Beach, Park, Relic hunting Shovels / Spades - information and questions

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Well guys, I have to take picks of our own home made digger.

Cost = $25 all parts locally and @15 min of time.

Strangely I prefer to use it in places where I want to leave almost no trace but need to dig deeper, it cuts beautiful plugs
that when replaced you can hardly see at all.
And revisiting past plugs there are no problems of dying grass

Will take pics tomorrow and post up.

Maybe I will make another on the weekend and video the process, just dont know how to use YouTube or put up vids here.
 
These are mine. All Predator tools. Contacting and ordering is quite easy, and delivery time is fairly standard for O/S. Cheers.
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So I have pics now of my plug spade.
Made a new one for Kato today.....

I will start a new thread and put up pics in sequence for making one of these.
I will even include a template on A4 paper size to print and stick to a spade if anyone wants to make one.
Description with pics for the build, should only take 20min max with template and grinder, to make your own.

Generally our tools for detecting, bear in mind that we have two of everything, Kato doesnt like to share ! - LOL
More like she needs her own as she is like a machine and can really focus.
No point wasting cash just buy what works, unless it is a simple build.

Early times I went for the usual Bunnings/hardware/digging tools but VERY quickly found the short comings.
Any way piocs attached.

My plug digga spade, a Spear and Jackson with long handle, and the S&P Spade they started from
They were on special at Mitre 10 for $12 each so I bought 3x.
1478427987_img_0072.jpg


Close ups Spade head cut to shape, good steel in the cheap spade.
1478427987_img_0074.jpg

1478427988_img_0075.jpg


Some of our other tools, Cyclone plastic shovels for the beach, rubber coated gloves, Deteknix pinpointers
and Deteknix digger - all excellent tools.
Shovel is great on the beach - dig, scan the shovel, check the hole, so quick.
1478427988_img_0110.jpg
 
Top job on the plug spades. I wonder if long handle spades are, more confronting to the public, than short handle ones.....in the parks anyway :)
 
rocketaroo said:
Top job on the plug spades. I wonder if long handle spades are, more confronting to the public, than short handle ones.....in the parks anyway :)
Specially if it has latent irrigation with lots of deeper (sort of) brass junctions, they'd be the ones to watch for, as the old shovel would be so deep so quick it could cut an irrigation line in a flash ,.... that said, they look really good and well made, love the quality of the craftsmanship visible in the finished product there ,.... would be great in the bush where tree roots could normally pose a problem, you would need to be Ace ;) :D on your pinpointing ability though !
8) :cool: :D
 
One Company supplies standard Spades cut to shape Like this for $41.00 / 25.00, But you could go to the hardware store and buy and cut it your self.

http://www.detecnicks.co.uk/Budget_Spade.html

Check their complete stock here, If you want anything I can order it and mail it to you.

There is 2 pages of them Here. to work out the AUD times the price by 1.63 to get Aussie Dollars.

http://www.detecnicks.co.uk/Diggers.html

John
 
Thanks guys for the compliments.

Yep we are quite ACE on pin pointing - especially Kato (4" coil)

Mostly in parks we are looked at as a pair, kids are not threatening, parents understand us being together,
and we are VERY conscious of water lines so we detect away from 'green' areas.

No one seems to feel threatened, and we chat with anyone showing our basic finds and explaining how we go about it.
Takes time but we feel it is worth a chat so the locals are comfortable in the future.
Let their kids use the gear a bit and find a ring pull or tab, even salt a coin for them to find (money well spent).

Green zones with water we use the hand diggers from Deteknix, nice comfortable handles, edges not so sharp but can be made so,
root cutters aggressive, and we dont use the sheaths but a mod in mind should fix that. (inspired by a mod in the DIY section)
And solid units, we are very happy - purchased from Mark a year plus ago with the pin pointers, Nenad is now the Deteknix agent,
and I have found him to be very help full too. Got some stuff to pick up and a minor warranty he is sorting with a Deteknix Diver,
one of the first into Australia.
LOVE Deteknix pointer and diggers, never missed a beat for us, very happy.

The long handles started as short handles, but I find you dont have to bend so much and its a straight down push, depth is really controllable,
root cutting is good, if you need a wider cut just move it sideways and push down. I tend to cut square holes as they 'key' in better.
The long handle has plenty of torque so you need to watch that a little, as you can bend the blade in hard ground.
Being a shorter blade it seems just right for around here, and with a sharper edge we have even used it as a chopper and slid it along
the ground to clear weeds with the root cutter.

Cost was a total of $12 for the spade, $10 for the long fibreglass handle (on special had to remove the trench head, cheaper than the handle alone)
$2 for a 2mm grinder blade, drill bits and flapwheel - 20 min of time.
Well worth it.

My motto is 'if you cant find it, make it from things you can' :cool:

I'll put up plans and instructions into the DIY section, just got to scan and highlight the A4 page for a template.
It would be nice if some one liked it and made one for themselves.

Also I know it has been done but I will do a DIY on the Sand shovel too, it was not so easy to figure out at first, be they came up a treat too.
 
Ridge Runner said:
One Company supplies standard Spades cut to shape Like this for $41.00 / 25.00, But you could go to the hardware store and buy and cut it your self.

http://www.detecnicks.co.uk/Budget_Spade.html

Check their complete stock here, If you want anything I can order it and mail it to you.

There is 2 pages of them Here. to work out the AUD times the price by 1.63 to get Aussie Dollars.

http://www.detecnicks.co.uk/Diggers.html

John

Thanks John, I reckon I saw a long handle one on Youtube, that inspired my creation. 8)

Seems like a nice store there, have bookmarked it for the future.

I like creating. :)
 
Greenhornet_au said:
Ridge Runner said:
One Company supplies standard Spades cut to shape Like this for $41.00 / 25.00, But you could go to the hardware store and buy and cut it your self.

http://www.detecnicks.co.uk/Budget_Spade.html

Check their complete stock here, If you want anything I can order it and mail it to you.

There is 2 pages of them Here. to work out the AUD times the price by 1.63 to get Aussie Dollars.

http://www.detecnicks.co.uk/Diggers.html

John

Thanks John, I reckon I saw a long handle one on Youtube, that inspired my creation. 8)

Seems like a nice store there, have bookmarked it for the future.

I like creating. :)

Yeah they are a great bunch of people and it is a family owned business and I have been dealing with them for over 12 years, and if it is not in stock the they order it and as soon as they get it, it is next day delivery, which is good,

John.
 
I just got the go ahead on a work mates private property, he says he doesn't mind about holes. Even though I'll obviously fill them back in.

What's the shovel of choice? I see there are a ton of different shovels on the bunnings website.

Pointed edge, flat edge etc etc

What's my best bet in powering through some likely tough soil?
 
my choice and why, a small sized shovel nose with a good long handle , the point is easier to move dirt with and when trying it out in the shop rest the base of the shovel on the floor, a decent angle up the handle means you don't have to stoop over and helps with your back handle is a personal choice but the unit has to feel comfortable and balanced
 
Thanks for that, so the pointed edge shovels are the go?

I was always gonna go for the long handle I'm 6"2 :lol:

How do picks fair, are they worth it or will a shovel suffice
 
you will need a pick , i bought one from blue jeans ron he has 3 sizes ,baby mumma and daddy .i got the mumma size but had trouble with the hardwood handle my hands so I used a fibreglass axe handle now i can grip it swing it with brute force and place the point were i want it to go , a well made pick , it has a blade on one end that acts as a side rake so it acts as a pick and raker and made from car spring steel,, don't buy a cast iron product it may chip and you will be chasing metal not gold, i would like a smaller one when detecting,,,, at the end of the day the choice will be related to the intended use, and the ground you digging, the long handle shovel for high banking a good place for digging stuff is the local trash treasure markets
 

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