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JonL

By JonL
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JonL Collaborator

JonL

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All

I'm off on a four day short break shortly, my first trip out for several years - looking forward to it more than the cruise my wife's booked on a 144,000 ton floating town later in the year.

 

Taking my sons for the first time, thinking about buying a search magnet to keep them quiet during pre-dinner gin and tonic time.

 

Apart from shopping trollies are they liking to find anything interesting ? What's the best places to look ? Has anyone ever found anything of any use ?

 

Thanks

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Machpoint005 Veteran II

Machpoint005

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I'm off on a four day short break shortly, my first trip out for several years - looking forward to it more than the cruise my wife's booked on a 144,000 ton floating town later in the year.

 

Taking my sons for the first time, thinking about buying a search magnet to keep them quiet during pre-dinner gin and tonic time.

 

Apart from shopping trollies are they liking to find anything interesting ? What's the best places to look ? Has anyone ever found anything of any use ?

 

Thanks

Near locks - windlasses. Near rural moorings - mooring pins. Near low bridges: chimbleys.

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WotEver Veteran II

WotEverDonate to Canal World

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Has anyone ever found anything of any use ?

 

When I dropped my big bunch of car keys / work keys / mum's house / dad-in law's house / lockup and used two search magnets joined together all I found was one 6mm and one 10mm socket. (Eventually got the keys out of the silt by dredging with a keep net).

 

Mooring pins and windlasses are worth finding though :lol:

 

T.

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Christine Proficient

Christine

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What's the best places to look ? Has anyone ever found anything of any use ?

 

Thanks

 

I have had hours of fun with my Sea Searcher magnet. Entrances to locks and bridge holes and around boatyards have proved to be my best places. I have found a windlass, a piling hook, a brick layers hammer, loads of those long steel rod things that BW use to tie off areas supporting stripy red & white plastic plastic tape, a bike and a coat rack. I'm an early riser so I go out while the others are still asleep. I managed to get mine stick on the cast iron paddle at the top of Farmers Lock - BW staff were very helpful!

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gol. Gongoozler

gol.

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I have had hours of fun with my Sea Searcher magnet. Entrances to locks and bridge holes and around boatyards have proved to be my best places. I have found a windlass, a piling hook, a brick layers hammer, loads of those long steel rod things that BW use to tie off areas supporting stripy red & white plastic plastic tape, a bike and a coat rack. I'm an early riser so I go out while the others are still asleep. I managed to get mine stick on the cast iron paddle at the top of Farmers Lock - BW staff were very helpful!

 

Hi . I have a once used sea -.searcher magnet with rope which I no longer need if anyone is interested make me an offer. I think current price is in region £29 plus postage £5

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Neil.A Collaborator

Neil.A

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Just as an aside, I use Rare Earth Neodymium Magnets bolted to a plastic plate. You get them out of old computer hard drives. They are about the size and thickness of a 50p piece, but will pull out stuff that weighs 3 times that of a windlass.

:lol:

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davel Contributor

davel

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Recently I have found a couple of mooring pins a bike ,mostly rusted away, a 2 foot long screw driver with 1/4" socket drive on the end and a grease gun still working. Also an unidentified tool, separate thread to follow soon.

 

Edited to add

 

I also recovered my windlass that I flicked of the roof with a rope.

Edited by davel
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saltysplash Experienced

saltysplash

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Where's Magnetman, when you need him?

 

He must have the most impressive list of finds. Didn't he have some photos up, on here?

 

 

He did, along with an action shot of him trawling on the southern oxford. I think he's probably cleared most of the S Grand Onion for the next couple of years though.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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One comment......

 

You don't say the age of your sons.

 

Trying to remove the keeper from a Sea Searcher can be relatively hazardous, and managing to get fingers or other flesh caught when putting it back on would at best not be fun, and at worst might result in a hospital visit.

 

Treat with caution!

 

I was amused by the "stuck to a cast iron paddle" thing. We have certainly had one very stuck on steel piling, and remarkably hard to remove as it wash caught so you couldn't give a straight pull.

 

Use a strong line, you may have to lift a lot more than you planned to see your magnet again!

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cheshire~rose Veteran II

cheshire~roseDonate to Canal World

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I was once offered an opportunity to fish with one while assisting Chris JW through Atherstone flight. within 10 minutes (much to Chris' disgust) I had fished out 2 hand made nails and a windlass!

 

The Windlass was christened YSL by Chris and has had the honor of lock wheeling for lots of forum members over the last year or so before finally finding a full time home aboard Carrie~Lou :lol:

 

Yesterday I inherited a magnet (along with some other goodies) from a very, very nice person who is giving up boating. I have been fishing this afternoon and keep pulling out what look like lumps of rock! At first I thought they were lumps of broken up cast iron but now I am thinking it is either iron ore or slag - any ideas anyone? - I dont have my camera with me so I cannot post a photo sorry!

Edited by cheshire~rose
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Janet S Rising Star

Janet S

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a quick session around Deepdale bridge earlier this evening won me a stainless steel coolie hat

 

No Rose, you've discovered an abandoned colander....

 

Please place on head and make appropriate Dalek sounds....

 

Janet

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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..............and a quick session around Deepdale bridge earlier this evening won me a stainless steel coolie hat! :lol:

You are lucky - many stainless steel items are non-magnetic.

 

If your magnet will retrieve those rather pricey alloy windlasses, can we borrow it please ? :lol:

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Night Hawk Proficient

Night Hawk

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My mobile fell out of my top pocket and went 'plop' into the muddy depths....a few moments later it was hanging off the end of my magnet pole dripping sludge. The guy watching me from the bank informed me that a strong magnet may damage a mobile....as if 6 foot of muddy water wouldn't!

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