swizzle

This is a rock cache I constructed, one in a series of experiments. I quite like it, though I worry it's too delicate and light. It's constructed from a 3" inch round plastic container with screw on lid, reinforced with a rubber gasket, and then camouflaged with a 5" x 5" Styrofoam cube. I cut off the corners and made irregular chops into the cube, then glued pieces back on to give a more natural shape. After priming the whole cache with a flat black, I applied a coat of Krylon's Make It Stone. I followed that up with a heavy duty matte acryllic sealer to protect the paint job from the elements. The log book is a 4.5" x 3.25" composition book cut in half (band saw or hobby saw) and reinforced with duct tape. 160 pages, with room for eight signatures per page, though I'm hoping people will feel encouraged to fill the whole page with a note or a quote. Instructions on constructing a mini-pen can be found here. That rock came out pretty good. I had one that I made out of a beach washed piece of dock foam . It was about 2 foot round. I spent a lot of time cutting out the cavity for a 30cal and painted and repainted it about 10 times. I placed it round about fall and by spring it was busted up into a bunch of different pieces and the paint was rubbing off. I think I did a few things wrong. Number 1. Using old foam, 2 not sealing the paint like you did and number 3 using an oversized piece to hide a 30 cal. If I had a smaller cacher and sealed it then maybe it'd look as good as yours does and actually lasted a while. I still have to check out that instructable on a mini pen. That looks cool. I was cutting the notebooks down myself but with so many different geologs on the web I just print out my own now. I just make sure there's enough room for 100 or so signatures (around here about 2 years worth of signatures). I'd rather have them put a signature on the paper and log their experience online. Ever try to write a nice log in a notebook in a cloud of mosquito's? Nice work. Swizzle

I just wanted to get this posted before the brewha takes over my keyboard. This is my geomural on a 50cal. ammo can. I know not the best looking thing in the world but I think its better then just finding another ammo can in the woods. Not that there's anything wrong with ammo cans. I just feel that more people should try something different with their hides. This one is going to a woodcarving place where they specialize in bears and fish and birds and well... a whole lot of stuff can be carved out of wood with a chainsaw. I hope you like the pics and better yet I hope it helps you to see the side of an ammo can as a blank page just begging for some kind of artistic expression. Swizzle

As someone thoroughly uncreative I wanted to thank you for this post. I have bookmarked it and will be referencing it in the very near future. Awesome. Your more then welcome. I'm gonna start work on an ammo can mural tonight that I should be placing this weekend. I'll definately post pics before I place it. Swizzle

I think that's the best idea I've heard yet. I've got to try it. I just hope my printer can do the coins justice. I think the toughest part would be getting the print and the washer sizes to match. I wouldn't really care if they were a little bigger or smaller then the original. That's definately a cool idea. You could also make your own geocoins like that and keep the original. Make a few copies just in case someone does steal the first copy. I like it. Swizzle

I keep think that little girl looks so life like. Yeah I found that one. The log is in her sandle. Swizzle

I suppose I could also take a pic of both sides and have a seperate folder just for geocoins on my computer. I like the idea of a 3-d piece a little better. Top priority for me would be how to duplicate it without damaging it. I probably should have posted this in the geocoin forum. Sorry about that. Swizzle

I was just wondering if it is possible to duplicate a geocoin. I'm not talking about making my own for sending around the world. I'm talking about making copies to keep. I love the unique designs on a lot of geocoins that I've found. I know I'd love to keep each one but I know how much it would suck to have someone keep your personal coins that are meant for travel. Would it be kosher to make an obvious copy of a geocoin for a collection? Maybe a rubbing on a piece of paper would be more approperiate? Or a reverse impression in plaster of paris? Just something for a scrapbook. Any other thoughts or suggestions? I almost think if it was easy to make a decent replica of geocoins that a lot of them might find their way back into circulation. Swizzle

I always love the fake logs. I have a hollowed out branch in my Edinburg Park Multi. There's a spoiler pic if anyone want's to check it out. Swizzle

I just finished the last of a jar of peanut butter, (made a sandwich for my dog ) I then started to clean it out. Its a cheap save a lot brand, planners? I filled it half full of water and dish soap and gave it a couple quick shakes to give it kind of a pre-rinse. As I was shaking it the water was dripping out from the top. I was going to do an outdoor test complete with pics and such but if it can't hold water in to start with then its not going to keep water out. Should I try a different type of peanut butter or would that automotive gasket stuff work to help seal it? As far as the fusion paints go, they work good but please take course sandpaper to the plastic and wipe it off good before you paint it. I've had better luck with course grain sandpaper then I have with the steel wool. It gives the container a nice rough look. It will start to flake off in a month if you don't. So far everything I've sanded and then painted has turned out just fine. I'll have to look for the dole peaches just to see how they work compared to the peanut butter jars. Maybe this should be another catagory but what have you used for gasket materials in low end conatiners that don't have one? I've used plastic shopping bags and they might not be perfect but it does seem to work. I also saw some foam sticker material at the dollar store. Maybe these would work. I'll have to give it a good try. Swizzle

I'm in a similar situation right now. Nature has taken some land back out near me on a public road that is no longer being maintained and sports two bridges that have been destroyed. I've found out it's okay to walk the entire distance of the public road, but I want to get the okay from the landowners on both sides of the road before I do it...just because I don't want them to come out shouting about it being their road when it's not. If its a public road then you shouldn't have to notify anyone about your cache unless the pull off for it is onto their property. If it is then I would assume that the pull off is on one side of the road. Just gain the permission from that particular person. If its not on either side of the road then I'd just place the cache and if anyone has a problem they'll e-mail you or post it in a log. If that's the case you go to the offending land owner and ask to see their "Road Deed". They don't own it but they still might give a little bit of grief about people parking or driving down "their" road. People like this remind my of crayfish. You see them staring out their windows and as soon as you get close to their yard they come out like a raging crawdad, swinging their arms about and want you gone. Once they find out you're not after their pot farm or daughter then most of them will leave you alone. A bit grumpy but they do tend to just go away even if they are a little miffed at first. Swizzle

I've always been in agreement with RK on this issue. However, RK's solution to this problam is much different than what you proposed in your previous posts. His solution requires a front end change to the listing agreement, while yours is just a random cachers assumption regarding property owned by someone else. I like RK's solution myself. Its more formal and legit. You should know right from the start if your cache has been archived for a year and you have not made an effort to retrieve it then it should automatically be turned over. Likewise I think if you archive it as a geocache and say keep it as a navicache it should be posted in your archive note that it is no longer a geocache but a cache for another online scavenger hunt. It should be rather obvious if the cache is still being used. Even if its not being used and the contents are still in good condition then leave it until you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that its definately been abandoned or have permission to remove it from the owner. If the container is still good to go then I think I would leave it and place another cache close by. Far enough away so others aren't stumbling on it but close enough so the CO can't re-activate it without contacting me first and working out some kind of arrangement. I'm sure there's situations of geocachers getting out of caching "for good" only to return a few years later. If that's the case then they need to know that unmaintain caches over an extended period of time can and do get the cito treatment or archived with or without their knowledge. Email addresses can change and without re-registering a new account you might not know about the NM and SBA notes on your caches until its to late. I understand that as a possibilty as well. In most cases if the CO came back and I'm sitting on his old cache spot then a simple email could persuade me to let him have his/her spot back. Depending on the situation I may even let them adopt the cache I already have set or provide them with a new container, stash note, and log. Just add swag and they're good to go. I think 90%+ would be happy that you removed their Geotrash and then worked with them to get their old spot back. I think as part of my negotiating I would tell them if they leave geocaching again for a period of time then let me adopt the cache back. That way its being properly maintained in their absence. I wouldn't make an arrangement like this for a P&G but for a waterfall cache or a nice hike to an overlook I would definately do it. Swizzle

You should do the geocaching symbol (The big G with the X inside it) in light moss and then surround the rest in a patchwork of different, darker mosses. I think that would look really cool. Swizzle

Agreed. That's why I included the humidity percentage caveat. The 0 was an exaggeration, as I don't really know at what average humidity point these things go from simply being a cheapskates container to being one horribly unsuited for the environment. I can only speak personally for those states I have actually cached in. So far, I've determined that they suck in Florida, Georgia & North Carolina. (Yet folks continue to use them... sigh...) At least there's an upside to finding a crappy container; with a few button mashings, I can go find something else, and I'll only be out a few minutes of time. I just bought a new pack of 50 geocache containers from the dollar store for a buck. Swizzle

I've found 2 zippy caches this year. The one was covered in burlap with something to stiffen it and then camo duct tape and folded over like those dry bags you see in the wally world sporting goods section. Seems to be ok but it was a slight bit damp. The second one was a much smaller zippy 2" x 3" with camo tape and magnets. Its location puts it completely out of the elements and it should stay high and dry for a year or 2 maybe a little more. I was thinking about using a breadbag myself. Those wire ties will definately keep all the contents waterproof. You can also use the wire tie to attach it to a tree. I might even fill it full of those gladware sandwich containers. One for the log, one for TB's and geocoins and one for trade items and signature swag. Swizzle

You mean they might not actually be growing pot to ship to cali for glucoma patients? Dang and I thought I was onto something good. Swizzle

I'd like to know which dollar store you got those from. Maybe I can get one of our local dollar stores to order some. Is there any particular name brand of any kind on them? Swizzle

I've thought about this. You would need to build it into the system so a cache owner knows that listing a cache and then abandoning it would result in a "CRM" cache upon archiving. CRM being Cache Rescue Mission where a bonus find is givne to the person who pulls the cache. You would use a CRM when the cache owner doesn't indicate they will pick up the cache. If the owner says "Yup, I'll get it" it's fair to take them at their word. IF they just fade away it can be set up in the TOS that they accepted that if they dissapear for a fair amount of time and don't respond to official emails that after a fair notice that the cache will be converted to a CRM when it's not viable anymore. You can do this in a way that's very favorable to the cache owner but also makes sure that litter is accounted for. Yeah what he said.

Time Limit: Yes I believe there should be a time limit between a cache that has been archived and when someone is allowed to remove it providing that it is indeed geotrash and not crosslisted anywhere's else. Sorry if you disagree but that is indeed the way I feel and I think that should be part of the agreement of placing a cache. There seems to be a bit of a mix up in communication here. Archived for a year, Not found for a year and then archived is not what I am talking about. Before removal is made there must be an honest attempt to contact the owner on any cache site. Is that a little better? Not trying to sound arrogant, just asking. I'm wondering why you find this information to be so important that you want to inconvenience him and risk making him grumpy. If you find a great place for a cache, do some of your own research. Determine whether explicit permission is needed at that location. Scout out the location. Do you see a bunch of muggles that are eyeing you suspiciously? Are you in plain view of any structures who's residents might cause problems? Are there good hide locations? I gave a list of reasons why an archive can be so important and gave my own example of my archived Swizzle Creek cache. I do my own research, look over maps for hours, talk to DEC officals, State officals that have authority over the lake I'll be placing caches on, visit museums and talk to the museum currators, talk to local historians and historical societies, search cemeteries for important figures, use the internet to scan town, city and village history pages, talk to locals, other cachers and do my own foot work hiking to spots that are seemingly in the middle of no where's. Add helpful links to my pages when I feel its neccesary. I've sought after and gain permission several times, gained a special permit for 3 of my caches and I don't run up to the first tree hole I see and throw a cache in it. Most of my caches are specilty caches made for a certain situation. I even painted a picture of the old covered bride on my old covered bridge cache. Archives are just one of the many tools that I use to find locations and to get information from. All of the questions that you are hoping to have answered by reviewing dead cache pages could be answered by YOU and, as some have already pointed out, would not necessarily be answered by an archived cache page. I would not inconvenience a reviewer by asking for information that I can get on my own and that he might not even have access to. That would be rude, in my opinion. I don't believe its true in every case that I can answer all of these questions myself by doing the research without using every tool available. I will contact geocaching directly to answer any more of my archive questions. I hope that's a little more organized and easier to understand now. Any there any more questions that I forgot to answer for you? These are all just my opinion so please keep that in mind. Some people can fix a car with a hammer. I prefer to have my whole tool box set and ready to go. Swizzle

Bears are allergic to peanuts?!? Poor Pooh I had no idea? Swizzle Pooh was into Hunny, remember? That's only because peanut butter made him sick. Swizzle

I could PM you the names but I'm not looking to get anyone fired or in trouble unless you think there's is something more going on there. I'll be talking to a DEC officer or 2 in the next couple days. I have to look at a map or 4 and talk a bit about the types of caches I'll be placing as well as finding out more about the adopt a natural resource program. I'll bring it up then. I just think its strange that the guy tells me its state land and anyone can go there and then encountering the sign. When I asked him about it he said that it was to keep vehicles out of there and he's not sure why THAT sign is there. I asked him "Well isn't that what the gates for?" maybe someone put up the wrong sign? After going on the DEC site and looking for state land around the lake I was suprized to see that "state land" isn't listed as state land on their mapping program. Another thing is that the state owns all of the land around the lake. They just lease it to permit holders. There's spots around the lake that are accessible to the general public but they aren'y highlighted as state land. Which I think it should be even if you need a boat to access it. The area that I was told about 500 feet up the road from the office has state land across the road all the way to the main road but all of the signs are ripped down. The whole thing just seems a little odd I guess. I'm probably making a big to do over nothing but I will keep pushing until that sign is removed or changed in some way that says that it is accessible to all. Swizzle

You should put a little toad on top of those and tell them that they are looking for a toad stool. Swizzle

I'd like to see step by step instruction on the locks guts and what makes it work. That is cool as HEL....uh Heck. Was the bear mad because he didn't find stage 2? Swizzle

Careful there. First off who gets to decide when my cache stops being mine and is suddenly free for the taking. That property isn't abandoned, it's cached. Second of all the archived Geocaching.com listing just may be listed elsewhere. You better be sure about what you are taking before you take it.Well that should be obvious when you pick it up and there's a stash note for another site. "There should be a stash note right?" If its a navicache or something else then the logbook should easily reveal the last person that found it. If the last find was over a year ago and it looks like a geocache then I personally wouldn't have any problems removing it myself. ...Many of us own geocaches that haven't been found in over a year. Many own caches that are listed on more than one site. Many of these cache owners eventually archive their caches on one site, but leave them available on another. Therefore, it is certainly possible that one could locate a cache that is archived on GC.com, has a 'geocaching' stash note, and has a logbook that hasn't been signed in over a year. The bottom line is this. The cache owner owns the box. The permission to place that box in the woods was not contingent on the cache being listed on GC.com. If we are serious about the fact that we actually own the caches that we place, we must also be serious about not removing these items that are owned by someone else unless we are absolutely positively sure that it IS abandoned. The examples that you gave do not provide this level of surety. I'm wondering why you find this information to be so important that you want to inconvenience him and risk making him grumpy. If you find a great place for a cache, do some of your own research. Determine whether explicit permission is needed at that location. Scout out the location. Do you see a bunch of muggles that are eyeing you suspiciously? Are you in plain view of any structures who's residents might cause problems? Are there good hide locations? All of the questions that you are hoping to have answered by reviewing dead cache pages could be answered by YOU and, as some have already pointed out, would not necessarily be answered by an archived cache page. I would not inconvenience a reviewer by asking for information that I can get on my own and that he might not even have access to. That would be rude, in my opinion. I re-read the thread about not getting our archives back and it mentions that I can also contact geocaching directly instead of bugging the reviewer. I'll be going that route instead. So we should let our archives rot in the woods without at least trying to contact the CO? To me it makes no sence at all to not use the archives as a part of your research if possible. Like I said before anyone can put a piece of paper in a film can, hide it in the woods and post the coords online. Look at a few of my active caches. I add a decent background, I research the areas myself, online as well as in the field, I research the archives, I've used museum links, historical societies, history markers and more to research. I was going to place another cache yesterday but I was unhappy with the container so I'll be making something special for that location. I try to look at every possible aspect of the cache not just where I can stick a cache and rush home to publish it. If a cache does indeed look like it may still be usable, prehaps a soggy but still signable log then I'll try my best to contact the owner before removing geo"trash". I know I won't get all of the answers from an archived cache page but there's always the possibilty that it does hold some info that I can use. As far as scouting out the place myself goes. I went and placed a cache and enjoyed a few hours next to a nice section of the creek. Later on I got emails and logs about nasty redneck muggles. Look for my archived "Swizzle Creek" cache. If you don't live there then you'll never see all of the good and bad of an area. My archives could warn the next person to place their cache further down the creek and avoid a bad situation. Even potentially dangerous. One of the cachers actually felt threatened and called the police. If this can be avoided by reading an archived cache page then why not use it. I really don't see the point in your arguement at all. As far as removing a cache then yes. I will make absolutely sure a cache is abandoned on every sight I know. I'll even wait until the thing is a rotten pile of mush if it makes everyone happier. But geotrash should be removed if not by the CO who abandoned it then by another cacher who wants to help maintain a good name for cachers everywhere. Swizzle