Plant a tree, find an iron...

[robertk]

I have a pecan tree I want to plant to replace one that the deer ate (this one will get a fence). But since I now know the area used to be an old homestead, I figured I should check around the tree for any metal before I disturb it again. Half an hour sweeping the area produced a wide variety of stuff. There's a "New Club" shot shell headstamp, a shotgun slug with some nice white patina going on, some horse tack, a bolt, a square that looks like a square nut but has no trace of having ever had a hole through it, some railroad spikes, some misc other bits and pieces .... and an iron! I guess it wouldn't excite most on here, but I think the iron is really cool. I'll have to drop that in the EvapoRust and see how it comes out. And I don't know what the fragment is that looks like a bottle opener (but I doubt it's a bottle opener).

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[Blackfoot58]

That item appears to be one end of a breast guide for a horse harness. Here’s a picture of one I have on a “totem pole”. I have several. Some whole, some broken. Lots of good stuff. I like the relic hunts.

 

[scruggs]

Cool old finds!

 

[sibbley]

I love the iron finds. Some items may not have any historical significance, but they can leave you wondering why it was there. I'd love to find an iron.

 

[Almy]

I find those old irons useful. I have cleaned up several and use them for weights in glueups on musical instruments in my woodworking shop.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

An old site for sure - there should also be some coins there ?

 

[robertk]

An old site for sure - there should also be some coins there ?

I keep hoping, but I haven't found a single coin yet.

 

[Blackfoot58]

I keep hoping, but I haven't found a single coin yet.

I know the feeling. This farmstead has been lived on since mid 1800’s. I’ve found no old coins (19 acres). Those old timers either had no coins or were pretty good at no losing them. Good luck.🍀

 

[Digger RJ]

I have a pecan tree I want to plant to replace one that the deer ate (this one will get a fence). But since I now know the area used to be an old homestead, I figured I should check around the tree for any metal before I disturb it again. Half an hour sweeping the area produced a wide variety of stuff. There's a "New Club" shot shell headstamp, a shotgun slug with some nice white patina going on, some horse tack, a bolt, a square that looks like a square nut but has no trace of having ever had a hole through it, some railroad spikes, some misc other bits and pieces .... and an iron! I guess it wouldn't excite most on here, but I think the iron is really cool. I'll have to drop that in the EvapoRust and see how it comes out. And I don't know what the fragment is that looks like a bottle opener (but I doubt it's a bottle opener).

View attachment 2107515

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Almy]

Some of the old coins I find are alone or just a scattered few. I suspect these to be drops. But in other instances, there are concentrations of them near or in foundations. I suspect these were "cookie jar" coins kept in the house and forgotten when the house was abandoned. They typically are of low denomination. But I expect some houses did not have the cookie jar full of coins, or they were taken away at house abandonment. Hunting those sites today yields few or no coins. I've had promising sites turn out that way and I know they were not detected previously.

 

[detectorcowboy]

I know the feeling. This farmstead has been lived on since mid 1800’s. I’ve found no old coins (19 acres). Those old timers either had no coins or were pretty good at no losing them. Good luck.🍀

Or someone else got them

 

[robertk]

The iron cleaned up nicely in EvapoRust. It looks like it was red to match the wood stove pieces I've found. (Then again, I'd always heard that the reason the old timers painted their barns red was because that was typically the only color available. Maybe it's the same with stoves and irons.). Here's the before and after.

 

[Blak bart]

Nice work....those coins will show up soon.....ya just have to thin out some iron !!

 

[robertk]

those coins will show up soon.....ya just have to thin out some iron !!

I think it would be faster to just dig the whole yard and run it through a sieve.

 

[sibbley]

LOL, robertk I'm in the same boat. With all the old stuff I've found in my yard, you'd think there would be at least an IHP hiding somewhere. My wife is all for digging up the yard and running it through a sieve.

 

[pepperj]

The iron cleaned up nicely in EvapoRust. It looks like it was red to match the wood stove pieces I've found. (Then again, I'd always heard that the reason the old timers painted their barns red was because that was typically the only color available. Maybe it's the same with stoves and irons.). Here's the before and after.

View attachment 2108521

Nice clean up

 

[pepperj]

I think it would be faster to just dig the whole yard and run it through a sieve.

If I win the lottery I will invest in a excavator and a screening plant.
Dig/screen-dig/screen- enjoying the while sorting the spoils of the screening.
Ah what a dream life.

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

I keep hoping, but I haven't found a single coin yet.

A good way to find old coins in a heavy junk metal site is to focus on the smaller - higher conductor hits.
Smaller mid tone hits can be Nickels, Buttons, etc.
A coin sized target will be a quick on and of hit with little or no target ID bounce (unless it's right next to some iron).
Wiggle your coil back and forth over the target and see if the target ID repeats and stays the same or close to it.
You can also swing 90 degrees out over the target and see if you get the same results.
If the target gives you a higher target ID that bounces all over or sounds scratchy it's usually Iron Wrap / Iron Falsing.
Also, the smaller the coil - the easier it is to isolate good targets in a iron infested area.

Good Luck !

 

[robertk]

A good way to find old coins in a heavy junk metal site is to focus on the smaller - higher conductor hits.

Some days I try to do that, but then I just hate walking over a big iron signal -- it's probably just another square nut or railroad spike, but it might be a lost pot of gold...

( Hey, I can dream, can't I? )

Seriously, though -- good tips, and thank you!

 

[Kona Koma]

I have a pecan tree I want to plant to replace one that the deer ate (this one will get a fence). But since I now know the area used to be an old homestead, I figured I should check around the tree for any metal before I disturb it again. Half an hour sweeping the area produced a wide variety of stuff. There's a "New Club" shot shell headstamp, a shotgun slug with some nice white patina going on, some horse tack, a bolt, a square that looks like a square nut but has no trace of having ever had a hole through it, some railroad spikes, some misc other bits and pieces .... and an iron! I guess it wouldn't excite most on here, but I think the iron is really cool. I'll have to drop that in the EvapoRust and see how it comes out. And I don't know what the fragment is that looks like a bottle opener (but I doubt it's a bottle opener).

View attachment 2107515

Lucky horseshoe as well.