Hey all. I'm starting to really like this one construction site I have been visiting. Today, I decided to head out there for a little bit. 70 degrees and a Friday off, what else could I do?
We had 1 1/2" of rain yesterday and the day before, and the place was a complete muddy mess. My boots are definitely trashed and I've got mud halfway up my detector.
I made my way to the back corner near a dozer pile. I thought it might be a little dryer there as that part of the clearing is the highest point in the lot. I started at the pile and worked my way back towards the center of the lot, down the slope. About 20 feet from the pile I got that awesome strong 3 foot diameter signal. Hummm, I thought either tin sheet piece, beer can, license plate (another story...). I was wrong.
This plate was only about 3" down, but the ground had been scraped about 4" already. As I cleared away the muddy mess trying to center the signal, the "US" popped out and looked me right in the face. Flipping it over while holding my breath (hook anticipation), I carefully wiped the mud away to find not only all 3 hooks perfectly intact, but a huge piece of leather still attached. I credit the position of the buckle (face up) and the higher elevation of that spot to its condition. The hooks aren't even rusty, not one bit. Could they be brass too? This is only the second waist plate I have dug. The first was a nice US as well, but that one had the round hooks, not the arrow hooks, and some of the lead was missing.
I sold the first one so that I could pay off my detector. I swore that if I dug another it would never be sold. It took a year, but I have one now, and its not going anywhere.
Darn the construction, but thanks for the clearing!
Shack
We had 1 1/2" of rain yesterday and the day before, and the place was a complete muddy mess. My boots are definitely trashed and I've got mud halfway up my detector.
I made my way to the back corner near a dozer pile. I thought it might be a little dryer there as that part of the clearing is the highest point in the lot. I started at the pile and worked my way back towards the center of the lot, down the slope. About 20 feet from the pile I got that awesome strong 3 foot diameter signal. Hummm, I thought either tin sheet piece, beer can, license plate (another story...). I was wrong.
This plate was only about 3" down, but the ground had been scraped about 4" already. As I cleared away the muddy mess trying to center the signal, the "US" popped out and looked me right in the face. Flipping it over while holding my breath (hook anticipation), I carefully wiped the mud away to find not only all 3 hooks perfectly intact, but a huge piece of leather still attached. I credit the position of the buckle (face up) and the higher elevation of that spot to its condition. The hooks aren't even rusty, not one bit. Could they be brass too? This is only the second waist plate I have dug. The first was a nice US as well, but that one had the round hooks, not the arrow hooks, and some of the lead was missing.
I sold the first one so that I could pay off my detector. I swore that if I dug another it would never be sold. It took a year, but I have one now, and its not going anywhere.
Darn the construction, but thanks for the clearing!
Shack
