First detecting outing

[DrDuck]

Had an interesting couple of days last week with a mate somewhere in the general area of Braidwood to look for relics.

I have been pretty much an alluvial specialist, and don't have a detector.

So my friend lent me an old Minlab Sterling and we investigated a gully that had been mined back in the 1850's and 1860's.

There were a number of old shafts in the gully, most rectangular and one circular, indicating that it was dug by Chinese.

My first target was a nail, and the second one the nice cricket buckle in the pic.

I'm pretty sure that Sandta had posted the same buckle before, but I was lucky to find one in pretty good nick.

Other targets of note inculded a metal powder horn plate which had a hunting scene embossed on it, a waistcoat rear buckle and a couple of old shovel heads, as well as bits of iron pots, tin, billy handles and so on.

This has got me a bit interested in detecting and relic hunting, particularly given the highbanker situation.

 

[Eldorado]

The cricket buckle is awesome Doc.Can we see a photo of the powder horn?Well done mate. :Y:

 

[roy cobb]

Well done DrDuck a very nice cricket buckle a great fist find
Roy

 

[ctxkid]

cool buckle

 

[Sandta]

Congrats to you Doc
Thats a beauty :Y:
Bloody beginers luck :lol:

 

[DrDuck]

The cricket buckle is awesome Doc.Can we see a photo of the powder horn?Well done mate. :Y:

The powder horn was my mates find, but we did a swap as he has a thing about old shovel heads, and has quite a collection of them.

Its a bit battered and dirty, but Ill post a pic when Ive cleaned it up a bit.

 

[Heatho]

Nice find DrDuck, well done. Coin and relic hunting is a great passtime, I now prefer it to gold and gem hunting.

 

[silver]

Everrrybodee wins a prize.... when it comes to detectoration Doc !

 

[pete165]

Well done DrDuck. Nice find.

 

[Goldpick]

Sweet buckle find, even better than a coin find in my view. :Y:

 

[Jemba]

Finding relics just what dose it mean and why do it? Well to me it is a step back to a past time in history when life was so much more simpler but much more harder to exist in every way. For me every relic or coin from the past holds a special message and for a very brief moment I get a glimmer of that time and the person who owned and lost the item I have now found. Been an alluvial gold prospector, relic hunting has been my second passion and it was a pleasure inducing Doc to such an enjoyable pastime. Why was the old shovel important to me? Well it tells me a lot about the time in which it was made a time when a mans skills was his trade mark so let me show you what I see in that old shovel head that was made by hand around 1860. The shovel head uncleaned photo 1 & 2. Step one was the cleaning of the shovel head with a wire brush as shown in photos 3 & 4. In photo 5 & 6 is the finished head now I can see how it was made in photo 6.

1 the hand made handle holder
2 the hand made blade
3 and how they hot riveted the handle holder to the blade..What skill the smithy who made the shovel had.

The Minelab Sterling is an old detector made around 1994 but boy it can still pull coin and relics for specks on the Sterling see the below link.

I wonder just how much gold that shovel found for its owner We had a ball hey Doc.

Cheers Jemba

https://www.losttreasure.com/Home/FieldTestDetail/6051

 

[Mackka]

Congratulations to you both. Fantastic finds and love the buckle and that shovel head.
Jemba I also ask myself the questions that you do. I am fascinated by grave yards and found one yesterday virtually on a major road that had commenced in the late 1800's and still being used today and I must say well maintained.
I love Toowong Cemetery and it has so much history.
Mackka

 

[Jemba]

Thanks Mackka yep i quite often find myself doing the same around old Cemetery's there sure are some sad yarns mixed up in them hey. Jemba

 

[DrDuck]

Yep, Jemba

It was a great couple of days, and it looks like a Makro Multi Cruzer is heading in my direction as a result.

While you did explain the significance of the shovel to me, you put it much better than I could. It is truly interesting to look at the relics (like that huge horseshoe with the cleat at the front to help the draft horse pull a load up hills) and consider the lives of the miners 150 years ago or so. So there is an intrinsic interest in the hand made nails, bits of iron pots, china waistcoat buckles and other every day relics we unearthed. As you say, even a prosaic object as a shovel or a horseshoe takes on a different significance when you consider the skill of the black smith who made it from scratch. A blacksmith had to make those nails one by one - a far cry from buying them by the thousands these days.

The Stirling was certainly still an effective detector in spite of its age, that's for sure.

I've been a bit slow cleaning up the finds, as in exchange for permission from the Minister for War and Finance to get away and then to get a detector, I've been occupying myself with family duties and jobs around the house.

When I have cleaned them, I'll put another post up.

Doc.

 

[Heatho]

Keen to see how you go with Kruzer DrDuck, from all reports they are a great detector, puch deep with very fast recovery, should serve you very well.

 

[Jemba]

It is funny how times has changed us, life for us is now harder, but our existence is much simpler. Mate i will clean that horseshoe for you if you wish. I reckon the best part of that trip was the camp oven roast. Yum cheers jemba.

 

[DrDuck]

I'd be interested in a tutorial on how you cleaned that shovel, Jemba, it really came up well...

 

[Jemba]

It is quite a simple excise first I give the item a gently tap all over to remove any large rust particles. Then the dusty bit with a wire brush fitted to my drill I brush the item till all the flaky rust is gone. Then paint the item over with Septone Rust Converter and Primer then let the item hang for a day or so which gives the converter time to work. When that is done I give the item a linseed oil bath for a few days then let it hang and dry out.

Description:

Septone Rust Prime is a water based chemical that converts rust to an inert black compound and simultaneously primes and seals the metal surface so that it is ready for subsequent priming and topcoating. Rust Prime may be used on rusted galvanised roofs or surfaces, ornamental ironwork, fencing, structural steel, gutters, sheds, rusted nuts and bolts and hand tools. It can also be used in a number of marine applications. Rust Prime will provide temporary protection against rust, but should not be considered as a corrosion resistant coating. Primer coats and top coats should be applied as soon as possible after the surface has been treated with Rust Prime (and within 4 weeks)

cheers Jemba