lexdigger
Well-Known Member
Alot of new diggers want to know where to get a probe. You can buy them but you can also make one. All you need is to find a good piece of spring steel. When I first got into bottle digging a fellow arrowhead hunter/bottle digger (Mike Dolcini) out in Cali. sent me my first probe. Since then I've copied it to make duplicates. The one he sent me is a five footer and I've made several four and six footers. I figured I'd share a few pics to give others ideas on how to put one together.
Here's a look at my typical gear for a day of bottle digging. Snacks, drinks, gloves, buckets & rope, long handled shovel, t handled shovel, a short shovel, probes, iron digger, scratching sticks, and a hand trowel.
My tip has a crayon shape to it and the bead is about an inch back. The bead was a nut that is welded on and ground down to the desired shape.
You don't want the tip to be too sharp. Mine has a flat spot ground down on it. You want the bead to have enough of a ledge on top to pull up a soil sample.
The handle is a piece of one in galvanized pipe (electrical conduit). You want to drill through and weld it on each end. It makes it good and sturdy. You also want to make sure to let it air cool and not dip it in water. Air cooling lets the steel temper while water cooling can make it brittle. If desired you can add some type of grips.
Brazing is a little more expensive then welding but will hold up a little better. I used 5/8ths inch spring steel but you could use larger or smaller diameter depending on soil conditions. Remember, if you aren't abusing it you are not using it right!
Here's a look at my typical gear for a day of bottle digging. Snacks, drinks, gloves, buckets & rope, long handled shovel, t handled shovel, a short shovel, probes, iron digger, scratching sticks, and a hand trowel.
My tip has a crayon shape to it and the bead is about an inch back. The bead was a nut that is welded on and ground down to the desired shape.
You don't want the tip to be too sharp. Mine has a flat spot ground down on it. You want the bead to have enough of a ledge on top to pull up a soil sample.
The handle is a piece of one in galvanized pipe (electrical conduit). You want to drill through and weld it on each end. It makes it good and sturdy. You also want to make sure to let it air cool and not dip it in water. Air cooling lets the steel temper while water cooling can make it brittle. If desired you can add some type of grips.
Brazing is a little more expensive then welding but will hold up a little better. I used 5/8ths inch spring steel but you could use larger or smaller diameter depending on soil conditions. Remember, if you aren't abusing it you are not using it right!