Colonial Iron - Iron shoe buckle and More thanks to OutdoorAdv

[Scrappy]

For all you colonial Nuts, here's some good stuff....

I've been collecting iron and finally got around to sending some down to my buddy Brad. What I received back blew my mind...

First up was a stove leg found at a school site, built in 1786. The schoolhouse itself was one room, approximately 20x20 and was at that time built in the middle of nowhere. The small community the school serviced was built to repair and supply whaling ships at anchorage.

Next is an axe head I found in a civil war camp. I found this very close to a US cartridge box plate I also snagged that day.


My favorite find was an iron shoe buckle found at the virgin colonial site the me and the rest of the Basstards of Bramble detected in April. Here's a before



And after...

Absolutely beautiful. When Brad did electrolysis on the buckle, he realized it had a pewter finish on the front. It was super difficult to work with but holy ****it looks great!!!

I noticed the box he sent back as heavier than the one I sent, and realized Brad was kind enough to include some great stuff as a gift.


Here's the big ones together...


The horseshoe is likely colonial to early 1800's based on Brad's other finds on that site.

The nail piles, left to right:

Rose heads ~late 1700's

Type A cut nail ~1790-1820

Type B cut nail ~1820's and later

Various nails 1800's

Horseshoe tack

Big old nail, and colonial screw

A big thanks to my buddy Brad OutdoorAdv. His preservation skills are amazing, and his knowledge of artifacts from that era is equally impressive.


Enjoy

 

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[trapperart]

Nice bunch of finds turned out great congrats to you both

 

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[Scrappy]

Excellent collection of relics Scrappy and the artois buckle came out amazing. Don't mean to hijack the thread but what does Brad use to seal the iron...hot wax?

Thanks, and no worries man, you can talk about Brad as much as you want. He uses earwax from Bengal tigers. Real difficult stuff to get...

The football team, that is

 

[Scrappy]

Deershed here's a couple pieces Brad did for me. They're stunning in person.
View attachment 1338370
View attachment 1338371

Those are nuts!!!

 

[Patriot Relics]

Thanks man! It's unscented white candle wax. I have an old Coleman stove I use outside. After electrolysis, I scrub them with some baking soda and rinse them off, then into boiling wax until the stop bubbling.

View attachment 1338428

Thanks bud, I've used the same method but with paraffin wax. Have had issues with rust reoccurring after about 6 months, may try the baking soda

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Congratualtions on the productive relic hunt!

 

[WildWildBill]

Keep in mind that those old spikes/square nails were as good as money back in them days! Having them without having to take the whole day to go into town and back was critical. They were used for trading also, if you believe that. Also the reason for large cents and half cents having holes directly through the center....to provide as a washer. Wouldn't be surprised if there's some "holey" LCs somewhere there! Great saves!

 

[Scrappy]

Keep in mind that those old spikes/square nails were as good as money back in them days! Having them without having to take the whole day to go into town and back was critical. They were used for trading also, if you believe that. Also the reason for large cents and half cents having holes directly through the center....to provide as a washer. Wouldn't be surprised if there's some "holey" LCs somewhere there! Great saves!

Very interesting Bill. I'm sure that was the way it was for a lot of goods, but especially with nails and a few other high demand items.

 

[johnnyblaze]

That Brad is one helluva guy!Relics look sweet fellas love the nails.

~Blaze

 

[port ewen ace]

hot damn Scrapp>>>>>>>>>you really did "nail it" on that hunt. there are some amazing iron relics that deserve to be dug. I still love all my honker horse shoes, axe heads but the French Fur Tomahawk is by far the best of my iron saves. put up some "crime scene " tape at that site----you killed it there!!! as a tip, I coat with beeswax & buff with a cloth after electrolysis

 

[villagenut]

I think iron is the coolest stuff out there

Iron artifacts are probably the most unappreciated objects that we regularly dig, along with shards of porcelain. Both of these catagories are quite telling when interpreting the age and usage of a site. Great job by both Brad and yourself.

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Thanks bud, I've used the same method but with paraffin wax. Have had issues with rust reoccurring after about 6 months, may try the baking soda

I've never had an issue with rust reoccurring, but years ago when I started doing boiling wax, I had an issue with a white powder appearing on the surface of some items after a few months. I learned I wasn't always boiling them long enough. So now I'll boil them for a few min, turn it off and let it sit for 10 min, then bring it back to a boil. This properly removed the moisture and let the wax seal better.

 

[Scrappy]

That Brad is one helluva guy!Relics look sweet fellas love the nails.

~Blaze

Thx Blaze. I just did a side by side of a rose head I did vs. Brad's.

Mine looks like what a dog squeezes out of its arse. Lol.

 

[Ahab8]

Thx Blaze. I just did a side by side of a rose head I did vs. Brad's. View attachment 1338620

Mine looks like what a dog squeezes out of its arse. Lol.

You suck dude. No really bud that rose head looks TERRIBLE next to Brads lol

 

[Scrappy]

You suck dude. No really bud that rose head looks TERRIBLE next to Brads lol

Well I texted you bozos hoping for some tips but you guys just laughed! It was hilarious...

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Well I texted you bozos hoping for some tips but you guys just laughed! It was hilarious...

It was hard not to laugh.

Here's the secret. Get this:



Put in a handful of iron, a handful of pea gravel. A drop of soap. Fill halfway with water. Run about 24 hours. I still hot wax them in a mesh basket.

 

[mangum]

Very nice. I've been learning the art of electrolysis. It's not as easy as it looks.

 

[against the wind]

Iron artifacts are probably the most unappreciated objects that we regularly dig, along with shards of porcelain. Both of these catagories are quite telling when interpreting the age and usage of a site. Great job by both Brad and yourself.

I have walked away from so many iron pits.
Mostly iron bars and maybe a few horse shoes.
I might have to take a closer look from now on.
Great post

 

[Diggin Dude]

Great post Steve ! I never knew about the wax coating, I look forward to trying it. Got a load of ox shoes and horse shoes to try. OA thanks for sharing your techniques and thanks to all chiming in, it's been very educational. [emoji2]

 

[Scrappy]

I have walked away from so many iron pits.
Mostly iron bars and maybe a few horse shoes.
I might have to take a closer look from now on.
Great post

Yep, it's worth taking a look. I've been slowly collecting items but now I'm hooked. Everyone needs some black iron in their display! Lol

 

[Scrappy]

Great post Steve ! I never knew about the wax coating, I look forward to trying it. Got a load of ox shoes and horse shoes to try. OA thanks for sharing your techniques and thanks to all chiming in, it's been very educational. [emoji2]

Thx buddy. Electrolysis and preserving is an art, and Brad is an artist.