A Handheld Dredge?

[Tony Eaton]

I was day dreaming about making a small dredge, something like a long handled dust pan / scoop that would have an open slot with 5 sides of mesh.

I.E., imagine this with wire mesh sides.

http://housewares.hardwarestore.com/35-177-dustpans/long-handle-hooded-dustpan--637766.aspx

My goal is to have something to scoop up sediments for shark teeth out of rivers, from 2' to 4'.

Curious if anyone has seen or made or imagined a dredge of some sort for shark teeth out of creeks.

[Shellseeker]

I have not seen very much in terms of unique tooling.

I have made rectangular 2x3 foot sieves of 1/4, 1/2, and 1 inch screens. I have seen glass bottomed buckets for shallow clear water, Long handled metal sieves, and even metal buckets with large (2 and 3 inch) exit holes.

I am interested if you find something that is successful on river beds seeking 2 - 3 inch fossils. I have some places I want to try.

[tracer]

there are sand scoop things sold in florida for that kind of purpose. the problem with using such a thing in texas is that normally you're going to be scooping gravel with the teeth and having to look through it all, so you might as well just shovel it up and dump it on a screen. also good to check out what regulations may exist before you go doing anything that anybody could even remotely consider "dredging" on public waterways.

[Seldom]

Tony I have built several things along the lines your talking about for recovering coins jewelry etc at places you can not use a metal detector. Have also built a air lift that will move a lot of dirt have not tried it for fossils but think it would work. I have plans for both if I can get them scanned will sent them to you.

As tracer pointed out rules and regulations may be a problem, am thinking that its going to fall under the same rules that control gold panning and dredging.

[Tony Eaton]

Thanks for everyone's ideas and suggestions.

I was a bit worried a game warden might think I was trying to trap fish or something, but I guess I could get in trouble for anything too "dredge" like.

Seldom, I'd be interested in seeing how you designed a device to scooped up the coins, etc.

My target is to start hunting for teeth from as big I as I find them (~2") down to 1/4 inch wire mesh size. I'll probably just drill a few holes in an old scoop shovel I own already and put a wire cage around it and go from there. Maybe cover the 1/4 inch wire mesh with window screening if I want smaller material. I generally will want to sieve the gravel out of the water but in a moving stream or river it isn't easy to bring up material without it getting washed away before I get it out of the water.

[Shellseeker]

My target is to start hunting for teeth from as big I as I find them (~2") down to 1/4 inch wire mesh size. I'll probably just drill a few holes in an old scoop shovel I own already and put a wire cage around it and go from there. Maybe cover the 1/4 inch wire mesh with window screening if I want smaller material. I generally will want to sieve the gravel out of the water but in a moving stream or river it isn't easy to bring up material without it getting washed away before I get it out of the water.

I saw 1 fossiler (is that a word?) who made a wooden stand that was about 3x4 feet, and then made individual sieves of 1 inch, 1/2 inch, 1/4 inch that each "fit" into the next smaller size. so maybe the 1/4 sieve was 2.5x3.5 feet, 1/2 inch 2x3, and 1 inch was 1.75x 2.75.

I liked the idea of getting the biggest stuff first, but thought I would just as soon bring 3 sieves of different sizes and rotate them. People, especially fossil people, are inventive

[lordpiney]

you could always buy a few large grain scoops, and drill them out with whatever size holes you desired.

[Seldom]

Seldom, I'd be interested in seeing how you designed a device to scooped up the coins, etc.

Let me get one of the kids to scan it for me and will send it to you. Will sent you the name and info on the book we got the idea from so maybe you can find a copy at library

[tracer]

just a thought

[Seldom]

That's an interesting tool tracer Thanks,, I think!! maybe not,, one more project to work on

[obsessed1]

Check this out....no drilling required!

http://beaconathletics.com/store/products/Toolite_Shovels-732-5.html

or this...

http://treasuresifter.com/

[Auspex]

Cool! I wonder how the "poly-molded blades" will wear in a fossiling environment?

[obsessed1]

Cool! I wonder how the "poly-molded blades" will wear in a fossiling environment?

I'm not sure about the poly scoop shovel, The smaller shovels have tempered steel blades.

[worthy 55]

Sand flea rakes may work on beaches and some creeks?

[erose]

I think you need to consider the size of the gravel or other stuff the fossils will be amongst. Those light weight "snow shovels" and plastic scoops would be fine on a sandy beach but they wouldn't last a day in the heavy gravels of Ramanessin Brook. I built many a screen for those NJ streams and at first I made bigger ones. Later I made smaller ones (16 x 16-inch max) because it was just too heavy to lift for six hours. It also was a lot easier to haul in and out of the streams. The best stuff I ran across that others had made was the simplest. My favorite was the shovel with a block on the handle so you could shove the shovel in upright and then rest the screen on the shovel at perfect level for standing and picking. Another was a folding walker rigged with hooks to hold a screen at a similar height. I liked to sit a spell and would always find a nice log close by and my screens were all made to sit nicely on my knees.

I do know that heavy equipment runs the risk of having folks call the cops or shoe you off. Surface collecting and the occasional chipping out or stream bank extraction are one thing, but digging pits, dropping ledges or moving whole gravel bars gets into the realm of habitat-destruction. Personally I don't even get my hammer out unless I know I will need it for sure. Many of the streams we all have access to are accessible because laws keep them open for fishing, water sports or navigation. We have to respect the use of them by others as well.

[Tony Eaton]

Thanks for all the posts, cool stuff.

Regarding the sifters I use now, I prefer light weight plastic containers or wire organizers that I guess were sold originally for some sort of domestic use. Just prefer to not haul extra weight if I don't have to.

I'd probably prefer lighter weight tools for this use too, and just replace when needed. Maybe I should collect a bag of trash when I fossil collect the next stream. A good way to cover myself should the authorities ask, and also a way to better the environment I'm in.

[Tony Eaton]

Well, it took me awhile but finally spent a few hours last night to see what I could put together just with existing stuff in the garage/shed. This is crude but I didn't want to put too much time into something meant to scoop gravel LOL.

The tubing is 4" galvanized duct material left over from a project.

The tubing snaps together, so before snapping it into a tube I was easily able to bolt it to the mounting hardware / brackets I took from an old TV antenna. I used a few self drilling screws to secure both ends to the aluminum brackets. The back is 1/4 inch hardware wire doubled up, and secured to the tubing with some bailing wire. Handle is an ash tree I cut down a few years ago. (short enough to fit in the trunk of the car!)

I took this device to the lake to test, and it did scoop of various sizes of gravel efficiently. I know the tubing will give out over time, but it would be simple to replace if needed.

I also had an old very sturdy shovel that I customized a bit. I hammered the sides to make them a bit steeper. Drilling through hardened steel turned out to be too much of a pain so I used a cutting wheel to make some slots sort of like a big slotted spoon.

In a lake the shovel did not strain water well enough to avoid waves from washing away a good part of what I was scooping, but still the slots help to shovel less water and more gravel.

[Gizmo]

I've tried several of the store bought ones but never could get one to dig in enough. I came up with this one a few years ago and it works great in most situations.The thin curved egde really helps it cut into gravel and the large basket makes sifting much easier.Hope this helps.-G

[Gizmo]

Check this out....no drilling required!

http://beaconathletics.com/store/products/Toolite_Shovels-732-5.html

or this...

http://treasuresifter.com/

I bought one of those shovels and found it very hard to wash the gravel as there is no top to contain the sediment.It also clogs easily.

[Tony Eaton]

Thanks Gizmo! I do like your design a lot, that was sort of what I wanted all along but didn't quite envision how to make it. Well, I might try to build a copy at some point, although I think my next fossil tool related project will be either a blasting cabinet or a sifting table.

With testing my "slotted shovel" today I came to the realization too that any traditional shovel design will lose a lot of material in a current.

[micropterus101]

where I come from we use these for scooping surf smelt. you could surely use them for scooping sharks teeth.

.

[Gizmo]

Ray makes these 2 items though they're starting to get away from the original idea.-G

[Lee Taylor]

Day dreaming here in Charleston also, Tony

Small dredge pump

3” intake

2” discharge

[Harry Pristis]

I've long wondered if a perforated spade might be the ultimate digging tool in the Peace River or wherever people sift for fossils. This one is from GEMPLER'S at $66.25. It is steel and fiberglass, 39 inches long.

http://www.gemplers....rforated-Shovel

[Auspex]

I've long wondered if a perforated spade might be the ultimate digging tool in the Peace River or wherever people sift for fossils.

It's been tried by someone here. The drawbacks were that it spilled more over the edges than it sieved, you still had to move away from the hole to keep from redepositing the chaff, and (with the long handle) it was harder to get your eyes close to what you were sieving. A few regular shovelfuls into a screen, though not easy, still processes the most material with the least effort.