Hunkering Down Hobbies
Yep, still here, still hunkering down. I have literally not left my house in over a month to do anything other than going to the grocery store. I know, not much of a boast considering many of you could say the same thing or should be able to, anyway. If you are still physically going into work because you're getting us through all of this, or your employer is a bastard, my heart goes out to you.
Me, I'm lucky. I was working from home before any of this even started. However, I'm also human and do like to go out in my spare time. This isn't really an option anymore, so you have to get creative with your free time. Netflix and video games only get me so far. Don't get me wrong - rewatching the entirety of Deep Space Nine in my bathrobe while eating cereal at 3 pm is a lovely experience. But if I'm not able to get out, I do need to keep myself occupied with activities that actually feel...enriching?
My first attempt was practicing the guitar. I've actually played for several years, but it's a skill that has gathered rust since I moved to China. It just hasn't excited me the way it used to now that I've attempted to pick it back up. I wanted something fresh, something kind of random that I've never tried before that I need to start as a complete beginner. Summer's just around the corner, so let's do something outside...the family home has a lot of land.... Metal detecting. It's metal detecting, guys.
“I thought metal detecting was a hobby reserved for retirees. Perhaps my interest in it coincides with me feeling mentally 67 after months of depressing, world-altering news.”
I previously thought metal detecting was a hobby reserved for retirees. Perhaps my interest in it coincides with me feeling mentally 67 after months of depressing, world-altering news. At any rate, I stumbled across a random YouTube video that made me realize that there could be buried treasure right in my backyard, which may come in handy if the economy completely implodes and we revert back to using gold and silver.
Speaking more seriously, we have about 7 acres of land here, and I have no idea what its historical context is. A metal detector seemed like the perfect way to discover that while I'm limited to spending my free time at home on that land. So, I did some research and bought what was widely regarded as the best entry-level model, the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV. I didn't think metal detectors would be cheap, and I was right. Some can be as high as $1,500 - not a good idea in these uncertain times. Luckily for me, Amazon had a sale on the Bounty Hunter and I managed to pick it up for $90. Advice from the experts recommended that a pinpointer (I'll explain later) was also essential if you wanted to actually enjoy yourself. There goes another $30 for a model that wouldn't crap out on the first outing. All in all, it's not a bad price tag for a completely new hobby when there's no end to the stay-at-home order in sight.
As I'm sure you are all aware, Amazon is prioritizing delivery for essential goods during the pandemic, as they should. I expected to wait a month for my new toys to arrive, but to my great surprise, they arrived in a week's time. Having watched many videos in preparation that gave me some valuable information as well as generated record-setting levels of hype, I felt like a kid at Christmas opening the box. Setup was extremely easy, and I was ready to go in minutes.
Let's have a look at the dashboard. On the left is a knob that controls sensitivity - fairly self-explanatory. I kept it at the maximum for a while, but it seems power lines can interfere with it, so now I keep it at about 3 o'clock. On the right, we have the discrimination knob, because indeed, not all metals are created equal. This setting helps you weed out the junk. Without it, you would be stopping for every nail and screw you come across. Dialing up the discrimination eliminates iron, aluminum foil, and other junk. The switch allows you to search "all metal", in discrimination mode, or tone mode. I generally use tone mode because it will still give a tone for the metals you don't want, but it is a lower pitch than, say, what a gold doubloon would ring up.
Now that we have the techno-babble out of the way, let's talk about the results of my first outing.
I didn't exactly set up a string grid to systematically search the front yard. I was all over the place. It didn't take long to hit my first target. I tried to keep my expectations as low as possible after reading through the metal detecting subreddit. Basically, assume it's junk unless you live in Europe. The sentiment was half-right - it was one of my childhood Hot Wheels cars, albeit corroded into several pieces. Cool! At least I know it works. After hitting a few more junk targets, I finally found something interesting. However, it wasn't so easy to find with the detector alone. This is where the pinpointer comes in handy. It's really just a handheld mini detector that beeps when you get closer to whatever is you've just dug up. It really helps you zero in on the target.
After poking around a bit, I finally found something that I really couldn't identify. It was thin, decorative, and didn't have as much corrosion as the other things I had found. After cleaning it off a bit and doing some research, it looked to most likely be an old bookmark. Kinda cool! I've taken the detector out a few times now and, among other things, I've dug up:
about a dollar in change
too many pull-tab beer cans
half a horseshoe
an old plow head
various old farm tools
bullets
mason jar lids
lots of junk
The coolest thing I've found so far might surprise you: some rusted square nails. These are probably the biggest clues so far because it actually puts a date on earlier human activity on our land. Square nails were widely used until they stopped being made around 1900. That's an exciting hint at other things that might be hiding in the ground here, my big hope of course being some pre-1900 coins. You can believe that if that happens, you'll know about it.
If you're at a complete loss of what to do with yourself right now, there's never been a better time to try something new. Let's try to turn this disaster into opportunities where we can, however bleak it may seem. Not only does a new hobby help take your mind off our challenging situation, but it can also engage your mind at a time when it is easy to fall into a sedentary slump. I know not everyone has land to play with, but if you’re in a similar situation I highly recommend finding something to do that gets you outdoors. ◉
Written by Seth Barham
