lost ring!

November 5, 2005 4:25 AM

so i lost a friends silver ring recently. i know the approximate area where it should be located, which is covered in long grass with a tractor tire sitting in the centre. so the question i hand to you, metacitizens, is how can i find it?

my eyes fail me in my search, and it appears that hiring a metal detector in my area is seemingly impossible. can you think of any tricks that can help me in my quest?

posted by a. to grab bag (13 comments total)

You could buy a cheap detector from somewhere like Radio Shack. It's not like you're trying to find a fleck of gold three feet underground.
posted by krisjohn at 4:32 AM on November 5, 2005

Go buy a wide, strong magnet, like a magnetic knife rack. Mount it on rake and drag it through the area.

I'm not sure if the other metals in the ring would be enough to attract it to the magnet, but its possible.

Or you could order a metal detector, have it shipped overnight, then return it when you're done.
posted by bondcliff at 5:03 AM on November 5, 2005

A magnet won't work on silver. Go with the metal detector. Call your local tool rental place to see if they rent them before you go out and buy one.
posted by bricoleur at 5:11 AM on November 5, 2005

A visual search method would be to put a stake in the center of where you think the ring was lost. Tie a length of string to the stake that stretches out as far as you think the ring could have possibly been lost. Wrap the string around the stake completely. Then holding the string, walk through the area, using the end of the string to guide the focus of your search. Continue until you find the ring or string is completely unwound.
posted by forforf at 5:59 AM on November 5, 2005

Hire some children for a dollar or two each to hunt for it, and offer a larger reward for finding it. A Sunday School class, or a Cub Scout or Brownie Scout group, perhaps. If you don't know of an available group of youngsters, you have friends who do; ask around.

Your eyes may fail you, but young children love looking for hidden treasure.
posted by Seabird at 6:07 AM on November 5, 2005

Unfortunately a magnet won't work unless the ring is already magnetised.

There are a great number of metal detecting clubs out there, why not ask one of them for help? If you're in the US then the website of the Federation of Metal Detector and Archaeological Clubs would be a good place to start. There are similar organisations around, Google is your friend.
posted by alby at 6:20 AM on November 5, 2005

Or put a stake in the ground in the middle of the tire, tie a piece of string to it, walk to a little further away you think is the furthest place you might have dropped it, tie the string to your metal detector, and spiral in, keeping the string taut.

It'll take a while, but it guarantees covering all the ground.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 7:40 AM on November 5, 2005

If the grass is tall, and it's not your land, be sure you hunt promtly, before somebody mows it.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 8:57 AM on November 5, 2005

As crazy as it may sound, it might be worth looking for it with a flashlight at night. I once found a friend's ring in his gravel driveway on a moonlit night since the light caught the silver just right. It'd been there, unnoticed, for a year!
posted by kimota at 9:25 AM on November 5, 2005

I'm not sure if this would work as well outside, especially if it's wet with lots of loose dirt/rocks, etc., but I once saw some infomercial guy (on PBS, I think) do a finding trick with a vacuum cleaner. He took a piece of pantyhose and covered the tip of the vacuum, so it would pick things up without sucking them into the vacuum bag...he used his contraption to find a loose diamond on shag carpet, so it seemed pretty effective in certain circumstances. From what I understand, however, it looks like a cheap metal detector might be a better place to start in your situation.
posted by johnsmith415 at 11:28 AM on November 5, 2005

I second the vacumn cleaner trick- it works great.
posted by fshgrl at 12:03 PM on November 5, 2005

I've heard that people use the vacuum cleaner trick to find lost contact lenses.

/Disclaimer: I don't wear contacts.
posted by Wild_Eep at 1:47 PM on November 5, 2005

i second kimota's flashlight suggestion.
posted by clarahamster at 2:00 PM on November 5, 2005