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"Afterthought "
Like most of us, I get up in the am, clean up my act, grab a cup of
tea and some donuts, my detector and hit the beach. After a day of
hunting, I return home, give everything a good rinsing, put my equipment
away and go look at my finds. I don't give it much more thought till the
next day when I get ready to go again. But about once every six months I
have a little afterthought.
The next day, instead of heading for the beach, I head for my workshop out
back and give my 1280 a little TLC. I break my unit down and give it a
good detailing. I remove everything from the shaft, untwist my coil wire,
and let it straighten out while I start the process. I usually work on the
shaft first. I separate the two half's and check for heavy grooves worn
into it by tiny bits of sand that get caught there. Sand is silica, and
silica is glass, and glass cuts into most everything.
I keep and use a small spray bottle full of fresh water
with drop of soap in it, and a small stiff brush for deep cleaning. I
check the wing nut and bolt at the base of the shaft, as well as the two
small rubber washers on each side of the hole. This part is subject to
wear and tear from the sand also, and I have seen the threads worn
completely
away or stripped away by the sand, leaving a floppy coil. If need be, you
can usually purchase replacements at the local hardware.
I also check the little spring loaded clip that
locks the shaft in place. This is subject to rust if it is made of metal,
and
should be cleaned and inspected closely. Replacements are usually
available from the manufacturer, but you should
order a spare just to have around. The arm rest at the top of the shaft is
subject to a lot of stress, and the bolster pop rivets should be checked
and tightened if needed. The rubber pads on them have a way of coming lose
also, and can be glued back down if needed.
Next I look at the coil where the wire connects to it. Sand can get lodged
in where it goes into the coil. I use the spray bottle and brush to remove
any sand in, around, or under the wire connector. Sand can get under here
and cut away the seal causing a leak hazard. This would ruin your day. I
also check the other end where it connects to the box. I do the same here.
Clean with fresh water and a stiff brush, doing the headphone wire at the
same time. Sand is always moving in the water, and if your headphones go
underwater it will find a way to hide in them. I also use a small
magnifying glass to inspect some parts for hidden sand particles.
Control knobs are located on the top or face of the electronics package
and are usually held on by Allen wrench set screws. I usually back them
off a little, but don't remove them, and then take the knob off
altogether. Sand gets under these knobs, and since they are a close fit to
the surface, it is easy for sand to get caught under them and get
ground up into smaller pieces when you turn the knobs off and on. The
smaller pieces can cut into the seal and over time cause a leak directly
into the electronics. This can really ruin your day. I check these with
the magnifying glass very closely, and give a very detailed cleaning
before putting the knobs back on.
By the time I am done with these things, the coil wire has usually relaxed
from its twisted position and I can look for bad kinks in it. When done, I
usually rewrap it carefully, and put the unit back together, then do a
bench test to make sure I didn't screw anything up while cleaning.
Generally the unit will feel and look better, and I will feel better about it. There is an old Arab proverb that says, " Take care
of your ass, for it bears you " Good advice, even for metal
detectors. Good hunting. ---Ozzie
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