Terminology: Brass Cap vs. Brass Disk

Many of the brass disk's I've set had the base that either was forked to go around a rebar, or was hollow to fit on top of a rebar. I'm not saying that you're wrong, but that calling them brass caps is also correct (maybe but I'd have to destroy the monument).

And older notes may call the disk a "Tablet".

And many of them aren't brass, they're bronze.

Jim Frame, post: 398033, member: 10 wrote: And many of them aren't brass, they're bronze.

I suspect the vast majority are bronze rather than brass. Either the alloys vary significantly or soil conditions have quite an effect on the patina, as their appearance seems to vary.

Some are Aluminum. And I've even seen aluminum bronze, which retains a wonderful gold color.

A good history of disk/cap styles is
https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/web/about_ngs/history/Survey_Mark_Art.pdf

Just FYI.... "iron pins" are really made of steel...we're a "vernacular heavy" bunch of people.

Well, the major constituent of steel is iron, so the term isn't totally wrong.

Bill93, post: 398047, member: 87 wrote: Well, the major constituent of steel is iron, so the term isn't totally wrong.

It's not just the major component, it's over 90%, in many cases over 95%.

One set in concrete is on the top of the concrete right? I see no issue in referring to it as a brass cap. At least that's better than some surveys I see where they refer to it as a "found monument".

I've alwasys spelled it disc. http://grammarist.com/spelling/disc-disk/

Bill93, post: 398032, member: 87 wrote: And older notes may call the disk a "Tablet".

It seems to me that "tablet" is often used for benchmark disks mounted in the face of a wall.

If it goes over something the term cap seems appropriate. The point is to make it uniquely identifiable.

Around here the brass disks will be referred to as a brass...disk, disc, plaque, or plug.
I've also seen plenty of brass whatevers actually be a 4" brass cleanout set over whatever monument was found in an overlay job.

Bill93, post: 398040, member: 87 wrote: I suspect the vast majority are bronze rather than brass. Either the alloys vary significantly or soil conditions have quite an effect on the patina, as their appearance seems to vary.

Some are Aluminum. And I've even seen aluminum bronze, which retains a wonderful gold color.

A good history of disk/cap styles is
https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/web/about_ngs/history/Survey_Mark_Art.pdf

Thank you for that link, the information is indeed most useful.

Bill93, post: 398040, member: 87 wrote: I suspect the vast majority are bronze rather than brass. Either the alloys vary significantly or soil conditions have quite an effect on the patina, as their appearance seems to vary.

Some are Aluminum. And I've even seen aluminum bronze, which retains a wonderful gold color.

A good history of disk/cap styles is
https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/web/about_ngs/history/Survey_Mark_Art.pdf

If you notice the NGS identifies the caps as disks in the text of the document.

To me a cap it attached on top of an item, a disc is embedded in something, and a tablet is either a cap or disc that is square or rectangular in shape.

I found an old PG&E brass ? that is octagonal in shape, sort of a pseudo disk.

I call them brass caps, so sue me, is there any surveyor that doesn't know what I'm talking about. 5 R/S maps all say found concrete monument with brass cap etc etc etc, I go out there, it is set in a 4x4 concrete monument, okay, technically it is a disk with a stem but I didn't look around for another concrete monument with a real brass cap on it. Maybe I should've done that.

Bill,

I was told a story a few decades ago, by the then County Surveyor for Matagorda County, Texas about the old town of Matagorda, which had basically been wiped out a series of hurricanes during the 20th century, and then further damaged by the Colorado River relocating itself right through the middle of the town. Then the west side of the town was abandoned and eventually bought up by a local rancher.

The east side of town managed to survive, although at a much diminished level. Less than 1,000 people live there year-round. There is virtually No ORIGINAL monumentation left on the east side, although many surveyors have left their marks since 1915. Anyway, the County Surveyor told me that in the 1800's many ships would offload their ballast at the harbor. What was interesting was that alot of the ballast was coal, and said coal was used to monument the block corners, as coal is virtually indestructible. He said that since the west side had been virtually untouched since about 1930, there were probably a bunch of charcoal mounds still intact and in their original locations.

Man, talk about listening to stories of lost treasure! I was practically drooling to get out there and start digging in those cow pastures! Lol.

J. Penry, post: 398014, member: 321 wrote: Probably one of the most misused terms out there is calling a "brass disk" a "brass cap". I've seen it numerous time where a surveyor describes a monument as a "Brass cap in concrete", when it isn't a cap at all.

Below are examples of a rare USC&GS Brass Cap on a pipe and an the standard brass disk in concrete pad in the first image, and in the second image a USGS brass cap on a pipe and a brass disk in rock.

I prefer the term cap simply because I cannot determine the proper way to spell diskdisc.

Now days, I hate using either type when setting a monument. Too many idiots out there destroying the monument to get the disk/disc/cap/tablet out to take home as a souvenir. In recent years I have been omitting the disc/disk/cap/tablet from the setting and stamping the rim of the protectant cover with designation, date, and agency. When the idiots open the cover, all they find is a sharpened stainless steel rod driven to refusal. Just enough flat to hold a dimple for a rod point. Pretty boring and very difficult to even get your hand on. Nothing here to see. Move along.

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