I've tried watering the area lightly before, and it does help a bit, especially if the soil is dry and dusty. Moisture seems to reduce glare and makes the metal stand out more clearly. However, I've noticed this method isn't as effective on darker or clay-heavy soils. In those cases, I rely more on angling the flashlight beam—holding it closer to ground level helps cast longer shadows, making the nails easier to spot.
Totally agree that angling the flashlight low helps a lot—I figured that out by accident when I dropped mine and noticed how clearly the shadows popped out, haha. Another trick I've found useful is using a strong magnet on a stick or pole. Saves me from crouching down constantly, and it grabs nails I didn't even see. Might be worth trying if you're dealing with stubborn clay soil...worked pretty well for me last weekend.
The magnet trick is pretty clever, wish I'd thought of that sooner. Last summer I was building a deck extension and ran into the same issue—rusty nails everywhere, buried in clay-heavy soil. I tried the flashlight trick too, but honestly, after a while my back was killing me from bending over constantly. Ended up borrowing my neighbor's metal detector (he's into treasure hunting or something). Thought it was overkill at first, but it actually worked great. Found way more nails than I expected, plus some random old screws and even a lost screwdriver from who knows when. If you can get your hands on one, even just borrowing for a weekend, it's worth it. Beats spending half your project time pulling nails out of your boots...
"Thought it was overkill at first, but it actually worked great."
Yeah, metal detectors are surprisingly handy for stuff like this. I was skeptical at first too—seemed like something only hobbyists messing around on beaches would use—but after stepping on one too many hidden nails, I gave it a shot. Saved me from a tetanus shot or two, I'm sure. Magnets are decent, but detectors catch things deeper down that you'd never spot otherwise. Worth the hassle, imo.
- Tried the magnet trick once... ended up mostly just collecting random screws and washers from my toolbox. 🤦♂️
- Metal detector sounds like a smarter move, honestly. Wish I'd thought of that before my last roofing job—my boots looked like they'd been through a warzone.
- Plus, nothing ruins your weekend faster than limping around with a punctured foot and explaining to everyone how you lost a fight with a rusty nail.
- Might have to borrow one next time, or at least convince the boss it's a legit business expense...
