10/15/19 Report - How To Recycle and Get More Out of Your Junk Finds. Crafts and Classes.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Crude Sea-Seasoned Dug Cross Displaying "PAX"

If you metal detect very much, you'll get some pieces that can no longer be worn.  They might be broken or corroded or both, like the cross shown above.  You might accumulate a collection of corroded or broken rings, chains, coins, etc.  So what do you do with those broken silver or gold items that can no longer be worn?  One option would be to sell them for the value of the metals, but there are also some other options.  If you take jewelry making classes you might be able to use your salvaged materials from broken jewelry to make new jewelry.

Many years ago I took a lost wax casting class at a local community college.  The class not only provided instruction, but also access to expensive equipment for melting and casting newly created jewelry.  I also sold some of my scrap metals to fellow students who did not have their own supply of scrap silver.

The silver cross shown above is too corroded to be cleaned, but it could be melted and made into something else.  It doesn't look like something that was sold at a jewelry store.  It could have been made by somebody as a craft project.

Here is a warning:  Before selling or melting an item be sure you know that it isn't anything you want to keep.  Once you melt it down, it is gone.  The cross above needs to be researched.  I don't know how old it is.

Here is a ring that I always thought was probably made by an unskilled person like myself.  I really doubt that it is anything old or interesting.  It doesn't appear to be either old or well made.

Crude Dug Silver Ring.

I have no interest in cleaning or trying to sell this ring, but it contains nearly half an ounce of silver that could be melted and reused or sold for scrap.  There is no silver marking on the inside even though it tests as silver.

Here is another piece I found that I always thought could have been made by an amateur.

Silver TJ(?) Ring.

The TJ ring looks a crudely made but also lacks a silver mark.

You can also find other types of jewelry making courses, such as silversmithing and wire wrapping.

Let's say you found a nice fossil shark tooth fossil and want to wear it.  You can either pay someone to make a pendant for you or you can make your own.  Most of the shark's teeth I've seen made into jewelry are wire-wrapped, which is an easy technique.

Here is one example from the internet.

Of course it helps if you are a little artistic and have a knack for the craft, but you'll never know until you give it a try.

You can purchase all kinds of wire and other materials, as well as jewelry making equipment, from Rio Grande.  They sell a tremendous range of jewelry making supplies and equipment.

My wife turned some of my fossil finds into pendants and sold them online.

Here is an example of a piece of wire wrapped sea glass.  I just picked this one off the internet too.

Wire wrapping is a simple technique but you can be very artistic with it and make some very elaborate and beautiful items.

The price of a class will be very reasonable, especially considering the access you get to good equipment for making your own creations.  You can get good instruction for free on the internet, but when you take a class, you also can get access to good equipment.

I took my lost wax casting course many years ago at Broward Community College.

On the Treasure Coast the St. Lucie County Rock and Gem club offers courses on lost wax casting, silversmithing and wire wrapping and more.  The classes generally cost in the range of $35 to $65.  In many cases you'll also have to purchase supplies, like maybe casting wax.

Here is a link to a list of the St. Lucie County Rock and Gem club classes.

http://www.slcrockandgem.org/Classes.html

I've found a few rings that were obviously made by unskilled amateurs that used lost wax casting, but I've also found several examples of wire wrapping.

My wife does more jewelry making than I.

You can purchase any equipment you might need, but equipment and materials can get expensive so you might want to give it a try and practice using the equipment before you purchase it yourself.

You can purchase almost any kind of jewelry making supplies or equipment from places such as Rio Grande.  You can find them on the internet.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

There are still some systems on the map, but there are no immediate threats.

The surf on the Treasure Coast is now down around 2 -4 feet and will be getting smaller the next few days.

8/13/16 Report - Wedges and Chisels and Other Old Nautical Tools. Iron Artifacts of Port Royal. Conservation of Iron Artifacts.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Artifacts Found On Treasure Coast Beaches.

There are more than coins and gold and silver to be found on the 1715 Fleet wrecks.  Besides the cargo there were all the necessities of daily life, and the nautical tools that were needed to keep a sailing ship in good working order.  While those things might not be as glamorous or valuable as the queen's jewels they can be just as interesting and meaningful.

After finding information on the awl or fid that I showed yesterday, I decided to research a couple more iron beach finds a little more.  They fall into the category of tools.  They are shown above.

The larger one is not a chisel.  That is what I called it for a while, but then one helpful reader informed me that it is not a chisel.  It is a wedge.

A chisel removes material.  A wedge separates things, like boards on a ship when they are going to be caulked.

I'm not sure if the smaller one is a wedge or chisel.  I suspect it is a wedge too.  If it is a chisel, it would be for wood - maybe stone.

Years ago I found the bronze one shown immediately below.

While doing research on nautical tools, I found a great resource.  It is a master's thesis by Katie Custer, entitled Wrought Iron Hand Tools From The Underwater Archaeological Excavations of Colonial Port Royal, Jamaica, C. 1692.

The thesis is a very informative paper that you will probably want to browse.  As the title suggests, it describes iron tool artifacts having to do with various trades active in Port Royal in the late 17th Century.

Not only does the thesis look at the artifacts, it also considers historical records and inventories.  And of course there is a very useful reference list at the end.

Here is the link.

http://anthropology.tamu.edu/papers/Custer-MA2004.pdf

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If you learn to interpret and appreciate iron artifacts, you will also want to be able to properly clean and conserve them.

One good reference is a PDF file entitled, The Care and Preservation of Historical Iron.  This article was authored by Clara Deck, Senior Conservator of The Henry Ford Museum.

This one has a lot of good useful information too.

https://www.thehenryford.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/the-henry-ford-iron-conservation.pdf?sfvrsn=2

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Horsing Iron.

Here is another web site you might want to look at.  It shows a lot of antique nautical tools, including this horsing iron, which would be used for caulking.

http://www.ageofsail.net/aosbt.asp


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I wanted to comment on the mystery item that I posted on 8/11.  I received an number of excellent thoughts from helpful readers of this blog.

My opinion is that the item is likely more modern.  A couple of knowledgeable and well-known shipwreck experts told Bob C. that the mystery item could be from a shipwreck.  The item was found near other items that I believe are probably 1715 Fleet. I don't presume to be more knowledgeable than the well-known experts, who also had the advantage of seeing the item in person, but my opinion after viewing the picture, is that it is most likely more modern.  My confidence level is 70 or 80 percent that it is modern.  Of course I could be wrong.

The item might be easier to identify after it is cleaned.

Thanks to all who offered opinions.

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There is no tropical activity of interest right now and the surf will remain calm for at least a few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/14/16 Report - Shipwreck Graveyard. Where The Boys Were. If You Are An Old Bottle Its Not Always Bad To Look Old. Ace 250 Chinese Knock-Off.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

One of Many Shipwrecks Found Near Fourni.
Source: See link immediately below.

Arcaheologists found 22 shipwrecks in a 13-day survey and 45 in less than a year around Fourni. They range in age from B. C. to 19th century.

Here is the link.

http://www.livescience.com/55375-45-shipwrecks-greek-island-fourni.html

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I just noticed Where The Boys Are playing on TV.  I had to stop and take a look.  It was a little nostalgic.

The movie was made in 1960, and I felt like I was watching a piece of metal detecting history, even though they didn't show any detectorists.  I doubt there were many people that had that reaction, but I did.

They showed the beaches absolutely covered with beach blankets and young people. Did I tell you I used to be young?  It was almost a blanket of people. There was hardly enough room enough to sit or stand.  It was all very civil compared to later years. The girls were wearing one-piece swim suits, and the guys were very clean looking.

In the sixties and seventies the Fort Lauderdale beaches were still very crowded during Spring Break, but things got pretty bad and eventually Fort Lauderdale decided to discourage college kids from visiting at spring break,

I think it was in the mid seventies when they had riots and all kinds of problems.  They brought in Billy Graham to try to calm things down. The beaches were still covered with people at Spring Break into the eighties, as I recall.  How things have changed!

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I just ran across a web site on which the writer was describing how to distress bottles.  They wanted to do crafts with bottles that look old.  What do they say, "The grass is always greener?"  I guess that means the dirt is always dirtier too.

Bottle collectors usually want bottles that look new, and the old bottles I find usually show their age. One thing I like about selling finds is putting them in the hands of the people that appreciate them.  And getting the best price is largely the result of finding the people that most want exactly what you have.

There are bottles that can be sold to bottle collectors, and others you might be able to sell to people that do crafts.

I used to sell some old bottles and probably will again some time in the future..  One of my old Treasure Coast bottles went to Australia.  Another was illustrated in a book on pharmacy bottles.  I like when finds like that are appreciated and used.

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I know that a lot of people read this blog.  I can tell that from the hit counter and google stats.  What I don't know is how often people actually try the techniques I explain.

If you adopted some technique that I explained or used some piece of information that I provided, I'd very much like to hear about that.

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There is Chinese company selling a knock-off of the Garrett Ace 250.  They copied the Ace, and their copy looks almost exactly the same.  It does have a different name, but there really isn't much difference.  I'd suggest not buying knock-offs like that.

It is bad enough they steal our industrial secrets and stealth technology, now it is metal detectors.

Even crafters are having trouble with Chinese knock-offs.  They browse sites like Etsy and eBay and then copy items.  They aren't the only ones the stoop to copying though.  Some U. S. sellers on those sites look for things they can copy rather than using their own creativity.

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Tomorrow look for pictures of new 1715 Fleet finds, including escudos.


There is no tropical weather to watch.  It looks like the surf will pick up next week, but only by about a foot.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net