Beach metal detecting secrets – Lugworms

I have been metal detecting on the beach for many years and in that time I have picked up some great tips and little secrets to increasing my finds on the beach.

All beaches can be different and you need to adapt these secrets to your given beach. With this in mind, here’s an interesting beach metal detecting secret I want to share with you. It will help you find more and it has certainly helped me over the years.


Look for the deep Lugworm
Yes, you read it correctly, ‘look for the deep lugworms’, which give their positions away with their sandy worm casts.

Believe it or not, the beach Lugworm can help you find those deeper and possibly more valuable finds, but How, I hear you ask?

It’s fairly simple but an effective way of finding areas to possibly concentrate on. The dark black sand that lies beneath the soft shifting sands of the upper layers of the beach can be very productive for finds of all sorts. This is because this hard packed dark sand traps finds that have worked their way through the finer upper sands and is usually out of the reach of beach metal detectors. The finds in these darken hard packed sands have also been there for some time, out of the reach of most metal detectors.

This layer of hard dark sand can lay undisturbed for years and only be brought into range of your detector by some of the violent winter storms. They can also be brought into range by the gentle erosion on some beaches which you would not notice if it wasn’t for the humble Lugworm.

Lugworm dig down into the sand and they can give away some clues to the dark dark sand beinglugworm near the surface in the form of worm casts on the beach.

We have all walked along the beach at some point and seen the Lugworm casts that resemble coiled worms made of sand.This is the Lugworm digging down into the sand and pushing the sand out in the form of these coiled casts. The worms don’t stop when they reach the darker sand and as a result the worm cast on the beach show the pushed out sand from these dark layers.

As a result, it gives away the position of the dark, hard packed sand near the surface. Not all beaches have lots of Lugworms or the correct conditions. If the beach does hold a Lugworm population, I would always advise you to keep your eyes open for the signs, and those darker Lugworm casts.

The dark hard packed sand is nearer the surface and could hold some great finds, it will certainly hold the older finds. This is one of my odder metal detecting secrets, but one that has helped on certain beaches.

Taken from: Here

Easy Homemade Gold Sucker

Other tube id 1 1/2″ type 125 PVC

Inner tube is 1 1/4″ Type 40 PVC
Length is about 3-4 feet.

The handle is made from 1/2″ PVC end caps and a 1/2″ tee with a couple of short pieces of 1/2″ PVC pipes to connect. The handle is bolted thru handle to the end cap.

Use 1/8″ file for O-ring grooves. Depth of O-ring grooves must be about 1/2 of the dia of the O-ring cross section. Note: I have excluded part numbers as this design is from 1994 and part numbers chance. Because of this you may need to have a poke around your local hardware providers to find an O-ring that gives the best seal.

With the crevice sucker attached, the plunger may be pumped several times until the material reaches the top of the 1/2″ pipe. Another possible attachment would be a 1 1/2″, 45 or 90 degree tool instead of the normal crevice sucker.

Since the gold sucker is normally used with the bottom open, you may be asking “how do you keep the stuff from falling out the bottom?” The short answer is ya gotta be quick. Try to keep your bucket or pan as close to the spot you are working ans almost submerged so you don't have to move the sucker very high or very far. It also helps if you can get into a rhythm where you are still pulling on the plunger while transferring the material. Clean up any material that falls out every now and then.

Credits for the design go to William F Westcott (1994)

Gold what is it, Where is it and How to Spot it.

Yes that's it, it doesn't look like much but it's been making people weak in the knees for thousands of years. The value of gold continues to grow because of its use in the electronics industry as a semi conductor.

The Properties of Gold

Gold is a very heavy yellow metal. It has a specific gravity of 19.3 this means that if you were to fill a test tube with gold it would weigh 19.3 times more times the weight of that test tube if it was filled with water. as a comparison lead (which we all know is heavy) has a specific gravity of 11 so gold is almost twice as heavy as lead. Gold is resistant to most naturally occurring chemicals so it doesn't tarnish and is never destroyed. Gold is also very malleable and ductile. It can hammered so thin that 250,000 sheets would make a stack just one inch high. One ounce can be drawn into a wire thirty five miles long. gold is never found pure in nature. It is usually found in a alloy along with copper, silver or platinum.

How do i know that the stuff in my pan is gold?

By its weight! - If you're panning technique is correct, the gold will be found at the bottom of the pan. As you gently swirl water around in your pan, gold acts differently than other material. It won't move as easily as the other material .
By its appearance - Because gold does not have much of a crystalline structure, it doesn't really sparkle or glitter - it shines. It also looks the same under in sunlight or the shade.
If in doubt, whack it with a hammer - extreme?. yes but, If it flattens, its gold. Now if it shatters, it isn't gold. This approach is not recommended.
You can drop it into some nitric acid. if it doesn't react it is probably gold. if it dose, it isn't. Nitric acid is pretty dangerous stuff so do not get it on you of breath the fumes. Be sure to follow proper handling procedures.

Once you see gold in your pan a few times you won't have any problems spotting it again.

Mini High Banker

This small High-Banker is relatively easy to build. I was able to bend all the pieces using some scrap steel angle-bar stock as bending guides in my bench vise. I used a rubber hammer to "refine" the edges. If you have access to a brake (sheet metal bending tool) so much the better. The thinner the aluminum stock, the lighter the completed unit will be. A definite advantage if you plan to pack it into the back country.

Some of the pieces are welded together using Flux less Aluminum Repair Rod. I found this rod very easy to use after just a few practice tries on scrap aluminum. You don't need sophisticated aluminum welding equipment, all you need is a propane torch.

1.) Start out by cutting sheet aluminum pieces 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,11 and 12 to plan dimensions. Note: the sheet aluminum thickness is not critical. It all depends on how rugged and heavy you wish to make your mini-banker. Slight adjustments to fit may be necessary when you bend the pieces. PC8 & 9 should be at approx 1/8" thick aluminum or steel.

2.) Lay out and drill 7/16" holes in PC2. Make sure the holes along the bend are as close as possible to the line. This reduces water loss over the end of the box. An alternate method would be to cut out this section and weld in a piece of expanded metal as a classifier.

4.) Drill 5/32" holes as indicated in PC7, 8, and 11. Drill a 5/8" in PC2

5.) Cut PC5 to plan dimensions. PC5 is floorboard matting from old Volkswagen Vans. It has a checkerboard square pattern that works very well for trapping the coarse gold. To give it some rigidity, glue the smooth side to PC4.

6.) Cut PC10 to plan dimension. PC10 is expanded metal screen.

7.) Mark pieces 1, 3, and bend 90 degrees.

8.) Bend the sides of PC2, 90 degrees, making sure the finished piece will fit inside PC1.

9.) Bend sides of PC6, 90 degrees (make sure it is slightly smaller than the inside width of PC2 so the weld will not interfere with the fit inside PC1). Bend the end tab in line with the hypotenuse of the sides.

10.) Weld the gravel guide trough (PC6) on the bottom of the Loader Box (PC2). Make sure the end of the trough is approximately 13/4" back from the end of the box. This allows room for the classified gravel to pass between the trough and the gravel stop (PC12).

11.) Weld the gravel stop (PC12) to the end of the sluice box (PC1).

12.) Fit PC3 on the end of PC1, drill four holes for #6/32 sheet metal screws. Install screws.

13.) Lay the two PC8's inside the sides of the sluice box. Trim the three PC9's to fit between the two PC8's. After you have a good fit, remove from the box and weld PC8 at each end and one in the center. This forms the riffle bar frame.

14.) Place the PC4-5 assembly in the sluice box firmly against the gravel stop, then butt the end of the miners moss at the end of PC4-5 assembly. Place the riffle assembly on top of the miners moss and drill two 1/4" pivot holes through the side of the sluice box and riffle assembly. Install 1/4" x 20 nuts and bolts. The riffle assembly should be installed so that it compresses the miners moss against the bottom of the box.

15.) Round the ends of PC11, place in the box as shown in the assembly drawing. Be sure it compresses the riffle assembly when you drill for the pivot bolts.

16.) Position PC2 inside PC1 as shown in the assembly drawing, mark and drill holes for 1/4" x 20 bolts. Install nuts and bolts so the two boxes can pivot freely. Note: the end of PC2 must overhang PC1 at least 1/2" so the larger classified gravel won't drop into the sluice box.

17.) Drill and install the braces (PC7) using 10-32 bolts. Drill extra holes about an inch apart in line with the first hole so the box can be set at different angles to suit varying field conditions.

18.) Assemble the spray bar and install using 6-32 machine screws.

The mini-banker will work well with a flow of water as low as 5 GPM since no riffles are used . The low flow is even desirable because it allows the very fine gold to drop into the miners moss. There are many gas and electric pumps on the market which are small and lightweight. The disadvantage of electric pumps is you need to drag a heavy battery around. My preference is one of those small 2 cycle gas pumps that weigh in at about 6 to 8 pounds. In addition you could add legs and/or build a 20 to 30 gallon container to use as a recirculating water setup. I'll provide plans in a future issue of several different modifications for the "tinkerers" to try.

Copyright © Jerry Bowen, Jan 10, 1994