give that a try. Easy enough to remove if I don't like it. To cut the angle I used a circular saw set to a 45 degree angle. Of course it didn't go all the way through but it was enough to (set) the proper angle I wanted and continue the cut with a hand saw. I then used the wood rasp to dress up my poor cutting skills and to bevel the end of the scoop for easy digging. It is a VERY strong scoop. There is no way I could break it and it works great in the loose sand along the Florida panhandle. I also like the fact that is has no metal. I use a DD coil and pinpoint off the toe. I just place the scoop at the toe of the coil and my target is usually spot on. No interference from a metal scoop. If I remember correctly, I have $22 invested in it. Good luck!
Ed

 

[nge]

Glue or tie a small magnet into the back of your scoop, that will take care of small steel objects that fall through the holes.......NGE

 

[TIM CLARK]

Nice Job WTG on the scoop