WD's mudlarking

[Winddancer]

So while mudlarking is a lot of fun, there are definitely times when you go home without finding anything (which sucks as petrol is 20 quid to get there!), but there are also times when you find stuff and then when you get home and check it on FB groups you find out it is absolutely worthless and sometimes a bit embarassing..

Carbon rod for a battery, tons of these about


Bathtub plug.. shush!


Relatively new handle for a pot/pan


Cutout from linoleum


Another thing from an old battery, tons of these too


Modern rebar spacer from a construction site


These are filled with helium? Anyways used for drugs. I never picked them up, had a feeling they were new, tooons of these around


Modern bottle stopper. You can still get these new..


Another battery component, at least I am not the only one to pick these up, they show up on the FB groups every time a newbie posts :P

[Nia]

I would never have guessed that was a bath plug. If I'd seen that in a museum of artefacts from Pompeii, I'd probably have believed it.

[Winddancer]

I should have kept it then! :P

[Ta'leus Shieldsong]

@Winddancer where are you searching to find such an abundance of battery parts??

[Winddancer]

Thames foreshore, need some parts?

[Afird Splitax]

I love the way you are displaying these items. It makes all the bits of treasure look so mosaic. I especially like the coffee table and the pottery sherds!

[Marceline]

Ha! I love this modern set of stuff in contrast to the older things you've found. Amazing all the random objects that wind up in rivers...

[Winddancer]

Haven't posted here in a while! (Not that I get to go out and do at the moment anyways :( )

Ok, so taking you from all the cool and historical finds to something grim!

HUMAN TEETH! Yes! You heard me! Actual human teeth and yes, I kept them :P

[Marceline]

Teeth freak me out in x-rays but I find these weirdly fascinating. I'm honestly amazed at how relatively well-preserved they are! Now the question is... do these teeth live in your beautiful display table??

[Winddancer]

Of course they do!

[Baphởmet]

Teeth! I have no idea of the circumstances that led you to find them (disposal, lost, something more sinister?) but they're a gory, creepy peice of art you can be proud of (unless you in fact killed someone and stole them in which case... meh still be proud ) Soon you might have enough to make your own skeleton

[Winddancer]

Yea I dont think Naith would be ok if I dragged in an actual skeleton

[Yávië]

I don't know what I was expecting to find here this time but I don't think it was teeth! And clearly I don't pay enough attention at the dentist because I didn't realize the roots would be so big. Any idea how old they are? Do you human teeth last very long in the Thames?

[Raisins]

Honestly I can't say that I am terribly surprised that you found teeth, I suppose I am even less surprised that you kept them and that they are in your display table. I think that's really neat, though a little sad that Naith would be less than okay if you dragged in a skeleton... I mean it could be the find the century

[Winddancer]

@Yávië Nope, no idea how old. But they would last long in the mud, so they could be ancient and they could be fairly new. I would have to like carbon date them to get an exact age to know for sure.
@Fuin Elda Yea he is standing his ground on this, says I have enough of them in the closet as is :P

[Afird Splitax]

You have inspired me, Windy! Pottery shards are so cool! They must look great in the jars and bowls!

[Winddancer]

Ooops! Missed your post @Afird Splitax! :(
And yes, I have been collecting these squarish glass vases and intend to have one for each kind of sherd and then line them up :D I know, I know, I am a horder..

[Raisins]

On the Square vases thing (Which I think sounds absolutely neat and would never say you were a hoarder for it lol) - Is there going to be one for teeth as well? I feel like this would make up for a lack of a whole skeleton... Though not sure if Naith would support a vase of teeth anymore than he would a skeleton

[Winddancer]

If I found enough, sure! But seeing as I only have 3, it's staying on display in my coffee table :P

[Winddancer]

Got these at a car boot sale :D Not as old as the ones I found on the Thames, but got them as it will show what some of them look like when whole :P

[Afird Splitax]

Does a car boot sale take place in the trunk of a car? Is it like a garage sale? Cool pipes (although I can not see the image anymore)! Are they clay or wood?

[Winddancer]

@Afird Splitax You cant see the pic?? :O Is it still not showing? (shows for me)

And a car boot sale is basically a lot of people load their junk into their cars and go to an assigned field and set out some tables next to their cars, so yes selling out of their boots :P And the pipes are real clay pipes :D

[Raisins]

LOVE the new pipes looks really cool I honestly find the shape of them fascinating though I haven't figured out what the little bit on the bottom is for? keeping tables from getting scorched?

@Afird Splitax having been to ONE boot sale when I was there the North American version of them is a Flea Market. They're really neat and fun lots of bigger vendors sell knockoff items I found as well.

[Afird Splitax]

I can see the photo now, Windy!

Yes, I was thinking flea market . I was looking at the little bit on the bowl too. It's called a heel or spur, and yeah , was originally used for resting the hot bowl on a surface without burning that surface.

Is that correct, Windy?

[Marceline]

Windy, these are so cool! So awesome to have a more modern reference for some of the pieces you've found. Also today I learned what a car boot sale is!

[Lailyn]

Excuse me those teeth are the coolest thing ever and I also want to know how old they are!!
The car boot pipes are so dainty and lovely. Do you have many pipes you've found that are close to being that whole? It looks like there might be one in the center of your coffee table display, but I know nothing about clay pipes or artifacts so maybe not?

[Winddancer]

@Afird Splitax Yay! And yep, that's it :D
@Jwaein I had to learn what they were too, in DK its usually more like a flea market and indoors. Makes it more "interesting" walking around on a muddy field lol.
@Lailyn these are most complete ones, that I found:

[Lailyn]

Whoa look at those!! They look in such good condition! Very cool! All from the Thames? Is there a reason for the different shapes, lengths, etc.?

[Marceline]

Yeah, I'm used to flea markets or yard/garage sales here, so I can imagine going to your first one was quite an experience! And now I want to go to one!

I am as impressed by this collection as I am the stand you've got for them. Was that made specifically for displaying pipes? You have such cool means of showcasing your finds!

[Winddancer]

@Lailyn Yep all from the Thames :D And the reason they are different is different ages they were made. The small ones lying down are the oldest ones, they are from about 1620ish and the bigger ones are the "younger" ones from about 1690-1800. Then it was about prefrence from the pipe makers themselves :) You can see some of them HERE

@Jwaein They are fun! Just not so much when it is muddy :P It took forever to find something to display them! I finally found an actual pipe stand on one of those cheap chinese places like Wish or Alibaba. I really wanted one where they lie horizontally though..

[Raisins]

I really like that vertical display for the pipes and honestly Alibaba has saved me more than once when I couldn't find something I really wanted, though I imagine that the display would take up substantially more room if the pipes were laying properly horizontal though.

[Winddancer]

Oh totally! I am thinking of putting them with the whole pipes in a frame, have the frame, just havent done it yet lol. But finally moving to a place where we can hang stuff on the walls! Havent been able to here :P

[Lailyn]

A lot of the pipes in the image you sent look the same to my uneducated eye but I imagine with enough exposure and experience, you start to notice those subtle differences that allow you to estimate the age..that's so fascinating. I can't wait to see more of your finds and displays!

[Marceline]

Hahaha I can imagine the mud gets a bit messy Well I love this pipe stand, but am very excited for you to be able to display them the way you want to in the new place!

[Winddancer]

@Lailyn The 2 standing on the left are of the same age, the other three are 3 different makes :P And I dont know if there will be more finds, will have to see if I get a chance to go back out before we move up north :/
@Jwaein I am procrastinating as I am not very artistic! :P

[Lailyn]

Oh noo! I hope you get a chance to go before you move.. <3

[Winddancer]

@Lailyn hope so too! But the tides aren't looking favourable between now and then :(

Btw, this is what I was thinking of when I said I was going to frame them. There is a few more that would be going in there as well. I just don't know if it looks good or not..

[Marceline]

This is such a great idea for displaying them! I think this arrangement looks really good!

[Baphởmet]

I, for one, think the display case is fantastic and the arrangement is wonderful and asymmetrical (I'm a weirdo that likes art to be somewhat unbalanced)

[Winddancer]

Thanks guys! <3

[Lailyn]

Phooo that stinks. :( I'll ask the ocean to change the tides for you..I love the display for the wall!

[Raisins]

Oh I quite love how those are framed and the flow of the pipes because of the stems on the newer ones and the lack of them and the few that are the opposite direction look absolutely fantastic!

[Winddancer]

Well, they are all packed in a box now :P There was more to add anyways, I promise I will post a pic of them when I get em up for real :D

[Marceline]

Can't wait to see the new display!! :D