Extracting 35mm Containers

July 10, 2004

I've noticed more 35mm micro containers being put in places my hands will not fit. So far I've used the scrape the hands raw method, the drag it out with a stick method, and the give up and go home method. I've found my leatherman doesn't open wide enough to grip a 35mm and it often won't fit in very small open spaces either. I was curious how others are handling these type caches. Is there a special tool you carry for just such situations?

July 10, 2004

no, sorry...

at least the cachers in my area have a string attached so that you can pull out the cache from the small pipe...

maybe that would make a nice little requirement. make it so that you have to be able to see it AND reach it AND touch it AND move it without using a shotgun.

Edited July 10, 2004 by artbegotti

2.3k · July 10, 2004

A very thin, flat piece of metal, with the tip of one end bent up, would work great in that situation...you could sneak it under the 35 mm canister, and the small bent edge would help in retrieval...I am sure you could pick something up at a local hardware store for under a buck...

4.8k · July 10, 2004

I came across a few of those in Cacheville (Nashville). I have small hands and arms so I could get them. I still got sctrached a few times though and remember commenting more than once that anyone much larger (and I am pretty small) would have problems. My guess is that the cache placer in those circumstances was also small and just didn't think? Or maybe they felt like being evil? I don't know....

Edit: Good suggestion 360.

Edited July 10, 2004 by carleenp

July 10, 2004

Tweezers often do the trick, but even with them you sometimes have to pull one edge a little, then the other, and repeat.

July 10, 2004

how bout really long, but skinny chopsticks? i mean, once you have enough practice with them, you just go in, pluck it out...

sorry, the idea sounded like twenty times better when i first had it.

July 10, 2004

Go somewhere where they still sell toy guns with rubber stopper "bullets". Moisten the bullet tip and press to container. Works like a charm.

July 10, 2004

like suction darts? those might work...

July 10, 2004

like suction darts? those might work...

uh yeah. Suction darts. Shoulda figured those rascals had a name!

1.8k · July 10, 2004

chewing gum on a stick?

July 10, 2004

hm... the gum i use has no stickiness to it... it usually falls off the stick.

July 10, 2004

A very thin, flat piece of metal, with the tip of one end bent up, would work great in that situation...you could sneak it under the 35 mm canister, and the small bent edge would help in retrieval...I am sure you could pick something up at a local hardware store for under a buck...

I've done this with an old hacksaw blade.

July 10, 2004

Duct tape

July 10, 2004

To extend on GeoSharks and Team 360 idea of using a metal strip...use an old metal hangar. Hook is already there. Squeeze the shoulders together to extend the reach.

5.3k · July 10, 2004

This is not the same problem, but I have come accross this one, You find a micro on a pole etc. that must have been placed there by someone over 6 feet tall, that placed it as far up the pole as they could have reached. For cachers that are under 6 feet tall, this is a problem. In the past I have been able to knock them down with stick or a walking stick when I carry them. Then I send the cacher a note letting them know it is not as they placed it. I figure, it's no my problem once I get it down.

Edited July 10, 2004 by JohnnyVegas

July 10, 2004

That sticky-tack stuff works a bit better than chewing gum. Just knead it a bit and the stickiness comes back. I usually have a small blob wrapped in some wax paper in pack for just this reason.

July 10, 2004

For those in a short piece of pipe or hole, roll up a piece of paper (cache page printout) to make a tube, slide the tube over the cache and gently tighten the paper, slowly extract the container and claim the cache.

MC

20.7k · July 10, 2004

I'm amazed that no one suggested the original multi-tool ... a wire coat hanger.

July 10, 2004

Depending on the hole the canister is in, you may be able to fill it with water and let it float up. (just hope it truly is waterproof).

3.9k · July 10, 2004

Ask Squealy, he just stabs the top of it with his knife then replaces it with a new one.

1.2k · July 10, 2004

chewing gum on a stick?

Noooooooo!!!!!

One of my caches was ruined by chewing gum (and tree sap) on a stick!!!!

Ed

7.2k · July 10, 2004

In the past I have been able to knock them down with stick or a walking stick when I carry them. Then I send the cacher a note letting them know it is not as they placed it. I figure, it's no my problem once I get it down.

Couldn't you just slide it back up with the same said stick?

I always thought if you know you couldn't replace the cache as you've found or better, then you shouldn't go after it. Just MHO, but when you leave, the cache should be ready for the next cacher, if at all posible.

July 10, 2004

i heard about one like that once... and it was right outside a radio station... the people in the station knew about it, and they just so happened to have a button that activates an outside speaker...

July 10, 2004

One cache I found locally was a 35mm micro that had a tendency to fall too far back in its hiding place. Apparently abandoned cooking tongs found in the area by a cacher have now become the 'official' cache retrieval tool. They sit by the hiding place ready for everyone to use.

5.3k · July 10, 2004

In the past I have been able to knock them down with stick or a walking stick when I carry them. Then I send the cacher a note letting them know it is not as they placed it. I figure, it's no my problem once I get it down.

Couldn't you just slide it back up with the same said stick?

I always thought if you know you couldn't replace the cache as you've found or better, then you shouldn't go after it. Just MHO, but when you leave, the cache should be ready for the next cacher, if at all posible.

THe last one was in a peice of channel iron around 7 feet in the air, the person who placed the cache should mention that the cache may be hard for shorter people to reach. This cache was 2 hours from my home, I am not going back to get a ladder. It's not my problem if I cannot put it back. Taller cachers should keep in mind that short people are limited in their reach.

7.2k · July 10, 2004

It's not my problem if I cannot put it back.

See, this is what I have a problem with. This is pretty much the same as "it's not my problem is was raining and water got in the cache" or "it's not my problem that a bunch of 14 year old male muggles were watching me retrieve and return the cache."

I think it rude to not return the cache. It's like drinking milk straight from the container or not flushing the toilet. ~sheesh~ Leave it so others can find like it was supposed to be found.

July 10, 2004

I'll revert back to my farm days: duct tape, bailing wire, and/or bubble gum. You can solve many problems with some combination of the above. Since I've moved on to being an laser engineer I now also use double sticky tape, but only suggest this for the most advanced of improvisers.

Edited July 10, 2004 by Laserman

July 11, 2004

I personally think that the cache owner should put thought into the accessibility of the cache for all people. Clever hides don't necessarily mean you should have to bring a tool along, there are many, many cachers that cache primarily to spend time with their family outdoors, and don't carry a bat-belt full of gum, clothes hangers, tape, sticks, knives, throwing stars, etc, etc. They just want to enjoy a little cache action in a park along with their regular activities.

9.2k · July 11, 2004

I'm amazed that no one suggested the original multi-tool ... a wire coat hanger.

July 11, 2004

A good tool to carry in your geocaching gear bag is a set of those wooden tongs that the novelty stores offer (they are marketed for removing slices of toast from the toaster) work very well. If you're handy with wood you can make a set with any length of "grabbers" you'd like.

5.3k · July 12, 2004

It's not my problem if I cannot put it back.

See, this is what I have a problem with. This is pretty much the same as "it's not my problem is was raining and water got in the cache" or "it's not my problem that a bunch of 14 year old male muggles were watching me retrieve and return the cache."

I think it rude to not return the cache. It's like drinking milk straight from the container or not flushing the toilet. ~sheesh~ Leave it so others can find like it was supposed to be found.

Well I think it is Rude to hide a cache 7 feet in the air and not mention that short cachers may have trouble with it, I have plenty of caches of my own hidden and none of them require a ladder to retrieve them. Any one who places a cache out of reach for shorter cachers without "Mentioning it" don't go crying about your cache not being put back as you found it. Like I said it's not my problem, it just using ones brain when placing a cache. I am going to drive two hours and not be able to log a cache because the owner of thecache did not think about the placement of the cache.

July 12, 2004

It's not my problem if I cannot put it back.

See, this is what I have a problem with. This is pretty much the same as "it's not my problem is was raining and water got in the cache" or "it's not my problem that a bunch of 14 year old male muggles were watching me retrieve and return the cache."

I think it rude to not return the cache. It's like drinking milk straight from the container or not flushing the toilet. ~sheesh~ Leave it so others can find like it was supposed to be found.

Well I think it is Rude to hide a cache 7 feet in the air and not mention that short cachers may have trouble with it, I have plenty of caches of my own hidden and none of them require a ladder to retrieve them. Any one who places a cache out of reach for shorter cachers without "Mentioning it" don't go crying about your cache not being put back as you found it. Like I said it's not my problem, it just using ones brain when placing a cache. I am going to drive two hours and not be able to log a cache because the owner of thecache did not think about the placement of the cache.

Hi all....

Pardon my interjecting here, as a noobie and all.... but while I can see the concern of making a chache "accesible" for folks, where do you draw the line? Just for shorter folks? Or do we have to consider putting caches in places that are all wheelchair accesible? Or how about not putting caches in dark holes (for those who have the phobia of sticking their philanges into dark holes)? We did a chache yesterday that I almost didn;t do because it was WAAAAAAY down inside a dead tree....had to go in up to my armpit......spiderwebs galore in there....YUCK! Or how about putting chaces in places where spiders can't build their webs nearby??? Or how about placing caches in easy to find locations so that those who dont like searching very long can find it easily?? How about caches that are in muddy areas.....there are folks who woul like to cache but dont like walking in mud.....shoudl we make it so that no cache is in a muddy area?? I know, absurd....but where is the line?

Yesterday my 5 year old (certainly, a height impaired person) and I did a cache that was placed in a spot where it was very slippery and on the edge of a small ledge.....He slipped off and fell, taking quite a tumble (He's ok, thank God).....Well, I guess I could say "That cache owner needs to make his cache more accesible for 5 year olds...." ...after all, this IS a game, and who likes games more than 5 year olds, right?? But in the end, it was my responsibility for him being there, and for him getting the cache and for getting it back into the spot, which was dangerous even for me...but we chose to do it....we knew the risk. We decided not to abandon this cache and risked our keisters to get it.

In my opinion, where the cache is is where the cache is....if you take it out of that spot it is your responsibility to put it back exactly like you found it or even better...don't take it out of that spot if you don't think you can put it back.....and if you can get it, you can, with some ingenuity, put it back....It's not fair for short folks to complain about "high" caches, in-as-much as it is unfair for me, at 6'4", to complain about caches hidden in areas where you have to walk a half-mile stooped over due to overgrowth (we did one of those yesterday too....back still hurts...Tyler was at a distinct advantage... )

From what I can tell, as a noobie, part of the game is rehiding the cache where it was so that the next person can enjoy getting it...IMHO, I am learning that I have to be prepared for different situations that a given cache can be in, or simply not retrieve it.

But I will certainly agree that the cache description shoudl have an area that describes the potential issues...but maybe encrypted so as not to spoil it for all.....afterall, if it says "cache is 15 feet up a lampost", it kind of gives it away , doesnt it?

It turns out that the hint for yesterdays cache even mentioned the precariousness of the hide....and Tyler STILL took a tumble..... Some of us never learn....

Just my two cents.....like I said, I am a noobie with only 20 finds to my name, so I dont have a lot of experience....but as a noobie, I think my perspective is fresh enough to see the honest situation.....

shadango

38.2k · July 12, 2004

THe last one was in a peice of channel iron around 7 feet in the air, the person who placed the cache should mention that the cache may be hard for shorter people to reach. This cache was 2 hours from my home, I am not going back to get a ladder. It's not my problem if I cannot put it back. Taller cachers should keep in mind that short people are limited in their reach.

If you can't put it back the way you found it, then don't retreive it. It may not be your problem if you don't put it back the way you found it, but it becomes the owner's problem and to screw an owner over and force him out for a maint visit because you're too lazy to replace the cache the way you found it is just plain rude.

5.3k · July 12, 2004

I have seen lots of caches in which the cache owner will list things like, Not for the verticly challenged, Bring a step ladder, This cache will be a reach, etc. What I am tring to get accross is that if you hide a cache think about letting someone know ahead of time what they may be getting into so that they can plan ahead.

The hieght issue is not the only problem, how about caches that are hiddin in parks that

#1 require a fee to enter so people know to bring dollar bills (around here you self pay and the park districts do not want checks left in the envelopes)

#2 The gate is locked from 5pm too 8am (I drove to a park I had not been to and found they were going to lock the gate at 5pm and I got there at 4:30 pm) There was no parking outside the park for about 5 miles. This park was a 90 minute drive from home.(There were no hours listed and no mention of being in a park)

#3 Caches hidden in school yards, Let people know it is a school yard, most cachers will mention that you should only go after 3pm or on weekends. Single males attract attention in school yards these days. We had one here that was on the grounds of a private school for girls ages 6 to 12, The area was locked down when the school was not open. After about 2 weeks the approver had it archived.

The person who hid it was an idiot and would not respond to any e-mails re permission to place tha cache in a private school. If I go to find a cache and it is in school yard and I am there while school is in sesson, I just drive past it and will not stop.

When hidding a cache, keep in mind that some people may driver several hours to find a cache,

And as far as mainting a cache, if you do not want the problems of maintaning a cache, limit as many maintance problems as you can when you hide it.

I sent an e-mail to a cacher re a cache he had that needed help, the container was broken. I got an e-mail last neight asking if I would take over the cache, he and his son set the cache up on a lark expecting it to get plundered or lost in short order, it is not very well hidden. He has moved out of the area and does not want to deal with maintaining the cache. And, no I am not going to take it over.

Edited July 12, 2004 by JohnnyVegas

1.8k · July 12, 2004

Unless the film cannister is located in the place where 'Fusilli Jerry' ended up, just use a knife blade and 'fish' it out. Wear gloves and use any tool available to you. There is always something laying on the ground that makes a good tool.

July 12, 2004

I personally think that the cache owner should put thought into the accessibility of the cache for all people. Clever hides don't necessarily mean you should have to bring a tool along, there are many, many cachers that cache primarily to spend time with their family outdoors, and don't carry a bat-belt full of gum, clothes hangers, tape, sticks, knives, throwing stars, etc, etc. They just want to enjoy a little cache action in a park along with their regular activities.

We wear our utility belts.... just go Caching with us!!!

PatMan and Boy Wonder

:unsure:

7.2k · July 12, 2004

For the height-challenged issue guess I should feel fortunate that I cache with a partner who I can hoist over my head.

Also, I don't recall ever complaining because we weren't prepared.

2.5k · July 12, 2004

I came across a few of those in Cacheville (Nashville). I have small hands and arms so I could get them. I still got sctrached a few times though and remember commenting more than once that anyone much larger (and I am pretty small) would have problems. My guess is that the cache placer in those circumstances was also small and just didn't think? Or maybe they felt like being evil? I don't know....

Edit: Good suggestion 360.

I can tell you right now, if you found them in Cacheville, there's a really good chance they were being evil.

July 12, 2004

I've noticed more 35mm micro containers being put in places my hands will not fit. So far I've used the scrape the hands raw method, the drag it out with a stick method, and the give up and go home method. I've found my leatherman doesn't open wide enough to grip a 35mm and it often won't fit in very small open spaces either. I was curious how others are handling these type caches. Is there a special tool you carry for just such situations?

I use a 12 inch long needle-nosed "hose pliers" - they have a semicircle bent up at an angle on the tip and it is designed to grip and handle automotive radiator and heater hoses.

Harbor Freight sells them for about $12.95 for a set of 3 - small, medium, large.

They will grip an object without having to spread the jaws too wide, and they grab *around* it rather than just at two points, so you have less risk of actually pressing the container deeper into the hidey-hole.

But the containers I've seen in a really hard to reach spot so far have a length of wire, nylon tie, or similar protruding "tail" to grip it by.

"Bush's Field of Dreams", a multi-cache in Midland, TX uses this technique (about 6 inches of wire protruding from the lid) to extract it. But it's bigger than a film canister - about 6x the internal volume, and has a screw-top lid.

I have a micro ready to hide that has a tiny rare earth magnet - incredibly strong - epoxied in the lid. Just poke any ferrous metal object in there and it will jump out of the hiding place. Of course you'll need a finger or a nonmetallic object to push the thing back in when done. Deciding whether to use that or a different cache with a nylon cable tie for retrieval (and use the magnetic one for a different hide entirely).

July 15, 2004

I have thought about adding some BBQ tongs to my caching gear. Recently, I have encountered 3 35mm tubes that my big hands could not reach. Someone told me about x-large tweezers that snake handlers use, the :unsure: y sound like the ticket!!

July 16, 2004

I came across a few of those in Cacheville (Nashville). I have small hands and arms so I could get them. I still got sctrached a few times though and remember commenting more than once that anyone much larger (and I am pretty small) would have problems. My guess is that the cache placer in those circumstances was also small and just didn't think? Or maybe they felt like being evil? I don't know....

Edit: Good suggestion 360.

I can tell you right now, if you found them in Cacheville, there's a really good chance they were being evil.

fly46, reference your comments about the "meanness" of Nashville cachers: I just checked your find log and see that only 6 of your 157 caches were not found during the GWII weekend. I suspect you do not know the cache placers you're accusing and do not know the local caching scene enough to make that judgement. Why don't you come out and find some of our really tough caches, then make up your mind about which ones of us are really mean?

6.5k · July 16, 2004

I always carry a few latex gloves from my kitchen for the yukky spots. There is usually some duct tape in my car too. Those XL twezers sound nifty. May have to look into that addition to the cache bag. The flat piece of metal too, but not a saw blade. Too great a chance of gripping down in the wrong spot.

And on the other topic attempting to derail this thread-if you know you can't put it back the way you found it then just leave it there. I don't care if you drove all day just to get to one cache. Not leaving a cache the way you found it so the next seeker can have the same experience is just plain RUDE.

of course so is shouting in the forums....

edit PS-and I never saw a mean 35mm in Nashville on either visit. Some other containers were a challange, but not those.

Edited July 16, 2004 by wimseyguy

3k · July 16, 2004

a good stick and some Chiclets, or tape, or beeswax, or tree sap, or rubber cement, or some other sticky material?

1.8k · July 16, 2004

THe last one was in a peice of channel iron around 7 feet in the air, the person who placed the cache should mention that the cache may be hard for shorter people to reach. This cache was 2 hours from my home, I am not going back to get a ladder. It's not my problem if I cannot put it back. Taller cachers should keep in mind that short people are limited in their reach.

I think you should reconsider this one. True, cache owner should leave helps and hints, but if you're cachin' on HIS hide, it IS your problem. And, isn't accessibility a built-in part of this game? Should the rotund cacher demand waist-high caches? Cache near here gets lots of dnf's - because people just don't like reachin' in that hole. Part of the game!!!!!!!!!!

2.5k · July 16, 2004

I came across a few of those in Cacheville (Nashville). I have small hands and arms so I could get them. I still got sctrached a few times though and remember commenting more than once that anyone much larger (and I am pretty small) would have problems. My guess is that the cache placer in those circumstances was also small and just didn't think? Or maybe they felt like being evil? I don't know....

Edit: Good suggestion 360.

I can tell you right now, if you found them in Cacheville, there's a really good chance they were being evil.

fly46, reference your comments about the "meanness" of Nashville cachers: I just checked your find log and see that only 6 of your 157 caches were not found during the GWII weekend. I suspect you do not know the cache placers you're accusing and do not know the local caching scene enough to make that judgement. Why don't you come out and find some of our really tough caches, then make up your mind about which ones of us are really mean?

Hmm.. Let's see... I was caching with Southpaw, top in the Middle Tennessee Cachers, is he not, and Serenity Now, who were on their second trip to N'Ville.. The general consensus was that N'ville hiders have a few that are "mean" hides... Southpaw took us out to a few of his meaner hides personally, and there was certainly more than one that we looked for en masse and almost couldn't find.

Note to self: Never date anyone named Joe.

FYI - you're the second person in Nashville named Joe that has pissed me off considerably. When you'd like to pay for gas for my car, batteries for my GPS, a map of Nashville so I know where the hell I am, then I'll go out and do your caches. Until then don't do my caches, don't insult me, and don't treat me like I'm a moron.

You know, this cache group that was looking like such a nice group of people two weeks ago is starting to look more and more like a group I want nothing to do with.

July 16, 2004

I'm amazed that no one suggested the original multi-tool ... a wire coat hanger.

HAHAHAHA!!!! That's priceless!

July 27, 2004

They sell things for the handicapped to extend your reach, either up or down, and if the micro has room around it these will work really well. They have a handle on one end that you squeese and jaws at the other end closes around the item your grabbing.

5.3k · July 27, 2004

They sell things for the handicapped to extend your reach, either up or down, and if the micro has room around it these will work really well. They have a handle on one end that you squeese and jaws at the other end closes around the item your grabbing.

I am thinking of buying a cutting torch and a chain saw.

July 27, 2004

In the winter, when all of the caches were frozen, I used this giant crowbar that I found by a cache to knock the ice away.

2.1k · July 27, 2004

Simplest is often easiest.

Extracting 35mm Containers

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