MODIFICATIONS 2
SAND SCOOP HANDLE MOD
Here's a great mod that will make any water sand scoop more efficient and easier to use. As well as being more ergonomic resulting in less stress on your wrist and elbow joints. Most of all, makes scooping more pleasurable.
Most scoops sold have a straight handle at a 90 degree or slightly angled. This more often than not does not proved enough scoop angle when pushed into the sand with your foot. This results in multiple scoops being needed to retrieve a target. Not a good thing if hunting in turbulent waters in an ocean environment.
Back around 2004, I purchased a stainless steel scoop with a bent handle as pictured in my mod. It was build like a tank, heavy and worked superbly. So that handle design, I reworked to custom fit my physical characteristics.
Recently, a huge metal detector company based in Florida either copied or bought out the designers handle and similar scoop configuration in aluminum.
The scoop that I like is the new version of the stainless steel ProScoop with smaller holes that captures the smaller gold and silver studded earrings etc. It uses a wooden handle at 90 degrees. Painful to use with my bad wrist joints after a short while. Finally, decided to do something about it after a season of water hunting. Make a new handle.......
I purchased a 6' length of round aluminum tubing, 6061T6 grade, 1 1/2" diameter with a 0.125 wall thickness. Could not find a supplier at the time that sold the tubing with a thicker wall. There was some concern that there would be some flex or bending during scooping. This was not an issue for me after using it this season. The 0.125 wall thickness was fine as brute force to pull back on the handle was not needed. Now if your using gorilla strength, you might want to opt looking for thicker wall tubing.
A local metal fab shop bent the tubing for me to my specs and them trimmed off the ends for a custom fit. See the diagram for bending. After the bending is done, first trim the upper handle "A" 10" measurement to your liking. For myself the ideal length of "A" was 6". Next, trim the lower section "C" so the entire handle length so when attached to the scoop, the upper handle is about 1" lower than your armpit. You will find the handle easily falls naturally behind you when pulling back on the and sliding your handle down the shaft towards the scoop for shaking. Finally, the lower section that fits into the square scoop mount will need to be flattened, just a bit. It will be a snug fit. Drill your mounting screw holes, insert your bolts and your done.
Using the aluminum tubing was comparable in weight to the wooden handle, or even feels less heavy. One drawback, aluminum does not float.
For larger view
TESORO BANDIDO II MOD
Swapped out the original 2 piece s-handle for a 3 piece used on a Fisher ID Edge. Feels much better and brought the control box closer to the hand grip. Real easy to now manipulate the toggles with two fingers in unison or independently. Ground balance knob is also easy to adjust with the one finger.
TESORO AMIGO II SENSITIVITY CONTROL MOD
The mighty Amigo is a very hot detector when it comes to finding small gold and silver. These days it has been morphed into the Compadre Umax. To increase performance, the sensitivity trimpot on the circuit board would have to be adjusted. That entails taking the control box apart. My mod brings the ability to adjust sensitivity to an external control pot.
STRAIGHT SHAFT PROJECT
Fast and Easy
I used spare parts on hand from several metal detectors. Can save you money over commercially made straight shafts.
More info and instructions can be found in my pdf. file.
SAVE YOUR TOGGLE SWITCHES
FROM SUDDEN DEATH
I am sure you notice your toggle switches getting dirt and other crud inside the lever area.....Its not nice when they fail in the field.........
So here's my tip -----rubber boot seals.
Yes, you have heard of them before along with the high price for just one boot.
But, you can get them cheap, real cheap on EBAY directly from China. 20/$15.00 You may even find another seller who has them for less.
Only one problem, your toggle switch threads may not be the same as the China boot nut. If that's the case, take them apart and just use the boot. If your toggle has a long or flat lever, snip just a bit off the tip off.
Then pull the boot over the toggle and over the toggle nut.
Bingo, your done.
TESORO TOLTEC II MODS
Just took the bulky Totlec II and turned it into a balanced machine that now feels more lightweight.
Much easier to swing for hours on end.
Nothing really technical was done just some rearranging of parts. First thing was get rid of the all metal 2 piece s-handle. It was swapped out for a newer Umax 3 piece s-handle. Control box moved back as far as possible. I felt the retune, mod toggle switch had to be somewhere that was to use and manipulate. The toggle switch was removed from the control box and rewired thru the s-handle to the meter box. It was placed where the meter light toggle switch was (left side). Light switch was moved to the right side. The 5' meter to control box extension cable was shortened and also re-routed thru the s-handle. lastly, the single turn ground balance trimpot was replaced with a 25 turn trimpot. As there was very little amount of usable adjustment on the 1 turn trimpot. Very easy to go too far neg. or pos. The Toltec II now feels like a different machine!!
Fast and Easy
I used spare parts on hand from several metal detectors. Can save you money over commercially made straight shafts.
More info and instructions can be found in my pdf. file.
SAVE YOUR TOGGLE SWITCHES
FROM SUDDEN DEATH
I am sure you notice your toggle switches getting dirt and other crud inside the lever area.....Its not nice when they fail in the field.........
So here's my tip -----rubber boot seals.
Yes, you have heard of them before along with the high price for just one boot.
But, you can get them cheap, real cheap on EBAY directly from China. 20/$15.00 You may even find another seller who has them for less.
Only one problem, your toggle switch threads may not be the same as the China boot nut. If that's the case, take them apart and just use the boot. If your toggle has a long or flat lever, snip just a bit off the tip off.
Then pull the boot over the toggle and over the toggle nut.
Bingo, your done.
TESORO TOLTEC II MODS
Just took the bulky Totlec II and turned it into a balanced machine that now feels more lightweight.
Much easier to swing for hours on end.
Nothing really technical was done just some rearranging of parts. First thing was get rid of the all metal 2 piece s-handle. It was swapped out for a newer Umax 3 piece s-handle. Control box moved back as far as possible. I felt the retune, mod toggle switch had to be somewhere that was to use and manipulate. The toggle switch was removed from the control box and rewired thru the s-handle to the meter box. It was placed where the meter light toggle switch was (left side). Light switch was moved to the right side. The 5' meter to control box extension cable was shortened and also re-routed thru the s-handle. lastly, the single turn ground balance trimpot was replaced with a 25 turn trimpot. As there was very little amount of usable adjustment on the 1 turn trimpot. Very easy to go too far neg. or pos. The Toltec II now feels like a different machine!!
