4/26/17 Report - Metal Detector Damage That Can Be Prevented. Artifacts Left Behind After Inca Attack.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Detector Showing Poor Maintenance and Serious Damage.

Yesterday I started a post in which I was talking about why you might want to keep old metal detectors in good working order.  I mentioned the dangers of salt water.  Above is a good example of the damage that can be done to a metal detector by things like wind driven sand and salt spray and splashing water.

Notice the corrosion around the knobs and toggle switches.  Also notice the sand in the speakers.  The headphone plug is also vulnerable.

The best conditions for metal detecting can be the worst conditions for your detector.  The wind can be blowing sand and salt and the water can be splashing off of steep cliff faces.  Even knowing all of that, you can be caught by surprise.

There was one time that I was wading not much more than knee deep water in a calm bay and a single wave surprised me and splashed up onto my detector control box (not the detector shown in the pictures).  While I mostly use submersible detectors, I was not using one on this occasion.  The very small amount of salt water that splashed onto the control box was noted by the manufacturer and voided the warranty even though the detector worked fine for many years to come.

Closer Look At Some of the Corrosion.

The damage to the detector shown in these pictures is extreme and severe but happened with normal but heavy usage.  Obviously much needed maintenance was not done.

Most of my detectors are submersible.  Submersible detectors are better protected from the dangers of salt water environments, although even submersible detectors need to be rinsed and properly maintained.  If you work salt water beaches at all, wind driven sand and salt spray is enough to require periodic maintenance.  Salt and sand seem to find their way into the smallest cracks and crannies.

A lot of people complain about detector rods freezing up.  My experience is that all detector rods used on salt water beaches or in the salt water will freeze if they are not maintained.  Rinsing and working them occasionally should prevent that.  While I hear a lot of complaints about the ATX rods, I've had no trouble with them and prefer that type of rod to the others that I've used.

Some people seldom change their detector settings.  I advise working all knobs and switches once in a while even if you don't change your settings much.  I think it helps keep things in good working order and helps you identify any signs of deterioration early.

Even if you get salt water in your control box, rinsing it out with an electronics cleaner can save the electronics.

WD-40 or other oils and cleaners can be a good idea for various parts of your detector.

The Florida sun and heat can also cause damage.  The sun and heat can weaken plastic parts.  I had a lot of trouble with the plastic parts on a White's detector breaking.  It wasn't an old detector either.

Replaced Ear Phone Attachment.

Plastic parts on both the rod and ear phones broke.  I replaced the ear phone tab by making a new one from the metal of a soda can.  The rod was repaired by using a small section of PVC pipe.

I like to have more than one detector with me but I seldom do because I don't like to leave a metal detector in the car in the hot Florida heat.   I also don't like to leave anything good in the car because of possible theft.  That does happen on the Treasure Coast.  I saw some broken glass in a beach parking lot no long ago.  I reported other break-ins at the same parking lot before.

Dennis S. wrote and reminded me to mention the damage that can be caused by leaving old batteries in a metal detector.  Leaking batteries damaged one of his detectors.  I'm sure that many of you have experienced the same thing.  Don't leave batteries stored in your detector when you are not using it for a while.  Thanks for the reminder Dennis.

My main point today is that the beach is a tough environment for metal detectors, but with periodic maintenance you might be able to keep your metal detector working for many years.  The pictures I showed today show extreme and severe cases, but they do show what can happen.

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Here is an interesting article.


Treasure trove of bronze and copper reveals incredible speed of flash Inca invasion

Bronze jewellery, stone tools and intact pottery were abandoned as the native Colla people fled...

Bronze Chisel Left Behind by Colla.Source: See link below.

Here is the link for the entire article.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/treasure-trove-bronze-copper-reveals-incredible-speed-flash-inca-invasion-1618394

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I have some good emails and other things to talk about tomorrow.

The weather is beautiful on the Treasure Coast.  The air was cooler this morning after the front went through.

The surf is small, but we're having some nice low tides.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/20/14 Report - West Palm Beach. Detectorists Find Hoard of 200 Viking Coins. Another Treasure Trove Found.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.




West Palm Beach 12/18/14
Photo by Joe D.

Joe said this was formed when the water was high, but he didn't find any older items there.

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It is always nice to find a hoard.  There is one older yard in Florida that has produced hundreds of silver coins.  I don't have permission to talk about it yet, but hopefully someday soon.

A trove of 200 Viking coins that was uncovered in a field in North Jutland is considered to be one of the most significant archaeological discovery in decades.

 

A team of three amateur archaeologists, the youngest just 16 years old, found the silver coins using metal detectors last September in a field near the northern Jutland town of Strandby.

The coins date back to around the year 990...

Here is the link for more of that story.

http://cphpost.dk/news/rare-trove-of-viking-coins-discovered-by-amateurs.5322.html

Amateurs with metal detectors make a lot of important discoveries.

While restoration work is being undertaken at the star fortress Kastellet in the centre of Copenhagen, archaeologists from the Museum of Copenhagen, have had the rare opportunity to thoroughly examine areas of the historic military site. During the search a trove of coins, dated between 1649 and 1787, was found.

 

The trove comprises nine copper coins and 23 silver pieces. In total, 620 metal objects were found in the area, including musket balls and other pieces of used or discarded ammunition.

Here is the link for more of that article.

http://cphpost.dk/news/coins-at-kastellet-archaeologist-strikes-silver.12084.html


On the Treasure Coast a very calm surf is predicted for at least a week, so don't expect any significant changes now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

6/21/14 Report - Top Ten Treasure Troves List, Tips on Timing Site Visits, & King Baby Studio and Chosen Rings

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Gold Crown 

I ran across this neat list of the top ten most incredible treasure troves.

Two are pictured here.





Below is the source link for the detailed descriptions and photos.  Learn more about those shown and the others selected as top ten treasure troves.

http://listverse.com/2007/08/29/top-10-incredible-treasure-troves/

Gold Chalice

Yesterday I mentioned that I would give some tips on timing your hunts.   Timing is especially critical during poor beach detecting conditions.

During poor detecting conditions, sand accumulates on the front of the beaches and in the shallow water, and things will generally be sinking relatively quickly instead of being uncovered.

During poor detecting conditions you will often be hunting things that have been recently dropped, and a lot of those things, if they are in the wet sand area or shallow water, will be beyond detector range in a short period of time.   That means hunting during or after a busy beach day is a good idea.  Waiting until the next morning will give things more time to sink.

Another thing to take into account is other people that hunt the same beach that you have chosen to detect.  If there are a lot of decent to good hunters continually cleaning out an area, you might want to get to know their habits and plan your timing accordingly.  Some beaches are detected heavily during the morning and others heavily in the evening.  Some are detected most heavily on weekends.  That can all affect your timing decisions.  If you pay attention you can tell how much and when most sites are hunted and when the best times to hunt those sites would be.

As a side note, I want to remind you that in the past I've given a number of strategies for working heavily hunted beaches

Some beaches can be hunted profitably every day, while others sites that are not as busy may require more time for things to accumulate again.

Some places that you might detect are not detected frequently or are protected in one way or another.  You do not need to get around to them as quickly or as often.  I often decide to detect a beach that is in more danger of deteriorating or being detected, and let the one that is protected and seldom detected wait for a later time.  .

I have one site now that I have worked a couple of times recently, but don't feel there is any hurry in getting to it, because the conditions will not likely deteriorate soon and there is not much chance that it will be cleaned out by anyone else.

One thing that I take into account is proximity.  If I go in one direction there will be a variety of site possibilities, and in another direction other site possibilities.   If you intend to detect one particular beach, be aware of the others that are close by, perhaps stopping to check some of those sites as you pass them even it you do not intend to detect them.  You might change your mind and decide one of them looks too good to pass, but if you check it, at least you will be up to date on current conditions there.

If the first choice does not look promising for whatever reason, have a second and third choice in mind. If  your first choice doesn't seem to be very promising after looking at it or doing a little sampling, be ready to move to one of the more likely alternatives that you have in your mental filing cabinet.

I often take the tides into consideration when timing my outings.  If I want to detect low tide, I'll usually show up a suitable time before low tide. How long before depends on a variety of factors including how long I intend to detect, surf conditions, and where on the beach or in the water I plan to detect.  You'll often find easier detecting on an outgoing tide.t.  In wet sand, the saturated wet sand will make it easier to detect deep targets.

There are a few thoughts on timing your outings.  There are too many factors to explain them all.


I might have found the reason for the word "Chosen" on the Chosen rings.   Robert H. sent me some text about the King Baby Studio, who it seems produces those rings.

ABOUT KING BABY STUDIO

King Baby designer and owner Mitchell Binder has stated, "What I love about jewelry, it becomes a very personal piece to whoever wears it. That's one of the things that just does it for me. It gives it meaning, it's very fulfilling and it gives people some sort of identity as well. That's the gift. That's the specialness. That's what I want to hang onto."

King Baby Studio is rooted in the freedom of the open road and in the spirit of rock n' roll. In the 1970s, when Mitchell was a teenager, he moved from Jackson, Mississippi to Los Angeles, California. It was a time when music reflected a spirit of idealism, and new found freedoms.

At 15, Mitchell became a jeweler's apprentice and shortly thereafter began designing jewelry on his own. With his trademark charismatic personality, he soon made the right contacts and quickly became the "go-to jeweler" for Hollywood. Mitchell has also partnered with legendary brands including Harley Davidson® and Fender®. This year, King Baby Studio is launching their highly anticipated eyewear collection as well as introducing a custom shop in Nashville, Tennessee.

As always, King Baby Studio continues to handcraft their jewelry in the U.S.A., uniting sterling silver with precious stones, 18K gold, onyx beads and leather. King Baby Studio jewelry and eyewear is "for the chosen few."

 Notice the last phrase in quotes.  That seems to be the reason for the "Chosen" rings.

I can't believe how much money they get for those things, but I guess it is something like Tiffany and how the Tiffany name adds value.  Items from the King Baby Studio are popular right now.

I always recommend researching finds so that you know what you have especially if you are thinking about selling.


It looks like we'll have flat surf on the Treasure Coast for another several days.   Too bad that there is so much sand out there.   Most of the beach fronts and shallow water has too much sand.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/23/12 Report - Four Pounds of Gold Found & Dangers on Treasure Coast Beaches

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Part of Four-Pound Gold Treasure Trove

Four pounds of gold were found in a 3300-year old treasure trove in Northern Germany where a gas pipeline was being constructed.  The gold was analyzed and believed to have originated in Asia.

The photo here (from Spiegel OnLine), shows one item from that treasure trove.

Here is the link to the original story.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/archaeological-dispute-erupts-over-gold-trove-a-839989.html

It is the time of year to start paying attention to the weather maps for tropical storms.  One weather system that has an 80% chance of developing into a cyclone is now in the Gulf.   I think it is expected to head on a northeast track and over Orlando.   If that happens, we'll probably only get west and south winds from it on the Treasure Coast.   Nonetheless it is time to start watching for tropical weather systems.  I'll keep an eye on this one.  It could change.

Tropical Storm Forming in Gulf of Mexico

CAUTION:  There are definitely some sharp and dangerous large pieces of metal showing up on at least one Treasure Coast beach.  Always take precautions, be careful and be safe. 

Besides other possible dangers, there might be very sharp edges on objects, maybe metal and glass for example.  While I've been careful enough to avoid ever cutting myself on a beach, it can easily happen.  I've cut myself while bottle hunting, and once while walking in the ocean.  That can't be avoided totally if you are out there a lot.  And I got a fishing lure stuck in my foot once. 

There are some very dangerous pieces of metal on the beach by the power plant on Hutchinson Island now.  There are pieces of a large broken metal cable.  I saw pieces near a foot long, and the cable appears like it was maybe six inches in diameter.  But what is most dangerous are the ends of the smaller pieces that were wound together to create the cable.  The ends are broken and corroded and stick out like a bunch of needles.   You could easily hurt yourself on one of those.  To make it worse, some are buried and others are partially buried.  Use your scoop and don't probe around with your hands when you don't know what you are going after.  If you are not wearing shoes, watch where you step.

 Take adequate precautions and be very careful.


The St. Lucie Metal Detecting Club was expecting to have a club hunt this morning.  I didn't get the notice early enough to let you know in advance.  Hope the weather holds out and it goes well..


Treasure Coast Treasure Beach Detecting Forecast.


The wind will be mostly from the south for a few days, and the seas will be running down around
two or three feet.

Conditions remain poor for finding shipwreck cobs, but there are other things to be found.

There was some surprise erosion last week.  Not very productive though, as far as I know.  Just the same old sand being washed out and then up onto the beach again.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net