Well....It's Never Too Cold To Go And Search Gold!

[John-Edmonton]

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Only trouble is.....I didn't get any gold today. I hit this beach last fall and didn't get any gold either. However, it was my first water hunt with the Garrett Mark II, and I had a blast!

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Well, this is what the lake looks like from shore......

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And here is what the shore looks like from the lake.

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Nothing like building your own equipment, especially when it works. I built this sifter earlier in the year, and also got a chance to try it out today. It's kinda fun....as you just keep loading it and it follows you where ever you go.Every once in a while, you take a peak to see if any surprises have shown up. It does save time and muscle wear & tear using the scoop.

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That PI sure surprised me with it's depth capabilities. Some of my targets required 5-6 scoops before I got the target out. I guesstimated about 18 inches for the old PEPSI BOTTLE CAP. But, it loves all metal. Not the machine of choice for trash areas, but out above the waist, it is a great asset!

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Here are the best finds of the day. It totalled at $1.42 and no rings today. Considering that this beach was pounded to death last year, combined with a cold summer where people wouldn't go out in the deeper water, I did darn good!

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Well, the cold was setting in my bones and as with all hunts.......they have to end. Another cool adventure to log in my diary.
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[David from Suffolk]

n/t

 

[Sand Dollar]

Better you than me with that half frozen lake.Its a wonder the didnt freeze on yah. Great pics of the lake , especially the one with the Sea Hunter
Congrats on the coins. Neat looking sifter. Is it made from a plastic bowl with the bottom cut out??
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bobbie]

n/t

 

[Gulf Hunter]

n/t

 

[GraveDiggerMax-VaBch-Va]

n/t

 

[John-Edmonton]

The sifter is made from a Garrett classifier pan available at most gold equipment stores or Garrett.

Here is a set of instructions I put together:

A sifter is a unit which will sift the sand out of your scoop when water hunting. Without the sifter, you have to shake your scoop in the water, passing the sand through all the holes, with the intention of catching coins ans jewellery in the scoop, too big to pass through the holes. The sifter will do this automatically, giving you more time to search for coins and rings.

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A very simple project. You need a Garrett Classifier and some 2" styrofoam. Cut two square pieces 2 feet x 2 feet, find the center, measure out a hole to support the top lip of the plastic classifier. Then, cut a smaller hole in the second piece of styrofoam to allow the bottom of the pan to fit through.

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I cut the holes out adjusting the jigsaw platform to the same angle as the classifying pan for increased strength

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Once the holes are cut, you can see that the two pieces of Styrofoam are just the perfect thickness, to allow the bottom of the classifier to just poke through about a 1/4 of an inch. I went out Walmart and bought some porous fabric to cover the sifter, figuring it might extend its life somewhat. I also got some water proof duct tape and used it to keep the unit together.

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Here is the finished sifter. All I need to do now is wait for the ice to melt, get out into the water, attach a tether line to my belt and dump my scoops of sand directly into the sifter, letting the water action sift the sand, while I continue to look for more gold rings.

 

[Sand Dollar]

Thanks for taking the time to explain and show me the pics of the construction process.Mighty kind of you.
Thanks.