Today while working I found this anchor and would love to learn more about it. Any help would be appreciated. Location - New Brunswick Canada.

[Kalebj1994]

 

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[Almy]

Quite a find! It's so big that preservation is a problem for an individual. There may be interest and advice at the New Brunswick museum. The striations in the metal are indicative of a particular age and manufacturing type, but I can't remember or immediately find what they are. Forging and the 19th century, perhaps?

 

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[Digger RJ]

View attachment 1999832

Cool!!! Congrats!!!!

 

[villagenut]

It is in the best interest of the iron to not let it dry out, and to use distilled water, not salt water. Distilled water will act as a leaching agent for the chloride ions or salt in the iron to migrate out of the iron and into the distilled water that has no salts or chloride in it.. this is what works., but it will take a while with a large object like this. Electrolysis could be done first, but you still need to get the chloride level to an acceptable ppm before tannic acid and microchristaline wax coatings. Best to study up on these before diving in....no pun intended lol

 

[Red_desert]

Electrolysis should be safe for a bronze anchor, which yours is not. Somewhere in the shipwreck forum, is a thread for your type of anchor. Can't remember for sure what is needed, but they do say the BAD thing you can do, is let the anchor dry out being exposed to the air. Drying out an iron anchor can ruin it. Some of those threads have good conservation links,

 

[Red_desert]

Another TNet member found and brought up, one of the old anchor threads.

https://www.treasurenet.com/threads/identification-of-anchor.72604/

• Feb 8, 2008
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• #3

Please get it in some water. If it dries out it will start to come apart quickly. It will then need to go through electrolosis for about 6-9 months to get rid of the salts.

Great find! Maybe a small kedge anchor. The flukes look to be triangular.

• Feb 25, 2008
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• #10

Thank you very much for all the information so far. I will try to put it into water asap!!!!!!

Don't try, do it now or it will be ruined. Used Salt Away and change it every 3 months until you can get it into electrylosis, or get someone to do it for you.

 

[Gare]

I would wash it in fresh water real good they dry it. After dried i would spray paint it with a thin varnish paint to keep the air off of it.

 

[Gare]

After rereading your listing I would like top welcome you to a very fine forum and NICE FIND !!!

 

[Blak bart]

This is a long time consuming process and an anchor your size might take a year or more in constantly changed water.... after a long submersion in fresh water, and when the salt levels have come down and the iron has leached out it salts....then we can think about stabilization with electrolysis....after that is done, then we can dry it out and treat it with a number of coatings to protect its preserved condition....this can be costly. But it can also be done without spending a fortune if you use common sense and a practical approach....we made large wooden tanks, and lined them with plastic garden liners...anchor has been soaking for a year now with the water changed every 3-5 days....salt content is way down now and we should be ready for electrolysis very soon.....im learning the process from some old treasure hunters here in the keys. Im still learning myself and have not been through the whole process with an anchor....cannon balls and bar shot have been a success though !!

 

[Blak bart]

Your piece is pretty far along and nature has been rough on it....still would be nice when preserved...congrats and welcome to treasure net.

 

[Gare]

Kalebj1994 if you have the time i would love to hear more of your finding the anchor. LIke how did you happen to find it. I think you mentioned while working. help us know a little more about you ​

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Happy New Year also​

​

 

[Red_desert]

This is a long time consuming process and an anchor your size might take a year or more in constantly changed water.... after a long submersion in fresh water, and when the salt levels have come down and the iron has leached out it salts....then we can think about stabilization with electrolysis....after that is done, then we can dry it out and treat it with a number of coatings to protect its preserved condition....this can be costly. But it can also be done without spending a fortune if you use common sense and a practical approach....we made large wooden tanks, and lined them with plastic garden liners...anchor has been soaking for a year now with the water changed every 3-5 days....salt content is way down now and we should be ready for electrolysis very soon.....im learning the process from some old treasure hunters here in the keys. Im still learning myself and have not been through the whole process with an anchor....cannon balls and bar shot have been a success though !!

Blak bart, now that you are on this thread, have a question I've wanted to ask about concerning the power supply device needed for electrolysis on an anchor this size. Don't you need something with the output used to charge car/truck batteries? For coin or relic size the simple Radio Shack 6/12 volt power supply AC/DC type. Usually, only had to change salt solution once to get job finished. Ask a chemist, doesn't the process alter sodium chloride chemically, so it becomes harmless waste? I always needed more salt water to get done. Fresh clean, clear looking salt water becomes dirty in a hurry. You need the right wire of direct current going to the artifact... don't remember if it is the positive or the negative wire.

 

[Red_desert]

https://www.restaurantnorman.com/what-happens-if-you-use-electrolysis-on-salt-water/

Electrolysis of an aqueous solution of table salt (NaCl, or sodium choride) produces aqueous sodium hydroxide and chlorine, although usually only in minute amounts. NaCl (aq) can be reliably electrolysed to produce hydrogen.

 

[Red_desert]

Sodium hydroxide – with the chemical formula NaOH – has several other names. It is also known as caustic soda, lye, and sodium hydrate.

If current is correct, any visible gas bubbles, should be forming around the encrusted object. If opposite is true (gas from other wire electrode) reverse the electrical current.