1715 wreck beach find. Theres metal in there somewhere

[JC Florida]

1715 wreck beach find. There's metal in there somewhere

I found this heavily encrusted chunk at the shore line just after a storm. I know one of the 1715 Spanish fleet wrecks is about 700 yards off shore. Any suggestions on how to clean this thing?

 

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[GatorBoy]

First thing I would do is test it with a magnet.
Also I would not be digging or prying into anything there is exposed metal for you to wrap a lead on to already.
Personally I would start by the coin looking object and wipe either CLR calcium lime rust remover or 50 50 acid water on and around the item and the crust.. Wait for it to stop fizzing then rub the loosened material away with my thumb.. Then rinse with water repeating that as many times as necessary until I could tell what the item was.
If it is a coin you could start to clean the silver with something like Tarn X even while it's still part of the clump to get a visual.

 

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[GatorBoy]

Even if it is iron it can still be an interesting artifact and possibly part of the wreck.
Electrolysis will be the safest bet if there is anything in there that could be damaged by chemicals like pearls for instance.
One other possibility is soaking the entire object in a 10 percent muriatic acid and water solution periodically removing and rubbing away loosened crust over a period Of several days I'm working on one object like that now
Take a look at this clump of coins... Don't let a rusty color determine what you believe is in there different metals deteriorating close to each other can have that effect

 

[smokeythecat]

An ice pick or small diameter screw driver will work wonders on it. Start away from any metal found with your probe.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Congrats and GL! I love suspense! Keep us updated!

 

[lab rat]

One thing you might try is Naval Jelly-- phosphoric acid. It won't attack any silver that might be present, but will eat up the iron oxide. I don't know what it would do to brass or bronze, though, so research is warranted before committing to this kind of treatment.

I also knew a guy some time ago that found a rusted concretion while detecting. He said he got a good signal but didn't know what to do with the object. He left it sitting on a shelf in his garage. 6 months later he bumped it when he was doing something else-- the thing fell off and hit the floor. Inside was a gold ring! He had it tested, it was an odd karat, primitively made, and the jeweler said it had to be very old!

 

[smokeythecat]

I think after a little soak, I'd look for a seam or weak spot and nibble at it from there. Keep the nibbling away from where your pinpointer sniffs metal. Looks like maybe 3 coins in it.

 

[GatorBoy]

The thing with nibbling at it is if you are pulling away material that wasn't ready to come off you'll likely pull away parts of the artifact with it.

 

[GatorBoy]

I don't know about his pin pointer but my eyeballs see metal pretty easily

 

[smokeythecat]

Any results?

 

[JC Florida]

Well after some acid and base baths followed by electrolysis. This is what ended up being recovered from the clump.
There were also areas of metallic "toothpaste" like gray material that I couldn't recover. I didn't know to keep the clump wet for the first few days. Live and learn.
Thanks for all of the suggestions

 

[NHBandit]

Well now you know. May the next clump be gold coins.

 

[smokeythecat]

I'd keep those items for sure, they look really really old.