Iron Bullet? SOLVED

Bigcypresshunter

Bigcypresshunter

Gold Member
Dec 15, 2004
27,000
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South Florida
Detector(s) used
70's Whites TM Amphibian, HH Pulse, Ace 250
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting

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Re: Iron Bullet?

When a hydraulic press like an Iron Worker punches a hole in a steel plate it produces a deformed slug exactly like this. I'm pretty sure the railroads used such technology. When you get into making holes in thick plate they don't drill them, they punch them.

TiredIron
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

TiredIron said:
When a hydraulic press like an Iron Worker punches a hole in a steel plate it produces a deformed slug exactly like this. I'm pretty sure the railroads used such technology. When you get into making holes in thick plate they don't drill them, they punch them.

TiredIron
Click to expand...
I didnt know they could punch out something this thick on site but it makes sense. Thanks.


300 people once lived in this Florida swamp town called Sears. (sawmill owned by Sears Roebuck) but I cannot find any remains of it. I found this Eastern Diamondback yesterday.
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

traderoftreasures said:
thats a little strange for florida isn't it, or is it? did you find it dead or alive?
Click to expand...
The Eastern Diamondback is native to South Florida but sightings are becoming rare. It was recently run over on the road.
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

traderoftreasures said:
is this where you looked? i found this on google
Click to expand...
Yes. The town is no longer there. The sawmills are gone. The train tracks have been pulled up, only the grade remains. The name Sears remains on the map. A beautiful area to the SE is being preserved (OK Slough). The line going North and South is the old RR grade.
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

traderoftreasures said:
do you have google? i just zoomed in there and you can see the old town streets. if you don't let me know i'll flip a picture your way
Click to expand...
I have google. Ill check it out. There are some buildings there and orange groves but no foundation remains of the older woodframe homes. This was all I found and some wild banana plants.
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

Not trying to highjack your thread, sorry, but do you use a phone camera? And if you do can you recommend one?

Thanks.
Cap Z.
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

Cappy Z. said:
Not trying to highjack your thread, sorry, but do you use a phone camera? And if you do can you recommend one?

Thanks.
Cap Z.
Click to expand...
I have a Panasonic DMZ-TZ3 Lumix 10x for outdoor pictures and I use an old Sony Mavica FD-85 with a floppy disc for posting close-up pics. Sorry, I know nothing about celphone cameras.
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

Any other guesses or suggestions on the "iron bullet" or supporting link or pictures on the punched out hole theory?
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

I was noticing in the third picture that the piece appears to have a ridge around it just up from the bottom. That seems odd to me if this was just punched out of plate steel. I would think that a punch-out would have smooth sides.
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

72cheyenne said:
I was noticing in the third picture that the piece appears to have a ridge around it just up from the bottom. That seems odd to me if this was just punched out of plate steel. I would think that a punch-out would have smooth sides.
Click to expand...

Depending on the material being punched and the condition of the Punch and Die, the slug almost always ends up with a distorted edge near both sides of the surface. The second pic shows it best. All I can offer is to send you a double handful of them in various sizes....that arn't rusty and old.
Maybe I'll try and take some pictures of some. The older and more worn the Punch and Die get, the more Domed and Concave the slugs end up. One other rule is the diameter of the hole being punched can't be less than the thickness of the material being punched. Your slug meets that criteria.

http://www.thefabricator.com/ToolandDie/ToolandDie_article.cfm?ID=1507#
Study figure 2b....and 4
They're not examples of punching thick Iron or Steel Bridge Plate....but the process produces the same
tell-tale forensic evidence.

TiredIron
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

TiredIron said:
72cheyenne said:
I was noticing in the third picture that the piece appears to have a ridge around it just up from the bottom. That seems odd to me if this was just punched out of plate steel. I would think that a punch-out would have smooth sides.
Click to expand...

Depending on the material being punched and the condition of the Punch and Die, the slug almost always ends up with a distorted edge near both sides of the surface. The second pic shows it best. All I can offer is to send you a double handful of them in various sizes....that arn't rusty and old.
Maybe I'll try and take some pictures of some. The older and more worn the Punch and Die get, the more Domed and Concave the slugs end up. One other rule is the diameter of the hole being punched can't be less than the thickness of the material being punched. Your slug meets that criteria.

http://www.thefabricator.com/ToolandDie/ToolandDie_article.cfm?ID=1507#
Study figure 2b.....

TiredIron
Click to expand...

Great link. :thumbsup: I guess metal will do funny things under that much pressure. I wonder if this piece may be the punch-out from rail stock or is it to thin for that. It would have to be from something that was fabricated onsite I think.
 

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Re: Iron Bullet?

TiredIron said:
72cheyenne said:
I was noticing in the third picture that the piece appears to have a ridge around it just up from the bottom. That seems odd to me if this was just punched out of plate steel. I would think that a punch-out would have smooth sides.
Click to expand...

Depending on the material being punched and the condition of the Punch and Die, the slug almost always ends up with a distorted edge near both sides of the surface. The second pic shows it best. All I can offer is to send you a double handful of them in various sizes....that arn't rusty and old.
Maybe I'll try and take some pictures of some. The older and more worn the Punch and Die get, the more Domed and Concave the slugs end up. One other rule is the diameter of the hole being punched can't be less than the thickness of the material being punched. Your slug meets that criteria.

http://www.thefabricator.com/ToolandDie/ToolandDie_article.cfm?ID=1507#
Study figure 2b.....

TiredIron
Click to expand...
A picture would be great but I am now convinced. Fig. 2A shows the concave top and round bottom. Apparently they used this equipment even out into the swamps. Thanks.
 

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They may or may not have been punching holes in bridge plate or Railroad related items in your immediate location. I just have to confess that as a kid if I saw these types of things laying on a shop floor somewhere I knew they didn't care if I took them (as they are scrap)...I'd of gotten a good pocket full to throw or shoot with my slingshot.....in every malicious manner possible. They "are" like "free bullets" for kids so you were right.

TiredIron
Now that I think about it.... I'd probably "still" pick em' up....the big ones are kinda neat.
 

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