Sherman Bowtie

[devldog]

This question goes out to the War of Northern Aggression relic hunters here. My question is has any relic hunters from the South ever found a Sherman Bowtie? This being a section of RR track twisted and made unusable by Sherman's troops. D_ _ _ _ Yankees. Lol You would think that there would still be a few of these around. These could not be reused and there were no recycle centers back during the war. One would think that these may have been buried alongside of the tracks where they were found and left by Sherman's troops. Just a thought. Any ideas?

 

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[ucvrelics.com]

Ive been on the hunt for a Shermans Bow tie for over 20 years. The one I have seen and been offered did not match the size rail that was used during the CW. The largest rail the South had was 55lb rail and the ones I was offered were mine rail that was bent the same way. Originally the yankee army would pile up cross ties and the pile the rail on top but the CS army figured out how to straighten them so on the march to the sea they wouldd wrap them around trees which gave them the name. Still looking for one

 

[devldog]

I have seen only one or two of these on display. The Federal Troops would destroy miles of track at a time, so you know there were hundreds upon hundreds of these left by Sherman's army on their advanced March to the Sea. You know there are bound to be some of these left......just where? Here's to hoping you and I will stumble across one or two of these before our relic hunting career is over. I have been hunting since the early 80's off and on and I have yet to find one. It would really be cool to have one of these.

 

[Dug]

Ive been on the hunt for a Shermans Bow tie for over 20 years. The one I have seen and been offered did not match the size rail that was used during the CW.

Do you know the dimensions of the rail? I have a small piece of one (about 10 inches long) that I found in a small CW camp site. It is hammered on one end as if it were used as an anvil.

 

[devldog]

Dug, that really sounds like a cool find. I don't know the demensions right off. I saw them a while back doing some research, but I don't recall the rail demensions. I do know that they were quite smaller than the rails today. If you found a piece of rail in a campsite it would sound to me as if you have what you believe to have. I never would have thought of this, but from your description of this piece being hammered on the ends, it sounds to me like the work of a Blacksmith. It sounds like a really cool piece. Congrat's.

 

[Peyton Manning]

while there were no recycling centers as we know them, I am certain that any metal of that quantity would have been reused
do you really think they could only make items out of ore?

 

[Peyton Manning]

oh, and who was it that fired the first shot?

 

[katzgar]

The losers

 

[Dug]

Dug, that really sounds like a cool find. I don't know the demensions right off. I saw them a while back doing some research, but I don't recall the rail demensions. I do know that they were quite smaller than the rails today. If you found a piece of rail in a campsite it would sound to me as if you have what you believe to have. I never would have thought of this, but from your description of this piece being hammered on the ends, it sounds to me like the work of a Blacksmith. It sounds like a really cool piece. Congrat's.

I'll put up two pics of it tomorrow. Have it soaking in baking soda water after the white vinegar bath.

 

[devldog]

That would be great. I look forward to seeing pic's of this. You obviously must have just found this.

 

[Dug]

That would be great. I look forward to seeing pic's of this. You obviously must have just found this.

Actually I dug it about 8 years ago, but an injury that has sidelined me from digging has given me incentive to get around to cleaning my iron relics. Here are the pics promised. As you can see, the section was the end of the rail broken off. The chunk of rail is 8.5 inches long, 2 5/8 " tall, 3.5 " wide at base.

 

[Dug]

My next step in preservation is soaking it in distilled water for a day, then dry it and coat it in WD40. I then plan on heating it up in a fire and then immersing it in motor oil. Then repeat the heat and oil bath one more time.

 

[gunsil]

Why do you say there were no recycle centers during the war? After every battle the locals grabbed up brass and lead scrap to sell to supplement their income. Both sides had scrap drives to acquire metals for armament manufacturing. Steel such as old railway track was easily melted down and re-used.

 

[smokeythecat]

Reminds me of an old story about the fate of the local Rev War militia's cannon. I am referring to the Jarrettsville Company of Militia, in Harford County, Maryland. Apparently it sat around town, unused and ignored until early 1942 when the government was melting down every piece of scrap iron they could find for the war effort. I think a lot of the old rail iron and rail cars got the same treatment.

 

[Peyton Manning]

Why do you say there were no recycle centers during the war? After every battle the locals grabbed up brass and lead scrap to sell to supplement their income. Both sides had scrap drives to acquire metals for armament manufacturing. Steel such as old railway track was easily melted down and re-used.

I stand corrected, thank you sir

 

[devldog]

Hey Dug, that is a great looking piece. It's funny you posted this now. This past week I have been restoring some of my smaller iron relics. I have been soaking them several rounds in distilled white vinegar. After this I rinse the pieces in hot water and then dry thoroughly. For my last step I brush on a couple of coats of Gemplers Rust Converter. I am very pleased with the results. This is supposed to coat the iron indefinately. It really puts a nice coat on iron. This is the first time I've ever used this. Watch some Utube videos on this and see what you think. I think it would look great on this piece of rail. A huge Congrat's on a nice CW piece of History.

 

[Dug]

Hey Dug, that is a great looking piece. It's funny you posted this now. This past week I have been restoring some of my smaller iron relics. I have been soaking them several rounds in distilled white vinegar. After this I rinse the pieces in hot water and then dry thoroughly. For my last step I brush on a couple of coats of Gemplers Rust Converter. I am very pleased with the results. This is supposed to coat the iron indefinately. It really puts a nice coat on iron. This is the first time I've ever used this. Watch some Utube videos on this and see what you think. I think it would look great on this piece of rail. A huge Congrat's on a nice CW piece of History.

Our local Lowes quit carrying Evaporust which I have used before. Any idea who distributes Gemplers or is it an online item?

 

[Old Bookaroo]

stc: I remember reading about Fidel Castro sending boats over to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas (where Dr. Mudd served his time) to take cannon for recycling. I don't know if it's true or not - but I'm sure many cannon have been recycled over the centuries.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo, CM

 

[devldog]

Dug, go to their website (Gemplers). Unfortunately, I could not find it in any stores so I ordered it online. This is a great product in my opinion. I have been very happy with the results and I believe it will really finish this piece of rail off nicely. You can also watch some of the videos on Mr. Steve Phillips finishing restoration on some of his Artillery Shells and it will give you an idea on application and what the finished piece will look like. Best of Luck to you and keep me informed if you will how this turns out.

 

[Dug]

Have you ever used Evapo-Rust? Just curious how Gemplers compares? I can pick up a gallon of Evapo-Rust at Harbor freight for $27 and then use a 20% off coupon. Gemplers is almost double that after shipping.

I found a youtube and was surprised to see Mr. Phillips tumbling some of the iron. I never thought to try that and will experiment. I can see how it would save from the rather messy process of the initial wire brushing. I am looking at picking up a needler/scaler from HF to tackle the pitted areas of the relic that seem to harbor the tough scabs that if not removed end up being a source of eruptions after the item is sealed.