After the eclipse I detected at home a bit hoping for a good find but just found lots of iron..:.the circle ring the most interesting to me as it was kind of smooth around. Happy eclipse today!
The National Park Service in its historic structures restoration program has developed some research techniques...
The History of Nail Making History does not record who it was, but the incredible results of that inspirational moment are all around us - in the houses we live in, the bridges we cross, the furniture we sit on...
Sometimes when I'm in the nails too deep, I move my search radius out into clearer ground, then slowly move inward again.
As far as the nails, it looks like you have a few nice ones. I enjoy tumbling them to remove the rust, then seal in wax. Here's an example
it's not my best batch but it's the example I have handy. Anyways, keep going - there's bound to be a few non-ferrous keepers about
Square nails are one of the best indicators of old, Rose heads are even better as the site is even older. (That's in my location of the world) I'd rather dig ten Sq. nails than pull tabs anyday-but that's my own thinking. But digging ten out of every hole is "Ok going to sift this one out" as detecting it is useless.
They are nice to find when looking for an old spot and your not sure exactly where the place once stood, once you find some square nails you know you found the spot. HH
Thanks for the informational resources, folk art ideas, cleaning ideas and encouragement! Yes, there's nothing like being able to step outside and hunt at my leisure...six acres of once used land back in the 1800s. It's still fun detecting but it is so much better when there is more than nails!