Jonelle Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 I have a question about rust covered fossils (or not fossils!) is there an easy way to determine if the rust covered object is possibly a fossil (other than just being able to see it is a nail, etc)... how can I safely remove the rust if I am not sure what is under it? I ask because I had one piece that I was SURE was some metal object, but then when I cleaned it up, it was a little petrified twig... I have about 20 of these rusty objects and I've tried cleaning some, but I am afraid of damaging something since I am not sure of the material, and the rust had made the objects take on different shapes... what's going on here? Can anyone explain this to me? Thanks! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonelle Posted November 30, 2016 Author Share Posted November 30, 2016 Here are some of the objects in question, for example.and yes I know that the ones on the bottom look like nails! But that's what the little twig looked like too, it's probably one of those actually because I took this pic a while ago... now if I can find it cleaned up that would be great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 I suspect that they are nails. Could you post pictures of the twig that you found? When a nail rusts, it can form oxide banding internally that looks like growth rings from a tree. I would keep an eye out for other man-made materials, particularly bottles, from such a location. Brent Ashcraft 2 ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Yep, the rare Rustyus naili. RB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Yep, the iron can diffuse out in waves, and create a banding pattern. And an iron object can puff up and rust from the outside in, leaving only a small twig of the original item (which might have been as big as a piece of rebar!). Sometimes there is nothing left of the original iron, and it has all become oxidized, so not even a twig is left. This means that a lot of human artifacts made from iron over the past 1500 years are now just blobs of rust. Copper, bronze, and gold are more impervious to this corrosion, so there is a strong bias of surviving artifacts being made of those metals. Iron also forms blobular concretions in limestone, so it often is hard to tell natural iron concretions from human made artifacts. Except wehn you find the concretion embedded in the limestone, and it is obvious that it has been there since the Eocene. That's pretty good evidence. People oftern use the acid called "CLR" or use electrical current to clean iron artifacts (called electrolysis). It is common to keep stripping it down and stripping it down, and find a nondescipt blob or even nothing in the middle of the rust blob. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kdeus Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 I've come across these metal detecting and they are rusted nails. From the first picture, it looks like it could be remnants from a construction project. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonelle Posted November 30, 2016 Author Share Posted November 30, 2016 Some definitely are nails, some definitely aren't and I'm not sure if they are even metal? Hopefully I can find the one I cleaned today to try to figure it out.. I polished it and gave it to my husband, big mistake apparently because he has no idea where he put it it is completely solid and shiny like a rock so I was assuming it was petfried wood but now I am not so sure? & @tmaier I have one in limestone...I will get a picture later on I want to see what you think thanks all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonelle Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 I'm not sure if anyone will even see this, but I did find one of the ones I cleaned part of NOT the one I gave my husband! Oh well! So I guess the question is what is the White? I'm sure probably not a fossil but it's just not looking like a nail to me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 Is the head softish? I am guessing a lead ringed nail used on tin roofs not so long ago. Not pleasant to drive, you have to wack them hard to get them started, then you miss and hit your thumb, start flinching, and that just makes you miss more often, wacking your thumb even more. Brent Ashcraft 1 ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 Sometimes white is sodium chloride deposits (plain old table salt), but on some man made objects like that it might be lead salts or oxide, which can be white. The lead is toxic, so make sure you are careful with it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatinformationist Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 If you live near to a federal building try running some of your material through the xray scanner at the front door. I worked at the CDC's here in Atlanta and the security guys were really into my geodes. I could see on the xray monitor what to saw and what to throw back. If there is any metal at all in your items it could very well show on an xray. You may make a federal security officers day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonelle Posted December 3, 2016 Author Share Posted December 3, 2016 @ashcraftI'm not sure how soft to consider it, not very! That doesn't sound pleasant at all with all that thumb whacking! @tmaierdoes that mean I have to stop licking it??? Just kidding, that is really good to know...I also worry about some of the rocks sometimes, because I'm unsure of what they are. I think if someone brought them around here a long time ago they may not have known the dangerous of certain minerals.I have a few quartz pieces with very green inclusions and it makes me think it could be something radioactive. Probably not but...who knows?? @goatinformationist that is genius! What a great idea, I will have to try that out! thanks so much! Would a magnet also work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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