Anybody here go magnet fishing?

[oldcarnut]

I bought a couple of rare earth magnets and machined a holder for both of them.  Each one has a lift capability of 450 pds.  I've been to several river docks and have pulled up rods/reels, signs, fishing and boat gear, keys, tools, knifes, and loads of other junk.  A friend of mine pulled up a Mossberg tactical shotgun which cleaned up very nice. Plans are one day for us to take the boat up historical war rivers and do a little dragging to see what comes up.  Hopefully no live civil war cannon balls will attach themselves    Anybody have some interesting finds to share?

[johnnycharger]

I've never don't this but it sounds awesome. Can you post pictures of your set up? Where did you find magnets that strong?

[polywideblock]

x2

[MoParJW]

I've been thinking about it, as well as searching with a metal detector, but can't seem to find the time for it at the moment.

Oh, and magnet fishing is prohibited around here for some reason... 

[redgum78]

Never heard of this until now! Sounds like fun though.

[Laowho]

Ordered 50 of these for the door panels to eliminate clips. They're only 1/2" x 1/32" and the lot cost about $6. BUT this fishing is sumthin new. IMHO every toolkit needs these, if only to attach to a screwdriver when screwing in tight spots. Keeps f/ havin to fish for lost screws later.

[oldcarnut]

Here's what I bought as a pair.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/CMS-Magnetics-405-LB-Super-Powerful-Neodymium-Cup-Magnet-0-7-Thick-x-2-95-1-/122433371626?hash=item1c8198fdea:g:lgYAAOSw2gxYtUX1
After they came in I took a block of alum and machined it to take one on each side and got a 250 pd capacity rope to pull it with.  They're 405 pds not 450 pds  as I stated earlier.  I get some very curious onlookers and met some interesting folks wanting to help me pull stuff up.  Don't know what Ill do if I latch on to something heavier than I can lift myself.  My coworker has the same magnet but just one in a different configuration.  Its an interesting way to kill a few hours of time.  I've dropped it off bridges to see what people have tossed out there cars for whatever reason.  Haven't pulled up any firearms yet

[oldcarnut]

I've been thinking about it, as well as searching with a metal detector, but can't seem to find the time for it at the moment.

Oh, and magnet fishing is prohibited around here for some reason... 

What is that in the picture?  I suppose some of the historical river sights here from the civil or revolutionary war would have restrictions too.  There's places here at the beach you cant metal detect but people find cannon balls often after a storm but usually the bomb squad comes out and destroys them.

[oldcarnut]

Ordered 50 of these for the door panels to eliminate clips. They're only 1/2" x 1/32" and the lot cost about $6. BUT this fishing is sumthin new. IMHO every toolkit needs these, if only to attach to a screwdriver when screwing in tight spots. Keeps f/ havin to fish for lost screws later.

That's a nice idea.  I have these I could use for that on my new panels.

[Laowho]

Ordered 50 of these for the door panels to eliminate clips. They're only 1/2" x 1/32" and the lot cost about $6. BUT this fishing is sumthin new. IMHO every toolkit needs these, if only to attach to a screwdriver when screwing in tight spots. Keeps f/ havin to fish for lost screws later.

That's a nice idea.  I have these I could use for that on my new panels.

I don't see why it won't work. Gonna recess mine so the panel sits flat/flush, and probably use in pairs. Figure maybe 14 each? My panels are really heavy w/ 1lb MLV.

[oldcarnut]

Ill try on mine to see what it takes.  The ones in my hand are super strong.  On a side note for those interested in trying.  If you get one like I have or even the ones in my hand,  keep them away for key fobs and your wallet as they will make them useless.

[MoParJW]

I've been thinking about it, as well as searching with a metal detector, but can't seem to find the time for it at the moment.

Oh, and magnet fishing is prohibited around here for some reason...  

What is that in the picture?  I suppose some of the historical river sights here from the civil or revolutionary war would have restrictions too.  There's places here at the beach you cant metal detect but people find cannon balls often after a storm but usually the bomb squad comes out and destroys them.

It's the explosive head of a panzerfaust, designed to knock out a tank, police was not amused https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fMKTOnnXH8

I didn't realise cannon balls had an explosive charge, good to know I guess!
There was this ''reality'' show a few years back, about guys digging for civil war items in the U.S.
Not sure how real it was, but it was interesting to see them find stuff like CS belt buckles, and they pulled a cannon out of a lake in one episode.

[DeltaV]

Still very deadly after...140 years.


https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/civil-war-uxo-kills-collector.360797/

Civil War cannonball kills Va. relic collector

Steve Szkotak, The Associated Press

CHESTER, VA. - Like many boys in the South, Sam White got hooked on the Civil War early, digging up rusting bullets and military buttons in the battle-scarred earth of his hometown.

As an adult, he crisscrossed the Virginia countryside in search of wartime relics -- weapons, battle flags, even artillery shells buried in the red clay. He sometimes put on diving gear to feel for treasures hidden in the black muck of river bottoms.

But in February, White's hobby cost him his life: A cannonball he was restoring exploded, killing him in his driveway.

More than 140 years after Lee surrendered to Grant, the cannonball was still powerful enough to send a chunk of shrapnel through the front porch of a house a quarter-mile from White's home in the leafy Richmond suburb of Chester.

White's death shook the close-knit fraternity of relic collectors and raised concerns about the dangers of other Civil War munitions that lie buried beneath old battlefields. Explosives experts said the fatal blast defied extraordinary odds.

"You can't drop these things on the ground and make them go off," said retired Col. John F. Biemeck, formerly of the Army Ordnance Corps.

Experts suspect White was killed while trying to disarm a 9-inch, 75-pound naval cannonball, a particularly potent explosive with a more complex fuse and many times the destructive power of those used by infantry artillery.

White, 53, was one of thousands of hobbyists who comb former battlegrounds for artifacts.

"There just aren't many areas in the South in which battlefields aren't located. They're literally under your feet," said Harry Ridgeway, a former relic hunter with a vast collection. "It's just a huge thrill to pull even a mundane relic out of the ground."

After growing up in Petersburg, White went to college, served on his local police force, then worked as a deliveryman for UPS. Upon retirement, he devoted most of his time to relic hunting.

He was an avid reader, a Civil War raconteur and an amateur historian who watched History Channel programs over and over, to the mild annoyance of his wife.

"I used to laugh at him and say, 'Why do you watch this? You know how it turned out. It's not going to be any different,' " Brenda White said.

She didn't share her husband's devotion, but she was understanding of his interest.

"True relic hunters who have this passion, they don't live that way vicariously, like if you were a sports fanatic," she said. "Finding a treasure is their touchdown, even if it's two, three bullets."

White estimated he had worked on about 1,600 shells for collectors and museums. On the day he died, he had 18 cannonballs lined up in his driveway to restore.