Does anyone know how these treasure finding devices are used?

Victor Lewandowski writes: “I am having trouble finding information about the two treasure finding devices I have. I got them from my grandfather who used them probably sometime between 1900 and 1940 in Virginia USA.

They are 2 wood cylinders joined with brass chain. I was told they may contain mercury. From the picture you can see the end was drilled and filled with a heavy substance. I can't find much on these devices. They seem to be a combination of dowsing and pendulum

I tested with one pair in each hand over a sterling silver ring, there was no reaction/crossing. I think each pair may be a separate device. They look like they were constructed by the same craftsman.

I weighed both pair of devices. The wooden filled cylinder of each pair weighed the same. One pair had a weight of 2.4oz. for each cylinder; the other pair had a weight of 2.6oz. Another observation is that the cylinders of one pair had the same lengths but there was a difference of 0.5cm between the other pair of cylinders (they were the same weight though). The chain of one device is 11.5in. in length and the second is 15in.

I did some more examination of the devices. I used a Minelab metal detecting pinpointer to check if there is a metal substance in the wood cylinders. The pinpointer detected a metal substance in each of the four cylinders. A volume of mercury can be detected as a metal.

"Like all metal targets mercury will read lower or higher depending on the size of the puddle of mercury. Mercury is only a fair conductor of electricity and so will read lower than similar size masses of silver or copper. For all intents it can be treated as a gold range target." Steve Herschbach

The reasoning for the mercury in the cylinders was that there is a great affinity between gold and mercury. Historically mercury was used in mining to capture fine gold by forming an amalgam. Therefore I conclude that the builder of these devices thought that the mercury would move the cylinders towards a gold deposit. How to properly use the devices is baffling. Any help would be appreciated.”

I would add that a treasure hunting friend advised me to use mercury in an Earth Field Generator for locating gold. If anyone has any ideas at all on how these devices are or might be used, please email me and I will pass the information on to Victor.