anyone know what this is?????

[jeremiah212]

i detected the yard of an old home(150yrs) ....in 2 hours i found 1 quarter one penny and about 60 of these odd looking thingamagiggers..they where everywhere. so many i got mad an went to another site instead

can't figure what there for..anyone seen them befor?





all of em look exactly the same with the same bend.

 

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[Chagy]

You really hit the nail on the head PBK. You sure are the sharpest tack in the box. I could go on, but I see no need. Great job......

I will second that.....

Best,

Chagy.........

 

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[diggummup]

I'm glad we got this settled.Thanks to jeremiah letting us know it was made of copper. Way to go guys and gals.

 

[Michelle]

Chagy that hammer and nail gif really hit's homer on this one!!!!

 

[PBK]

UPDATE: anyone know what this is??

Yesterday I e-mailed Joseph Jenkins of Slate Roof Central < http://jenkinsslate.com/ >, author of The Slate Roof Bible, 2nd Edition. This is his identification of the items found by Jeremiah212:


"Those are copper pins used to fasten down the bottom of asbestos shingles on roofs. The tops of the shingles are nailed with copper roofing nails. The flat part of the pin tucks underneath the sides of the underlying tiles while the pin sticks up through the overlying tile, which has a pre-drilled hole in it for that purpose. The pins are then bent over to hold the bottom of the overlying tile down to prevent wind uplift. These were used primarily on "diamond-shaped" asbestos tiles. (See http://www.slateroofcentral.com/asbestos-repair.html for a rough sketch of diamond asbestos tiles). The pins are situated where the tiles touch each other on the sides. At that point, the flat part of the pin slips underneath the two tiles. The overlying tile has a hole at that point and the pin sticks up through that hole , then is bent over."

Joe Jenkins


So, it seems that none of us had it exactly right. But copper? Yes. Used for roofing? Yes. Used along with copper nails? Yes.

"Say goodnight, Gracie."

Mystery solved.

 

[downindixie]

My father told me that back when we used tax tokens,he would roof houses using these tax tokens that had a hole in the center as roofing tacks.He would push a regular small nail thru the center of the tax token and use it as a roofing tack.Tax tokens were plentiful and cheap.

 

[Chagy]

Chagy that hammer and nail gif really hit's homer on this one!!!!

Thanks, but like always PBK takes the jackpot.......this is getting harder every day....not only we need to ID the stuff but we have to get there before PBK..ha!ha!ha!

Best,

Chagy.......

 

[JakePhelps]

Hey i have a few of the round types, been wondering what they were, Thanks

 

[simonds]

PBK is right on this one. I used the copper ones to do a slate roofing tile repair job back in 1970s. They don't get driven in with a hammer, they go up thru a pre drilled hole in the overlapping tile and bend it over
Clayton

 

[blurr]

Are you sure they aren't for ac insulation bearing holders? Good job guys, I have never seen the kind of dedication applied to a tack before. I am in awe


John

 

[Michelle]

Chagy that hammer and nail gif really hit's homer on this one!!!!

Thanks, but like always PBK takes the jackpot.......this is getting harder every day....not only we need to ID the stuff but we have to get there before PBK..ha!ha!ha!

Best,

Chagy.......

yes...so right you are!

 

[PBK]

Are you sure they aren't for ac insulation bearing holders? Good job guys, I have never seen the kind of dedication applied to a tack before. I am in awe

John

Hey, John... Agatha Christie said it best:

“It is completely unimportant. That is why it is so interesting!”

 

[jeremiah212]

"""Good job guys, I have never seen the kind of dedication applied to a tack before. I am in awe""""

i was thinking the same thing... thanks guys..

so,anyone wanna buy some copper tacks?! heheh

 

[Michelle]

IDEA.....Push them all into a piece of cork board and make yourself a shiny copper mandela.........REAL PRETTY !!!!

 

[cheese]

I always wondered what those were. I find them too. Exactly as pictured in the original post. Copper (and not galvanized...where'd you get that doc?). All of them were bent just like that. None were pointed. I knew the insulation theory was wrong. Also didn't fit concrete siding. The house I find these at is a southern plantation house from 1850. Original wood siding. Had no ductwork until recently, but the items were found deep, green, and well corroded. I believe it has a slate roof. Then simonds said he used them to repair a slate roof.

Not that it was ever that important to me...but I always wondered what they were. Thanks...now I know .