Eternal Cache Container

[Guest Lasivian]

Rustproof (Stainless steel is about the only option really) some people have said PVC type pipe, but is that photo-resistant? (it'll be buried, but the chance is that it might not be buried forever)

Airtight

Photo-resistant (Sun won't rot it)

Internal size at least 1728 cubic inches (ie, 12"x12"x12", but the shape doesn't matter)

Must be resitant to stress/impacts (ie. if it breaks when I hit it with a hammer, or I can bend it in half it's no good)

Can't have keys/lock (tho a combination lock might not be bad)

 

my general target is a minimum of 100 years, it will be hidden in Arizona (desert, very alkaline soil, gets some rain, slight chance of snow)

 

 

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Lasivian@usa.net - ICQ 3619356 - www.fastq.com/~lasivian

[Guest Robereno]

You might want to look into information about the signs the government put on its nuclear waste sites. They suspect that future generations might not speak English so they developed icon type signs that can be understood by all. (Hey, why stop at 100 years?)

 

Actually, you might look into how the Dead Sea Scrolls were stored. I think they were just leather parchments stuffed in jars.

[Guest Robereno]

You might want to look into information about the signs the government put on its nuclear waste sites. They suspect that future generations might not speak English so they developed icon type signs that can be understood by all. (Hey, why stop at 100 years?)

 

Actually, you might look into how the Dead Sea Scrolls were stored. I think they were just leather parchments stuffed in jars.

[Guest NightTide]

PVC pipe schedule 40 conduit is very stong stuff. In my work I deal with lots of buried pipes and services. You can hit it with a hammer and it wont crack and it does have some flex to it and because of it cost lots of people use it for time capsuls. stainless would be nice but the cost is high.But this is just one dirt farmers opinion.

[Guest Lasivian]

Night: is the PVC sun-resistant tho? if you lay it out in the arizona (122 degrees, high UV) is it going to crumble eventually?

[Guest ClayJar]

Can't help but wonder if you might be able to make something out of aluminum (UK: aluminium?).

[Guest Lasivian]

Aluminum is out of the question, the soil is very alkaline in AZ and pits it very rapidly, along with copper, bronze, brass, iron, mild steel, and just about anything else except gold, silver and stainless

[Guest Prime_Meridian]

it up on a table... they come in a few colors, and they have locking clasp...

 

The other thing I might suggest is one of the recycled plastic mailboxes that seem to be poppping up nowadays... simple door closure opening, but if you put it with the opening facing down, it should stay dry on the inside...

[Guest JasonW]

What about a glass preserving jar ? you know the ones with the clasp lids ? They used to be called Kilner Jars over here - have no idea what they call them in the US (I'd suspect preserving jar though )

[Guest JasonW]

What about a glass preserving jar ? you know the ones with the clasp lids ? They used to be called Kilner Jars over here - have no idea what they call them in the US (I'd suspect preserving jar though )

[Guest Exocet]

JasonW,

 

The seal on a jar like that would probably deteriorate after 10-20 years in a combo of 95% heat/UV and 5% rain (over the course of the 10-20 years).

 

My bet would be on heavy-duty PVC with screw-on caps at both ends (no glue). If the option to bury is there, then your options expand quite a bit. Additionally, sealing a container inside another container would help increase the odds of your main container surviving for so long in such harsh conditions.

[Guest db8tr]

You might want to go with a commercial case... something like a Pelican case. These are a bit pricey, but they are practically indestructable. They are airtight and waterproof. I don't know about sun damage, but they do have a lifetime warrenty. I have a friend that is a photographer and he swears by them.

[Guest geckoguy]

Ammo cans are made of stainless steel, aren't they? This is a geocache, not a time capsule. It is out there for people to find it now, not a hundred years from now. You are supposed to check up on your cache regularly, so if it starts to deteriorate, just put it in a new container. Even if you don't check on it personally, you can ask for feedback about it's condition from cache-finders.

 

[This message has been edited by geckoguy (edited 23 July 2001).]

[Guest PneumaticDeath]

quote:

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Originally posted by geckoguy:

Ammo cans are made of stainless steel, aren't they?

---

 

Then why is the one I bought so rusty?

 

I think a permanent container is overkill for most caches, but Lasivian obviously has bigger-or at least different--plans.

 

I'm curious, but i'll wait.

 

-- Mitch

[Guest logscaler]

Make it out of natural stone. Pumice comes to mind. Or go to a tombstone maker and see what they can do for you. They might even have some type of ash jar that would work. Seems to me that this would be about the only thing outside of stainless. Maybe, just maybe, you could make it out of Juniper. Lots of them lay on the ground and do not seem to rot away and with the low humidity down there, it should take a long time. Also, no bugs really like to eat Juniper.

[Guest brokenwing]

I like logscaler's suggestion. A natural container like rock probably has a good chance of surviving long term. Keep in mind that stainless steel will eventually rust, just like regular steel. That's why it's called stainLESS, not stainFREE. Yes, depending on thickness and iron content, it would probably last your minimum requirement of 100 years, but how much longer? Another metal you might consider is lead. Lead is highly resistant to corrosion. In fact, lead pipes bearing the insignia of Roman emperors, are still in service!

 

thanks,

brokenwing

[Guest Lasivian]

Quoted from Gecjo:

 

"This is a geocache, not a time capsule. It is out there for people to find it now, not a hundred years from now."

 

well, excuse me for thinking differently.. my idea was to hide a cache, then have stainless dogtags made with it's coordinates on them and hide them so folks with metal detectors would stumble on them..

 

the thinking is folks might find a tag in a year, maybe ten, maybe a hundred.. but it would be both a geocache AND a time capsule

[Guest Lasivian]

Quoted from Gecjo:

 

"This is a geocache, not a time capsule. It is out there for people to find it now, not a hundred years from now."

 

well, excuse me for thinking differently.. my idea was to hide a cache, then have stainless dogtags made with it's coordinates on them and hide them so folks with metal detectors would stumble on them..

 

the thinking is folks might find a tag in a year, maybe ten, maybe a hundred.. but it would be both a geocache AND a time capsule

[Guest NightTide]

Ductile iron pipe or clay pipe would be an other option. It comes in many sizes. I am working on a project now where we are excavating old water pipes in a sea side city. The clay pipes look as good as the day they were buried(1800's). The cast iron pipes are rusty but intact (early 1900's)

These pipes are in wet areas and the temp above ground goes from -40 to +100, not in 1 day mind you but we are still talking 100 and 200 years not bad.