All,
I have lurked here for more than 6 months before going out & getting my first metal detector. Thanks all for the exercise and sore arms. So far, all I have found with it is about $1.65 over two weekend mornings in a local park. BUT, it seems my best finds are without it, when walking home.
My first weekend I found a 14k gold bracelet on the street walking home. Yesterday, I found this spike, pictured below.
I found it on the surface where there is a lot of work on the nearby road. It is encrusted with rust, combined with the desert soil. It is about 17 inches long, 1 inch wide and 5/8 inch deep.
Where located: Southern edge of Henderson, Nevada. Just North of Dutchman's Pass. Desert area with no local standing water.
Here's why I think it is old...
1 - It has a lot of rust, embedded with desert soil. To me, that means that it has been buried there quite a while since there is no sustained water to rust something like that over a short period of time. I have found pieces of dumped rebar not far from there that has survived for 20 years or so with little rust. The bulldozers there, working on the road, mush have unearthed the spike.
2 - There has been housing activity there for only about 15 years. Even something from then was left in the desert, it wouldn't be rusted like that.
3 - Somewhere in the area was a road/path that travelers, miners & prospectors traveled throughout the 1800s, coming from Searchlight and Arizona into the Las Vegas Valley, meeting up with the Old Spanish Trail. That road, according to maps, should be about 200 yards east of where I found this.
4 - There are a lot of old mines just to the south in the mountains.
-- I think it is a spike used to drive into the rock when searching for gold, silver, etc... Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Also, any suggestions on cleaning?
TNX
Ken
I have lurked here for more than 6 months before going out & getting my first metal detector. Thanks all for the exercise and sore arms. So far, all I have found with it is about $1.65 over two weekend mornings in a local park. BUT, it seems my best finds are without it, when walking home.
My first weekend I found a 14k gold bracelet on the street walking home. Yesterday, I found this spike, pictured below.
I found it on the surface where there is a lot of work on the nearby road. It is encrusted with rust, combined with the desert soil. It is about 17 inches long, 1 inch wide and 5/8 inch deep.
Where located: Southern edge of Henderson, Nevada. Just North of Dutchman's Pass. Desert area with no local standing water.
Here's why I think it is old...
1 - It has a lot of rust, embedded with desert soil. To me, that means that it has been buried there quite a while since there is no sustained water to rust something like that over a short period of time. I have found pieces of dumped rebar not far from there that has survived for 20 years or so with little rust. The bulldozers there, working on the road, mush have unearthed the spike.
2 - There has been housing activity there for only about 15 years. Even something from then was left in the desert, it wouldn't be rusted like that.
3 - Somewhere in the area was a road/path that travelers, miners & prospectors traveled throughout the 1800s, coming from Searchlight and Arizona into the Las Vegas Valley, meeting up with the Old Spanish Trail. That road, according to maps, should be about 200 yards east of where I found this.
4 - There are a lot of old mines just to the south in the mountains.
-- I think it is a spike used to drive into the rock when searching for gold, silver, etc... Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Also, any suggestions on cleaning?
TNX
Ken
After your done use some wd-40 or crisco to bring out the details. also wd-40 is a penetrant which could loosen some rust before you try something.
