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IDB

Member

• Jan 4, 2023

• #1

The store bought ones cost to much for my budget . Any ideas on a homemade one . I’ve found lots of bottles eyeballing them but have never probed for them. My son bought a 1880’s home I know there hast to be some there.

 

BigTony

Well-known member

• Jan 4, 2023

• #2

IDB said:

The store bought ones cost to much for my budget . Any ideas on a homemade one . I’ve found lots of bottles eyeballing them but have never probed for them. My son bought a 1880’s home I know there hast to be some there.

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There are old very heavy metal cabinets that were used as filling cabinets. The drawers pull out very far but are held in by a metal rod. The end of the rod has a brass round nut on the outside of the drawer. Unscrew it and pull out the rod. might be two feet long.
Threaded rods at Home Depot or Lowe’s might be longer. 36 or 48 inches

 

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Picketwire

Well-known member

• Jan 4, 2023

• #3

If you can find a discarded CB antenna from a trucker, that would work. I made one out of 5/16 steel rod and welded a steel ball from a bearing on one end and drilled a hole in a block of wood for the other. If the ground is hard at all it doesn't work well. It helps to have a smaller diameter flexible rod. Big Tony's idea is very good too.

 

JCR TX

Well-known member

• Jan 4, 2023

• #4

The old timers used to make theirs from the spring steel strut rods that were used on big automobile trunk lids to hold the open. There is a professional bottle hunter in California that makes & sells them. I have one of his 5 feet long. It works very well & you can read the dirt from the deposits on the tip.

 

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IDB

Member

• Jan 4, 2023

• #5

Thank you those ideas will get me started on one

 

fwcrawford

Well-known member

• Jan 9, 2023

• #6

I bought a section of cold rolled steel rod from Lowe’s and had a machinist finish it off with a sampling tip and had a friend weld a handle on it for me… spring steel is best, but if used carefully these work pretty good.