Discriminating rusty nails

[Drivertess]

Hi,

I am coming across a lot of rusty nails in my garden and just wondered if I discriminated these out using the custom facility what else would I be discriminating out with them? Is it worth discriminating out rusty nails or will I lose/miss a lot of other more important items?

Thanks

[Zeus (Joel)]

have a read of this http://www.detectingwales.com/index.php?topic=14048.msg158760;topicseen#new

[Drivertess]

Thanks for that however I have managed to discriminate rusty iron, nails etc out doing a dry air test however on the field I am still picking them up, is there a difference when the nails are in the ground and when doing a bench test?

Thanks

[Val Beechey]

Well, I don't know about an air test but I do know that rusty nails come in all shapes, sizes and various stages of rusty  in the ground........and so do the signals.
They very often register as anything but iron so you'll just have to live with them unless you want to miss out on a good find.
I know they drive us potty but part of the job I'm sorry to say.

Val

[Korky III]

Good advice Val, you hit the nail on the head 

[Chef Geoff]

Nails as with many other targets have not only many shapes and sizes but also profiles depending on which direction you detect it from. A nail lying north south has a completely different profile to the same nail lying east to west.

[alun]

As everyone has stated nails come in many size ranges, as do other iron signals, some which are large enough will give you a "overloaded" signal which will show anything other than iron. Its a real pain I know but well worth getting use to the sounds or readings from your machine, and in time you will learn what,s good or other.
Stick at it buddy getting use to your machine is part of the fun 

[dances with badgers]

you will be able to tell a nail,takes a lot of digging though.
 when i bought my etrac i thought yipee i can discriminate all junk signals and only dig gold but unfortunatly unless all the targets are at the same depth of 6 '' or less forget that idea,learn the diferent tones and dirty iron tones that are not a nice sound then your brain will be your discriminator.be warned though some thin gold chains will give you a grubby iron tone also.i dig all repeatable signals now and i do o.k but i do diga lot of holes.

[Drivertess]

I have now set up my Garrett with a custom setting that will almost discriminate iron nails. I work either in relic or jewellary mode and when I hit a signal I think is a nail I go to my custom mode. I have checked this in my back garden and it is about 70% accurate unless it is a huge piece or a very large bot. I have spent a few hours testing and this is the best I can get from the Garrett 250. By the way, anyone thinking of going beach detecting no matter what anyone says the Garrett 250 is just not the correct machine for the job