LEAD SHOT MOULD  

Dennis Brown, the club chairman, made an interesting find on one of his own sites. It was half a mould for making the lead shot that metal detectorists usually call, rightly or wrongly, musket balls. 
     Never one to take things at face value Dennis decided to see if he could make a complete mould based on the half he had found. He made a plaster mould of his half and melted a quantity of scrap lead (all detectorists have some) and cast the matching half.  They fitted together perfectly. Not satisfied he decided to cast a lead shot from the completed mould so he melted a stick of solder and filled the mould with it.
      When the metal  had set he was delighted to find he had a cast a lead shot complete with a tail of sprue. Full marks to Dennis for ingenuity.                   

Shot with sprue showing.

Shot trimmed by computer

Bullet pincers. Lead was poured into the closed jaws.

Cleaning coins and artifacts with ammonia.

As most members of the club know I am saving and recording the small brass “trouser” buttons with the name of a tailor or outfitter on them. Most of the buttons are in a bad state when recovered from the soil and need a lot of cleaning before they are suitable for photographing. I used a mixture of household chemicals (mainly Cillit Bang) and a fibre glass brush to remove the encrustation on them, this was not successful in a lot of cases and the names on the buttons remained unreadable
   I happened to read on the UK Detector Finds Database website, www.ukdfd.co.uk, that John Stokes  had a method of cleaning with household ammonia. I contacted him and he kindly gave me permission to include details in the club newsletter.
   I have since cleaned buttons and other items with ammonia and have had considerable success. Details of the ammonia treatment is given below with the caution to try it out at first on some unimportant item. John Stokes and the Ashfield Metal Detecting Club accept no liability if the user gets it wrong.                                                                                        

 AMMONIA CLEANING SYSTEM. 

JOHN STOKES

Cleaning should be fairly easy using the ammonia treatment. The fibre glass brush comes into use at the end of cleaning.

    You will need;- A smallish plastic tumbler, (about 4 inches high).

                             A stiff toothbrush, (Superdrug still do them).

                             A fiberglass brush.

                             Boots household ammonia, barcode 05143764.

Method :- Put the item to be cleaned into the tumbler, standing it on edge against the side. Put warm water in, to just cover the item, and then add about a 50% quantity of ammonia, i.e. 2/3 water to 1/3 ammonia.

   You can then go and have a cuppa, or whatever else you need to do. The mixture will start to go blue, which shows that it is working. Leave it for about ten minutes, or until it has gone to a RAF blue, (mid colour). Take out the piece, and wash it under cold running water, whilst brushing it with the toothbrush. Most of the crud should be off at this stage, but if there is a little left on don't worry.

  Allow the item to dry completely, DO NOT use the fibre-glass brush on any wet items, (it will ruin the brush). Once you are satisfied that it is totally dry, you can then brush off any residue crud, but only ever brush in one direction, (not back and forwards), preferably away from your body, because of the glass particles floating around. I also use thin rubber gloves, again because of the bits of glass. Don't brush too hard, otherwise you will put nasty scratches onto your item.

  The above will, in all but the worst cases, be sufficient to do the job. However, if when you have done it, you are still not happy, then you can place it back in the mixture for a while. Experience will tell you when things are cleaned sufficiently as you use it more.

   Do not use the same mixture of ammonia and water on different metals, just one metal at a time.

Once again many thank to John Stokes and UK Detector Finds Database.

***  

ELAGABALUS SILVER DENARIUS

This silver denarius of Elagabalus was minted in 218AD. at Antioch. The obverse pictures the laureate head of Elagabalus with the legend ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG. The reverse pictures a galley with sail and rowers proceeding right, at the prow is the pilot, acrosolium ( decoration on the prow of a ship), and at the stern a furled sail. With FELICITAS around and TEMP in the exsurge. Seaby Roman Silver Coins Volume 3, Elagabalus number 27. B.M.C. 277, R.I.C. 188.
     The coin was found by June Reedman on a club search and was awarded joint October, 2008, Find of the Month  Award. Initially it was identified as a denarius of Antoninus Pius 138—161A.D. But luckily the error was discovered before the certificate was presented.   Varius Avitus Bassianus surnamed Elagabalus after being appointed Priest of Elagabalus whose worship he introduced to Rome. He was born in 205A.D., and at thirteen years of age he became the sole master of the Roman world. His was a reign of cruelty, extravagance and folly, after three years and nine months his soldiers killed him and his mother Soæmias throwing their bodies into the Tiber.           

***

FIGURES ON ROMAN COIN REVERSES
Here is the second set of ten drawings of figures that may be found on the reverses of Roman coins found in Britain.

 11. FECVNDITAS          12. FELICITAS                                13.  FIDES                           14.  FIDES MILITVM          15.  FORTVNA

 
 16. GENIVS             17. HILARITAS         18. IVNO                     19. IVPITER                    20. LAETITIA

11,  FECVNDITAS.  Fertility, usually  of  the Empress. Female  figure with  or holding children.

12. FELICITAS. Felicity, public happiness and prosperity. Female figure holding caduceus, corn or sceptre.

13. FIDES. Good faith, fidelity, loyalty and confidence. Female figure holding corn ears and basket of fruit.

14. FIDES MILITVM. The loyalty and fidelity of the soldiers. Female figure holding two standards.

15. FORTVNA. Fortune. Female figure holding rudder, cornucopia and sometimes an olive branch.

16. GENIVS. Genius the spirit. Male figure holding a patera and cornucopia with an altar at his feet.

17. HILARITAS. Hilarity. Mirth and rejoicing. Female figure holding palm and corn with one or two children at her feet.

18. IVNO. Juno the consort of Jupiter. Female figure holding patera and hasta with a peacock at her feet.

19. IVPITER. Jupiter or Jove, king of the Gods  and mankind. Male holding a thunderbolt, at his feet an eagle and an altar.

20 LAETITIA. Joy, gladness and well founded. Female figure corn ears in her right hand and a hasta pura  ( a spear shaft without the iron head) in her left hand.        JMBG