Deep Water "Detector?"

We have all thought about it. “How do you get those treasures that are in deeper waters?” You can only stand on your tiptoes with your nose out of the water for so long.

Some have taken scuba lessons and bought the equipment needed to stay there underwater to search for these treasures. The cost of everything you need really adds up fast though and the hope of finding enough to pay for it all soon dwindles.

Well for those of us who can’t afford all of that equipment, there is an easier way. It’s what I like to call “bucket detecting”. No, I’m not talking about finding old rusted buckets but using a nice new plastic one to get at those “deep targets”.

The materials you need are probably already around your house. If not, they can be easily obtained for probably $0.00 if you look in the right places. Now that is my kind of budget!

Materials list:

• One 5 gallon, plastic bucket. Laundry detergent, drywall mud, paint, many many different types of products come in these containers.
• Two bricks. The 2”x4”x8” type, preferably the type with holes. If you don’t have any ask your neighbors. I’ll bet you have even dug some up before at old house sites. Keep a couple the next time you do.
• A couple of feet of good stiff wire. Cloths hangers will do nicely.
• Last but not least, is the one that you may end up having to buy. Rope! Doesn’t matter what kind as long as it is strong enough to lift that bucket filled with muck, water and the two bricks.

If you haven’t figured it out yet we are building a small, “manual” dredge. After you attain all of the parts it is time for assembly.

Here is the most time consuming part of the entire project. You need to drill holes in the bottom and all the way around the sides of the bucket. I used a 3/8” drill bit to drill a hole every 2” over the entire surface of the bucket. Now let me tell you, that’s a lot of holes!

Next, take your bricks and wire them just below the diameter centerline of the bucket and as close to the opening of the bucket as you can get them.

Next, run one end of the rope through a hole that is again, below the centerline of the bucket’s diameter. I run it from the inside out and tied a knot. Cut the rope so that it can be looped back to the other side of the bucket to be tied off in the same manner. The loop should extend about two feet in front of the bucket. Tie the remaining rope (hopefully about 30 feet) onto the middle point of this loop.

You’re now ready to go “bucket detecting”! A word of warning. Tie the loose end of the rope to the pier or whatever it is you are standing on . It would be embarrassing to toss the whole thing into the depths! Toss the bucket out into deep water and pull it back towards shore with quick, short, jerks. You will soon learn what works best for your site. When you finally get the bucket up to the pier it will be filled with everything you can imagine. Dunk it in and out of the water as many times as needed to get rid of most of the silt and then check for treasure.

A nice bonus of using this method is finding many none metal items. I have found scrimshaw pieces, plastic rings, swim fins, snorkels, fishing poles, etc... It’s amazing what you will find. Some of the nicer things to date are rings, necklaces, Walking Liberty Halves, Barber dimes, Mercury Dimes, and a really nice pair of sunglasses!