Major Copper bracelet or forarm guard.

[digordie]

This one I consider my best copper find. It is badly deteriorated but amazing. I'm guessing it to be decorative in nature, but not sure. Any other opinions?

 

[GatorBoy]

I simply don't know enough to say much I guess.. how can you tell its not just a piece of copper from a homestead or farm?
It reminds me alot of copper sheathing used to protect ship hulls and other wooden objects from water damage in the 17 and 1800's.

 

[digordie]

I simply don't know enough to say much I guess.. how can you tell its not just a piece of copper from a homestead or farm?

I guess I'm not 100% certain but I did do an acid test on it simular to what they do with meteorite testing/ etching. If it is native michigan copper, cold hammered etc the etching will reveal a pattern simular to the pattern look of galvanized steel, basically revealing the natural formation of the crystaline metal. If the metal has been smelted/ melted down and poured or cast the etching process will produce more of a cloudy or sand blasted appearance. This artifact came out with a nice crytaline pattern when I etched a piece of it. Modern copper always comes out cloudy when etched because it has been in a molten state prior to fabrication. In other words this copper could not have been heated past the blacksmithing red hot state because it still has its natural crystaline structure even though it has been hammered flat. Sorry for the long explanation but hopefully I've made some sense.

 

[GatorBoy]

That helped me out alot.
Thank you.

 

[monsterrack]

That is a super nice find

 

[etechdigger]

Its about the size of an old copper down spout from copper guttering.

David in Chattanooga