Anybody do any relic sifting ?

[Lodge Scent]

Decided to give it a try. Wasn't that hard to build a shaker box. I had the scrap lumber, just needed to buy the 1/2 inch mesh hardware cloth. The arms and legs fit in my pack but I built the box just a tad too wide :blush: so I had to lug that by hand about a mile or so through the woods to the site. After a quick assembly I started digging around one edge of a cellar hole.

In about an hour's time I had rescued a couple of buttons and a nice jaw harp from the iron trash. I made the legs long enough so that when I picked up the arms I didn't have to bend over when shaking the sifter. It worked pretty well. I would have done more but it was just too hot for me so I stashed the sifter behind a stonewall for a cooler day. It felt too much like work to dig in the heat, but it was fun to do anyway. I ended up with a nice pile of screened loam under the sifter. I wasn't going to pack it out so I filled in my holes with it.

Deer in a field on the way to the site.

 

[Donnie B]

Dan and I did some sifting last year at a site. I found one button at a cellar hole but I gave up because of the rock. In hindsight, I shouldn't have given up so quickly because I am convinced there are more goodies there to be found.

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

Very interesting! I have a site or two that might be ideal candidates for sifting since one in particular was apparently a dump site for wire, fence, and lots and lots of nails. Detecting is impossible due to the massive amount of rust and wire "gravel", but it seems to be one of the earliest sites in the area.

 

[milco]

It's always in the back of my mind, I might just try it. I have quite a few spots where this might yield some finds. Good luck!

 

[Lodge Scent]

Dan and I did some sifting last year at a site. I found one button at a cellar hole but I gave up because of the rock. In hindsight, I shouldn't have given up so quickly because I am convinced there are more goodies there to be found.

I am convinced too Donnie. There are many excellent finds that have gone undetected and will remain undetected due to iron masking.

Very interesting! I have a site or two that might be ideal candidates for sifting since one in particular was apparently a dump site for wire, fence, and lots and lots of nails. Detecting is impossible due to the massive amount of rust and wire "gravel", but it seems to be one of the earliest sites in the area.

Sounds like a great spot to try Digger. One vid I saw on youtube, some guy used a sifter and a strong magnet to clear out all the iron bits and me made some nice finds.

 

[Lodge Scent]

It's always in the back of my mind, I might just try it. I have quite a few spots where this might yield some finds. Good luck!

I'll be back it when it cools off Milco. Give it a try. Simple enough to build a sifter. Plenty of designs on the web.

 

[OxShoeDrew]

I built one a few years ago...took it to a cellar lip where I dug about 15 coins, there were nails everywhere which I thought would be hiding more goodies. I tried three separate pits and found nothing but iron. Lots of back breaking work too. I'm interested how you do on future visits.

 

[Lodge Scent]

I built one a few years ago...took it to a cellar lip where I dug about 15 coins, there were nails everywhere which I thought would be hiding more goodies. I tried three separate pits and found nothing but iron. Lots of back breaking work too. I'm interested how you do on future visits.

Well thanks for the encouraging words Drew :bummer: :crying01: Now I just might leave my sifter stashed behind that stone wall and never go back to it again. :lol:

I am hoping you were just unlucky with that site. That jaw harp I sifted was a good sized target that had eluded all detectors. That gave me some hope of future goodies.

 

[Bell-Two]

I built a sifter early this year but have not tried it out yet. I have a site or two in mind but just haven't done it yet.

 

[OxShoeDrew]

Well thanks for the encouraging words Drew :bummer: :crying01: Now I just might leave my sifter stashed behind that stone wall and never go back to it again. :lol:

:lol: sorry, didn't mean to throw shade...I'm with you, I think it should work out well, as it did for you. I also tried mine IN the cellar hole...thinking there had to be stuff under the accumulation and within the nails, but nothing. I'm going to try it again.

 

[calabash digger]

Me and my partner have dug pits. We found two coppers doing so, we used to just dig and detect and then we built a screen. Found a few goodies doing it but if you find the right spot (trash pit) you might just hit the jackpot. The day we dug the two coppers it gave up cuff link, gun part, button, and a ton of slipware and other dishware and a bone handle silver ware. BTW the coppers were 2 1/2 feet deep.

 

[MangoAve]

Nice finds from sifting, Jeff. There is one specific site I wanna try this at some point. One that I can't hear any more with a detector, but has had a lot of activity and some sporadic spots with heavy use. There is a guy with the local club who makes these. Idk if I wanna try my hand at making one, but I am fairly good with my hands. Would like to find a way to lathe out the handles, like a wheelbarrow handle. As you said about size, there has to be some happy medium. Obvi you had an issue with a 'too large' dimension, but you also want to make it as large as possible to help cover more area quicker. Gl if you get back to trying it. Prob not as bad as you don't run around a site, swinging (Almost) aimlessly. You are tied to one area.

 

[Lodge Scent]

Nice finds from sifting, Jeff. There is one specific site I wanna try this at some point. One that I can't hear any more with a detector, but has had a lot of activity and some sporadic spots with heavy use. There is a guy with the local club who makes these. Idk if I wanna try my hand at making one, but I am fairly good with my hands. Would like to find a way to lathe out the handles, like a wheelbarrow handle. As you said about size, there has to be some happy medium. Obvi you had an issue with a 'too large' dimension, but you also want to make it as large as possible to help cover more area quicker. Gl if you get back to trying it. Prob not as bad as you don't run around a site, swinging (Almost) aimlessly. You are tied to one area.

It was simple enough to make Jim. Plenty of vids on youtube. I used scrap 3 1/2 " pine for box and handles. Shaped the handles with a jig saw and rounded the edges with a palm sander. The legs are nothing but a couple of 4' pickets I had laying around. Besides making it an inch narrower to fit in my pack, the only things I would do different would be to use a couple of 3/8 nylon lock nuts on the bolts for the legs. The regular nuts tend to work themselves loose when you are shaking the screen. I might put a cross piece between the legs too just for a bit more support.

I plan to get out early Sunday and give it another shot.:crossfingers:

 

[OxShoeDrew]

I use mine to clean the kitty litter bins now :lol: