Bit of a loss of what to do hear, Help!

Had some good input on my new Fisher F22, which I have had for a week. Did awesome, though not Financial finds in my very small backyard. Went to Sumner Beach under weir and around both sides for a distance, found plenty of metal, cans and tabs, met some lovely people, human and Doggie. Watched U tube Videos suggested, but still not sure on best way to dig In Christchurch, videos said, use fleche knife/spade, others said a screever and copper pin pointer, then there was one who said use a shovel ( he was shot down for not leaving grass to grow). Just want to do the best way without stuffing it up for US ALL. Been to a few parks, but when I get a target, how big plug do you gig and how deep??? Real newbie at this. But so loving it!

Hi,sumner has never been that good of a spot .i think they have deep pockets over that way.ha ha.i’m due to get back into detecting as theres less people around in the winter.perhaps if you are heading out we could catch up and i’ll give you a few pointers.not that im an expert…cheers ,i think if you get the right digging tool.it helps.generally a nice round plug the size of a big cup tapering off the deeper you dig.easy to replace ,stamp in and save the grass.

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I’ll chime in here with an important one for new diggers, firstly, this is THE BEST TIME of year to learn plugging, come summer, you’ll be a gun and won’t be able to find your own plugs.

Firstly, grab a Stanley FatMax garden multi tool or whatever it’s called - Mitre 10 have them, I believe. Same as a lesche and one tenth the price.

When you cut a plug, make it a ‘U’ or ‘V’ shape so it hinges.
This means the grass still has established roots outside, which will continue to feed the grass in the plug.
Going cold-turkey and cutting a full plug means that the grass only has the roots within the plug to live on when you’ve walked away, and in drier weather, this is often not enough to survive - at least up north.

The key is learning to pinpoint with your machine. Use the ‘X’ method or whatever works for you to get a nice tight location before you break out the surgical tools. Some deep iffy signals, I’ll approach it from all four directions to get a box of ‘best fit’ - Plug that, then use the pinpointer in the hole to wheedle it out from there. If you find you’re taking two bites at a plug to locate something, step back and work out what’s going wrong :slight_smile:

I have walked away from many targets, purely because they wouldn’t be able to be retrieved without making a mess…

Thanks Mudwiggle, some great advice in your post. Brought one of those Stanley tools, real good and so much cheaper. Bout $15 from Mitre 10. Have yet to get a pinpointer, sound like they would be a good tool.
cheers

Hi Michele, A pinpointer will help you heaps, suggest you get one, you can be very sure on exactly where to dig your plug by using the pinpointer after your detector has sounded off. After digging and tipping over plug use pinpointer again to locate target in plug or otherwise check bottom/side of hole. You will make a tidier job and able to replace plug neatly. Very small targets can be difficult to see but the pointer will find them with ease. I use a sharp knife to slice the removed plug in half if required, slicing works better on damp soils of course. Gook Luck on finding your first coin.

do any of you guys detect in rest/picnic areas

New too, been out a couple times, I agree with pin pointing is paramount. My first few I was way off where the metal actually was in the ground… Went out today and was definitely getting better at it. Nothing good but was quite exciting to get something that wasn’t trash… Where exactly is allowed to detect? Are parks all fair game, for some reason I feel nervous going to a park with a lot of people around. Perhaps just an introvert thing.

Best to check with local council as for detecting in park’s some have local bylaws some don’t. What part of the country are you in?

I’m in Dunedin, @Lammerlaw will probably know the deal. Otherwise wouldn’t hurt to ring the council.

Im in Christchurch I can dig in parks here but waimak council up the road have a no dig policy on any of their grounds funny ain’t it. All the best and happy hunting.

Finding that doing a V plug works well and leaves it so tidy. What do you recommend for a pinpointer.?
No have never ventured to picnic/rest sites.

South Waikato council have a no dig in parks and reserves also.:frowning: still trying to suss areas as it a bit of a drive to the beach

Well maybe some detectors/diggers did a botch job of their holes ,Just asking? or council rae being tough!

That’s what happened with waimak council they gave permission to someone who in turn ruined it for others by not filling in holes at all. Pity had a 1870 school all lined up too. Haven’t tried rest stops but picnic areas can be great.

For pinpointer best cheap one I’ve found is on alliexpress.
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32993479185.html?pid=808_0000_0109&spm=a2g0n.search-amp.list.32993479185&aff_trace_key=179f9f918cea4b5fafe2cdb986d507a6-1558349461449-05982-UneMJZVf&aff_platform=msite&m_page_id=1242amp-RpFkl5yPZmYLtibxK-cMeA1558349479880

Lasted about a year till I lost it in the river for a week so yer not waterproof but good for land lol.l

Thanks for that CosmoCoinage, have ordered one :slight_smile:

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My pin pointer has arrived, but weather hasn’t been that kind to enable getting out. Anyway will get out when I can. Thanks to everyone for help and advice.
Would love to catch up sometime Knl, and learn the ropes. So new to this.