In search of ………..

Recently, my wife and I were looking for some relatives ground markers.  We knew they were there, however there were decades of dirt and grass grown over them.  It was frustrating finding them.

We spoke with the cemetery staff and they indicated that they use a steel rod to gently poke around to find buried markers.  They suggested trying that with our hidden relatives markers.

Finished Grave Marker Locator Tool – 36″ long / 6″ handle

The cemetery staff shared that we must be very careful probing into the soil as we do not want to damage the stones.  They are easy to locate once you find the pattern.

Also, the cemetery staff share that as long as the “grave” was that of a relative, we were permitted to examine, clean and tidy the markers.  Check with your local cemetery staff to make sure you are not violating their rules and protocols.

I thought that building the perfect “marker finder” should not be too difficult and would show my wife why I have all those expensive tools in my workshop.

Starting with the supplies (what I used):

•  Round steel rod – 3/16″ thick by 3′ long
•  Wood piece – as simple as a block of 2″ x 4″, or as pretty as a stained oak dowel or closet rod (I used a 1 5/16″ oak closet rod cut to 6″ long)
• Sand paper or a belt or disk sander – to sand the wood block as needed
• Good rough file or a grinding wheel – grind the steel rod to a slight taper
• Drill with a 5/32″ drill bit (slightly smaller than the steel rod above)
• Stain – I preferred dark as it looked older
• Poly Sealer – I preferred a satin finish, however what ever you have will work

Steps to complete:

• Locate a suitable piece of wood – cut the wood to a convenient size to hold in your hand
  • this can be as simple or as fancy as you like
• Drill a 5/32″ hole in the wood piece (slightly smaller than the rod so it makes a very tight fit)
• File the ends of the rod to a slight taper.  One tapered end for the wood piece (easier to start into the wood piece and one end tapered to help penetrate the ground (no need to make them sharp)

File a slight taper on both ends of the steel rod

•  Pound the steel rod into the wood piece.  The 1/32″ difference between the 5/32″ hole in the wood and the 3/16″ (6/32″) steel rod will make a really tight fit (it should not come out).
• Sand the edges of the wood piece
• Apply stain color to your preference (there is no right or wrong color, your choice)
• Sealer – optional – I coated the outside of the wood with a Min-Wax poly sealer (you can choose gloss, satin, matte finish of your choice).
• Let it dry for a couple of days

Steel Rod driven into the wooden handle

Results – see the photo below:

• Show it off to your SAR buddies, your family may think you are nuts
  • Regardless, if you are serious about finding hidden buried grave markers this is the best tool
• Note that you can make multiples of these very easy.  Make a few and give them to members of your Grave Marking team.
• Disclosure – Warning Will Rogers – don’t use in your yard or locations where there may be electrical, cable or utilities without getting these locations marked in advance.

Extra Oak Wooden Handle finished, ready for a steel rod