Question about cut marks on a huge shipwreck buckle

[Tom_Restorer]

Has someone an idea from what that marks could come from ?

I don´t think that someone tried to sharpen a knife or blade there because this would look different.

Some of the marks are quite deep.

Would be happy about any help!

 

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[Old Bookaroo]

Is that buckle made of brass? If so, it's probably rather soft. Perhaps the wearer kept rubbing up against harder (iron?) metal objects?

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[Kray Gelder]

Beautiful buckle, Tom. I agree with OB. That buckle was worn for many years, by a hard working deck hand. May he R.I.P.

 

[Slingshot]

Countless heave ho with big buckle up against objects that left a mark of a hard working man.

 

[Salvor6]

Tom I don't see any marks other than random scratches. Very nice find!

 

[smokeythecat]

That's a beautiful buckle, and it's probably 17th century.

 

[Tom_Restorer]

That's a beautiful buckle, and it's probably 17th century.

...

It´s around 1700 and 1725

 

[Tom_Restorer]

Is that buckle made of brass? If so, it's probably rather soft. Perhaps the wearer kept rubbing up against harder (iron?) metal objects?

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

...

YUP! It´s brass but not soft at all.

I cleaned the sea encrustion off with a supra sonic scaler and it made absolutely no damages on the surface, so it is real high quality and hard brass.

May it is not good to see on that picture but most of this "scratches" seems to coming from a real sharp blade. This are not normal scratches at all and the reason why I asked.

But it is right that it was worn for a very long time because some areas shows it clearly.

 

[Tom_Restorer]

That's a beautiful buckle, and it's probably 17th century.

...

I love it too!

 

[huntsman53]

Probably just scratches some of which are deep from hard work on deck. However, one could hope to prove that the owner sometimes wrapped his' belt around his' non-sword holding (wielding) hand with the buckle outward to protect against the blade of a sword while in a sword fight.

 

[Jolly Mon]

He might have used the buckle to sharpen his rigging tools: knife blade and sail maker's needles.

 

[Old Bookaroo]

There's a great scene in Jack London's Mutiny On the Elsinore where they muster the new hands forward and the ship's carpenter cuts the tips off their knives on his anvil.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[Salvor6]

More likely scratched from rolling around in the sand for 300 years.

 

[TRG]

Has someone an idea from what that marks could come from ?

I don´t think that someone tried to sharpen a knife or blade there because this would look different.

Some of the marks are quite deep.

Would be happy about any help!

Hi Tom, I think we need a higher resolution photo. The character of the scratches is important. Some are straight, some are curved, some are deep, some surficial. Some look like scour. Some are short, some are long. Some overlie others. Upper left looks like corrosion (or casting defect), lower left, abrasion. Right side has many deep scratches/gouges (including a dandy at lower right), left side fewer. At humps in center the scratches seem to be worn away somewhat (or maybe that's the lighting).

A number of different causes (but some with the same cause), different times, over a long time of use I would wager.

Brass has a hardness of around 3 (mohs), depending on composition, coral 3-4. I don't think those scratches, the deep ones, were made by coral, for instance.

Have you seen any comparables?

Metal hardness:

Hardness Comparisons of Hammer Material

The Mohs Scale of Hardness for Metals: Why It Is Important

Gem hardness:

https://www.gemselect.com/gem-info/gem-hardness-info.php

Composition of brass:

https://www.metalsupermarkets.com/difference-between-copper-brass-bronze/

 

[Hawks88]

Very nice find. Still looks great just the way it is. Congrats.

 

[FISHEYE]

Scratches prolly came from when the pirate got keel hauled.

 

[whydahdiver]

buckle

We found some real nice buckles on the Whydah, belt and shoe, a couple similar to this one. Whydah sank in 1717 so there you go.



Pirate diver

 

[Red James Cash]

Can't sharpen a steel blade on a softer metal.Youll wear away the brass not the steel.