✅ SOLVED Iron hardware with leather disks/washers?

[Courtzzy]

Hello! I’m new to this forum. My boyfriend and I have been detecting for a few weeks now. We stumbled upon a mid/late 1800’s to early 1900’s trash bit. We’ve found so many class medicine bottles and various pieces of old pottery. The trash pit even has civil war artifacts mixed in! We live in the area right where the battle of Franklin happened. We found a few items that we can’t figure out what they are. We found 10 of these in one small area. The middle of the iron object is filled with brittle leather rings. Any ideas would be very appreciated!! We’ve done so much searching. We think it may have something to do with horse tackle maybe. Thanks!

 

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[creskol]

Those are the lift links out of an old chain pump

 

[releventchair]

Wetted leather made the seal allowing the lift of water.

 

[Courtzzy]

Oh cool! No wonder I never found any info online! I was way off with my guess! I’ve never even heard of that before! What time period were those used? Or are they still used today? Thank you again! Makes sense now as to why I found so many in one small area! One man who had been metal detecting for 45 years told me they looked like tie down hardware for a covered wagon!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Courtzzy wrote (in reply to Creskol's correct ID of her find):
> Oh cool! No wonder I never found any info online! I was way off with my guess! I’ve never even heard of that before!

I see you are a brand-new member here at T-Net... so, Welcome! As you are discovering, the What-Is-It? forum is the best place on the internet to get unknown objects CORRECTLY identified. (By the way, beware of what Ebay sellers tell you... about half the time, they are wrong.)

> What time period were those used? Or are they still used today? Thank you again! Makes sense now as to why I found so many in one small area.​

In addition to what Creskol and Releventchair told you, here's some images with additional info which I hope will be helpful. I haven't found any info telling the specific date of the invention of this form of well-pump chain, but the diagram's format, plus the chain's steel links being machine-made, suggests the manufacture-date is sometime in the early 20th century, probably not as far back as the 1800s.

 

[rick67]

Sweet lock!
Perfect for electrolysis.

 

[creskol]

I think the first continuous chain pump was patented by Hiram A. Pitts in 1834, but the chain mechanism was completely different than yours.The designs changed over the years, and the ones like you have don't look like they appeared until 1914. Later ones had rubber rings.

 

[Tony in SC]

Some of the early ones had metal cups on a chain.

I think the first continuous chain pump was patented by Hiram A. Pitts in 1834, but the chain mechanism was completely different than yours.The designs changed over the years, and the ones like you have don't look like they appeared until 1914. Later ones had rubber rings.

 

[No gold in NY]

You are right creskol. Nice solve. I have been sitting here trying to think how to describe this myself.

 

[Courtzzy]

Thank you!! Yea I was pretty excited when I pulled that out of the ground! No idea of the time period, but I would guess late 1800’s-early 1900’s based on all the other items we’ve found! But who knows!! Cus we did find civil war artifacts mixed in! (The trash pit in located where the battle of franklin happened). But thank you! And I would love to do electrolysis on it when I figure out exactly how to. Haha ��