Found a stirrup!

[brnn53]

I got a deep good signal with the Nautilus & 15" coil. As the hole got deeper I was suspecting iron and after digging over knee deep.. sure enough it was iron but what a piece of iron! This is my first stirrup and it was dug here on the farm on a Yankee camp site. How is the best way to clean it? I have heard to put iron objects in a hot fire or would electrolysis be best? Thanks for looking.
MIke

 

[VOL1266X]

Nice find Mike!!! I'm sure some Forum meembers can give you some good advice on how to clean it. The trick is to not take the process too far and destroy it. WTG!!!

 

[johnreb1980]

n/t

 

[RelicDigger1]

Nice one, Mike! That Nautilus will wear you out won't it?

I was leaning toward the electrolysis as well but you'll have to watch it. Make sure the iron withstands the treatment. It depends on the soil it came from. But keep an eye on it, check it every hour to make sure you're not eating away actual stirrup iron.

I've learned this lesson the hard way and would hate for yours to wind up the same.

Again, great find, bud.

Richard

 

[brnn53]

Richard, I love this combo of machine and coil. My 15" coil has been acting funny even after having it serviced so I bought another from a friend of yours J. Bullock. Strange thing is, he told me you had used this very same coil on a hunt once. What a coincidence! It works good! HH!
Mike

 

[RelicDigger1]

Ha! You're using Jimmy's coil? What a coincidence, indeed! That is a very good coil! I used it on a hunt in '06 or '07. Jimmy was kind enough to loan it to me when mine was acting a bit squirrelly.

Phenomenal depth with the 15s. We went out last month to a site that has been hammered (I know, I carried the sledge hammer myself). But with three straight days of rain before (and during) the trip, the DMC and the 15 pulled out four more 76th Pa. Zouave buttons, a two piece flower button, two eagles and a pair of three ringers from a little 15x15 area. The amazing thing was the Zouaves were around the 18 inch mark yet sounded like they were just a few inches down.

A nicer than fellow than Jimmy you'd be hard pressed to find. He only had the one big coil but loaned it to me when mine went out. A true gent.

Richard

 

[Carolina Phil]

If I were you, I definitely wouldn't burn it! (First time I

 

[1859large]

I am also of the non-burn school. There might not be enough metal left under the rust and heating it could leave you with a pile of rust.

I have heated old horseshoes and solid hard iron objects with no scale attached. Not burned but heated to 250f to drive out water before sealing with a furniture oil. They where objects that you could tell where strong enough to be heated.

Burning a thin iron object risks bending it.

HH
1859

 

[brnn53]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I ran the stirrup though electrolysis and it came out pretty good. Now I need to seal it and coat it to preserve it. Any ideas on what to use???
Mike

 

[johnreb1980]

n/t

 

[brnn53]

I finally took some pics of the stirrup after cleaning. I ran it through electrolysis for about 2 hours and then baked it in the oven (the wife wasn't happy about that). I next coated it with rust restorer and painted it. It looks pretty good and I'm sure that a few more years in the ground would have destroyed it completely. I think its a cool relic especially since it came from the farm here. Thanks for looking and HH!
Mike