Heavy Lead disc - more pics

[DBugR]

These pics are a bit clearer. Again, 2 and 3/4in. wide, 3/4in. thick, stamp or design on top, dimple on bottom, very shiny metal where it's been scratched. Very heavy. Lead or pewter, is there anything else? No holes where it may have been attached to anything.

 

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[Monty]

Depending on where you found it, I'd guess plumber's lead. I've found several chunks of it around torn down houses. Monty

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I don't know what the item is, but I know a bit about Metallurgy.
It is often possible to deduce what Atomic Elements are in a metal (or an alloy) by observing the characteristics of its oxidized surface. (We diggers call that the relic's patina.)

In this case, the "white snowflake" corrosion on your item indicates the presence of zinc.
However, the apparent brittleness and scaliness of the rest of the oxidation on your item's edges indicates that the metal isn't "pure" zinc. The item is probably some sort of alloy containing lead and zinc ...and maybe some tin, too. This is quite similar to the alloy which fills the back of buckles, boxplates, and breastplates. (Despite us relic-hunters commonly calling them "lead-filled" ...the filler is NOT lead (though the alloy does contain some lead).

Regards,
TheCannonballGuy

 

[DigEmAll]

The guts to an antique hockey puck?

Hockey pucks are 3" X 1"

I am from Georgia and live in Arizona, so what do I know about hockey? Just the fact I stated above. I know that the outside is rubber, and if it has a cover then 1/8 inch all the way around your item would be exactly the right size! Honestly though, I think that might be a bit heavy for a hockey puck.

Any hockey players here?

 

[hollowpointred]

The guts to an antique hockey puck?

Hockey pucks are 3" X 1"

I am from Georgia and live in Arizona, so what do I know about hockey? Just the fact I stated above. I know that the outside is rubber, and if it is a cover then 1/8 inch all the way around your item would be exactly the right size! Honestly though, I think that might be a bit heavy for a hockey puck.

Any hockey players here?

if thats a hockey puck, i`d hate to be the goalie!!!

 

[Matejko]

Hi !!

Seems to me, that it might be a "weight" which was sewed up at the bottom of a big, heavy curtain. (in a theatre, for example). Such a "weight" make curtain look straight and nice.
This piece is quiet big, so the curtain had to be huge.
But in States You like huge things, don't You?

Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the only idea I've got, for now.

Pozdrawiam Matejko

 

[gord]

The guts to an antique hockey puck?

Hockey pucks are 3" X 1"

I am from Georgia and live in Arizona, so what do I know about hockey? Just the fact I stated above. I know that the outside is rubber, and if it is a cover then 1/8 inch all the way around your item would be exactly the right size! Honestly though, I think that might be a bit heavy for a hockey puck.

Any hockey players here?

Maybe for underwater hockey? - and yes, that actually is a sport. The ones they use today are brass, but who knows about the early days?

 

[downindixie]

Looks like plumbers lead,used to seal joints in cast iron pipes.Mostly sewer pipes and major water lines.Is it lead strips rolled up or just one big chunk? It was used both ways.The material was called babbit and was a mixture of lead and zinc.The opposite ends of two pipes were jointed together and in between the male and female ends,a cloth filler was tamped in and then babbit was melted and poured into joint sealing off the joint.

 

[jon43]

The guts to an antique hockey puck?

Hockey pucks are 3" X 1"

I am from Georgia and live in Arizona, so what do I know about hockey? Just the fact I stated above. I know that the outside is rubber, and if it is a cover then 1/8 inch all the way around your item would be exactly the right size! Honestly though, I think that might be a bit heavy for a hockey puck.

Any hockey players here?

if thats a hockey puck, i`d hate to be the goalie!!!

bevis

 

[montepollock]

Iv,e found lead discs in the past and was told they might have been used in past for casting bullets.
only 1 had a marking,an invert of US looked like someone had pressed a US belt buckle in it.
But as was stated I don,t think yours is pure lead.Plumbers lead I think would be in bars or strips but I may be Wrong.
Babbit metal was used in bearing races to reduce friction,and also contained quite a bit of tin.
I,m sure some one else out there will come up with an answer.

 

[DBugR]

Looks like plumbers lead,used to seal joints in cast iron pipes.Mostly sewer pipes and major water lines.Is it lead strips rolled up or just one big chunk? It was used both ways.The material was called babbit and was a mixture of lead and zinc.The opposite ends of two pipes were jointed together and in between the male and female ends,a cloth filler was tamped in and then babbit was melted and poured into joint sealing off the joint.

Thanks for everyone's replies and ideas. They've given me more steam to attempt to get this thing identified. There have been two posts about this being plumber's lead, and at first I didn't think that likely, this being found out in the woods atop a ridge just north of Nashville, TN, and lying on the ground, just at the edge of a small stream. However, there has been much logging done in the hills there, and maybe plumber's lead came in handy for something in that line of work. -- I also like the casting bullets idea. The area the item was found is near where the soldiers escorting native indians on the trail of tears passed through. Very interesting indeed.

I'll be taking it by some Antique dealers' shops today to see what ideas they've got as well. Never know, I may come across someone who knows exactly what this is.

It's definately "too" heavy for a hockey puck, but I like the way they're thinking! Thanks all!

 

[labnewbie]

Hi,

I think i know what this stuff is, it is a alloy used by doctors to encase bits of nuclear medication.It is reused and has a melting point less than that of boiling water.It goes by a few trademarks but a prevalant one is "cerro-bend".It has a web site. Come in 5lb hex shaped billots.Used as plumbers lead for bending small tubing without crimping. drop it in hot water and see if it melts? Hope that helps lol hh

 

[Batch]

Here's my take on it...(and the logging camp locale may lend some credence to my theory).

I think it could be a lead counterweight used on very large balance scales. Most folks have seen small balance scales with a number of brass weights of different sizes that are used in various combinations to figure out an unknown value. I have seen these type of offset balance scales used for weighing items from 100 to 2000 lbs using counterweights ranging from a few ounces to several pounds. As a sidenote, weigh the thing and see if it's very close to a "whole" pound or some standard fractional value (1/4, 1/2, etc) thereof.

just a thought...

Batch

 

[DBugR]

Ah...I'm thinking we're getting close if that is not it. Thanks Batch! That was actually my first impression when I found the thing. Trouble was, I couldn't figure out why it would be out there. However, I didn't realize they actually might need to weigh logs after being cut. I can see now that may be quite handy considering you need to know how heavy a load was to be sure you could even get it out of there on a truck or whatever. Makes a lot of sense.

I had no luck at the antique dealers, but will stick to this theory until I can find something concrete. Thanks everyone for helping me figure this out. Has been fun.

Rich

 

[ifitshistory]

LOOKS LIKE A CIVIL WAR ZINK ARTILLERY FUSE TO ME.

 

[ifitshistory]

SOORY ABOUT THE SPELLING. I MEANT ZINC, NOT ZINK.

 

[DBugR]

Intersting. Thanks for your input. I'll keep it in mind as I research this relic more. After some initial research however, I am not sure it fits the description I see on many Civil War related websites of a fuse. Most I see pictures of are either threaded or have holes in them. This object has neither of these features. Thanks just the same though. I'll keep investigating all of these suggestions.

 

[ifitshistory]

could be an artillery zinc fuse

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

The guts to an antique hockey puck?

Hockey pucks are 3" X 1"

I am from Georgia and live in Arizona, so what do I know about hockey? Just the fact I stated above. I know that the outside is rubber, and if it is a cover then 1/8 inch all the way around your item would be exactly the right size! Honestly though, I think that might be a bit heavy for a hockey puck.

Any hockey players here?

Maybe for underwater hockey? - and yes, that actually is a sport. The ones they use today are brass, but who knows about the early days?

Lead? Brass? You guys got to be kidding! I think hard black rubber. Ill search it.

ADDED: http://www.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/hockey-puck

I agree with Monty. I think its old plumbers lead solder for old cast iron soil pipes. I had some plumbers lead the same puck size. Very heavy. Plumbers solder is a mixture of tin and lead.