Help with Unkown Beach Find

[Beach_Walker]

Hi all! (Happy Memorial Day Weekend!)

I'm a beach walker with a hopeless penchant for picking up oddities that I find on my seaside strolls. This curiosity strikes my rather vivid imagination with all sorts of possibilities. (I am near the treasure coast of Florida, after all!) In all likelihood, it's something unimaginative like a metal bolt that fell of an ocean going vessel. The item is about 5" long.

Any suggestions on how I can (inexpensively) find out what's inside, without ruining it? (There is some sort of metal in there, as there's a very slight magnetic pull.)

Thanks in advance!

 

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[Bruce R]

Looks like a concretion built up around an iron object.

 

[creskol]

Some poor sole .. That must have been a painful!

 

[kcm]

You could try electrolysis. There are lots of links about the process in this thread:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/m...camp-winchester-1896-saddle-ring-carbine.html

The "slight magnetic pull"....is it in the middle or on the ends, or both?

 

[Beach_Walker]

Hi Bruce - so this is, I'm sure, a goofy question. Is concretion something that happens naturally in the ocean? (In other words, did the ocean engulf this thing, or do you think it was like that before it went in the ocean?)

 

[villagenut]

I would take a grinder to one small area until you see the iron peeking through. With enough to get an alligator clip onto, and then put it in an electrolysis tank. Not sure if the concretions of ocean residue will come off with the rust concretions but probably will. Just dont be surprised if there aint a whole lot left under it all. Hopefully it is preserved under all that wrapping. If it were a piece of hand forged iron, a couple wacks with a hammer may break off a chunk of exterior without harming the object. No harm in either methods in my opinion....unless you want to get it xrayed first. I would use method one.

 

[kcm]

From wikipedia:
A concretion is a hard, compact mass of matter formed by the precipitation of mineral cement within the spaces between particles, and is found in sedimentary rock or soil.

 

[Bruce R]

Concretions are built up over time, the more time, the bigger it gets, kinda like rings on a tree. This process will continue until all the reactionable material is used up. In your case, ferric iron.