old iron can be good...

[GRAY GHOST]

hello again, all. shown are some old iron pieces i've found over the years. i finally got off my butt and started preserving them lately. been so much rain here lately, and couldn't do anything outside. in the center is an old telegraph piece recovered on a battlefield near my house. large pieces of cannonball frags are here too. three old iron buckles, a piece of ramrod, a thick-what-looks-like-an-old-tentstake or wedge, and a couple of horsey stuff thingies. i don't mind digging old iron if i think it's neat. back then, they built things to last, and this is just a reminder of that. thanks, and hh,

 

[BH-LandStar]

Very cool items!...I can appreciate the telegraph key as I operate Amateur Radio and do morse code with it...


HH,

BH-LandStar

 

[dobbie]

whats the best way to restore iron?

 

[FooserPaul]

How on God's green earth did you get your iron that clean?

 

[GRAY GHOST]

hello all, a few others have asked me the same question. there are many ways to do it. i simply take a small tack hammer and softly beat off the thick encrustation, then wire brush it. use safety glasses! next, i spray the piece with polyurethane to seal the iron from the air, to stop the rusting process. i allow it to dry, then use a high quality paint - usually rustoleum. in museums around the world, they use renaissance wax, i don't use it, it's too costly. oh yeah, if i think for one minute that an iron piece i dig up is cool or historically important, i will take it home and try to preserve it for the future generations. i've always considered that part of my hobby too. thanks, hope it helps, and hh,