✅ SOLVED Petrified Wood Underwater?

[Bigcypresshunter]

I found this at lo-tide Thursday on one of the Treasure Coast 1715 shipwreck sites rolling in the surf. It looks like wood but is heavy as a rock. ...hard too. Has a large nailhole in the center and another hole on the right side. It also sinks like a rock. What is it? Could this be shipwreck wood? Why is it so heavy and hard?

 

[DD-777]

The one side definitely looks like wood - other side looks like some type of coral (possibly even a meteorite?). I would think that if it were OLD shipwreck wood it would be soft and crumbly. Is it possible that whatever it is could have grown on/against/over the wood itself and taken on its pattern? Just throwin' some ideas out there...

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I am open for ideas. I should tell you that my metal detector does not pick it up. I eyeballed it rolling in the surf at lo-tide after Tropical Storm Fay. My original thought was rusty iron by the color, but it is not. It is a well known shipwreck location of many finds over the years. There is a shell or mullosk in the nailhole. I have a few ideas but will keep them to myself because I really dont know.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Could it be a hard knot of pine resin?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

No wood experts?

I heard that the old ships used some type of tar pitch or resin mixture to patch holes. Maybe it took the grain of the wood it was against and the rusty color from old iron.But i can see some tiny wormholes by my thumb. I found old wood here before that was buried under sand but it was soft. This rock hard "wood" has me baffled. Maybe it is not old. The spike holes appear round and severely bent. Someone suggested I take it to the Sebastian museum.



Maybe coral grew against wood and over a spike, but why leave a hole through it.
Thanks for your thoughts DD.

 

[Old Dog]

I don't think it is wood.
I think you may have a cast fitting that has eroded to the point of oblivion.
either cast iron or wrought Iron (in layers) giving the look of wood structure,
after the water has done its work the softer parts have rusted away a bit faster than the harder parts.

Just my .02

Hope it opened another option for you.
Thom

 

[DD-777]

Hey Big Cy! I can't believe nobody has chimed in on this. In the first pic it definitely looks like wood. Even in the second pic there is a knot-like look to it (just above your thumb on the backside). The museum sounds like a good idea. Maybe someone can give you a positive i.d. on this. Try re-posting in the shipwreck/underwater section here. There's got to be a few folks who have encountered the same type of material. Let me know what you find out if you take it down to Sebastian. Wood just doesn't get hard in water (especially after a long period of time)...

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I don't think it is wood.
I think you may have a cast fitting that has eroded to the point of oblivion.
either cast iron or wrought Iron (in layers) giving the look of wood structure,
after the water has done its work the softer parts have rusted away a bit faster than the harder parts.

Just my .02

Hope it opened another option for you.
Thom

My PI metal detector will not pick it up. It is not metal.

 

[deepskyal]

I just looked under dense wood and came up with this...

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/20447

I remember being at a trade show and they had a type of wood on display that was almost as heavy as iron and was used for building decks near oceans for their longevity. Very expensive!

Guess they thought there was a market for it inland for those that wanted a truely carefree deck that would last 100+ years.

Now...if it is that kind of wood...what did it come off? An old pier somewhere maybe?

Al

 

[Old Dog]

Lignumvitae - also known as guayacan, palo santo, and ironwood. Scientific name: Guaiacum sanctum (GWY-uh-kum SANK-tum)
Family: Zygophyllaceae

Lignumvitae is an extremely slow-growing broadleaf evergreen, not native to North America, which ultimately reaches 30 to 40 feet in height and casts light shade, but few people have seen plants of this size because it is not grown in the trade. Most are seen 8 to 12 feet tall with a beautiful array of multiple trunks and a rounded canopy much like that of a mature Crape-Myrtle. The one to two-inch-long, leathery, dark green leaves are joined at many times throughout the year by the production of large clusters of deep blue flowers, the old flowers fading to a light silvery-blue and creating a shimmering haze over the rounded canopy. These flowers are followed by small, heart-shaped, yellow berries, appearing on the tree at the same time as the blue flowers and creating a lovely sight.

Underneath the smooth, beige/grey bark of Lignumvitae is some of the heaviest of all wood, sinking under its weight instead of floating in water. This dense wood was once popular for use in the manufacture of bowling balls and has also been used for propeller shafts on steamships, gears and for mallets.

This wood, known among carvers as "lignum", is known to be the heaviest and most dense wood in the world.

I copied and pasted the answer here.
If you think you have a chunk of Lignumvitae, it can be determined with a microscope.

I have old tools that use it in some of their moving parts. One of it's special qualities is the fact that it is self lubricating. There is a clock with parts made from this wood that has run for almost 300 years. when it stopped the removal of one single gear and re manufacture of the same gear from a small piece of the same wood (thirty years ago) has sent the clock well on it's way to many more years of faithful ticking.

This is definitely a thing to look into.
There are many types of wood that will sink as they have a density greater than water.
But few will come close to Lignumvitae.


Thom

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Yes good idea. Perhaps. Thanks Deepsky and Old Dog. I knew TN could get it solved. Lignumvitae or Ironwood does grow native in the Florida Keys, along with Mahoghany, and the larger trees were logged extensively for early shipbuilding. I believe a Florida key is named Lignumvitae Key and is now a protected park.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Here's an interesting link. http://www.keyshistory.org/lvk.html

"The guaiacum sanctum is our tree and is heavier than water having a specific gravity of 1.39".

 

[chipveres]

On the old ships Lignum Vita was used particulatly for pulley blocks and deadeyes. Because it's strong & self-lubricating. A pulley made with a bronze wheel and wood block is a beautiful thing, but too heavy / expensive to use any more.

Chip V.

 

[Old Dog]

On the old ships Lignum Vita was used particulatly for pulley blocks and deadeyes. Because it's strong & self-lubricating. A pulley made with a bronze wheel and wood block is a beautiful thing, but too heavy / expensive to use any more.

Chip V.

More research on the wood itself reveals a wholesale cost per board foot near $100.
compare this with the per board foot cost of red oak which is $2.34.

Yes I would agree, VERY expensive.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Let me know what you find out if you take it down to Sebastian. Wood just doesn't get hard in water (especially after a long period of time)...

I took it to the Sebastian museum on Sunday http://atocha1622.com/mclarty.htm but the curator was not in. Everyone I showed it to was interested and perplexed. I may have a clue. A hammer with wood handle on display at the museum stated that wood will be preserved if next to iron. This may be the answer. It appears to be covered in rust. It may be shipwreck wood preserved by the iron.
It is not as heavy as it dries out but still remains heavy, very hard and with a slight odor. After it dries out completely, I will see if it still sinks in saltwater. I wonder if it needs any preservation?

 

[DD-777]

Let me know what you find out if you take it down to Sebastian. Wood just doesn't get hard in water (especially after a long period of time)...

I took it to the Sebastian museum on Sunday http://atocha1622.com/mclarty.htm but the curator was not in. Everyone I showed it to was interested and perplexed. I may have a clue. A hammer with wood handle on display at the museum stated that wood will be preserved if next to iron. This may be the answer. It appears to be covered in rust. It may be shipwreck wood preserved by the iron.
It is not as heavy as it dries out but still remains heavy, very hard and with a slight odor. After it dries out completely, I will see if it still sinks in saltwater. I wonder if it needs any preservation?

BigCy that's awesome! Be sure to keep us posted with what you find out! I wonder if they could tell how old it is (rough estimate).Imagination could run wild with all sorts of crazy scenarios...

 

[greengorilla]

Big cypress, I was going to comment on it on your other post of finds. Most of the time you need to place it in fresh water and change the water every now and then until it stabilizes.
One sure way to find out if it is petrified is to cut it with a diamond blade wet saw, ironwood will cut but will not sound sharp like a mineral and you will see if it has rings. If it's iron the wet saw won't like it, you'll know right away. Just find a tile conractor they'll probably want to play with it anyway. Curiosity kills the cat!!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Its only a worthless piece of wood but it does arouse the curiosity of everyone that holds it in their hand. It is very hard but is non-metallic. ...but I cannot scratch it.

After looking in the museum and seeing severely eroded iron hatchets and hammers that had their wood handles still intact after 300 years under the ocean is amazing. The corroding iron somehow preserves the wood they said.

I have had it in buckets of fresh water for several days. It appears to be rock solid now out of water so far.

 

[DD-777]

Its only a worthless piece of wood but it does arouse the curiosity of everyone that holds it in their hand. It is very hard but is non-metallic. ...but I cannot scratch it.

After looking in the museum and seeing severely eroded iron hatchets and hammers that had their wood handles still intact after 300 years under the ocean is amazing. The corroding iron somehow preserves the wood they said.

I have had it in buckets of fresh water for several days. It appears to be rock solid now out of water so far.

Hey, you never know...

 

[Angelo]

More than likely way off on this.

It looks like maybe some lava flow that hit a tree and the hole was where there was a branch.

Tony