Civil War ketchup post...

[aquachigger]

Okay... here is some stuff I have been finding lately up to yesterday and don't think I have posted yet. I think I'm up to 26 artillery shells so far this year. Make sure you check out the "bug" at the end if nothing else...

Here is an over all shot of my finds...



This is what an artillery shell looks like "fresh from the water"...



Here is a similar one that I cleaned up today...



Close up of the fuse. Notice the patent date...



Here is a musket butt plate that has been partially melted in a fire...




And my first and only arrow head this year...



And lastly the "bug". OMG!!! I have seen so many of these this year. It's a giant leech. Luckily for me he looks fat and sassy otherwise he'd be attached to me and draining my blood. Man, I hate those guys. And he was resting on a relic in ambush just waiting for a digger to come by.... KILL IT WITH FIRE!



Okay... one more. Me with a "Doughboy" helmet fresh from the river...

 

[jewelerguy]

your finds always amaze me

 

[aquachigger]

How Dangerous are these at this point? Maybe you could share some tips of what to do, not do when finding a shell or canon ball??

Most of the shells I have been finding are paper fused and thus filled with water and mud. However, it is always wise to have them professionally drilled and flushed of any remaining black powder that may be inside even if it is decomposed. If you find a shell, it will not explode if it dries out, is dropped or even stared at for a very long time. They are potentially dangerous only if put in a fire or drilled into by the inexperienced. Any type of shell that is WWI or later is a very different ballgame and must be handled with extreme caution until properly identified. Almost all of my shells are drilled and flushed by the time a picture is posted of them.

 

[tennessee digger]

Those are some great finds!!! I have an old buddy that used to water hunt and he got some of those leeches on him down at Stone's river, Tennessee. Although he got them off as soon as he discovered them on his legs and ankle, he soon developed blood poising and was in the hospital for over a week. Be careful. Tennessee digger

 

[crazyfish]

How Dangerous are these at this point? Maybe you could share some tips of what to do, not do when finding a shell or canon ball??

That's what I want to know. Are these live shells? Wet gunpowder isn't something I would want to play with - but I digress, those are AWESOME shells!

 

[aquachigger]

Those are some great finds!!! I have an old buddy that used to water hunt and he got some of those leeches on him down at Stone's river, Tennessee. Although he got them off as soon as he discovered them on his legs and ankle, he soon developed blood poising and was in the hospital for over a week. Be careful. Tennessee digger

I always worry about them because of that very reason. I guess it's somewhat common to get infections by them. Yikes!

 

[aquachigger]

That's what I want to know. Are these live shells? Wet gunpowder isn't something I would want to play with - but I digress, those are AWESOME shells!

Thanks! I answered that question in a post just a little above...

 

[crazyfish]

Thanks! I answered that question in a post just a little above...

Pardon my ignorance!

I'm a Marylander myself and I remember as a kid going to my mothers boyfriends old farmhouse in WVA, finding Civil war bullets lying in plain site. Still have them to this day, and If I could track down her ex-boyfriend (this was 25 years ago) I'm sure he'd let me hunt his land (he was the coolest guy in the world).

I'm in Montgomery County, but grew up going to old parts of MD, and I'm fascinated with what you recover! The relics amaze me!

 

[The Rebel]

Sweet finds. Is that shell explosive? If so how did you disarm it?

 

[MKnTenn]

A little tip on electrolysis,if you must put the brass in the water with the iron to clean the whole shell, you can wrap the brass parts with black tape it will keep the patina safe. I have even used hot glue to protect the patina, it comes off smooth surfaces well. But the idea is to keep that beautiful dug patina, so if you stop the current from touching the brass it will come out just as it was dug.
For lead sabots I've used plastic wrap with tape.
Not to say it's better, I'm just saying that's the way I do it, just personal preference.
Hope you don't mind me saying this on your post Aquachigger.

 

[AC1955]

I caught the "ketchup" pun....good one! Awesome finds. I don't relic hunt per se, but I wouldn't be opposed to finding the same types of interesting things you do. Oh, btw, just love the cover (no leeches inside I trust)!

 

[aquachigger]

A little tip on electrolysis,if you must put the brass in the water with the iron to clean the whole shell, you can wrap the brass parts with black tape it will keep the patina safe. I have even used hot glue to protect the patina, it comes off smooth surfaces well. But the idea is to keep that beautiful dug patina, so if you stop the current from touching the brass it will come out just as it was dug.
For lead sabots I've used plastic wrap with tape.
Not to say it's better, I'm just saying that's the way I do it, just personal preference.
Hope you don't mind me saying this on your post Aquachigger.

No problem at all. That is a good tip to pass along. Thanks for the info!

 

[HISPAN]

awesome finds ....congrats!

 

[oldsalty19]

 

[Monty]

I was also wondering how dangerous those were , the ones with the fuses still in them. It wasn't long a go a fellow lost his life when trying to clean up a CW cannon ball. If the explosives in them didn't get wet, they are probably still live. Monty

 

[aquachigger]

I was also wondering how dangerous those were , the ones with the fuses still in them. It wasn't long a go a fellow lost his life when trying to clean up a CW cannon ball. If the explosives in them didn't get wet, they are probably still live. Monty

I wouldn't keep a shell in my collection that hasn't been rendered safe and would offer that advice to anyone that finds one. But that being said, no one in recent history that I have heard of has been injured by one that wasn't actively drilling into it with an electric "handheld" drill or using another "handheld" power tool on it. Leave that to the professionals that use REMOTE drill rigs.