Dug Today at ~1890 Homestead - SOLVED

[Dave Rishar]

Object #1 is a big chunk of steel that weighs a few pounds. The end is slightly domed. You can barely see it in the pic but there are slight barbs on the pointy end. I almost want to say that it's a splitting wedge for wood but I've never seen one that looks like that before. I can't tell whether the slots are actually an opening that goes all the way through but I suspect that this might be the case. Perhaps this thing is pounded into a log or some such and a rope is run through it? I'm not sure how much logging actually took place on the homestead itself but there are remains of an old logging camp not two hundred yards away, and I found two bipennis heads in the same general area today as well.

Objects #2 and #3 are the size of marshmallows and I don't know what they're made of. The red/black corrosion looks like the sort one sees on very old pieces of brass dug out of the soil here. There's something red and fibrous inside.

Any thoughts?

 

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[doublet2a]

Re: Dug Today at ~1890 Homestead

The bottom 2 objects are ends to old electrical fuses
I'm sure someone will chime in with a better explanation

The top thing


Tim

 

[randall61]

Re: Dug Today at ~1890 Homestead

the big metal thing is a wedge for splitting wood.

 

[Tony in SC]

Re: Dug Today at ~1890 Homestead

the big metal thing is a wedge for splitting wood.

Yep. Tony

 

[SgtSki in MI]

Re: Dug Today at ~1890 Homestead

I agree.

Item #1 is a splitting maul:


and items #2 and 3 are ends or cardboard cartridge fuses


There's gotta be some IHs in there!!!

HH,
SgtSki

 

[Dave Rishar]

Interesting. I'm familiar with the newer wedges but I've never seen a round one like this. I take it this is an older design?

What are IH's? I'm not done with this site yet, of course.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Yep. Log splitter. Locally we call that shape a "Go Devil". A recent version is marketed under the name "Wood Grenade".

 

[relic lover]

Man I used to use that exact model of wedge to split wood as a teen! Splits the log in 3 plus it is easy to start in the wood, circa1979 blast from the past!