Don in SJ
Silver Member
- May 20, 2005
- 4,931
- 832
- Detector(s) used
- MINELAB SE Pro
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
First went on an exploring trip for an hour or so, to no avail, so I finished up my hunt at the site that in March and April has yielded 5 KG coppers and 2 NJ coppers and several buttons and cufflinks. I had to really beat the bush to hit areas that I previously barely touched and it did pay off.
My first target was this octagonal shaped button, which usually are part of cufflinks so I will call it such, it is of a white metal, and has a floral petal design on it.
![Button Cufflink Pewter Floral.jpg Button Cufflink Pewter Floral.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498047-95f322e446069e09a2819a30162fe01a.jpg)
Next target was a raised boss type button, not a tombac, another indicator of an old site.
![button raised boss.jpg button raised boss.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498055-ef8d69c0b0261182be364e6dd75da4ec.jpg)
I then got a nice reading against the base of a big oak tree, after some struggle with roots a small flat pin appeared, at the time I had no idea it was a pin but upon cleaning it is very obvious it was a pin, with a decent design and again period of the homestead.
![Pin Colonial design.jpg Pin Colonial design.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498063-570c62561cc624a829eef177f825455e.jpg)
Finally, I got a funky reading near the base of a Holly tree, they are always fun to dig under (NOT) and I was not sure it was iron, since I was getting a varied reading, of course I was hoping it was a coin next to iron, but about 10-12 inches down I struck a piece of iron, now Holly roots can be a game stopper at times and if I would have been more tired, I might have left this piece of iron in the ground for another day, but since I was not finding the typicial pieces of iron pot, I thought perhaps this might be some other iron relic, or maybe even an entire iron pot!
I kept cutting roots and finally got around to the edges of it and saw that I could move it, so now I was going to get it out no matter what. I am sure glad I persisted since when I saw that axe come out of the hole, I felt like I just completed a successful hunt! I knew by the shape it was going to be my oldest axe found and without a doubt my first 1700 era one.
![Axe1.jpg Axe1.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498071-d30c3dd18a3b3f6d0fc7488b1ec2835c.jpg)
![Axe fresh out of ground.jpg Axe fresh out of ground.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498083-66f20d1ba5340258300644aabdc7fc54.jpg)
I got home washed dirt off the axe and shot some photos.
![Axe2.jpg Axe2.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498094-fde6d1e92331009cf43fb13cb6303cde.jpg)
![Axe3.jpg Axe3.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498100-3292b0c060bfc7fb4f432b43ba932838.jpg)
![Axe4.jpg Axe4.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498111-6a4185e34d7a8d2120dca23860635fc6.jpg)
When I got inside I got out my book on American Revolution relics out and sure enough it matched one of the ones pictured in the book by Neumann and Kravic. So I did find my first Colonial Axe. With it being 7 inches in length, cannot call it a belt axe but a "Felling Axe" would be more proper, one used mainly for cutting down trees, although it is on the small end of that scale.
As I was photograhing the washed off Axe, I noticed there is a square nail that must have been used as the wedge to hold the axe in the wooden handle, so rather cool having that still with the axe head......
![axe with square nail.jpg axe with square nail.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498120-10659dff4a05e67c4c1fcf1ddfda90c0.jpg)
Overall, that little homestead was very good to me, with 7 colonial coins and numerous buttons, couple cufflinks and of course the Axe! Oh, also got 2 Wheaties while doing my one hour exploration hike.
![AxeButtonsWheatpenny.jpg AxeButtonsWheatpenny.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498128-1f2ae7466b362f0fb946172c120d3504.jpg)
UPDATE:After a couple days of electrolysis, then soaking in distilled water for a day, dried in a toaster oven for a few hours, then did 3 light coats of Crisco oil and it came out a bit better than found.
I really wanted to try Flaxseed Oil on this but had none, so decided to go ahead and use Crisco which is what I used previously on two trivets and two irons with decent success.....
![Colonial Axe Before After Electrolysis Crisco.jpg Colonial Axe Before After Electrolysis Crisco.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/493/493189-393aef367d38ceabc60a045c2b151c08.jpg)
Don
My first target was this octagonal shaped button, which usually are part of cufflinks so I will call it such, it is of a white metal, and has a floral petal design on it.
![Button Cufflink Pewter Floral.jpg Button Cufflink Pewter Floral.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498047-95f322e446069e09a2819a30162fe01a.jpg)
Next target was a raised boss type button, not a tombac, another indicator of an old site.
![button raised boss.jpg button raised boss.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498055-ef8d69c0b0261182be364e6dd75da4ec.jpg)
I then got a nice reading against the base of a big oak tree, after some struggle with roots a small flat pin appeared, at the time I had no idea it was a pin but upon cleaning it is very obvious it was a pin, with a decent design and again period of the homestead.
![Pin Colonial design.jpg Pin Colonial design.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498063-570c62561cc624a829eef177f825455e.jpg)
Finally, I got a funky reading near the base of a Holly tree, they are always fun to dig under (NOT) and I was not sure it was iron, since I was getting a varied reading, of course I was hoping it was a coin next to iron, but about 10-12 inches down I struck a piece of iron, now Holly roots can be a game stopper at times and if I would have been more tired, I might have left this piece of iron in the ground for another day, but since I was not finding the typicial pieces of iron pot, I thought perhaps this might be some other iron relic, or maybe even an entire iron pot!
I kept cutting roots and finally got around to the edges of it and saw that I could move it, so now I was going to get it out no matter what. I am sure glad I persisted since when I saw that axe come out of the hole, I felt like I just completed a successful hunt! I knew by the shape it was going to be my oldest axe found and without a doubt my first 1700 era one.
![Axe1.jpg Axe1.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498071-d30c3dd18a3b3f6d0fc7488b1ec2835c.jpg)
![Axe fresh out of ground.jpg Axe fresh out of ground.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498083-66f20d1ba5340258300644aabdc7fc54.jpg)
I got home washed dirt off the axe and shot some photos.
![Axe2.jpg Axe2.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498094-fde6d1e92331009cf43fb13cb6303cde.jpg)
![Axe3.jpg Axe3.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498100-3292b0c060bfc7fb4f432b43ba932838.jpg)
![Axe4.jpg Axe4.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498111-6a4185e34d7a8d2120dca23860635fc6.jpg)
When I got inside I got out my book on American Revolution relics out and sure enough it matched one of the ones pictured in the book by Neumann and Kravic. So I did find my first Colonial Axe. With it being 7 inches in length, cannot call it a belt axe but a "Felling Axe" would be more proper, one used mainly for cutting down trees, although it is on the small end of that scale.
As I was photograhing the washed off Axe, I noticed there is a square nail that must have been used as the wedge to hold the axe in the wooden handle, so rather cool having that still with the axe head......
![axe with square nail.jpg axe with square nail.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498120-10659dff4a05e67c4c1fcf1ddfda90c0.jpg)
Overall, that little homestead was very good to me, with 7 colonial coins and numerous buttons, couple cufflinks and of course the Axe! Oh, also got 2 Wheaties while doing my one hour exploration hike.
![AxeButtonsWheatpenny.jpg AxeButtonsWheatpenny.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/498/498128-1f2ae7466b362f0fb946172c120d3504.jpg)
UPDATE:After a couple days of electrolysis, then soaking in distilled water for a day, dried in a toaster oven for a few hours, then did 3 light coats of Crisco oil and it came out a bit better than found.
![Smiley :) :)](https://www.treasurenet.com/smilies/smiley.gif)
![Colonial Axe Before After Electrolysis Crisco.jpg Colonial Axe Before After Electrolysis Crisco.jpg](https://www.treasurenet.com/data/attachments/493/493189-393aef367d38ceabc60a045c2b151c08.jpg)
Don
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