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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 8:01 am Post subject: Using a metal detector on the beach in Korea |
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I picked up a metal detector, by mail from Florida, after looking online at the Edmund Scientific catalogue. It has a variety of science related things and toys to do with science, among them an entry-level metal detector. I'm from the middle of Canada so using a metal detector on the beach is something I've never seen or done.
I started out with a cheaper one, then upgraded to a really fine one. It's not designed to hunt the wet sand, where mineralization sets up a lot of false signals. These days people actually buy a 'pulse induction' detector starting at a thousand bucks to get at the wet sand. Because they are hunting beaches where the dry sand has been hunted out.
Mine's a top model for relic hunting and does just fine in the dry sand. I detected on a beach for the first time two days ago, and went out again today. The first day at Pusan's Haeundae beach, today at Ilsan beach, a smaller beach (Haeundae is 1.5 kms long ) near the Ulsan shipyards.
Ulsan is a clean beach, no camping allowed (so no metal tent pegs, as at Ilsan ). First time I'd ever been there. The famous aquarium is right on the beach and goes underground four levels, haven't been yet. It's a happenin' place. Not far from the beach is Bennigan's, Outback, a Thai noodles place , etc. Lots of attractive women and foreign men 'on the prowl' it seems. Reminded me of movies I've seen where Venice Beach, Cali, is shown.
I sent away for a sandscoop designed and built for detecting. It looks like a heavy duty steel 'rat cage' with a handle on top and one end open, the lower lip like a duck bill for digging. So I strolled along swinging the detector and scooping and sifting. Feeling self-conscious at first, because I have detected alot before but it was in the woods and mountains.
So, feeling a little self-conscious around people, I was looking at people looking at me. It was hilarious. There was an ajoshi standing on the left, and another to the right. Arms crossed and suspiciously staring. The other hands-on-hips and suspiciously staring. But once I got going and the rythym took the edge off it was smooth. There's no need to look down, can just look at the waves coming in, sky, the people nearby, and when there's a strong beep give it a scoop, and sift still looking around. Beautiful stretch of beach. Ever been to Haeundae?
Found about 4,000 in change, half of the coins gone green/red with corrosion, but usable for the paper cup coffee machines. Why bother you ask? Among the coins were some very old Korean coins. Along with three keys, one of which is of a strange, old design and made of copper(!). It had tarnished green. Along with a couple of metal arrow points. I recognized them as such from having found them in the forest/mountains.
Haeundae's a clean beach, no camping. But Ilsan beach, near Ulsan and the shipyards! I'd tried there with the cheaper detector and quickly stopped. With the better detector, more power and discrimination, I now know the reason for the mayhem. Though this better machine can, unlike the other, make sense of it. Lots of iron filings! In the scoop is a magnet to snag the object as the sand sifts through. Metal from grinding from the nearby shipyards washes up as filings and becomes added to the sand. The powerful magnet was getting quickly, thickly coated with them. Since camping is allowed lots of metal tent pegs and soju caps. Lots of change, too, along with the old/ancient coinage.
No gold rings yet. Great exercise, almost hard work. Fresh air, beautiful view. |
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kiwiboy_nz_99

Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Location: ...Enlightenment...
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 8:20 am Post subject: |
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Slightly odd hobby though, you must admit ...  |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 8:47 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, it is, man. So is making and throwing boomerangs, my other hobby.
Md-ing is like scuba diving. My minor at Uni was archaeology, so 'diving into the past and finding what comes up' gets me going. Put that activity onto the vast, open beach beside the gigantic sea and it's a wide-out experience. Forget the soju caps and tent pegs.
Re; boomerangs being an odd involvement, well, yeah. But the vast majority of people haven't seen them fly or thrown themselves. Did you know a boomerang can go 100 meters or more and return? Right back at you, and hover for the catch. I've pitched and caught 50-60 meters. For more it takes a special type, easily available ordered by mail, weights inset at the tips, forty bucks or so.
You're into music. These activities are music. |
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kiwiboy_nz_99

Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Location: ...Enlightenment...
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 9:09 am Post subject: |
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Isn't catching the moving boomerang pretty painful? |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 9:30 am Post subject: |
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No way, man. That's one of the things people think will happen when they haven't seen anyone throw a boomerang, or done it themselves.
They also think the boomerang is thrown sideways, like a frisbee. It's the opposite, thrown vertically.
One throws the boomerang so that it flies away going end over end vertically, like a wheel rolling through the air. It returns for a number of reasons. The first two I can think of are built in, to do with its shape. Another, third factor that aids its perfect return is that it's thrown so that it ends up 'riding the wind' back. Not like it's drifting, like a kite, but still keeping up the 'perpetual motion' momentum built into its shape, the 'endlessly wheeling' thing going on.
One side of the boomerang is flat. The other side is curved, airfoils carved in. Air moves faster over one side like the wing of a plane creates its lift. That lift keeps it aloft and moving on its out, and return.
The typical boomerang shape has a balance point built in that acts as an axis for it's wheeling, and encourages it long enough to return.
On its way around it slowly moves from the end over end, vertically wheeling position to a horizontally wheeling 'helicopter blade' position. You can easily catch it then by sandwiching it with one hand on top and the other under the boomerang. Or with a one hand grab so you end up with a hand around one of the blades. Easily because by the time it had made its way around it's losing momentum, and is hovering slowly.
When you throw it you can't see the blades, it's all a blur. When it's arriving it has slowed enough that you can see the separate blades, making a one hand catch around one of the blades a matter of hand-eye co-ordination and luck.
Anyone who wants a b and instructions can pm me and I'll mail it to them, swapping for something. This site doesn't allow commercial advertising. But if someone mails me a music cassette of some kind I'll mail them a b and instructions.
MOST people in Korea don't believe b's actually return. Including kids. Because plastic ones sold in the kids stationary shops for 500won don't work. |
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Hyalucent

Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: British North America
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 10:19 am Post subject: |
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Agree... I'm jealous. After taking my first trip to a Korean beach and seeing how people carry on, I figure one could retire on just coin hunting alone....
... but my gf wouldn't let me order a new metal detector.
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Gollum
Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Location: Japan
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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Dude, I am jealous. The metal detector and boomerang stuff sounds like fun to me.
Had my own "Nerf Boomerang", which was a lot of fun for a little kid. Also my father had a metal detector that was a basic, although sturdy one used for land surveying and road building -- finding property markers, etc. He let me play with that sometimes, and I found a few coins in our back yard. Cool.
How old were the coins you found? What was the oldest?
I think it's cool. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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hyalucent wrote: |
Agree... I'm jealous. After taking my first trip to a Korean beach and seeing how people carry on, I figure one could retire on just coin hunting alone....
... but my gf wouldn't let me order a new metal detector.
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She's a good woman, your gf. A man with a metal detector is the least sexiest thing on the planet  |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 5:54 pm Post subject: |
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Funny you mention that. My friend and I were talking about how fun it would be to do that a Haeundai just a few months ago. He was telling me there are lots of guys who do that early in the morning. |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:09 am Post subject: |
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'A man with a metal detector is the least sexiest thing on the planet'. I'd have to agree on that one. Walking a Siberian husky would be a different story. Yeah, ladies, I'm not interested in you, only what's in the ground. Look, a soju cap!
Yeah, if I had a serious gf you can bet she'd put the nix on both these activities, since they take the attention away from her and don't look like they are going anywhere. B's go in circles, and what would she care about a few old coins when it takes 'all afternoon' to find them. She'd want to sit in a nice cafe and so on. One of these days I'll bump into a nerd chick and we'll tangle detectors
Really, guys detecting Haeundae in the morning. I figured no-one in Korea detects. Lord, they have the technology!
About the old coins. I really don't know yet. I'll bring them in to work and show the 'usually not interested in anything unless it relates to the Korean way and duties at work' female K-teachers. For example I gave them boomerangs and one implied she deliberately broke it, while two 'file' them on their desks beside the white-out.
One coin looks very old, but not old like the old 'square hold in the center' ones. The others look like something between the square-holed ones and modern coins, maybe somewhere between 1900 and 1960? And, since it's a beach, maybe not from Korea. Dunno, have to check it out. Sure is cool getting surprised by items back at home sorting it out. For example a key.
I found three keys. One is modern. Another is so-so. The third is long, thin, and made of copper! It had tarnished green. I found out it was copper when I tested it and it snapped. Who would make a key out of copper? Back in the old days, right.
By the way if anyone wants a boomerang and complete instructions pm me and I'll mail you a b after you mail me a music cassette of some kind. C/o my hagwon. I've been making b's for half a year.
They are short range/beginner models with a 20-30 meter range. I'm making types/designs that are easy to fly and return, for beginners and kids. If you want a more challenging/satisfying one after that I can send you another, for another cassette. |
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Gollum
Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Location: Japan
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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mindmetoo wrote: |
hyalucent wrote: |
Agree... I'm jealous. After taking my first trip to a Korean beach and seeing how people carry on, I figure one could retire on just coin hunting alone....
... but my gf wouldn't let me order a new metal detector.
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She's a good woman, your gf. A man with a metal detector is the least sexiest thing on the planet  |
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djsmnc

Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Dave's ESL Cafe
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 8:27 pm Post subject: |
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I tried out my BS detector once and found Korea! |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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Actually, I think of myself as rather sexy (ahem) when using my metal detector on the beach. In a Tom Berenger ('Sniper')/Tom Cruise ('Navy Seals') kind of way. Got my long rod loaded with equipment and out for a stroll. Found a few pairs of Korean home- before- midnight padlocked chastity panties. Looks like bolt cutters were used! |
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Gollum
Joined: 04 Sep 2003 Location: Japan
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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Dude, you need to get a big T-shirt and a couple of signs for the beach that say in Korean:
"USFK Bomb Detection Squad -- stand back!" |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2004 10:05 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I could be 'mine detector man' and wear a cape, a batman mask with those cute, pointy ears. And carry a 'batorang'.
Hey, I've got to 'warn' you though. Before you get inspired to send half a million won to Florida to get your own detector. It 'aint easy. I feel like my entire body has had a 'total workout', and I don't even like that Jane Fonda exercise video! Something about walking in sand just cranks legs, calves, buttocks. Scooping and sifting works the back, shoulders. I feel like, after being out two days in a row, it's been the first day of the season tree-planting.
Hey, exercise is cool!
Being out on the beach detetecting is like the 'anti-experience' to being in a small haggie room full of 'delightful kids'. If I could afford it I'd go to Antarctica to look for meteorites  |
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