Ok there is this thing that is made with a wired coat hanger and a straw that when you find something the....?

Question

when you find something they will cross..... me and my dad did it a couple of years back but i dont remeber what it was called..i think i saw it on one of the show's "the Haunting" but really i dont know what its called and your supposed to think of the thing and when you pass over it the wire will cross each otehr

Answer 1

A dowsing rod?

Answer 2

I think you're describing a variant of the divining rod.

Answer 3

MY guess is that your dad made it bend without you knowing. That way, it looked like it bent on its own.  

Answer 4

It's called dowsing. It's used by old timers to locate water mostly.