Darwin473

Back again, with another option for people to make proxies on the cheap. I've posted before on making proxies, with the primary goal of being able to make a proxy TB for less than the cost of a standard TB (around USD$4.50). And for the proxy to be durable. Here's my latest attempt at making a cheap, durable proxy: an aluminium tag with a paper tag attached with epoxy. The reasons for using epoxy is that it isn't water based, is generally quite durable... and I had some left over from another project. From what I'd read up, the Gorilla Brand two-part epoxy was highly recommended for this type of work, the Tarzan's Grip just happened to be what I had on hand. The labels front and back were fairly simple to print and cut out, though I should have double checked and re-printed as the font size is a bit small. And I missed the "R" (Registered) icon on the TB logo. I put down a thin layer of epoxy (mixed) onto the metal, then laid the paper down on top and pressed it down. The paper did shift color from soaking up the epoxy, but I wasn't too stressed about the color on this one (it was printed grey to be similar to the metal, but it didn't work as intended). Practicing on scrap would be needed if a specific color or look was desired. After it dried, I put a second layer of epoxy over the top to seal and protect. It looked a lot smoother in person, the photos show a lot of detail that I'm not happy with, but I like the result of this better than my stamped versions which end up with the letters all wonky (though that is entirely my fault through not being accurate enough when stamping). It'll be interesting to see how this one fares in the wild.

That's brilliant, I love the idea of it. I don't have that many TB's that I could do this with (and it probably would be a bit rude to double-tap and have the TB physically out travelling and also physically being a waypoint) but it's still a fun idea.

I'm so impressed that there isn't any "US only" clause there that I signed up for the spam that comes from joining online competitions! It'll be interesting to see them start appearing on the map when they get posted out, as to the distribution of them across the world.

Some random thoughts: Keep in mind the FTF'ers. If I was going to publish a series, I'd submit them over a period of time so that multiple people get the chance at an FTF. In some areas there are some hardcore people that swoop in within minutes to every single new cache, other places it isn't much of an issue. You may want to adjust the release cycle accordingly. If you do stagger them, I suggest physically placing the next cache after the previous one is found. Some people may be able to guess where the next one in a series will be. Because humans are humans, assume that all caches will be taken / destroyed at at some stage. I like to make my containers the best I can, at the least cost, for the least effort. I try and also have a spare on hand. Though I live in Australia, so bushfires are a constant hazard and I'm used to caches going up in smoke. If you put a lot of effort into making a complex and unique cache, it can be disheartening when someone comes along and messes with it. Steel lasts a long time. If you can weld or know someone who can, you could make interesting little things to act as camouflage or holders for caches, with the basic container hidden inside. Getting a hold of scrap steel may be the easy or the hard part depending on where you live, but it can be a good source of material without having to go out and buy new steel. If you place a container (like an ammo box or tupperware) inside something else, that means you could decorate the container at will - even in bright colors! If your trail has a theme, you could decorate the containers to match the theme without worrying about the bright colors giving it away. Thrift stores can be great places to find chunky / large-ish kids toys which can be converted to cache containers without having to buy new. Or they used to be, there have been slim pickings around here due to covid restrictions and staff needing to clean everything ten times a day. You can make all sorts of interesting shapes with PMF - Poor Man's Fibreglass. It's essentially any non-water based glue and fabric instead of glass cloth and resin, so it behaves in much the same way and can be used to turn something like a simple plastic jar into a forest mushroom, old branch / log, or in some other way blend it in to the environment. Some cloth can easily be had (an old white bedsheet from the thrift store will give a large sheet of blank material for cheap), there are various glues available at the hardware store and a bit of leftover exterior house paint can be used to seal it all up. It's not as robust as proper fibreglass, but is much cheaper and can be an "easy" (though sometimes messy) way of making a more interesting / devious / easier to hide container.

If I wanted to do this, here's how I would implement it. Have the cache container in an outer container, have a combination padlock on the cache container. The cache container can have the TB public reference number on it (for anybody reading this who doesn't already know, a TB like the WISA Wooden Satellite has a code which starts with TB - it's TB9GB8G which most cachers would recognise as a TB reference code). When a cacher goes to the TB page, it has a description on there about whatever details the TB has, and a message along the lines of "if you're trying to open something, try 1234" (or whatever the combination is). No need for the cacher to log the TB, they get the code from the TB page to open the lock - though I assume most would. Personally, I'd mark a cache like this as a gadget cache (even though it really isn't) because technically a tool is required - something with internet access. As cerberus1 noted, many cachers use something other than a smartphone and doing it this way would force them to do two visits. Noting "this cache requires internet access" will help those who read descriptions, and marking it as a gadget cache will help a few who don't read descriptions to check it out. You'll still get some who are disappointed due to not reading the information before you get there, and you'll also get a few disappointed to find the cache isn't a "real" gadget cache - but you can't please everybody. Also, I wouldn't use a TB like this because it kind of feels like ALR (Additional Logging Requirements). If it was a Regular or Large cache, I'd put the code in a small / nano container a bit further away - with the options being make where the code is stage 1 of a multi, or have instructions on how to find at the container. I did this with my multi Return of Bee Hide (a small pre-form tube holds the details, the cache is a 3L/1gallon tupperware).

Ooh, that's a good point! And it would only take an intern a few minutes to do - just need to add a sentence to the description. No need to edit tables or databases, or change the website layout. Simple change, small effort but a big improvement.

Sweet! They look great and that was a pretty decent turn around time.

I'm with colleda, pretty much for the reasons Goldenwattle listed. On my caches, I'll list the size as the available space for the log, swaps, TB's etc (or lack thereof), and allude to, describe or drop hints about the camouflage - depending on the circumstances. It needs to be somewhat situation specific (a magnetic nano on a dumpster wouldn't count the dumpster as camo), but in Kæmel's examples, the cache itself is the bison tube - the outer camouflage is just the thing hiding it. In the case of the concrete bear, a hint like "I like honey" or "look out for Pooh" may be enough of a hint so that when searchers see the bear, they'll know they're on the right track. Adjust the hint(s) as needed to make the rating harder or easier as desired.

I think it's a cool idea, and worth trying (if the cost of a TB and a minifig aren't a big deal for you). The correct way to think of a TB is like buying a lottery ticket - we always hope our TB will be the one to travel around the world, get lots of logs and have some brilliant photos attached! But the most common result is for them to go missing quite quickly. On the plus side, your idea has a nice plot twist - Stormtroopers are clones. One way of keeping your costs down is instead of buying one new minifig, you can go somewhere like Bricklink and pick up a job lot of 5, 10 or more in one go. If you use a proxy tag instead of the actual TB (maybe just engrave the code onto a bit of metal) then when Stormtrooper #1 goes MIA, you can then go "Chapter 2" and send out Stormtrooper #2. I think our idea is good enough to steal, except that I'll need to come up with another theme as there aren't too many filming locations in Australia and with the current international travel restrictions, TB's aren't moving internationally as much as they used to. Good luck with your TB, if you do it, share the link here for your story.

Dang, always sucks when a TB goes MIA. Some people will leave a missing TB as gone, either as that is the current end to its story or in the hopes that it turns up again someday. We all celebrate when a story comes out of a TB that had gone missing turning up again after several years. Another option is to create a proxy. You still have the tracking code on the TB's page, so it's just a matter of embedding that code on something and setting it off on a new journey. Proxies aren't for everyone, but it's an option.

For the basic dog-tag style TB, it's much of sameness. There's enough of them floating around that I feel the ones that go missing are more likely to be due to accident or misadventure rather than malice. But anything fancy, limited or otherwise "shiny"... too many people who keep them (whether they know better or not). The easiest way to make a rugged, cheap proxy is to buy or find someone with one of those metal letter and number stamp kits. Stamping the code onto a bit of scrap aluminium only takes a few minutes and it can be in water, snow, sand and lots of other places and last for years. But where possible, I try and make them a little bit nicer.

Awesome! I'd love to be able to afford this, though I keep wasting my savings on silly things like bills, fuel and food. Bad habit, I know. Fingers crossed they travel far.

Welcome to the hobby! My personal preference is to send out TB's as a proxy. A proxy is where the original TB is kept at home, but the tracking code is copied onto some other thing. My preference is to etch it onto aluminium, though it can be as easy as a laminated bit of paper or hand scribing onto a bit of wood or something more elaborate. The key is to try to make it as durable as possible, without spending a lot of money. A quick and easy option that is quite durable is to stamp metal. Since 99% of TB's eventually go missing (some make it home, some travel for years but don't return to the owner), sending out proxies means that when it goes awol, a new proxy can be sent out. Proxies are less of an advantage for the standard TB tag, though they are almost a must-have for GeoCoins and more expensive, rare or highly sought after trackables.

Oh wow - winners, plural! I think that's brilliant, and very generous of you. Thank you for putting on this contest, I know it made me pay more attention to the cup than I ever have before.

Current feedback indicates that the Mod Podge in our Australian heat tends to become a bit tacky, in caches that get direct sunlight. It's currently "winter" here at the north of the country (closer to the equator) and the average daytime temperature is around 30°C (about 86°F). Though I'm not fully convinced if it is the Mod Podge itself or the sealer that I used. Based on this I won't be using the above exact process for my future TB's. There is a variant of Mod Podge specifically for outdoor use but I think I'll be going with non-water based glue / sealer for future projects.

It's also appropriate to buy GeoCoins that are fancy, expensive, limited edition or that you simply like and keep the GeoCoin in your display cabinet or shelf at home - but put the tracking code on something else. These are called proxies, and can be as simple as a laminated bit of paper, making custom wooden GeoCoins or engraving onto a bit of aluminium. This gives you the benefit of having a nice coin you can keep and display, while still being able to have a tracking code you can "put to work" and send out into the world. The caveat being that there are many geocachers who turn their nose up at proxies and won't move or log them (I've even seen comments by some claiming they'd throw them in the trash when they find them), but there are also many "geocachers" who will happily keep a coin - be it fancy or a cheap, common one. Such are the winds of fate when it comes to coins. Though for me, I really like trying new ways to make proxies for less than the cost of a basic TB - about $9 for me in Australia, around $5 in the US (not counting sales). So when my proxies go missing, I just see it as an opportunity to build a new one and send it out again for another round.

Congratulations to the winner! Have they opted for a "protect my name" option like lottery winners do, or can you say yet who the lucky recipient is? Sidenote: in retrospect, I think my original plan of "back a team nobody else is backing" was a poor choice. Should have gone with "pick the team most people are backing" since people who actually know about the game have a better idea of which team is likely to perform better!

What on earth eats soap???

I agree with that, only Found logs reset the timer. If there was a particularly difficult Puzzle cache that was last Found in 2016 but had received yearly visits from the CO to make sure it was still good, I'd consider that un-found for five years.

I think the best use of Lego in caches seems to be decorative. I've seen photos of various caches where the container was divided into a few sections, with a section for the log book, a section for swaps / trackables and then a sealed section with acrylic / plexiglass / glass protecting some elements that are there for display only. Those look good, and "should" last longer with less maintenance. I feel that a container made of Lego, with a gadget element using Lego parts would be a great concept, but there are enough poor-impulse-control people involved in caching that would spoil or damage the cache. But in concept, I love the idea!

My initial thought was that the person had previously found some caches but had not logged them yet. When they logged them, they included the TB's in their inventory at the time of making the log, but the software does not run a check to see if a cache log is being backdated to before the TB was bought (an unnecessary action). I concur, deleting "impossible" logs would be fine, as a finder would need to do some rather amazing mental gymnastics to justify those logs. It'll be interesting to see what they say, if they respond.

You use your Google account to log in to the forum? The only thing I can think of (and I might be wrong) is if you go in to the change password page on the account settings it may let you set up your account password. Though it may throw up an error if you don't have a current password to enter in the first box. Wheigo will use Bhionsant as your username, and whatever password you use to log in to the website and forums. You may need to get Help Desk to alter your account and assign you an initial password for you to change if the above link doesn't work for you. Edit: you could also try the "forgot password?" link when logging in to the forum, that may work (or not).

Yes, as far as I know. It's meant to run until December. There's a discussion reporting the bug, hopefully the filter is available again soon.

I gotta admit, I was scrolling down and only saw the top of the image and thought "that's just a pic of a barber's pole!" Nicely built, I like it.

The filter normally appears on the map, but currently isn't showing. Keep an eye on the bug report discussion you mentioned and it should be back in a day or two - if not sooner.