2,000+ LBS. of IRON

[BuckleBoy]

Hello All,


Well, we've done it. We've recovered and recycled OVER A TON of Iron. I took another 280 lbs. of Scrap, Rusty, Dug Iron to the recycling place yesterday. What I found was that the Iron price was up. So I got $23.75, which bought Rodeo Recon and I lunch, and put some gas in the tank.

A TON of Iron... I didn't get photos of all of it (Iron isn't that photogenic, and in all reality doesn't prefer to have it's picture taken). So... Where to start?

 

[coinmaster2db]

It's all part of the Iron Brigade's fitness program. Carting off all of that iron makes you strong like bull. I think it may be time for a new training video BB.

HH!!
Cm2db

 

[{Sentinel}]

Wow! That is a lot of iron. What a bummer. I'm in Virginia and I love some of those iron relics. I would have paid you for some of those iron pieces! I am always looking to add to my collection. Keep on digging the good stuff! Another man's trash is another man's treasure.

Don't worry. Some of those pieces I did keep.

I'm reading your post and kissing my explorer at the same time.

So the explorer has a setting that allows you to find gun pieces, musket lock plates, ramrods, trade axes, and cannonballs without digging up the other iron crappe? Must be some machine.

Actually yes for the stuff I want, but it's just my regular settings. I'm not interested in anything smaller than a trade axe or cannonball and I can absolutely cherry pick them off the old sites without digging a bunch of garbage iron. I probably only go after a few iron hits per hunt but they are a very high % target. The older the site is, the more quality iron hits there will be... and if the site isn't old enough, and there's a ton of large iron, I'm not interested.

For about 5 years I completely avoided digging any iron on purpose, but once i decided I wanted to find iron relics i couldn't believe how easy it was to pick out the good hits. There's really not much more i can say but you can write anyone i hunt with and you'll find out I rarely dig any iron but won't miss a good relic... and didn't on the 6 pounder at 3' from the Fall. I believe in those three hours I dug two iron hits and one was the ball. That's typical for when I do find a good iron relic, but doesn't happen too often because there's only so many cannonballs at old home sites. The last happened to be on the firing path from a fort.

Yes, I had a buddy a few years back that used the Explorer SE and the cannonballs he dug would give a nice flutty signal. But the smaller stuff like gun tools and such he had a hard time with.

 

[Iron Patch]

Wow! That is a lot of iron. What a bummer. I'm in Virginia and I love some of those iron relics. I would have paid you for some of those iron pieces! I am always looking to add to my collection. Keep on digging the good stuff! Another man's trash is another man's treasure.

Don't worry. Some of those pieces I did keep.

I'm reading your post and kissing my explorer at the same time.

So the explorer has a setting that allows you to find gun pieces, musket lock plates, ramrods, trade axes, and cannonballs without digging up the other iron crappe? Must be some machine.

Actually yes for the stuff I want, but it's just my regular settings. I'm not interested in anything smaller than a trade axe or cannonball and I can absolutely cherry pick them off the old sites without digging a bunch of garbage iron. I probably only go after a few iron hits per hunt but they are a very high % target. The older the site is, the more quality iron hits there will be... and if the site isn't old enough, and there's a ton of large iron, I'm not interested.

For about 5 years I completely avoided digging any iron on purpose, but once i decided I wanted to find iron relics i couldn't believe how easy it was to pick out the good hits. There's really not much more i can say but you can write anyone i hunt with and you'll find out I rarely dig any iron but won't miss a good relic... and didn't on the 6 pounder at 3' from the Fall. I believe in those three hours I dug two iron hits and one was the ball. That's typical for when I do find a good iron relic, but doesn't happen too often because there's only so many cannonballs at old home sites. The last happened to be on the firing path from a fort.

Yes, I had a buddy a few years back that used the Explorer SE and the cannonballs he dug would give a nice flutty signal. But the smaller stuff like gun tools and such he had a hard time with.

I can still get it, but would have to dig many more holes and since I'm not really interested in iron gun parts, tools, etc., I leave them for the next guy. We also have another field to go to which is another reason I don't spend much time digging iron... but I do like a good iron keeper when it happens! One of my cannonballs is one of my top finds.

 

[artzstuff1]

Good job buckleboy!!!!! you deserve an award!!!!

So I will give you the coveted mike the cat award,,, not to many people recieve this award so congrats!!!

Glad your trying to clean up the world!!!

 

[mainer]

Good job BB. I dont tend to dig a lot of Iron, probably passing over a few things but its the chance I take.

 

[civilman1]

You're Sick........................

 

[Hill Billy]

Iron Pooch, your the man.
End of story!

 

[lumbercamp]

Buckleboy, you're welcome to join me on my forays deep into the woods to haul out iron. I leave stuff like that where I find it, only bring out the good relics. You could become very rich digging with me.

 

[Detectingfreak]

Nice job! Earned some cash!

 

[hammered]

I'm reading your post and kissing my explorer at the same time.

 

[MarkDz]

Amazing stuff... Yeah, there are a few nice things in there. Hope you kept those buckles.
You know, I never would have thought rusty/dirty iron could be recycled. Are there special rules about that? I wonder how/if they clean it before melting it down?

 

[olekyground]

OfHey every ollar helps! GOOD WORK

 

[BuckleBoy]

Amazing stuff... Yeah, there are a few nice things in there. Hope you kept those buckles.
You know, I never would have thought rusty/dirty iron could be recycled. Are there special rules about that? I wonder how/if they clean it before melting it down?

They will take anything--rusted junk cars, refridgerators, you name it. With brass, aluminum, or copper, they want No dirt on it--and it all has to be clean. For iron it doesn't matter. Their magnets pick it up, and I assume it all gets melted down and purified that way.


Buckles

 

[Dman]

WOW! That's dedication to digging.
Dman

 

[BuckleBoy]

Good job BB. I dont tend to dig a lot of Iron, probably passing over a few things but its the chance I take.

You know, I used to leave the iron and dig the non-ferrous...and then one time I had a site that was So Good that I dug it all for the first time. I was Amazed at the number of items that were masked (I don't care what detector brand you use, masking is a real danger). So when I have really good sites, I dig it all. On the crappy, newer sites I slack sometimes.

 

[BamaBill]

"I don't care what detector brand you use, masking is a real danger". So when I have really good sites, I dig it all. On the crappy, newer sites I slack sometimes.
[/quote]

I haven't been digging it all unless I get on a confirmed homesite, but some recent tests in my new backyard have confirmed in spades what you just said about masking. There's a lot of little bits of iron in this yard and try as I might, its difficult to get a clean area to bury stuff. So, I went ahead and just buried a couple of things to do calibration tests with. Because of the iron I've figuratively lost (only can detect the iron) almost every target I've buried. A couple register as a brief non-ferrous hit while the iron is chiming away, so brief, you wouldn't be sure anything was there. But, the others won't register under the small bits of iron. I'm thinking about dragging a magnet through the ground on a few of the targets to see if that helps.

As an aside to this, does anyone know if an elliptical DD coil will give better separation in iron, than a circular one? Say a 10X14 vs. a 10".

 

[Silver Searcher]

Will totally agree with you about Iron Masking, everybody should listen to Iron targets, then it's up to you weather you dig them, or not, but Mask them all at your peril.
But man your back must be Knackered

SS

 

[extractor]

WoW . That much diggen deserves to be on the banner!

 

[BuckleBoy]

"I don't care what detector brand you use, masking is a real danger". So when I have really good sites, I dig it all. On the crappy, newer sites I slack sometimes."


I haven't been digging it all unless I get on a confirmed homesite, but some recent tests in my new backyard have confirmed in spades what you just said about masking. There's a lot of little bits of iron in this yard and try as I might, its difficult to get a clean area to bury stuff. So, I went ahead and just buried a couple of things to do calibration tests with. Because of the iron I've figuratively lost (only can detect the iron) almost every target I've buried. A couple register as a brief non-ferrous hit while the iron is chiming away, so brief, you wouldn't be sure anything was there. But, the others won't register under the small bits of iron. I'm thinking about dragging a magnet through the ground on a few of the targets to see if that helps.

As an aside to this, does anyone know if an elliptical DD coil will give better separation in iron, than a circular one? Say a 10X14 vs. a 10".

It seems that earlier sites have less Large Iron in general on them--or at least that's true in my area. It's the 1840s and later sites where there can be a serious iron problem. Obviously some of it has to do with the time span and amount of occupation, but in the oldest sites here there are some iron blips, but not much diggable except buttons, coins, pewter fragments, and lead.

In general, smaller coils seem to work *a hair* better in iron-thick areas. As do machines with very fast recovery speeds. But big iron will mask no matter what, in my experience, which is why I dig it out on the really good sites. I've found too many nice coins over the years that read only as iron, and had a large chunk of ferrous in the hole with them.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Buckleboy, you're welcome to join me on my forays deep into the woods to haul out iron. I leave stuff like that where I find it, only bring out the good relics. You could become very rich digging with me.

Lumbercamp, I think you may mis-understand. It's not the iron I'm after. If that were the case, I could go a lot of places and haul it off farmers' properties for free. It's the Finds I'm after. And I've learned through the years that I have to remove the big stuff to get all of the keepers. If detectors get better at seeing coins through 10-lb. chunks of iron, then I'll gladly leave the iron in the ground. But until then I'll dig it, and I might as well make a buck or two.