What do folks use for marking a control point (in dirt, grass, woods), that might want to be maintained for a month or two (or maybe be able to come back and find it after a year). Survey stakes are too obtrusive for my purposes (topographic mapping), and can't be mowed over (nor can rebar).
Is there some kind of long nail or something with a big flat head on it that could be driven flush into the ground? Thought of making some custom "saucers with sticks" but have to believe there's something out there already that surveyors use.
> What do folks use for marking a control point (in dirt, grass, woods), that might want to be maintained for a month or two (or maybe be able to come back and find it after a year). Survey stakes are too obtrusive for my purposes (topographic mapping), and can't be mowed over (nor can rebar).
>
> Is there some kind of long nail or something with a big flat head on it that could be driven flush into the ground? Thought of making some custom "saucers with sticks" but have to believe there's something out there already that surveyors use.
had to look up ephemeral to make sure. only lasting a day, then mag hubs or 60 penny nails are what we use. frost heave can be a factor though
I have found that 60 penny spikes have been good for in excess of 30 years. One thing that helps is to dimple them into the ground a little. You'll need a metal detector to find them after the ribbon is gone, but they'll be there.
If you really want to find it use dock spikes buried 3". Can find them years later.
Straight hubs with a mini mag nail buried 3" if you might want to find it. Can find with careful search with magnetic locator. More often used in adjoiner yards.
In either case have at least 2 ties recorded (3 is better) in your field book to point. In yards it is always better to put on line of house or driveway, etc.
Paul in PA
60 penny spike
Had to look up "60 penny spike" :-S
> Penny sizes originally referred to the price for a hundred nails in England in the 15th century: the larger the nail, the higher the cost per hundred. The system remained in use in England into the 20th century, but is obsolete there today. The d is an abbreviation for denarius, a Roman coin similar to a penny; this was the abbreviation for a penny in the UK before decimalisation.
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_(fastener) ]
60 penny spike = six inch nail
Nails with plastic whiskers? Available from the survey supply companies.
Example seller
Another seller
60 penny spike
that's interesting. I had always wondered what nail "penny" and "d" represented.
I use mag hubs. They already have a dimple and "x" in the center, and are magnetized to facilitate location. They tend to hang around for a long time, but sometimes frost will push them up as some have said.
Cool!
Those will work. Push the spike an inch below the surface, and leave the feathers showing.
Thanks!
If it's in an area that gets mowed frequently, I recommend using wire cutters and trim the whiskers at the same height as the grass that's been mowed. It's not often but I have seen mowers pull the whole nail up by the whiskers when set in loose soil/sand.
James
I used to use these, but at $10 each the cost soon adds up.
http://www.yorksurvey.co.uk/marking/ground-markers/79/300mm-ground-mark-flat-head.html
A cheaper alternative is to use old larch fence posts, usually about 4" square, cut off about 20" above the pointed end. Drive them in until they are flush or even just below ground level, mark the centre with a survey nail and large washer. You can punch numbers on the washer. They are easy to find by probing with a spike if they are under the grass.
Be aware that the whiskers attract curious children who can't resist pulling them up.
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> had to look up ephemeral to make sure. only lasting a day, then mag hubs or 60 penny nails are what we use. frost heave can be a factor though
The Greek origin of the word is indeed "lasting only one day", but I was using the term in the more general sense: transitory, passing, i.e. NOT a 6" square, steel and kevlar reinforced concrete pillar sunk 14' into the earth, with a laser etched titanium cap marked in six languages, including Lincos.:-D
60 penny spike
> that's interesting. I had always wondered what nail "penny" and "d" represented.
>
my carpenter cousins taught me that 'penny' represented, long ago, how many pennies would buy you a pound of that size nail. i forgot what the lowecase 'd' meant, but that had a story as well.
Also cattle will eat them and you'll find yourself paying some farmer/rancher for the cost of a dead cow.
Always used 60D for control on traverse and topo jobs. Also used mag nails of various sizes. Keep a ammo can with a variety of fasteners including spikes of various sizes (some galvanized),spindles, RR spikes etc.
A colleague of mine used pole barn nails/washer and I keep a few of them in the can also.
You got to bury the nails and recover with locator.
60d nail with bottlecap or spinner and a folded square of flagging
Set several inches underground and
at least half foot deep in graveled roadway and cover with a smashed beer can
B-)
I dimple the top of the 60d nails in a drill press to hold a range pole tip then toss them into a bin with a BIG pick-up magnet. These are much easier to find with a pinfinder than nails straight out of the box which are frequently only slightly magnetic.
We use the 60d nails but with a fender washer, mark the point number on flagging push the nail thru it and put it about a tenth below grade. The washer makes it easier to find with a pin locator months later.
Is this a just cautionary fear or documented occurrence? I doubt a cow would down a 60d nail. What does the plastic do to them, poison, clog up their complicated digestive system, poke holes in their innards, or what?
Edit: A brief search finds a lot of cases where cattle clogged up the digestive system with plastic bags. So far I haven't seen anything about the other ideas.
One site:
Small amounts of plastic can circulate right through the bovine system and no one notices; not the animal or the owner. Larger amounts can plug up the dozens of feet of digestive tract and death is soon near.
Cow Magnets
I don't know if cows who are packin' cow magnets would fair better eating a 60d spike than cows who are grazing unprotected (or "bare backin'" as it's called in some circles).
I do know that cow magnets would make great recoverable control. They'd make the pin finder sing from the 50 yard line.