metal detector expert Tag | Page 70 of 88 | The Ring Finders

Time Capsule found

  • from La Jolla (California, United States)

Tracey contacted me about a time capsule that she and her father had buried back in 1997. Inside were various « treasures » from various members of her family, including photos and letters from loved ones now deceased. Tracey knew the approximate location and had attempted to find it a year ago, but, without a metal detector, she was just guessing as to the exact spot and came up empty. The container was supposed to be a small steel box, maybe a foot squared or so. She was uncertain as to the contents other than the photos and letters. One of the interesting parts of this is that it was buried in a remote area of a public park! No telling if it was still there or not. Parks get relandscaped from time to time or maintenance crews might accidentally dig it up or bury it further, so, this was anyone’s guess.

We hiked to the spot which turned out to be just above a drainage ditch. The ground was on a slope, very rocky, and covered in leaves, branches, and other debris from the eucalyptus trees and various trash from park goers over the years. There wasn’t any obvious sign of where it might have been buried, so, I began my search systematically from one end of the search area to the other. Not a big area, maybe 10 X 20 feet, but, LOTS of target sounds, both ferrous and non. I started with the ferrous since it was supposed to be a steel box. After a couple of promising sounds that turned out to be chucks of pipe, I couldn’t find any large targets with my E-trac/ NEL 15″ Attack coil combo. I started in on the smaller ferrous targets. Just junk iron. Next was non-ferrous with similar results at first. I finally got a low conductive signal next to a tree. It was reading 12-09 on the E-trac. That normally is a wad of foil or similar. It didn’t seem like a large target, but being next to the tree it was hard to tell for sure. I started digging…..down a foot and still there…….got out the hand digger…..poked down a bit more and hit something that sounded hollow. Hmmm, could be, or maybe just a pie tin. Kept clearing the dirt and roots away until I could find the edges of the object and got the top cleared off. Yup, looks like a metal box to me! I carefully worked my digger and my fingers around the edges of the box until I could just reach under it. Ooops, nothing left of the side of the box. My fingers just went into a cavity. Not a good sign, as this indicated to me that the box had gotten flooded and rusted out. I finally worked it out of the ground and my suspicions were correct. Even though the box had been wrapped in plastic, the bottom was almost completely gone along with most of the sides. Since the lid was in pretty good shape, I flipped the box up side down on the ground so we could carefully pick through the contents without them spilling all over the place. Most items were water damaged, but, some may clean up. The photos and letters were wrapped separately in more plastic, but, they were waterlogged as well. The photos didn’t look to good, but, the letters might clean up. Tracey has a bit of work to do in that area! With careful rinsing and drying, they might survive. Even with the damage, Tracey was very happy to find the time capsule and recover the contents. I was happy to be a part of it and thank you for the reward.

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Diamond Wedding Band Lost in Yard in Burbank, CA…Found.

  • from Redondo Beach (California, United States)

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I received a call from Derrick this morning asking for help in finding his wife’s wedding ring. He and his wife had been carving pumpkins in the back yard yesterday in anticipation of Halloween, and so as not to get her beautiful diamond wedding ring covered with pumpkin goop, she decided to remove it and place it on the blanket they were using. When they were done Derrick lifted the blanket, forgetting the ring was on it, and it disappeared into the grass. He told me they searched for a while right after the loss, but it was getting dark fast making a visual search harder. He then got up this morning with the new light and conducted a more thorough search of the area with no luck. He began to do some research on the Internet, and found me on TheRingFinders.com web site. I was due home in about 15 minutes, and told him I would leave for his location as soon as I got my equipment together.

I arrived at his house, and he invited me to the location of the loss, wherein I was looking at a rather large yard of nicely manicured grass, and figured it may take a while to search for this one. Derrick showed me where they were sitting, and what he had done to the blanket. He didn’t think he had flipped it too hard, but you never know with such a small item that can fly quite a distance with minimal effort, so I resolved to myself that I would be searching the whole yard. Thinking in that mindset, I started in the most likely beginning point. I swung my detector 2 times hearing many multiple high tones like rusted nails, and thought this might end up being very difficult. I swung once more and heard what I was listening for, not believing that I could have found it so soon, but went down with my pinpointer, and located his wife’s ring, all in about 10 seconds. I reached down and brought it up to show an unbelieving Derrick. I got to thinking that he might have thought I brought the ring with me, and had it in my hand when I began the search, because it was found so fast.

Derrick was very happy to have the ring that he gave his wife on their wedding day to give back to her today. I could tell it meant a lot to him, and am sure his wife was ecstatic to have it on her finger again. He did not want his full picture taken, but did allow a bust shot of him holding the ring. Trust me he was smiling, and very happy. I was glad to have made his day. The story of this ring continues.

Derrick sent the following to include here:

Thank you, Steve.  Article looks great.  Thank you again.  Here is a little something that, if you want, please feel free to add.

My wife and I really didn’t know what to do when she lost her wedding ring in our yard.  It was in our own backyard yet for some reason it still nearly impossible to find.  After hours of looking in our own yard with no luck, we felt sorta hopeless.  I spent sometime researching what I could do online and it was either buy/rent an expensive metal detecting device or see if someone who knew what they were doing could help us out.  After reading some success stories at the ring finders, I decided it couldn’t hurt.  I called Steve on a Sunday and even though I live about 35 miles away from where he was, he still was nice enough to come by.  It was the best idea I had.  Like Steve mentioned, within seconds he found my wife’s ring.  It was such a relief not only for me, but for my wife, of course, who thought her ring was for sure lost forever.  Take it from me, if you lose a ring, give someone on this sight a call, they know what they are doing and can help turn what could be a terrible situation into a cute little story.

If you lose your ring or other metal item of value, call as soon as possible. I will work hard to help you find what you thought might never be found again. I search,  Beverly Hills, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Venice Beach, and all parks, yards, gardens, and ponds (to 5 foot depths) in all of Orange County, all of Los Angeles County, and Ventura County.

 

Diamond Wedding Band Lost in Yard in Santa Ana, CA…Found.

  • from Redondo Beach (California, United States)

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We had just landed at LAX coming from Waco, TX last Sunday, when I turned my phone off of « airplane mode », and realized I had just received a call from Mana regarding the loss of his wife’s wedding band. I immediately called back to see what I could do to help out. We were not able to meet up that day but arranged to meet the next day, so I could help them find what had eluded them for a couple of days.

When we talked Mana explained that they were decorating their front yard for Halloween, and in the process his wife lost her ring in the yard. I showed up at our arranged time, and Mana showed me where the loss had presumably taken place. His wife was painting some of the props for the display, and took her ring off so it would not get paint on it. She gave her ring to Mana to hold, at which time he was sitting near her so he placed it on his shorts « so as not to lose it ». When they were done though He stood up forgetting the ring was there and it fell off into the grass. The grass was not too thick, so I thought it was surprising it wasn’t visible to them. I searched the area, and found some items that were too deep to have been lost in a couple of days, and did not dig for them. I then moved a bit towards the area Mana would have moved when he arose, and got a good hit. I pulled out my pinpointer, and searched. I was surprised that although I was right over the ring with my pinpointer, I could not see the ring. It had become hidden very flat under the grass, and without detecting equipment probably would not have been found.

When I raised my hand with the ring in it, Mana exclaimed jokingly « you save me », and I could tell by the joy he was showing that I had made his day. He showed his wife, and there were a lot of smiles to go around that yard on Monday. I was very happy to have returned a ring that was thought to have been lost for good.

If you lose your ring or other metal item of value, call as soon as possible. I will work hard to help you find what you thought might never be found again. I search,  Beverly Hills, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Venice Beach, and all parks, yards, gardens, and ponds (to 5 foot depths) in all of Orange County, all of Los Angeles County, and Ventura County.

Lost Diamond ring in Chuluota lake, Florida….Found!

  • from Sanford (Florida, United States)
Contact:

Sunday morning I received an e-mail from Sonya asking if there was any possible way I could help her find her Diamond Pave wedding ring.  Apparently on Saturday she was helping put the boats into the dock area when all of a sudden her ring slipped off of her finger and dropped straight down into the murky water.  Without  hesitation Sonya jumped right in and immediately started to feel around for her ring. The bottom was full of small one inch size clam shells and sticks and such making it impossible to find her ring.  She tried using a mask and underwater lights but still could not locate her precious ring.

I assured Sonya that her ring was there and that the chances of finding it were very, very good!  So after church with my family and a quick lunch I drove out to meet Sonya and her family.  As she showed me the exact area where the ring fell into the water I slipped my scuba boots on and with my scoop and Tiger Shark in hand I lowered myself into the water.  The first couple of targets were elusive as the bottom was very uneven and loaded with small clam shells and debris.  My Tesoro Tiger Shark sounded off on a wrench, some assorted nuts and bolts and the occasional nail.  At this point I figured it was a matter of simply eliminating all the targets in the 6 foot area and sooner or later I would find her ring.  And sure enough after 15 minutes of cleaning the area out–there in the scoop was Sonya’s ring!  The joy mixed with relief was obvious on Sonya’s face as she immediately slid the ring back on her finger where it belonged.

It truly was my honor and my privilege to help you Sonya and thank you so much for your generous reward.

Do you know where you lost something and want to try and have it found?  Give me a call or send me an e-mail!blue camera pictures 229blue camera pictures 225

Mike McInroe, thankful member of theringfinders.com

Mom’s Mother’s Ring Lost in Yard in Westwood, CA…Found.

  • from Redondo Beach (California, United States)

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Karen called earlier today to ask if I would be able to help her find her ring she believed she lost in her yard. She explained that she had been busy reconditioning the yard for the garden that they grow. She had spread out a lot of manure, and then covered that with 4 to 6 inches of hay, which was to be roto tilled  into the soil. When she was done she realized the ring was missing. I was available, and we arranged to meet after she got off work, about 4 hours later. One thing I knew, was that because it may have been lost in her yard, it wasn’t going anywhere, so the need to be there quickly wasn’t necessary.

When I got there, a bit early, Karen pulled in about the same time. She came right over, because my vehicle was not familiar, so she figured I was The Ring Finder she had called. She showed me the yard, and I could see it was thoroughly covered with hay, and could smell the pungent smell of the manure which was underneath the hay. I fired up my detector with the standard coil, and proceeded to go over the yard. It wasn’t long before I realized a problem. The ground was infested with iron, which caused the detector to mask out anything in range of the coil. I went over the whole yard only finding one piece of aluminum. I then switched over to my 6 inch coil knowing its ability to recover better than the standard coil, and proceeded to detect the yard again. I swung about 3 times, right where I had swung before when that unmistakable sound of gold rang in my headphones. I pulled out my pinpointer and worked the area, finding Karen’s ring about 4 to 5 inches down. A pinpointer was a necessity especially because the ring color was almost the same as the hay it was buried in. Karen had been in another area of the yard when I made the recovery, so when she came back I mentioned that the ground was infested with iron which made it hard to hunt. She agreed that it was probably going to be difficult, and then I held up the ring to show her. It was then she beamed with a very contagious smile.

Karen explained that this ring was her mom’s mother’s ring, so it had some deep sentimental value to her, and the thought of losing it was not a joyful occasion. I was happy to reunite Karen with this reminder of her mom, and leave her with a great smile.

If you lose your ring or other metal item of value, call as soon as possible. I will work hard to help you find what you thought might never be found again. I search,  Beverly Hills, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Venice Beach, and all parks, yards, gardens, and ponds (to 5 foot depths) in all of Orange County, all of Los Angeles County, and Ventura County.

White gold rind recovered from Commerce City park

  • from Denver (Colorado, United States)

Patrick was out playing in the local park with his son with a boomerang type toy. Being afraid of losing his ring, Patrick took off his ring and placed it in his son’s hat which was on the ground. As they were bringing their play time to an end, Patrick’s son went to pick up his hat when he noticed it was crawling with ants so he gave his hat a kick. And with that Patrick’s ring went flying and disappeared into the grass. Patrick went to a local metal detector store and rented a detector. After several minutes of searching he had not found his ring and ended up calling me for help. Luckily I was only a couple of minutes away and even though I was running late for a dinner date with friends and my wife I couldn’t resist helping out.

After 15 minutes of searching my CTX gave me a nice ring signal, there sat Patrick’s ring peeking out of the grass. Quickly we gave high-fives and snapped a couple of photos so that I could race home to my diner date.

Ring Recovered 10-10-15

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Lost Gold Ring In 40′ Motorhome-Found! Calmar Alberta Canada

  • from Edmonton (Alberta, Canada)
Contact:

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I received an email from Kim regarding a white gold ring that she had lost in her motor home two years ago. I explained that it may be difficult task because of all the metal in the motor home but I agreed to go over and do my best.

Apparently Kim had placed two rings on the night table before going to bed, and the following morning one ring was missing. Kim and her husband Brent searched throughout the motor home several times and came to the conclusion that perhaps the ring had been taken.

We headed out to the storage yard where the motor home was parked and I asked Brent to pull the slides out so I could analyze the situation. I visualized where the ring could be and went to work taking everything out of the storage area under the bed, and also checking the mattress with my pro pointer. I then went outside and removed the bottom seal from around the slide just in case the ring had lodged itself between the seal and the frame of the motor home. This was not the case so I looked on the other side but could not see or feel anything. My feeling was that the ring had to be under the slide but Brent said he had pulled out the slide about 20 times since the ring had been lost.

I again laid down on the floor with my flashlight and noticed a silver object which I thought was the ring but turned out to be an American nickel. As I moved along the floor with the flashlight I notice something sparkling between the slide roller and the carpet. I reach in with a knife and said out loud “YES, found it!” Brent could not believe it.

We went back to see Kim and I asked if this was her ring. I think everyone in the neighborhood heard her scream with excitement.

Kim and Brent, Thank you for intrusting me and The Ring Finders to reunite your ring, and for the generous reward.

Another happy client!

 

Wedding Ring Lost on the Beach at Huntington Beach, CA…Found.

  • from Redondo Beach (California, United States)

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I was sitting at my computer last night when at about 10:30 PM I received a text from Bram, first apologizing for contacting me so late, and then asking for help finding his ring that had been lost earlier in the day. I called him immediately to discuss what had happened, and when he told me, with an air of desperation in his voice, I realized action needed to be taken right away. The beach he lost his ring on is a beach that is cleaned so well by the city, that it is a wonder that anything might be found on it by a metal detectorist. They use mechanical rakes, sifters, and even a disc to turn the sand to bring up things that might have moved too far down for the sifters to pick up. I told him if he wanted to meet me, I would be there in about an hour.

Bram was initially worried, and for good reason, about the 10:00 PM curfew on the beach, but I told him we should try, and if the officers approach us just to explain why we were there, and then leave it up to them to decide what to do. I met him at about 11:30 PM, and as we were getting ready to walk out to the area the city police were kicking people off of the beach right in front of us. Well we went onto the beach as soon as the police left, and were warned by the people who were kicked off that the police would be back.

He told me how he had taken off the ring to give to his wife for safekeeping, so she put it in her shorts pocket. She at sometime took the shorts off, and they got shaken around where they suspected the ring was lost. We got to the area of the search, and Bram tried to remember the exact area, but it was difficult in the dark, and so much time had elapsed from the time of the loss, about 12 hours. I began my search, digging up a lot of foil, a few pennies, but no ring. I got hits on some quarters and dimes, but did not dig them because I wanted to get a good search in, and I was looking for a gold ring which would sound a whole lot different, also I was worried that the police would come back and I wanted to make the best use of the time we had. Bram then got on the phone to his wife to make sure we were in the right area, and she directed him to an area about 60 feet South of where we were searching. All the while the police were going up and down the beach with lights on telling people to leave.

We moved to the new location, and I began a new grid, and continued to find foil and pennies, and got hits on more quarters and dimes. After about 20 minutes, I heard that sound I was looking for, an almost musical tone. I dug it, and in my scoop I could feel a ring in the darkness. I turned on my headlamp, and saw that I had found what we were looking for. I showed Bram, and he seemed so relieved. He said his wife would be very relieved, and I figured she was probably feeling very bad because she was the last one to have the ring in her possession, and probably took all the weight of the loss on her shoulders. It was now about 1:00 AM, and in an hour and a half on the beach, the police never approached us to tell us to leave, an act of kindness, or divine intervention, either way I was happy to have found the ring. I was so happy to return the symbol of Bram and his wife’s unity, a ring they probably thought was lost forever, and to see his smile. I slept well when I got back, and I know they did also.

Bram’s wife sent the following email to include in this blog:

Dear Mr. Smith,

This is Maureen, Bram’s wife. Words can’t describe how thankful I am for your help.
I really wished I was there last night to look for the ring and give you a big hug to thank you when you found it.
When Bram asked about his ring at dinner, I was shocked and had totally forgot about it. We rushed back to hotel room and found no ring in my short pocket. My heart sank looking around that small pocket and the bag where he put the short, and I was just crying.
Bram went to the beach around 9:30 looking for it while I have to get kids ready to bed and put them to bed. Knowing its lost on the beach I thought it’s lost forever. When he told me about you and he’s going to meet you, I didn’t want to put my hopes to high, I didn’t even want to read your blog knowing that would bring my hopes high. I kept telling myself to accept it and try to move on.
When Bram and you were on the beach, I decided to read your blog, what you did and do is amazing. I kept praying that God’s will to be done, whether it to be found or give me peace in my heart if it isn’t found. The time you made and all the effort, patience, and skills is the extension of God’s hand.
The ring is just material thing but the value and vow and commitment put into it made it irreplaceable. That ring is custom ordered because I want it look just like my parents wedding band.
I really appreciate the time, patience, and passion. I am forever grateful.

Love in Christ,
Maureen

If you lose your ring or other metal item of value, call as soon as possible. I will work hard to help you find what you thought might never be found again. I search,  Beverly Hills, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Venice Beach, and all parks, yards, gardens, and ponds (to 5 foot depths) in all of Orange County, all of Los Angeles County, and Ventura County.

White Gold Wedding Band Lost on Backyard Hillside in Los Angeles, CA…Found.

  • from Redondo Beach (California, United States)

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I received a text from Jason this morning about a ring he had lost on the hillside behind his house two weeks ago. He wondered if I would come out and look for it. I called as soon as I read the text, and discussed the situation with him. I figured if it was lost in his backyard, it hadn’t moved very far, and the odds of finding it were good, so I told him I would be there as quickly as possible.

When I got to his house, Jason met me, and took me to the location of the loss. It was a very steep hillside with a very sandy soil that would swallow a ring almost as quick as beach sand. I could see that there was a lot of sand that had been moved, which was down further on the slope. I figured the ring probably had slid down the slope with the sand movement while he was looking for it, so I began my search in the lowest part of the sand pile. Jason told me that he had spent hours searching the hillside, which explained how so much sand had been moved down the hill. I did not receive the signal I was looking for so I started moving back up the hill towards the original area of the loss. When I got to the area he showed me where he knew the ring came off, I heard the tone I was looking for, and pulled out my pin pointer to narrow down the search. With a little movement of the sand I saw Jason’s ring. He happened to be in another area of the hill when I found it, so I called to him to show him that I had found it. He came over relieved, and amazed that it was still in the same area he had lost it in. It was certainly wonderful to have made his day, because he had only been married a little more than a year, so this was a great loss to him and his wife; a lot of happiness was spread around today!

If you lose your ring or other metal item of value, call as soon as possible. I will work hard to help you find what you thought might never be found again. I search,  Beverly Hills, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Venice Beach, and all parks, yards, gardens, and ponds (to 5 foot depths) in all of Orange County, all of Los Angeles County, and Ventura County.

Men’s 14k Gold Ring Lost in Volley Ball Court at Manhattan Beach, CA…Found.

  • from Redondo Beach (California, United States)

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I received a call from Justin at about 8:30 PM regarding his friend’s ring which was lost playing volley ball at a local beach. I was able to return the call about 10:30 PM because of previous commitments, and told him I could help them. He did not want to go back to the beach at that hour, and wasn’t sure if he wanted me to look without them being there. I then said he should come here and read about my many recoveries, and decide if he wanted to entrust me with the search. I received a call back about 5 to 10 minutes later with the go ahead.

I got to the area, and searched with no success, I then did a cross grid, again with no success. It was then I decided to go to the other side of the court, in the direction of his friend’s hit, and found the ring, it was now about 12:15 AM. I called Justin and woke him up to let him know that the search was a success, and we arranged to meet the next day. When we met, I was able to give his friend’s ring back to him, but he was a bit camera shy, so he did not want his picture taken which I respected. needless to say he was very happy, and had a big smile when he received his ring.

If you lose your ring or other metal item of value, call as soon as possible. I will work hard to help you find what you thought might never be found again. I search,  Beverly Hills, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Venice Beach, and all parks, yards, gardens, and ponds (to 5 foot depths) in all of Orange County, all of Los Angeles County, and Ventura County.