California Surveyors Forums

I am sure this has been discussed before but searching did not turn up a hit.

I found a standard sized (do not know length, just the size of the head) PK nail under 0.3' of old asphalt and it had much more ferrous qualities than I am used to, and the letters "PK" were close together at the center. It was not the standard type with the dimple in the center that separates the letters. Does anyone know the history of the types of PK nails that were used over time? I am guessing this one has been there quite awhile.

Well I do know that back in the early 1970s, I worked with a guy in New England who contacted the company, Parker-Kalon as I recall to let them know that surveyors used PKs a lot and that they ought to put a center punch in them and they did and, as I recall, they gave him some kind of gift.

If it's giving off a stronger than normal audio, my first guess would be that you have a PK set over a buried pipe. To know for sure, you'd have to tie in the nail, pull it, then listen again.

It is not that strong a signal. It just had a signal that sounded like a somewhat small MAG nail and I am not use to PKs giving off that kind of signal.