nails & spikes ?

[wailinmacs]

nails & spikes ?

could someone show some pictures of what shipwreck nails and spikes should look like ? i have a small collection of copper nails i found and always thought they were from a ship. now I'm thinking they are too small. about an inch and a half. i haven't been able to post pics cause i cant get the file size down. my latest nail i found on the beach in Jupiter two nights ago and this little sucker looks like the real thing (hand made).

 

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[ivan salis]

Re: nails & spikes ?

might be sheathing nails to hold copper sheet plating used to protect the hulls of vessels

 

[ScubaDude]

Re: nails & spikes ?

Yep

 

[Peg Leg]

Re: nails & spikes ?

They could also have been used to hold the lead sheathing in place.
Do they look hand made or machine made?
Peg leg

 

[diverlynn]

Re: nails & spikes ?

We found 1 about that size over the summer, Doug suggested it came from a chest.

Diverlynn

 

[wailinmacs]

Re: nails & spikes ?

here it is , the jupiter one

 

[wailinmacs]

Re: nails & spikes ?

the others, not from jupiter.

 

[ivan salis]

Re: nails & spikes ?

very interesting....the smaller ones look like sheathing nails to me-- they were used to hold thin copper or lead sheets onto the hull --which were used to prevent wood boring worms from attacking the hulls--- ever found any lead or copper looking thin type sheet metal ? ( me and some my freinds found both bronze / copper type nails and copper sheathing as well as (datible) plate shards off a 1812 era brtitish lumber trade vessel this summer in the sands of main beach on amelia island ) --- lead sheathing means spanish very early stuff -- look hard for treasure if ye find lead sheathing in the area ----aaarrrgghh--- Ivan

 

[old man]

Re: nails & spikes ?

All of the nails appear to be hand made. The smaller ones appear to be the same size as the ones that hold copper or lead sheating to the bottom of a wooden ship. I am not an expert or archeologist. I am sure that Cornelius could shed some light on your discovery.

 

[old man]

Re: nails & spikes ?

Dell, The initial question dealt with fnding a small copper nail on the beach near Jupiter. I think that most of us agree that the copper nails of that size were used for sheating on wooden ships. When taken into account that the copper nail was found on the beach, it leds me to believe that it was used for sheating. Unless you think the Confederates buried a chest on the beach in Jupiter, I tend to agree with Cornelius. Even if that was possible. I don't think I would change my mind.

 

[ivan salis]

Re: nails & spikes ?

copper nails for sheathing -- simple iron rusts very badly went in contact with saltwater steadily -- so its a rather poor choice for tacking sheathing on esp copper the reaction between copper sheathing --iron nails and salt water = bad mix ---iron as nails & spikes is ok above the waterline area --below the waterlines a differant matter iron in a steady saltwater bath would rapidly weaken -- athough iron nails were used earlier on -- later on copper nails for below the water line became the naval standard -- the rust & weak type iron cannons ---which is why "bronze" cannons were so well liked over "iron" ones --they were not as prone to the weakness of iron and blowing to pieces like the iron ones were --- aarrgghh ---Ivan

 

[privateer]

Re: nails & spikes ?

on the subject of bent or straight nail's have found that if the sheathing came away from the hull with out much force the nails are usually straight- if they are tore off by force-they usually are bent-here are some pictures of sheathing from 1700 to 1800 wrecks

 

[wreckdiver1715]

Re: nails & spikes ?

---which is why "bronze" cannons were so well liked over "iron" ones --they were not as prone to the weakness of iron and blowing to pieces like the iron ones were --- aarrgghh ---Ivan

Actually, Bronze cannons were preferred over Iron because they cooled off faster than the Iron cannons, and they were able to fire more shots in a shorter period of time during battle.

 

[ivan salis]

Re: nails & spikes ?

Sir Robert F. Marx ---- normally called --- bob marx by most -- is one of the most famous shipwreck guys in history -- yet by his own admission he had a rather limited "formal" education --however he was a avid reader -- he has found massives numbers of shipwrecks -- formal education is good -- but somethings are best learned hands on --using both forms of education together can often lead to amazing results -- you can always learn as long as you live and not all learning is in a class room type setting -- Ivan

 

[wailinmacs]

Re: nails & spikes ?

anyone have an example picture of lead sheathing ? privateer's pictures are they lead? im preety sure i've been picking up small shards of sheathing 2''x4'' at best and copper. not nearly as thick as the ones pictured . very thin like a shredded beer can. but copper.

 

[ivan salis]

Re: nails & spikes ?

what your talking about fits 1800's era copper sheathing to a "t"--- is sounds just like the copper sheathing I found off of the amelia island 1810-1812 era british lumber trade wreck that washed up on main beach from the nearby offshore wreck there (it is even noted as a wreck on the sea charts of the area) --- copper is costly today so not many folks use it ---iron nails and aluminum siding & nails these days for the most part --- the photos above are copper sheets note the greenish tones (copper turns greenish as it corrudes)-- lead looks kinda dull gray or silverish in color and is quite heavy ( weight was one of the main reasons copper was used was it was lighter and plus it was fairly toxic to sea life that tried to grow on it )-- copper sheathing can and did vary in thickness from time to time according to who made it and when --- heck early 1700's to 1840's is a long time --- Ivan

 

[wailinmacs]

Re: nails & spikes ?

ivan, thanks so much. everyone, thank you as well. folks, please post some pictures of this, non-treasure treasure that you may have found. i think theres real beauty in it.

 

[ivan salis]

Re: nails & spikes ?

the real beauty of it is this ---by find sheathing you often find theres a shallow nearby shipwreck offshore from which it came off of --- btw lead sheathing was used on the early spanish treasure ships -- thus its a big time give away that screams LOOK CLOSELY HERE to treasure hunters ---copper sheathing can also lead to interesting finds in the nearby areas---Ivan

 

[ScubaDude]

Re: nails & spikes ?

A lot of Privateer's copper pieces look more like patches than sheathing. I've had to install a few similar patches to wood hulled boats to patch leaks so they could finish whatever commercial season they were engaged in. The same thing that worked centuries ago still works today, only we use 5200 sealant instead of pitch and tar.

 

[vintagesailor]

Re: nails & spikes ?

I found another use for those spikes . . .

I decided to take one and make a mount for a coin.