found old spike

[bell47]

I found this today MDing on a beach. It's iron. It was really encrusted. I dropped the dang thing getting into my truck and the encrustation totally broke away leaving the small spike! I had no idea what was in the encrustaion before I dropped it. Anyway how old might this be? It's square with a square head. Kind of interesting.

 

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[pcolaboy]

I'm no expert but judging by many that I have randomly found in the vicinity of known wrecks, I think it would be safe to say late 18th - early 19th centuries. Of course thats assuming it even came from a shipwreck. There are other variables such as the period in which British ships switched from copper to iron fasteners and before the introduction of Muntz metal fasteners ( a copper alloy). Hopefully some of the experts will chime in here and educate us both.

Pcola

 

[billinstuart]

I've got a spike too, iron with square head. Got the timber it was in also. Washed ashore @ John Brooks beach after a hurricane. Anyone near Stuart who is knowledgeable? I've asked John Brandon and the museum @ Sebastian to no avail.

The striations in the iron look like it was wrought. Wrought iron approaches steel because of the extra carbon driven into it. As such, thy are more resistant to oxidation.