Found a square nail that read quarter and wouldnt disc out...

[snaps]

Thats cause this sucker is solid brass! Sorry about no picture, but looks like

a typical big square nail, 3 3/4 inches long w/ a half inch head. Seems like

the standard use for a nail this big would command it to be iron. Any ideas?

Found it way out in a field w/ civil war activity. Thanks for lookin, Joey

 

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[RGINN]

No pic? 'Thanks for lookin!?' Yeah buddy, thanks for postin.

 

[Valley Ranger]

Thats cause this sucker is solid brass! Sorry about no picture, but looks like

a typical big square nail, 3 3/4 inches long w/ a half inch head. Seems like

the standard use for a nail this big would command it to be iron. Any ideas?

Found it way out in a field w/ civil war activity. Thanks for lookin, Joey

Don't need a pic to respond to this. Nails fool a lot of detectors, regardless of what I've heard. They will often read high on both my MXT Pro and my T2SE. I also have an AT Pro, but have not used it enough on land to make a determination. If the nail is bent at all, that makes it worse, but I've had plenty of small straight ones ring high too. You're not alone.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Boats were fastened with brass (and copper) nails.

 

[snaps]

Oh, you have never dug a square nail before, so you cannot "imagine" it.
You cant "imagine" this one with a crusty green patina because its made of brass not iron.
wow, Im glad you dont dig nails, your a better man than I !

 

[snaps]

Thanks Charlie...

Never thought of that.

 

[snaps]

yea bent iron nails are a real politician, fool ya everytime! thanks for reply

 

[timekiller]

If you get old enough some are made of bronze.By the way does it look like any of these in this hand full?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Just speaking up to give you additional confirmation of what Charlie P. told you. Brass/bronze/copper square-nails were manufactured primarily for Maritime use, because they are so much more resistant to corrosion (especially saltwater corrosion) than iron/steel nails. Therefore, brass/bronze/copper nails tend to be found mostly in Seacoast areas, though they're also found in some quantity near "navigable" rivers.

My early years of civil war relic-digging were spent in Atlanta Campaign sites. In all those years I never dug so much as a single brass/bronze/copper square-nail. Then in the early 1980s I spent some time digging near Fort Fisher, NC (Wilmington area) ...and was stunned by how many brass/copper square-nails nails I dug. I asked my local (Wilmington) digger-buddy about them, and he explained their Maritime use (boats, ships, beach-shacks, docks, etc). He also exlained why I was digging lots-&-lots of copper sheetmetal. It was used to sheath boat-hulls, because in addition to being resistant to saltwater corrosion, copper is toxic to barnacles and algae, thereby preventing them from growing on the boat's hull.

 

[timekiller]

Just speaking up to give you additional confirmation of what Charlie P. told you. Brass/bronze/copper square-nails were manufactured primarily for Maritime use, because they are so much more resistant to corrosion (especially saltwater corrosion) than iron/steel nails. Therefore, brass/bronze/copper nails tend to be found mostly in Seacoast areas, though they're also found in some quantity near "navigable" rivers.

My early years of civil war relic-digging were spent in Atlanta Campaign sites. In all those years I never dug so much as a single brass/bronze/copper square-nail. Then in the early 1980s I spent some time digging near Fort Fisher, NC (Wilmington area) ...and was stunned by how many brass/copper square-nails nails I dug. I asked my local (Wilmington) digger-buddy about them, and he explained their Maritime use (boats, ships, beach-shacks, docks, etc). He also exlained why I was digging lots-&-lots of copper sheetmetal. It was used to sheath boat-hulls, because in addition to being resistant to saltwater corrosion, copper is toxic to barnacles and algae, thereby preventing them from growing on the boat's hull.

Very true,& is why we still paint the bottoms of boats now & days with copper base paints.Below are some of what CB was telling you about,just a few handy pieces I had inside.They also use lead to patch holes in the hulls which in the pic. below you'll see.Common on very early ships & small boats.Also added a link to see as well that they did use iron spikes & nails to..
Structural Components

 

[BuckleBoy]

Timekiller,

Is that a piece of lead that was used for patching a hull? We have found some BIG bronze nails in our Colonial field here, and many, many pieces of lead that were thin, and had nail holes in them.

Best Wishes,

Buckles

 

[timekiller]

Yes it is,I've seen & held hull sheathing from old ships.But you have to remember lead was also used on homes roof flashing,etc.But I hunt water sites mainly old small ports/docks.A good way to tell the difference is hull sheathing is usually thicker also may contain tar resin,hair,or clothe imprints.Took a couple more shots this morning in day light so you can see the imprints of where the clothe was & how thick these pieces are.I'll add you a site that talks about hull sheathing so you can see what I'm saying.
http://www.melfisher.org/pdf/Lead_Sheathing_from_Santa_Margarita.pdf
Take Care,
Pete,

 

[ivan salis]

copper sheathing for hulls was a common way to prevent sea moss (algie) and barnacles from attaching to the wooden ship hulls --it also prevented sea worms from boring holes into the wooden hulls causing them to leak. -- bronze and copper spikes and nails were also much more corrision resistant than iron or steel in salt water uses. -- if one is close to a sea port area its not uncommon to find them in homes and other uses as folks often used what was best suited to the local area for build supplies and often "maritime"supply's were often "pinched" for private use --thats why the british navy had "broad arrow" marks on british govt naval items to be able to "prove" it was govt property if someone stole it, for "private use"

while lead was used for patching hulls -- in the very old days it was used instead of copper for hull sheathing --if one finds old lead sheathing one likely found a very old possible treasure shipwreck.

 

[snaps]

Time killer, thanks and yea it looks just like the square nail in lower left corner only this one is 3 3/4 inches long with a half inch head-as big a square
nail as ive ever seen-iron,brass or other wise

 

[snaps]

cannonball guy, great info thanks! and as you only dug these nails near water, Im wondering how this nail ended up in a union camp in Md. nowhere near water

 

[timekiller]

Time killer, thanks and yea it looks just like the square nail in lower left corner only this one is 3 3/4 inches long with a half inch head-as big a square
nail as ive ever seen-iron,brass or other wise

No problem,I took you a couple more shots.If it's the smaller piece in the lower left your talking about then it's brass as you can see in the pics. the two different colors.The smaller piece has a whiteish look cause brass is a mix of zinc & copper so the zinc is giving that look.If it the other type then it is bronze,all bronze items I dig or find always have the dark smooth chocolate look as it's made from copper & tin & always for me comes up or out holding up & looking better even when it's older (my spoon mold is a good example of that).The last pic. will be some iron type just to show you they get bigger.
Take Care,
Pete
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/todays-finds/148935-rare-16th-century-spoon-mold-find.html

 

[BuckleBoy]

Pete, that is exactly the type of lead we are finding in our field. I have dug around 25lbs of lead so far, and I'm sure my digging partner has dug as much. This is a great thread. At some point, I will post some of the bronze nails I have been digging. Man, they sound so good when you get the coil over one. The kind we are finding are thick and 4 to 5 inches in length, though many have been bent by the plow.

-Buckles