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On the 2nd March me HAMMERRHOID and my son CUT/HALF are going mudlarking on the Thames we have our permits , but would welcome any advice and tips we can use a metal detector but is eyes only better  ???

I'm really envious, I would love to do that

Cant give you advice but would love to do theThames? May be D/ W can arrange a Thames rally  :o ;D

Anyone can do mudlarking you just down load the application form from the port of london web site and apply to the crown estate for your permit you must have a permit or you will not be even allowed to lift a single stone without one  its quite expensive though £30 for just a day and it is tidal relyant

Thats a great idea it would be something different

But whos going to be on guard while you're gone ? ;D

30+ years of Thames ML under my belt ;D ,eyes only may be best IMO Wapping is giving up finds at the moment ,and generally east London area. the time of tide makes a difference as mud can collect on some tides and you want some sun from the right direction to illuminate the lost finds.,so your eyes can see them .and get down low .some old eyes only experts used to wear knee pads and crawl along the foreshore.
late tides are usually mud free whereas early tides can be very muddy making it hard to see finds on the surface.

if theres a hammered 1/4 or 1/2 ,which there must be tons as they were missed ,you need to be low and slow to see them amongst the tiny bits of slate and general debris that has been smashed to smithereens over the millenia..

i was on a dig once and my pal was using the compass 77B which rarely missed much and i checked his spoil with a sieve ,and he had missed a hammered 1/4 with the compass 77B !

and you dont need a licence to do eyes only .   only if using a machine.
some areas are out of bounds now like Westminster near parliament which used to be very good.
if you are seen even walking along there the riverboat cops will go ballistic ,with a loud haler, and threaten you with arrest  


in front of the house of commons i used to find loads of plates and cups with the parliament crest on them  where the MPs had chucked them into the river over the years .the canteen must have wondered where all the crockery was going to
 

have a great day Hammerrhoid i can't make this one but might do the next one :)have a great day

I notice all the mudlarking detectorist on the TV programmes use a mini coil of about 5 inches. I suppose this is to minimise the effects of mineralisation which must be very high on the banks of the Thames.

Good luck to you both, it will be a very enjoyable day im sure.
Take plenty of photos, for us and il look forward to your report ;)

Id use the smallest coil you have, for getting between the rocks, and all the  iron/nails.......... :)

hope its gone down by then bud or you will need scuba gear

the miniest of coils is needed to overcome all the scrap metal on the foreshore ,zillions of nails and screws and washers and minute scrap metal pieces .from centuries of shipping and general metal waste accumulated over the millenia  .
its a worst case scenario for a control box to sort out the signals .
thats why its just better to use eyes .
ship and boat nails and rivets and washers can be brass or copper so discrim wont help you .squillions of them to battle thru ...and good luck bro

Thank you for the advice

Thank you for the advice

I will have to re-name myself jaq=costo ;D

You might need more than wellies if the Thames water doesn't go down,even at low tide.he he ;D

Thanks for the advice everyone  :) . Looking forward to it.

Looking forward to you update ... have a good un mate

I have heard advice from archaeologists  which is to look for pins as the old coins are nearby, idk if this is true or not but its worth a shot I geuss

you can download the tide tables and then choose a good day when tides go out a long way and stay out enabling a long days search .but even so they can still be a bit inaccurate due to wind and rain.
generally early tides are muddy ,late tides very clean .
7am tons of mud on surface, 4pm very clean surface .
and with all the rain we have had there will be a lot of mud floating around in the water
tide tables here .

http://www.pla.co.uk/Safety/Tide-Tables (http://www.pla.co.uk/Safety/Tide-Tables)

and theres a parking problem in the city nowadays .even sundays on the south bank have wardens dishing out tickets due to the attractions that attract lots of tourists ,Tate modern and Shakespeare theatre

and 40 years of digging in the city area down to 6 feet have ripped the ass out of the foreshore in may places ,1000s of holes all detected sieved and the spoil put back in the hole after extracting the finds

Thanks for the advice galoshers. Great help. Thanks again  :)  .

heres a top find from the Thames found by MadMike of the ML society and he sold it to dave morgan for 500 and then he sold it to another dealer and he sold it to the BM for 15,000. Madmike was chucked out of the ML society for not declaring it to the Museum of London.
(and banned from digging again)

MadMike used to dig a hole 6x6x6ft over several weeks extract the finds using his 77B and then fill it in .then move along 4 feet and do another hole and so on all year round.after a few years he had run out of foreshore to dig in his chosen  area so went back and dug the areas between his holes until he had done the entire area !
i recall chatting to him in his hole which sometimes was 7 feet deep ,him peering up at me .

this was repeated all along the foreshore by others guys doing the same all year round, year after year !


http://www.artfund.org/what-we-do/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/7199/purse-frame (http://www.artfund.org/what-we-do/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/7199/purse-frame)

Thanks everyone for all the advice  :) . Will keep you updated.

Check my YouTube channel (Mudlark .☆☆☆☆)Thanks. Napoleon.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T5yXQrTzUeg (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T5yXQrTzUeg)

Thanks Napoleon, will check it out. Cheers.

Heading out mudlarking tomorrow will take my camera to take some pics very low tide on the Thames tomorrow could get an extra 15 foot lets hope the finds come up ;D

Happy hunting HAMMERRHOID....CUT/HALF ;)

Goodluck and dont forget to post the finds!

Good luck fellas,  have a great day