water divining

[Bladevane]

My opinion, FWIW, is that it is not the rod (or equivalent) which does the dowsing, it is the person. Therefore it doesn't matter a jot what physical device is used as it is just a magnifier of the impercible muscle movements which the dowser makes. Everything that has happended in the world generates a signal, and some people are more attuned to picking up that signal, rather like a radio receiver, others not so. The signal is then magnified into a visual indication by a bent coat hanger, welding rod, dowsing stick, pendulum - whatever, it really doesn't make a difference other than personal preference. Hence some folks are dowsers, others are not. Everyone has the ability to dowse, it is just that some have developed it.

 

[Guineafowl]

i did a test with my mate theres a big serweage pipe runs across my field he dont know where it is . i do so got the rods and started walking up the field blindfolded with the rods he followed , tell me where they cross 10 yards up they did so marked it .went up from the other way and same again marked where they crossed. the pegs were 3 foot apart spot on over the pipe so how would i know exactly where i was

Did you know where the pipe was, and where you started walking from?

To be convincing, it needs to be a properly blinded. When you do such a test (Randi prize), it doesn’t work. If you submit to a scientific journal, they’ll poke every hole they can find, believe me

Edit: to add to the questions, could you have known where he was marking - hiss of a spray can, thump of a stone or stake in the ground, other subtle noises as he made the mark, maybe excitement/change of breathing as he saw the rods start to cross at the same spot? I assume he could see where the first mark was - that shouldn’t have been the case. Did the rods cross anywhere else? Did you walk over non-piped areas of the field as a control?

 

[Guineafowl]

Everything that has happended in the world generates a signal

I’ve not heard that explanation before - what sort of signal?

 

[Bladevane]

I’ve not heard that explanation before - what sort of signal?

Only the recipient knows.

Without trying to sound evasive or hippyish I firmly believe the "signal" is universally transmitted but is received and acted upon by only a few. Hence the reasoning that some can dowse, others can't.

 

[dave h 2]

I’ve not heard that explanation before - what sort of signal?

I give you the Stone Tape from Xmas 1972 and Ley lines.

Oh sir, was he panting sir , panting for it. Please.
It would be nice if the sceptics would just give it a go and if it works try to stop the rods crossing you can even tilt the ends downward a little. Get your missus to chuck a 50p coin under a carpet then leave the room so all that heavy breathing won't affect you. If they cross there's 50p under your heel or a random cable/ pipe under the floor, hopefully you will move the carpet and try again.
3:1 you can.

 

[Guineafowl]

Only the recipient knows.

Without trying to sound evasive or hippyish I firmly believe the "signal" is universally transmitted but is received and acted upon by only a few. Hence the reasoning that some can dowse, others can't.

Given that, what’s your take on the Randi test?

I give you the Stone Tape from Xmas 1972 and Ley lines.

Oh sir, was he panting sir , panting for it. Please.
It would be nice if the sceptics would just give it a go and if it works try to stop the rods crossing you can even tilt the ends downward a little. Get your missus to chuck a 50p coin under a carpet then leave the room so all that heavy breathing won't affect you. If they cross there's 50p under your heel or a random cable/ pipe under the floor, hopefully you will move the carpet and try again.
3:1 you can.

I’ll gladly give it a go, but if the 50p has to be under my heel, how do I know I’m not feeling it?

 

[addjunkie]

When I first tried it, the rods opened up, swapped hands tried again and they crossed. Im that happy how well it-works, I knocked a line of fence posts less than 6” from the water main.

 

[brightspark]

the best laugh i had with them was working at a big house and the builders were looking for a drain and had to dig right across the garden 6 foot deep to try and find it went across with the rods to no avail there wasnt one . they dug out 8 meters and found nowt they were at front of house not the back

 

[Guineafowl]

Would any of you dowsers be willing to do a quick test? Anecdotes are all well and good, but…

How about three scraps of carpet, outside where there are no pipes/cables. Dowser and observer go out of sight while experimenter places a 50p under one, but lifts and replaces each carpet to avoid clues. Experimenter then goes out of sight for test. Observer notes result. Repeat, say, 25 times (100 would be better), including at least one blank control and one with 50ps under all three.

In my C64 days, I’d knock up a simple randomiser in BASIC to determine the sequence, perhaps spitting out 0-4, 0 being control and 4 being all three, 123 being carpet numbers. Probably even easier ways now. Could even just roll a die.

If you think that’s a fair test, and can consistently do better than chance (1/3), I’d concede there’s something in it.

 

[brightspark]

cant see that working finding a coin no way . id lay money on it NOT WORKING . pipes and cables yess

 

[Guineafowl]

cant see that working finding a coin no way . id lay money on it NOT WORKING . pipes and cables yess

It’d need to be someone who claims to be able to, like matey boy up there ^

Much harder to do a simple blinded, controlled experiment with cables and pipes.

 

[Cobbler]

It’d need to be someone who claims to be able to, like matey boy up there ^

Much harder to do a simple blinded, controlled experiment with cables and pipes.

You can’t discount it, how do you think they knew where to dig a well? The guy I worked with it was his first choice to find cables, second choice Cat & Genny. It was so easy, no lugging of kit, just a couple of old coat hangers. His job was tracing cables & ducts, I have no idea how he did it, but was spot on. Just get someone that can do it to demonstrate, you will be amazed.

 

[Blobber]

Well I think it definitely works, tested on a few known areas where there are water pipes, I also got Mrs Blobber to do it and she doesn't know where the pipes are and it worked! had a dig around the wet patch and even though I was getting a signal there didn't seem to be anything there so none the wiser I will try and get some videos
I did add a couple of tubes to the rods though as suggested in a previous post

 

[Cobbler]

Well I think it definitely works, tested on a few known areas where there are water pipes, I also got Mrs Blobber to do it and she doesn't know where the pipes are and it worked! had a dig around the wet patch and even though I was getting a signal there didn't seem to be anything there so none the wiser I will try and get some videos
I did add a couple of tubes to the rods though as suggested in a previous post
View attachment 486938

Picking up a spring I would guess, probably what is making the wet patch.

 

[Erie Fred]

cant see that working finding a coin no way . id lay money on it NOT WORKING . pipes and cables yess

How about finding Jimmy Hoffa ?

 

[cheb]

You can’t discount it, how do you think they knew where to dig a well? The guy I worked with it was his first choice to find cables, second choice Cat & Genny. It was so easy, no lugging of kit, just a couple of old coat hangers. His job was tracing cables & ducts, I have no idea how he did it, but was spot on. Just get someone that can do it to demonstrate, you will be amazed.

How do we know how many false starts they had digging wells?

 

[pedrobedro]

How about finding Jimmy Hoffa ?

I think you'll need a psychic and a jigger pick

 

[Guineafowl]

You can’t discount it, how do you think they knew where to dig a well? The guy I worked with it was his first choice to find cables, second choice Cat & Genny. It was so easy, no lugging of kit, just a couple of old coat hangers. His job was tracing cables & ducts, I have no idea how he did it, but was spot on. Just get someone that can do it to demonstrate, you will be amazed.

Not discounting it out of hand, just interested to see it done under fair test conditions. The only time I’ve heard that done, it hasn’t worked.

The reason is, I did get a dowser in to pick a site for a borehole (required by drilling co.). I’m still in two minds:

- He did find the aquifer, but they’re massive. 30m down. He said it was 45m.
- He found it right next to an obvious, disused surface well.
- He pointed out a ‘seam’, a line of taller grass and trees that crossed his mark, which might have been the relevant thing.
- When crossing the mark, his right-hand rod spun round, but I saw him jerk his wrist to do it. So at least some of it is theatre.

 

[dave h 2]

Given that, what’s your take on the Randi test?

I’ll gladly give it a go, but if the 50p has to be under my heel, how do I know I’m not feeling it?

Only if you have the feet of a princess m8. Even if you could feel it, what makes it swing at the right point?
Try it, hold your elbows tight to your side so they can't move, make sure your hands don't twist, wander about slowly and see what you get.
We could get the 6ft spacing of the floor steels, (1st floor or second for Erie) but not all the ironwork and bus bars in the room below.
As for 30M or 45M your dowser may be local and know the water table height.

 

[Guineafowl]

Only if you have the feet of a princess m8. Even if you could feel it, what makes it swing at the right point?

The fine balance of the rods - you might not even know you’re doing it. Like those wooden snake toys that you can make weave back and forth without appearing to move your hand.

I probably wouldn't be able to feel it, but to publish the effect, you can’t be open to the slightest accusation of bias or confounding factors, or the peer review panel will send you back to the drawing board.