Dead eye

[sandchip]

Brush it with 50/50 raw linseed oil and turpentine every day for a week, every week for a month, every month for a year, every year forever. It'll smell good, too.

 

[nhpharm]

Deadeyes are generally made of lignum vitae. I have one I found as a kid on the beach in New Brunswick and it looks the same as it did when I picked it up. I haven't done anything to it.

 

[sandchip]

Deadeyes are generally made of lignum vitae. I have one I found as a kid on the beach in New Brunswick and it looks the same as it did when I picked it up. I haven't done anything to it.

You need to take it and put it back on the beach where you found it.

 

[PorkDaSnork]

What about access...very few people (relatively) are able, willing, and equipped to dive, but most people can admire images or visit a museum or somebody's collection. Could a civilian taking an object from a wreck occasionally be the best thing for the public, by making it more available to them?

Thanks for the reasoned response. I'll fully admit I'm going into this biased as a bottle digger, and I'm interested to learn more about shipwreck and artifact ethics. I tried selling a native celt recently. I need the money but it gave me the willies, so I took the ad down.

Donating it to a museum is perfect. Leave it in the water for divers to enjoy, or donate it to a museum for everyone to enjoy. Don’t take things that aren’t rightfully yours for your own personal gain... they’re not even worth anything. You can make them with a woodworking kit.

 

[NC btl-dvr]

I have one too I found in a zero visibility river where few if any divers go, should I of left it? All wrecks in salt water are in a constant state of degradation and in a lifetime will be literally nothing but rust and brass and glass. Storms will then toss that around. People have always salvaged wrecks whether on shore or underwater.

 

[sandchip]

Take it home and enjoy it. 90% of the stuff donated to museums is relegated to storage, never to be seen by visitors, IF they even accept the donation. In fact, many of the items in storage are kept in unfavorable conditions that actually contribute to the deterioration of the artifacts. I've seen many superb collections turned down by museums because they either don't have the room or because the items were not found in a controlled environment by a registered archeaologist. No one will care more for an artifact than the collector who truly loves the stuff.

Pork, I have to ask, do you actually collect, or are you just here to stir the pot? If you collect, exactly what do you find that passes your standard of acceptability?

 

[sandchip]

... they’re not even worth anything...

Not worth anything? I have items that wouldn't sell for a dime, yet I wouldn't take a million dollars for them. Value, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

[embe]

Wow, learning something new here. I'm with sandchip on this one

 

[PorkDaSnork]

Not worth anything? I have items that wouldn't sell for a dime, yet I wouldn't take a million dollars for them. Value, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder.

exactly why you shouldn’t take them for yourself.

 

[seniorscuba1]

Hello everyone I agree this is a touchy subject I dove this wreck at least 15 years ago maybe 20 the shipwreck in question was the iron hull brig called Petra. it is on a shallow exposed Reef just piles of scrap metal ' what the ocean didn't destroy professional salvagers over the last century certainly did. every few years I take it down and put a couple of coats of clear lacquer on it. as for collecting bottles I've drove in a lot of places along the coast found a few nice keepers I' have about three hundred bottles total most places are popular picnic and swimming places where people toss cans and bottles now they were doing it a hundred+ years ago, now I've not dug for bottles very much but if you come upon a nice crock or where are torpedo bottle wander digging do you stop an excavate around to make sure in historic context ? Or like me coming up on this in the sand I see the edge of a bottle sticking out of the sand I dig it up see that it's a good one and put in my bag like you should I leave it there , I agree over the last 40 years attitudes are changing there is now a lot more emphasis on wreck preservation as we old guys gradually hang up the flippers the new generation of divers coming along are from a different school of thought it should be like hold on a bottle dig I'm coming up on the burnt remains of an old house while picking through it you find some real nice keepers you're not on private property there are no signs saying not to dig do you put the bottles all back or take them home display them as I said it is a touchy subject ok