Welcome to the blog. My name is Ace or as some may know me on YouTube - Swing4TheRing. I aim to help both the would-be pirate as well as the everyday treasure hunter who has an interest in the hobby of metal detecting. Who’s ready to get dirty?
Welcome to the blog. My name is Ace or as some may know me on YouTube - Swing4TheRing. I aim to help both the would-be pirate as well as the everyday treasure hunter who has an interest in the hobby of metal detecting. Who’s ready to get dirty?
Before the creation of the Metal Detecting Life blog, I began capturing my metal detecting adventures on video and posted them to YouTube. My channel, Swing4TheRing, has hosted many of these metal detecting videos for years and I’ve really enjoyed the community I’ve built there. So, I thought to myself, why not bring that here to the blog as well? For those of you who may not always enjoy reading long winded articles, I’ve given you the option to watch my long winded videos instead! But truth be told, I hope these videos will entertain as well as help educate for any detectorist looking for a few extra nuggets of information when it comes to metal detecting.
It was time to take my metal detector to new depths, literally, while I searched for a lost ring. I finally was able to go scuba diving with my metal detector in an attempt to find a lost wedding ring that has been missing for over 3 years and was a family heirloom, passed down from multiple generations. The family was about to move from their long time lake house, so time was of the essence to try and recover it before it was lost in the depths for good. I had a blast pairing up my two hobbies, scuba diving and metal detecting, to be able to make this ring recovery!
A huge thank you to Gypsy at Zero Discrimination and the folks over at Diggers Den to providing this amazing prize, the Garrett Ace Apex! I was so shocked to have won this random prize pack that was provided by these two wonderful advocates of the hobby of metal detecting. I look forward to putting the Apex to good use and in turn, to hopefully provide you, the viewer of my channel some great content and information about the Apex, it's features, how it compares to other machines, and if it can compete with other metal detectors on the market.
After seeing my story on the news about helping people recover their lost items while metal detecting, I received a ton of messages and emails about lost rings from people all over the state. One particular email caught my eye as I felt it should be an easy recovery for this couple and it sounded like it was a sure bet that the ring was still at the spot it had been lost. Little did I know it would be an adventure to get out to the point they had lost the ring. Needless to say, I thought I might even come across a Sasquatch while hiking through the woods! It took several attempts as I went out and metal detected the area with two different metal detectors, but in the end, "Sasquatch" will be going home.
I went on a metal detecting adventure at the site of an old 1878 Michigan shipwreck. Parts of the wreck can still be seen from time to time depending on how the sand erodes and is washed away from the haul. I did end up digging a few shipwreck relics, but was also able to find some silver coins as well as other relics and even an occasional piece of jewelry. This metal detecting adventure was a little different than my normal videos as I just let the sounds of crashing waves and my metal detector signals do the talking for me.
After seeing my story on the news about helping people recover their lost items while metal detecting, I received a message from a mom who was trying to help her daughter get back a ring that she lost in the lake while swimming over the summer. The ring was a gift from her brother and he had no idea that his sister had in fact lost it (let's hope he doesn't see this video!) Meanwhile, I had volunteered to go out and look for the lost ring on mom's behalf in hopes of finding it and being able to return it before brother did indeed find out the ring was lost! It took a couple of search attempts, but you can see from the thumbnail on how this one ended. Enjoy!
The news station had been doing several stories about me lately as I've been working to help locate lost rings, cell phones, drones, etc. for people all throughout the area. Because of that news coverage, I've been overwhelmed with calls! Since then, I've been capturing footage of my attempts to help locate lost items with my trusty metal detector, so expect plenty of videos upcoming from your friendly Lakeshore Janitor!
I took the Minelab Excalibur II out metal detecting in an inland Michigan lake and found some pretty cool stuff! This lake didn't have a huge swim area in the spot that I was metal detecting, but I did some research and found out there were plenty of resort hotels from the late 1800s to early 1900s nearby. Knowing this, I figured it was worth a shot at detecting, so I headed out in to the lake to see what treasure I could find. I haven't found anything that old yet, but I definitely found some very cool stuff at the bottom of the lake! I hope you enjoy the hunt!
It was time for the Summer metal detecting seeded hunt with the local detecting club. I'll take you along during the hunt and provide a few tips and tricks that you can use at your own metal detecting seeded hunt. These tips mainly apply to seeded hunts that are taking place on land/grass that can help you find more targets throughout the hunt.
The Summer Solstice was upon us for this metal detecting marathon where I decided to go metal detecting along the Lake Michigan shoreline for 17 hours straight, from before sunrise to after sunset. My body aches, my arms are jello, my shoes are filled with sand, and my skin looks like a prune, but I was able to find treasure and GOLD! I hope you enjoy this metal detecting marathon adventure and let me know, what's the longest you've metal detected in a day?
My Minelab Excalibur II needed to have the ear pads on the headphones repaired because they had ripped in several locations causing the gel to leak out and the glue had come loose so that they were no longer mounted to the headphones themselves. I took it upon myself to repair them with this little DIY project using some basic tools, AquaSeal, and some aftermarket ear pads along with a little old fashion craftsmanship to get the job done. Needless to say, I was pretty happy with the results upon seeing the final product on my Minelab Excalibur II!
Learn how to cut a plug when you're out metal detecting local parks, fields, playgrounds, yards, etc. so that park directors and owners don't get mad about metal detectorists leaving a mess after digging your target. Practicing proper digging techniques and cutting a clean plug are essential to metal detecting ethics and being a good ambassador to the hobby of metal detecting, it will help everyone get more permissions to go out and dig! This video will cover the necessary steps on how to metal detect and dig a plug properly.
What was once a booming, state of the art golf course is now a peaceful nature trail, so I decided to go see what treasure was left behind from its glory days of putting and chipping. Join me as I metal detect the old golf course and see if we can't dig up some history, find some silver coins, and maybe a few golf course relics as I swing my metal detector rather than a golf club in this latest episode of Swing4TheRing.
Want To Know The Top 12 Most Popular Metal Detectors?
See them at Kellyco by following the link below!
I'm back at it! I'm panning pay dirt from Alaska once again to see if this "pay dirt" really does pay off and hopefully I will find more gold. I picked up this promotional pay dirt bag at a garage sale and supposedly it is filled with pay dirt from the Eldorado Gold Mine in Fox, Alaska. Let's see what we can pan out of this next attempt...
It was time for me to start panning for gold in my backyard that I had purchased at a garage sale. This gold panning kit included a bag of pay dirt from Eldorado Gold Mine which is located in Fox, Alaska. Somehow this bag of gold found it's way to Michigan and I was able to pick it up from a local garage sale for just $3, which included all the accessories and even an old copper gold pan! Come see what I find.
The question remains, can you go metal detecting during the coronavirus (COVID-19) shutdown? The short answer is yes, but you should use caution and follow all recommended guidelines when it comes to social distancing. A huge thank you goes out to all of our essential workers who are still out there doing everything they can to help keep the community and nation going! My heart and thoughts are with you!
The Brand New Garrett Apex Metal Detector
Fifteen years after Garrett Metal Detectors launched their first ACE detector, they announced the new Garrett ACE Apex Metal Detector. The Apex, the pinnacle of the ACE line, will be a huge part of Garrett’s Sport Line and promises to be a game changer. The detector is now available!
Who knew that metal detecting could cause this kind of reaction (see thumbnail)! Hunting during the 4th of July weekend can always be exciting, but it can be really fun when you get to recover a ring for a family and then play a trick on them! Sometimes the thing you're looking for can be hidden right before your eyes... watch the video and you'll see what I mean as I help return this family's lost ring.
Metal detecting on the beach can yield all sorts of treasure. You just have to be willing to dig for it. Come join me as I give you a few quick tips to metal detect on the beach. I'll talk briefly about several different search patterns that you can utilize to help you cover more ground which will lead to finding more treasure!
I hit the lakeshore along Lake Michigan during two separate weekends during the Coast Guard Festival finding gold, silver, and even some McLarens… Nothing beats a warm weekend of metal detecting and looking for treasure, especially when you are making a profit searching!
I headed out to the big lake to look for some goodies and it was a perfect day along the lakeshore. While metal detecting along Lake Michigan, I was even fortunate enough to find some silver rings in the bottom of my scoop. Hopefully you enjoy the storyline I put in to the videos even if you're only here to see the goodies!
Doing some yard work turned up a buried M16 Assault Rifle in a trash bag covered in glass. We even found several bones in the area as well. It's not something anyone ever expects to find, especially in your OWN yard! Things got a little bit crazy when the police were called and they had to bring in the forensics unit to help assess and excavate the area for a potential crime scene. *Note - I am by no means a gun expert and have little knowledge in the subject as seen in the video.
Here is the follow up video from when I found an M16 Assault Rifle in my own backyard last year. The police were called in and they took it to evaluate it via Forensics. Was it a real M16 or just a replica/prop gun? Watch the reveal here as we actually got it back from the state police unit 8 months later!
It's that time of year again where I went out digging mid tones and nickel signals only with the Garrett AT Pro. By digging only mid tones and nickels, my hope was to come across something unique or amazing because so many metal detectorists tend not to dig mid tones but rather opt for high tones and silver coins.
I'm bringing back an old video from my previous channel because I still can't believe I found a Civil War eagle belt plate in Michigan. I apologize for the shaky camera work and audio as it was shot on my cell phone at the time and I even uploaded it directly from the phone to YouTube (5 years ago). This Civil War eagle belt plate was most likely from an officer of the time and I'm imagining the story goes they were camped along the roadside as they were making their way back home to Michigan from the war.
I had some time to kill before work today, so I decided to pull out the metal detector to see what I could find and help clean up the local beach volleyball courts from sharp metal. It turned out that there were foreign coins everywhere! The Garrett AT Pro was on fire as I was scooping coins up everywhere!
We decided to take a day trip over to Warren Dunes State Park for some metal detecting adventures on Labor Day. I figured that the beach was slammed all weekend long, so there had to be some treasures left laying around. It was safe to say that the beach did not disappoint with some yellow stuff, crusty stuff, and even some fancy stuff! I also found some interesting rocks, possibly Native American? Let me know what you think.
I've talked about "How to metal detect a beach," but this time we get a short hunt in and then talk about "Where to metal detect at the beach." Whether you are hunting in the dry sand, the wet sand, ankle deep, or chin deep in the water, just about every spot could hold something worth digging... You just have to be willing to dig! Here's a few tips to help get you started while metal detecting at the beach.
It has been a crazy year out along the shores of Lake Michigan. There has been a lot of rain and water levels are at decade highs which has caused a lot of erosion of the shoreline. Beaches are moving and disappearing, which has covered some things but revealed others, including this shipwreck! Sand has begun to cover it back up, but there must be treasure nearby for us to metal detect!
It is officially summer in Michigan! You can tell by all the people finally braving the waters of Lake Michigan. That means I go looking for treasure! See what I find in this short hunt with the Minelab Excalibur II as I search the waters of Lake Michigan and it's beautiful beaches.
I headed up north to go Metal Detecting in Michigan and found some treasure and rings at Higgins Lake. It is always great to get outdoors, go camping, and spend some time in the water metal detecting and looking for gold, silver, old things, and of course stuff! Needless to say, it was a pretty fun hunt.
I headed out to the park to do some Metal Detecting in Michigan finding old coins and relics with Minelab CTX 3030. My friend, The Captain, was kind enough to let me try out his Minelab CTX 3030 and what a machine that is! I was digging deeper than ever before and pulling up all sorts of goodies in this metal detecting adventure!
I decided to go looking for gold by digging nickel signals and mid tones once again, but this time I brought a friend while metal detecting in Michigan. It was a pretty good strategy and we found some interesting items. Let me know what you think of these old relics and coins!
This was the first time that I decided to go looking for gold by digging nickel signals only while metal detecting in Michigan. It was a pretty good strategy and we found some interesting items.
It was a weekend extravaganza of metal detecting, treasure hunting, and adventuring. I'll even show you how to make $20 metal detecting in a single hunt!
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