What I found at the beach today

[Clay98607]

So I took advice from my last post about discrimination at the beach. Overall advice was to dig everything... I went out for about 3 hours today to a local popular beach at the river and found literally DOZENS of rusty nails. Large nails, small nails, old square nails, u nails, etc. Other than that I found the usual bottlecaps, pull tabs, and old pop cans. Found 1.00 in clad and a small silver belly button piercing.

My question is why would a beach have so many nails? I'm in Washington State and the beach is along side the columbia river. Could they be from ships? There are no structures around, no houses, etc. Its a park area.

 

[Treasure Nut]

Wish I could answer that for you. Many nails in the beaches in my area too, and some parks. It's a common find when you dig-it-all.

 

[XT18000]

Maybe from ill eagle dumping be for lane was turned into park? Maybe from old building that was pushed up
there by high water sometime in the past?

 

[nad]

nails from bonfire wood. Go to beach at night ,party, bring crap wood, make a bonfire.Sea washes remains away, nails remain..So, how mich are they giving for scrap iron.At one park, there are several handreds of pounds of cast iron pipe broken into small sections, going to junk them out, at what 60 cents a pound? cordially nad

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Clay, quite often when you hear the advice: "dig everything", people mean that in this context: "dig everything except iron". That is to say, sometimes it is a "given" that we reject iron, when we have discrimination. So the "everything" they are talking about, is "everything conductive"

Or if they meant to dig iron too, then they're thinking in terms of clean tourist beaches. Yeah, in some southern CA "Baywatch" type beaches, or touristy clean Hawaiin beaches, there have been so many pulse machines over the years (which lack ability to pass iron), that there is simply not too much iron to contend with anymore, except recent drops. But pity the poor soul who shows up with a pulse (or standard machine set to accept nails) on a beach that is riddled with nails.

The beaches in my area have old piers and such, so I feel sorry for the first guy who shows up thinking he is going to dig everything including iron. He usually gives up after the first 30 minutes, and moves on to cleaner beaches with less nails. The nails get their either d/t industrial history (piers, fishing industry, etc...) or by campfires where people burn pallets. If you have a beach that doesn't allow campfires, and isn't industrial or commerical in usage (ie.: no piers and strictly touristy), then yes, you can maybe accept down to iron without going crazy. I've seen beaches, after storm erosion, where the nails are so thick that they look like toothpicks lying all over the wet sand. There is simply no way to hunt except to pass iron. As long as you accept down to foil, you can still get small gold. The only reason a person would want to accept down to iron, is to perhaps get a hair more depth, or because they're using a pulse to begin with, etc....

 

[gregk]

and people go barefoot to beaches! wow i had no idea beaches were like that.

 

[jog]

Clay98607.
I lived in Astoria across the river from you for almost 30 years. Have moved to Tillamook about a year ago. I have been hunting the beach's here for about 4 months. I have been hunting a small creek that runs into the ocean , you would not believe all the nails i dig up.I dig them knowing what they are because once they get to the salt water they corrode to where the ends of the nails are as sharp as a pin. These nails are washing down the creek from all the new houses that are being built.I have got it down to when i go there now i don't find to many.(lots of these to )

 

[jnstrom]

What detectors are you using. Im a newbie from WA tacoma area looking to buy a detector but have a limited budget. I might get one then save up for a specific beach detector.

Did you hear about that maniac at Green Lake Seattle? He was putting metal rods in the water, standing up!

 

[jog]

MXT! MXT! MXT!