10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

[tompahpe]

10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

Think the shaft part is forged iron which is 'sunk' into what I'm guessing to be some kind of lead weight. Cannot make out any markings. Overall length is 10" width is roughly 1/4" for the iron.

Found in recently disturbed ground on the surface while rockhounding. Same area yielded 2 other non-rock surpises; civil war era Sharp's bullet (fired) & an unknown id item likely of lead I've seen in a photo showing a collection of civil war relics.

Don't have pics of the other mystery item but it looks like a modified capital letter "a" about 4 inches long width tapers from maybe 1/4'' to 1 1/2".

In case it's helpful to know I'm in Lawrence, Kansas.

Thanks!!!
JK

 

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[warsawdaddy]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

No idea.Kinda looks like an old solder iron without the handle.Could have been something that was heated to smoothe lead or babbit.

 

[tompahpe]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

The iron part looks close to the picket pins I saw in pictures online but that's the only thing I've come up with.

Really eager to know what this is, I'm very grateful for any reply!

Thanks Treasurenet!
JK

 

[fortbball9]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

I am with warsawdaddy I think it is an old iron without the handle.But just a guess.Very interesting.

fortbball9

 

[watercolor]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

No idea.Kinda looks like an old solder iron without the handle.Could have been something that was heated to smoothe lead or babbit.

Yep. . . the good old days. . . when they heated the "iron" in a bucket of charcoal so they could
solder the gutters together (the good ones were copper). . . instead of using steel sheet metal screws
that rust and stain the flimsy aluminum gutters of today . . . (sorry if this is becoming a rant).

Cool find. . . brings back memories of my grandpa

watercolor

 

[Angelo]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

Like Warsawdaddy said. Here's a picture with a handle.


Tony

 

[stefen]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

Soldering historically is about 6000 years old, however I remember my Father using an idedntical soldering iron in the mid-1970's while cladding doors with galvanized sheet metal.

 

[tompahpe]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

Would the shaft terminate in a point with the handle somehow fitting around it? Do you know how the handle might be attached & if there'd be something I could look for (like marks or material) to indicate former presence of a handle? Can magnify 20x maybe more.

Would sure like to see how the pieces join in your photo, angelo! Nice of you to post the pic, thank you!

What time period would this type of solder iron fit in? While typing Stefan helped answer that with a recent use dating 1970's...is that likely to be the norm., ie., was this iron type the standard/common tool to use circa 1970's?

Thanks!

 

[tompahpe]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

Oops, should be Stefen NOT Stefan! So sorry Stefen!!

 

[Angelo]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

Tompape:

Look on ebay under antique soldering irons. Some are dated so you may get a better idea. And like Stefen's dad, my dad used to use one about the 50's, but more than likely he had borrowed it from Grandpa. Those kind of tools seem to hang around shops for generations.

Tony

 

[Monty]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

How did they keep the lead tip from melting while being heated? I've seen them but never could figure that out. M nty

 

[fortbball9]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

I thought that most of the soldering irons ends were made up of either copper or brass,so it would stay hot longer.But I might be wrong.

fortbball9

 

[stefen]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

How did they keep the lead tip from melting while being heated? I've seen them but never could figure that out. M nty

The tip usually was brass or harden steel...

The tip you see is actually covered with solder and may take on the appearance of lead.

Wire brush the tip when its hot and you'll find that its not lead but brass or steel as stated.

 

[SomeGuy]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

I've seen them in use to solder galvanized steel gutters in the late '80s. The head was copper, and heated over a large propane burner.

 

[Monty]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

Ooops! I thought someone said the head was lead! I guess my reading ain't no better than my seeing? Or something like that. Thanks, Monty

 

[truckinbutch]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

Ooops! I thought someone said the head was lead! I guess my reading ain't no better than my seeing? Or something like that. Thanks, Monty

You are correct,Monty.That was the post.
The copper tip must be filed to the desired shape with no oxide inclusions on the surface.Squeaky clean! The tip is then heated to near the melting point of solder or lead and fluxed to further clean.The point configuration then needs to be 'tinned' with the lead or solder before it is ready for use in joining metals.

 

[tompahpe]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

Gave the tip a little rubbing & sure enough there's copper starting to show through the crud.

I'm so stoked ya'll knew right away what this thing is!!

Been searching as suggested on antique irons but not finding much yet. This one seems much more primitive than the few I viewed pictures of so far. Hopefully there'll be some way to tell an approximate age based on the way it's made!

Thanks to everyone who helped educate me!

Kind Regards
JK

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

just a note on 'age'. We still used that type of iron in metal shop in the late 1960's in High School.
Heated it up in a small propane forge. I think that for larger work, it was still the preferred way to do it even back then.
Also it did not have the restriction of an attached electric cord, so you could move it more easily. I do have an old electric heavy duty iron that looks to be from the 1940's, but the old 'heat them in a fire' irons held on at least into the early 1970's in my estimation.

 

[X-Terra70_TreasureHunter]

Re: 10" forged iron 1/4" wide bar with lead weight end possibly cw era

OLD TIMEY Soidering Iron