CELLAR HOLE HUNT WITH TODD & SCOTT*2 CW BUTTONS & SILVER THIMBLE

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

Safari Scott was kind enough to invite Todd & myself down for a cellar hole hunt at one of his sites.Scott drew 1st blood with a gorgeous coin.I'll let him post so i don't spoil the surprise.then I hit a solid silver thimble un crushed at that too! thumbsup01.Todd followed up with a coin.then Scott had to leave at 1pm and assured us to please go ahead & stay which was very kind of him. we didn't last much more than a few hours cuz the heat was draining us.
so,my finds for the day are 2 Civil War buttons one is a Massachusetts volunteer militia button with a hortons & co boston backmark,a Rhode Island naval button which says hope.a large dandy button,a unmarked sterling silver thimble and a nice shamrock designed heel plate.
was a nice hunt for all of us and thank you Scott for the invite!
i did a solo hunt yesterday and last few pics is a group pic of finds a IH and a few buttons

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

more pics

[Thiltzy]

The Hope and anchor is state seal for Rhode Island. Great finds. That thimble is just gorgeous. Was good hunt for all of us but Im too tired to clean my finds. I will post tomorrow :goodnight:

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

The Hope and anchor is state seal for Rhode Island. Great finds. That thimble is just gorgeous. Was good hunt for all of us but Im too tired to clean my finds. I will post tomorrow :goodnight:

suck it up buttercup! :teasing: nice hunt today.thanks you guys! thumbsup01

[del]

i've heard the rumors of the giant mushrooms out in the deep forests of Rhode Island :wow: from the looks of that giant toadstool you guys must of been way out in them woods . :grin: nice looking relics there Davey , congrats on the buttons and thimble.

Dan

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

i've heard the rumors of the giant mushrooms out in the deep forests of Rhode Island :wow: from the looks of that giant toadstool you guys must of been way out in them woods . :grin: nice looking relics there Davey , congrats on the buttons and thimble.

Dan

thanks dan! the shroom pic is here in ct from yesterdays hunt .buttons after a CLR dip and scrubbing.alot more gilt now

[Lodge Scent]

Cool buttons, killer thimble !

[sprosoff]

Beautiful thimble Dave! thumbsup01 And I didn't know about the CLR secret! Little tips hidden in these posts! ;) Do you know what the item is above the spoon to the far right? I found a similar item and it was a strop holder and had a patent date and the company name, it was beautiful but the homeowner wanted to keep that one! >{ Did yours have any writing on it?

[SafariScott]

Glad you and Todd could get down my way. It was nice to meet Todd and be able to hunt with you again. Glad you were able to walk away with some keepers......those are some really nice buttons and ai loved the thimble and heel plate. Great job and thanks again for heading down.

[Tony Two-Cent]

Awesome CW buttons and a gorgeous thimble, Dave!

:congrats:

[Bell-Two]

Man those buttons are great! How long did you dip them in the CLR? Did you dilute it or full strength?

The decorated thimbles are so cool. Great finds just love to see your posts! :happy: :happy:

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

Man those buttons are great! How long did you dip them in the CLR? Did you dilute it or full strength?

The decorated thimbles are so cool. Great finds just love to see your posts! :happy: :happy:

thanks! dan uses dilluted.i use full strength.as you can see it doesn't hurt em at all. dip in for 30 secs,then use toothbrush,rinse with water,repeat as neccesary.

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

the mass militia button is pre-civil war this back mark dates about 1847 to 57. About 1857 the company became Horton Boon & Frost

[del]

thanks! dan uses dilluted.i use full strength.as you can see it doesn't hurt em at all. dip in for 30 secs,then use toothbrush,rinse with water,repeat as neccesary.


Dave i use the CLR about anywhere from half and half (with water) to a quarter strength because it can damage and pit the exposed or worn areas of the buttons (where theres not gilt)and turns the metal very ruddy red as you can see in your pictures. I never saok the buttons but only dip a toothbrush in the mixture and brush it on a few seconds at a time or until the foam starts to discolor from the dirt comming off and then i rinse the button. i repeat this process until i'm happy with results and then dry the item and then add a neutralizer or metal preservative .

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

Dave i use the CLR about anywhere from half and half (with water) to a quarter strength because it can damage and pit the exposed or worn areas of the buttons (where theres not gilt)and turns the metal very ruddy red as you can see in your pictures. I never saok the buttons but only dip a toothbrush in the mixture and brush it on a few seconds at a time or until the foam starts to discolor from the dirt comming off and then i rinse the button. i repeat this process until i'm happy with results and then dry the item and then add a neutralizer or metal preservative .

thanks Dan,I will try your method next time. I didn't realize the exposed metal was that red until ya pointed it out :embarrassed: oh well...they still look better than before ..i think :confused:

[Bell-Two]

Dave i use the CLR about anywhere from half and half (with water) to a quarter strength because it can damage and pit the exposed or worn areas of the buttons (where theres not gilt)and turns the metal very ruddy red as you can see in your pictures. I never saok the buttons but only dip a toothbrush in the mixture and brush it on a few seconds at a time or until the foam starts to discolor from the dirt comming off and then i rinse the button. i repeat this process until i'm happy with results and then dry the item and then add a neutralizer or metal preservative .


What kind of neutralizing agent do you use....I know just like a little kid with all these questions! ::huh::

[coinnut]

What kind of neutralizing agent do you use....I know just like a little kid with all these questions! ::huh::


I use Dan's method also. He should have patented it lol I neutralize with a cup of water and baking soda and drop the button in it and swirl. I Also use a fine brass brush on the back side to get rid of that red, coarse look. It takes a bit of elbow grease but they come clean.

Nice finds Dave. I got two of those Mass buttons. Kinda cool looking and scary looking at the same time :shocked01: You guys had a great hunt.

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

What kind of neutralizing agent do you use....I know just like a little kid with all these questions! ::huh::

ummm :confused: soap n water afterwards?

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

Dave i use the CLR about anywhere from half and half (with water) to a quarter strength because it can damage and pit the exposed or worn areas of the buttons (where theres not gilt)and turns the metal very ruddy red as you can see in your pictures. I never saok the buttons but only dip a toothbrush in the mixture and brush it on a few seconds at a time or until the foam starts to discolor from the dirt comming off and then i rinse the button. i repeat this process until i'm happy with results and then dry the item and then add a neutralizer or metal preservative .

hey dan lookin back at my soap n water cleaning job the exposed metal was a ruddy red before the CLR dip.so.. i don't know.but I appreciate the info on your cleaning tip.knowledge is good to absorb when it comes to cleaning methods.1st pic is just the water & soap with the green verdigris still clinging to rim.2nd pic is after CLR with green gone

[RobW]

Those are some AWSOME buttons!!!!!! :clapping:

[del]

hey dan lookin back at my soap n water cleaning job the exposed metal was a ruddy red before the CLR dip.so.. i don't know.but I appreciate the info on your cleaning tip.knowledge is good to absorb when it comes to cleaning methods.1st pic is just the water & soap with the green verdigris still clinging to rim.2nd pic is after CLR with green gone


Dave its difficult to make out the before and after exposed areas real well because your pictures usually vary with different lighting from shot to shot. yes the exposed copper is generally a reddish in color but the stronger strength CLR will exploit these bare spots and discolor the metal even further and sometimes even undermine the gilt . the stronger the strength the faster it can happen , diluting it and only using for a few seconds at a time as opposed to saoking in full strength can slow this process and give you a chance to stop before that happens . does this make sense to you ??

[OxShoeDrew]

Nice cleaning tips. I don't see many Boston buttons, even though we are an hour away. I was THIS close to joining you guys. Oh well, maybe next time.

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

Dave its difficult to make out the before and after exposed areas real well because your pictures usually vary with different lighting from shot to shot. yes the exposed copper is generally a reddish in color but the stronger strength CLR will exploit these bare spots and discolor the metal even further and sometimes even undermine the gilt . the stronger the strength the faster it can happen , diluting it and only using for a few seconds at a time as opposed to saoking in full strength can slow this process and give you a chance to stop before that happens . does this make sense to you ??

yes it makes sense for sure dan.thanks for explaining.i learn something daily.thanks again thumbsup01

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

new photo in natural light

[del]

couple of good lookin buttons Dave :smitten:

[chief5709]

Awesome buttons Dave thumbsup01

[Pona]

Fantastic!! Great finds.
The thimble is mint..is it dateable?? (showing my ignorance a bit here but will it have a hallmark)?
I would be over the moon to find Civil War buttons..I would imagine that if you find enough of them putting them in a picture frame for display would look superb....I'm sure that this has been done my somepeople on here?

2 questions if i may??
Is a cellar hole exactly what it says it is? ie the basement of an old house which has since collapsed or been removed? if so is the floor just dirt?and would the finds have been in that layer or have the finds come from the remains of the house and just eneded up on the cellar floor when the above floors have collapsed?...OK, thats about 10 questions in one but i am genuinley interested :)

and my second question..was that snake a bitey type? or just one that cuddles you to death? either way had i been there and someone said look a snake i would have been running through woods like Carl Lewis throwing women and children behind me :hysterical:

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

Fantastic!! Great finds.
The thimble is mint..is it dateable?? (showing my ignorance a bit here but will it have a hallmark)?
I would be over the moon to find Civil War buttons..I would imagine that if you find enough of them putting them in a picture frame for display would look superb....I'm sure that this has been done my somepeople on here?

2 questions if i may??
Is a cellar hole exactly what it says it is? ie the basement of an old house which has since collapsed or been removed? if so is the floor just dirt?and would the finds have been in that layer or have the finds come from the remains of the house and just eneded up on the cellar floor when the above floors have collapsed?...OK, thats about 10 questions in one but i am genuinley interested :)

and my second question..was that snake a bitey type? or just one that cuddles you to death? either way had i been there and someone said look a snake i would have been running through woods like Carl Lewis throwing women and children behind me :hysterical:

hey pona welcome to the forum! the thimble is not marked anywhere but i would date it about 1860-1880 based on the finds that came from this site.the cellar hole is indeed what you said.more a root cellar I would say.I tend to avoid going into the hole itself as its loaded with iron along with modern day trash at some sites and gets frustrating.so,i search the area around the hole as if the house was still standing.coins,buttons etc can be found just about anywhere in the vicinity. no worries on all the questions,thats what a forum is for.
again..welcome aboard and look forward to some of your finds!
Dave

[Pona]

Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the reply. the thimble really is a stunning find.

You've kind of answered what was also going to be next question regarding the cellar hole, I did wonder if they would be full buiding debri etc :)

Still would like to know the name of the snake if possible :)

*Edit* Just read back my last sentance rofl I didnt mean name as in Colin or Barry etc..perhaps i should have said type of snake rofl rofl

[coinnut]

I think that is a ribbon snake. They usually run from you. lol Docile little things.

[Pona]

I think that is a ribbon snake. They usually run from you. lol Docile little things.
Yeah thats just what they want you to think lol

[del]

I think that is a ribbon snake. They usually run from you. lol Docile little things.


yeah Ribbon or what we called them out west (Arizona) was wimpy non-venomous garter snakes. there are some rock rattlers here in Connecticut but they are very rare to see.

[coinnut]

Yeah thats just what they want you to think lol


Shhhh. :lipssealed: Dave pay no attention to the man behind the curtain lol

[swamp yankee]

Safari Scott was kind enough to invite Todd & myself down for a cellar hole hunt at one of his sites.Scott drew 1st blood with a gorgeous coin.I'll let him post so i don't spoil the surprise.then I hit a solid silver thimble un crushed at that too! thumbsup01.Todd followed up with a coin.then Scott had to leave at 1pm and assured us to please go ahead & stay which was very kind of him. we didn't last much more than a few hours cuz the heat was draining us.
so,my finds for the day are 2 Civil War buttons one is a Massachusetts volunteer militia button with a hortons & co boston backmark,a Rhode Island naval button which says hope.a large dandy button,a unmarked sterling silver thimble and a nice shamrock designed heel plate.
was a nice hunt for all of us and thank you Scott for the invite!
i did a solo hunt yesterday and last few pics is a group pic of finds a IH and a few buttons
Congrats on a great bunch of finds and a good hunt!Tough conditions for digging/hiking but you did great! Best of luck and HH.....