Menu
What's new
Find's Treasure Forums

Welcome to Find's Treasure Forums, Guests!

You are viewing this forums as a guest which limits you to read only status.

Only registered members may post stories, questions, classifieds, reply to other posts, contact other members using built in messaging and use many other features found on these forums.

Why not register and join us today? It's free! (We don't share your email addresses with anyone.) We keep email addresses of our users to protect them and others from bad people posting things they shouldn't.

Click here to register!

Need Support Help?

Cannot log in?, click here to have new password emailed to you

Explorer II Rocked Me Today..."Barber House" Lived Up To It's Name, First Explorer II Silver AND Gold, AND a First For Me!

M

Mike (Virginia Beach)

New member
I took my new Explorer II to a favorite hunt spot of mine for years now, a place my buddies and I have nicknamed "The Barber House". It's pretty much a rite of passage when I get a new machine to take it there and see what this "hunted out" site will produce. I did it with the last 5 machines I've had, including the Quattro, and all my new machines have found stuff the others missed.

The Explorer II didn't disappoint today. First let me say also that I "get it" now with the Iron Mask. This place is a rusty nail and iron pit, so using my disc pattern wasn't cutting it...too much nulling. So I played with the IM a little and what I came up with that seemed to work best in this site was IM -12 and using the "Detect" touchpad to switch back and forth between Smartfind and Digital. I had the sensitivity at manual and set to 24, which was about all I could take. It actually wasn't too bad. A Little "chatty", but bearable. And being able to see and hear the iron, I can see now how that will let you get the good stuff out from around the junk. I was initially a little unclear as to why running Iron Mask and then turning it down to the point where it almost wasn't masking anything at all was better than Iron Mask "Off". As I said, I get it now. :) But enough chatter...

My first target was a 1966 quarter at about 6". I got a nice signal off of it and the smartfind and digital were both in agreement...DIG. I think it was a 00 - 28 or 29. The next thing I dug was a little weird sounding, but in a good way. But the box and the numbers were all around. But in a good way. So I dug her up. Turned out to be a green and crusty pocket watch, seemingly intact save for the face and the door. But what a mess. And yet, there was gold. Plating no doubt, I supposed. It was a green verdigris mess. But as I found out later, that was from the guts leeching out. It cleaned up REAL NICE. I found another pocket watch...maybe a ladies? Or a boy's? No matter, it was trashed...mostly rust.

<B>Here's the watch...not much to look at now, is it?</B>
<IMG SRC="http://members.cox.net/nodesurfer/barber1.jpg">


This site that has given up SO much over the years, including at least a dozen or more Barber coins...that I know of...and buttons, CW and Colonial...even a British Revolutionary War button...gave me YET ANOTHER Barber dime. It was a good 8 inches down or more. And an Indian and a Merc as well before the little over 4 hours was up.

The last thing I dug was the biggest button I've ever seen. I think it's Colonial...looks it to me. There are no back marks to it that I can make out.

<B>Here's the button...BIG BUTTON!</B>
<IMG SRC="http://members.cox.net/nodesurfer/barber2.jpg">

I initially cleaned up the watch with some soap and water and it did wonders. It was at that point that I realized it was gold. I decided to stick it in my electrolysis setup and see what I could do with it. The results were incredible.

<B>Here's my final take after 4 hours of hunting...the watch after just a washing with soap and water and a toothbrush...starting to look good. Note the other watch...toast!</B>
<IMG SRC="http://members.cox.net/nodesurfer/barber3.jpg">

<B>Here's the watch in the electrolysis tank, first go-round...chunks started falling off quickly.</B>
<IMG SRC="http://members.cox.net/nodesurfer/barber4.jpg">

<B>Here's it is after the first go-round, and some rinsing and brushing.</B>
<IMG SRC="http://members.cox.net/nodesurfer/barber5.jpg">

<B>Here's the finished product, after a couple more rounds. His momma don't know him now!</B>
<IMG SRC="http://members.cox.net/nodesurfer/barber6.jpg">

I have to say I am most pleased with the Explorer II so far. To find the things I found today at this site is amazing, considering the number of times that I and several others have hunted it over the years (about 5 years...the house has been gone for at least 3 years now) and the stuff we have pulled out of there. Nobody else will hunt there now, because it's "hunted out". You gotta love that! :D

Tomorrow to the beach I go, with the 12.5" coil. Happy hunting!


 
Nice going Mike! The Explorer is a great machine and the WOT makes it even better. If you don't have one yet I highly recommend getting one. I haven't put the stock coil back on since I got mine a few months back.
 
No WOT as yet, but I do have a 12.5" that I'll be swinging on the beach tomorrow. So far I really like the Explorer II. Still have a lot to learn...the site today wasn't a great place to take it on my 2nd time out, even though I survived. There's more iron there than you've ever seen. It's saturated...a wonder you can find anything. That's why I know there's so much more being masked still. It WILL be mine! :)
 
Nice finds Mike! Looks like you are doing well already.

-Bill
 
You could swing a hickory stick and find goodies.Got a great machine and your expertise would hate to go head to head with you. In any case a bunch of nice finds and will repeat again Explorers just have the best guts of anything out there and of course a talented operator helps. Years ago I found a similiar watch about half the size and after I removed the rusty inside and found it was a low Kt. gold.Still one of my favorite finds..Jeweler said it may have been a ladies version...:lol
 
Well, I don't know Dan...I've certainly had my share of getting skunked on enough hunts. I just don't usually post the pictures of the times I go out for 4 hours and come back with nothing but a 1979 Memorial cent. :lol And given the choice over the hickory stick or the Explorer II I think I'll take the Explorer II. :)

You know how many times I've hit this spot and with how many machines. And they've all done well. And I won't say "It's like a new site again...like it hasn't been hunted!" No, not quite. But there is stuff there that the Explorer II let me find. And I think it was both the worst place and maybe the best place to try to learn it. The place is LOADED with iron...lots of rusty nails...everywhere. There was quite a symphony of sounds. But it wasn't like when I used to have my DFX and would run the Dave Z program for example...it was much more stable and giving me (at least for ME) what I would consider better information, even with my limited experience with the machine.

And I spent about half the time with IM off and the other half at IM -12. I was doing well in both modes but if you want the nulling (at this incredibly iron-rich site) to stop so you can hear the good stuff, you have to run the IM down and let it sing. I can get used to that.

 
MIKE! That is FANTASTIC!!!! What an impressive find! A Gold pocket watch! AND silver and an indian head penny! I can't believe you found anything at the Barber House, but you proved that no site is EVER hunted out - with the right machine!!!!!!

Congratulations on the wonderful recovery of a gold pocket watch!

Stacey
 
Garry,

Sorry to say i haven't had much luck with the copper coins. The ones I find around here are in bad shape and electrolysis or any water seem to just do them in completely. Sometimes you can soak them in olive oil for a day or two and clean them up but once the pitting has set in, they're pretty much done.

Take care and good luck with the Quattro. If you have any questions, ask away.
 
Mike
Thank you for your help I give the olive oil a try, I know I will have lots of questions once we start in the bush on all the old house sites in the trashy ground.
Bye for now.
Garry
 
Garry,
Have you tried soaking your pennies in Hydrogen Peroxide H2O2 - that usually works pretty well on them.
 
Thanks (BillinMA)?
I didn't know that Hydrogen Peroxide would work, it won't hurt to give it a go. How long do have to leave it in for?, and can you use it on silver and other metals?

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top