Mysterious Nails

[CaptainCook]

Hey guys, this is my first post here. I searched for this site and joined it because I need help with this. I also will use this forum in the future (lots!). Here are the pics:

Sorry I did not put something next to them for reference, but the very first one (the one that looks like there is no head in the top right) is exactly 1.5" long. The longer ones are around 3" long. This may sound crazy, but I found all of these except for one within the same 1' square of dirt. I used a metal detector and shovel.

 

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[CaptainCook]

Wow this is embarrassing I forgot to say what I needed. I wanted to know what time period these nails are from. I think some are old and some are new. How could I tell? Also, my metal detector, which I think is very reliable, has not stopped buzzing in a 10' diameter of where I found these. Thanks in advance.

 

[kuger]

I am not seeing any square ones?Is there?Not real old,and appear burned which is likely why they are in advanced stages of decay/decomposition

 

[CaptainCook]

It is hard to tell because of how deformed they are but I think some of them are. I did not realize that whole burned thing but it might just be the lighting, I am not real sure. Why are some of them in an L-shape? They were here before I moved onto this property, about 7 years ago, but before that, there was no one hear, since we built our house. Why would there be so many in one spot? Also, I found a horse-shoe on this property but I threw it away because I thought it was worthless. I now wish I had not done that.

 

[kuger]

hard to say....extreme heat may be the culprit of the various "shapes", as well

welcome!!

 

[CaptainCook]

I keep looking back at them, and some of them were definitely square. Some of them are bent too perfectly to be from heat. I live up north so I do not think heat is the reason, but I'm not sure.

 

[kuger]

.....I didnt mean heat, as in from the sun

 

[CaptainCook]

Oh I'm sorry man I'm just not on top of it today. Now I get it, like from them being burned.

 

[bevo]

Nails bend while being pulled, or the wood being pulled apart for burning. Round(wire) nails came into use in the late 1800's, square nails phased out in the early
1900's. You've got 16 penny, 8 penny as well as finish and roofing nails in yer pile.

 

[CaptainCook]

Im sorry I do not know what 16 penny or 8 penny or the other st

 

[CaptainCook]

Im sorry I do not know what the penny thing or the other stuff means. But I think that they were in wood that was burned, which is why I can not find anything else. Can you tell me what time period they are from?

 

[bevo]

nails are classified according to weight, penny weight. square nails were made by hand(by a blacksmith), which were replaced by round(wire) nails which were made in factories. They started making round nails in the late 1800's. They stopped using square nails in the early 1900's.

 

[CaptainCook]

So they're old?

 

[wvwildman]

1900's

 

[Rob in KS]

Those nails bent at a right angle are probably from a barn door.
They would "dead" nail them ( google it) so the nails wouldn't work loose.

If an old shed burned there, you're going to find LOTS of nails.

 

[CaptainCook]

Early? Anyway, sweet! Thanks for your guys' help on this! I will probably use this again in the near future, I am going to dig for a while tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[CaptainCook]

Sorry I posted the thing above before I saw Rob's post. That makes sense, because my metal detector was going off like never before around there and I found all those within one square foot.

 

[CaptainCook]

Maybe I'll find something from the barn there!

 

[nozzlehead]

Also, my metal detector, which I think is very reliable, has not stopped buzzing in a 10' diameter of where I found these. Thanks in advance.

I can beat that...I had a 20' diameter ring that will do that to your detector! When I remodeled/replaced decks, all the old stuff went in a burn ring. I would rake it out at the end of summer and give it to a couple kids that used to collect scrap. You can't believe how many pounds of nails you can have in one summer.

 

[CaptainCook]

Tomorrow, early in the morning, I am going to do a HUGE dig. I mean, 12' x 12'. I am pretty pumped. I found all those nails by waving handfuls of dirt in front of the metal detector, which took a while. Does anyone have a faster method?