Picture of Copper Sheathing on Ships Bow.A couple of days ago I posted a photo of a copper sheet found on the Treasure Coast. Mike T. sent a very informative email including a lot of good information on the use of copper sheathing including this picture.
One other thing that he mentioned is if you find copper sheathing make sure to clean and inspect the corners which is where you might find the mark of the manufacturer, patent information, etc.
I might include more of Mike's more detailed information in future posts.
David S. helped me to figure out the identity of the mystery disk that I showed a few days ago. He says, "The edge of the disk shown in the photo you posted looks to have the marks left by an oxyacetylene cutting torch on steel plate. Is it ferrous and does it respond to a magnet? If yes, then it may be a disk cut out of a piece of plate steel by a cutting torch."
David S. got it. I appreciate the expertise and help. One of the things I like about doing this blog is how much I learn.
That brings up another good subject. When you talk about treasure hunting tools, two that come immediately to mind are a metal detector and scoop or other digging tool. There are other tools that often come in handy though. One that I'll discuss now is a good magnet.
To test the disk, I used a magnet, and it stuck.
Photo of a Good Magnet.You can use a magnet to help determine the type of metal you found.
I often use the magnet shown in this photo to test conglomerates. Some conglomerates will stick to the magnet, indicating iron contents. Heavily encrusted objects with dissolved iron in them may exhibit a light attraction to the magnet that you can feel even if the magnet won't pick up the object.
The photo below shows an encrusted object sticking to the magnet.
Don't forget that if there is a ferrous object inside, there could also be other types of objects inside the conglomerate such as coins or other things.
A good magnet can also be used with a cord or pole to retrieve iron artifacts from wells or other hard to reach places.
Overall, I think you might find a good magnet worth the investment.
Encrusted Object Sticking to a Magnet.
Caution: do not put your magnet close to magnetic computer storage media.
On another subject, laser scanners are being used to create 3-D images of caves. You can see how useful that might be.
This link provides some good examples.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/nottingham/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9172000/9172619.stm
Forecast and Conditions.
Seas are around 4.5 feet today with northeast winds and a high tide around noon. It is looking more promising than you would think with less than five foot seas. The wind is about right and the high tides are pretty high.
While I only would rate the beaches as poor right now, with tomorrow's increasing seas and everything else, that could possibly change.
I know last weekend didn't turn out as good as hoped, but there were still some interesting pieces found, although no cobs that I know of.
Thanks to all of you who have sent emails and information lately. It helps a lot.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
