Bottle digging advice.

[Detecto]

A couple ago I ran across a ravine on my property, and noticed a couple broken bits of glass and a couple bottles.

I dug down and unearthed at least a dozen bottles. Looking up the patent dates, the bottle dump seems to date from around 1919 to 1927.

I've unearthed some bottles and sold them for $10-$20 each.

However it's been painstakingly slow to dig them out. I've been using a putty knife!

I can't bring water to that area, so using a pressure washer to quickly dissolve dirt is out.

I can't use a spade, because all the bottles are lying sideways, and if I cut into the earth, I might end up breaking 3 bottles in the process.

Any tips? After digging to the bottom of the dump (23 inches) and doing some calculating, I estimate there is another 50-80 bottles in this dump.

I wish I could come up with a way to remove dirt faster. I even tried making little "valleys" so the rain would erode the dirt, but the dirt has so many roots in it (it's in the woods), that did not work at all.

 

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[villagenut]

Bottle digging is not an easy job, it takes time and effort....and a raking hoe tool will help a lot.

 

[Bay Beagle]

the adventure is un-earthling each layer, and discovering what it holds. A pair of shrub pruners (for the roots), and a small spade would be the tool of choice. I'd be pleased to have a situation like Yours. Once You have reached bottom - take a "102" metal whip (CB antenna) and use it as a probe, to see what may lay deeper - rocks, bricks have a dull sound, glass has a crisp sound.

 

[Detecto]

Thanks for the advice. It is painstaking for another reason, there are tons of broken glass. So I have to be very careful not to cut myself.
I try to keep as much metal from the glass as possible to avoid scratching it.
I usually dig around the bottle, until about 4" is poking out, and then grab onto it with a pair of gloves, and slowly wiggle it out.

Odd thing is...I've found 8 bottles from my local town, but all were broken, only conclusion being they were tossed in broken, because they are made out of extremely thick glass.

The one thing that blew me away...I found THIS BOTTLE, and it still has stuff in it!

In the ground over 90 years.

I have to be careful handling it, due to the fact part of the lid broke off cleaning it. I also have no clue what is in it.

However my guess is oil, which would make sense, since oil doesn't evaporate much, and it would preserve the metal in the lid.

 

[villagenut]

Using a three pronged rake should get through the broken glass and not hurt any whole bottles. It takes some finesse but once perfected, it will be easier. It looks like your material is not so old that I would worry too much, except that in these somewhat newer trash pits, there may be some local milks and pharmacist bottles that are what I look for in the pits from 1900-1920s.

 

[DetectingGodlikeOnOlympus]

A couple ago I ran across a ravine on my property, and noticed a couple broken bits of glass and a couple bottles.

I dug down and unearthed at least a dozen bottles. Looking up the patent dates, the bottle dump seems to date from around 1919 to 1927.

I've unearthed some bottles and sold them for $10-$20 each.

However it's been painstakingly slow to dig them out. I've been using a putty knife!

I can't bring water to that area, so using a pressure washer to quickly dissolve dirt is out.

I can't use a spade, because all the bottles are lying sideways, and if I cut into the earth, I might end up breaking 3 bottles in the process.

Any tips? After digging to the bottom of the dump (23 inches) and doing some calculating, I estimate there is another 50-80 bottles in this dump.

I wish I could come up with a way to remove dirt faster. I even tried making little "valleys" so the rain would erode the dirt, but the dirt has so many roots in it (it's in the woods), that did not work at all.

There is no way to get around using a shovel!

As for my other advice: don't even get started with bottle digging. You will start obsessing. You have to constantly shoo the cat away from the $100+ soda bottles. Your car will start growing plants on the floor boards from all of the mud and filth in your new life.

Good luck!

 

[hvacker]

Why can't you bring water in?