Lead ball

[aa battery]

Found this by a railroad track and wondered if it was a fishing weight.Its about 2 inches in diameter and weighs almost 2 pounds.The warden(wife) says its for fishing but iam not sure.

 

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[irbaddadjoe]

2 pounds Now that will be a heck of a cast.

 

[wirelessworldinc]

My Ugly Stick could not handle that. LOL Mary ann

 

[fd3615]

i have used 2 pound weights for salmon fishing ( they drop off when you get a fish ). however the attachment point on that weight is larger then i am accustomed to seeing

 

[Patrol]

I believe I have seen a weight like that used as a door closer. A rope or wire is strung from the door and the weight is hung in the middle. Open the door it rises up and let go of the door and gravity takes over.

Hey, it's just a guess!

T

 

[aa battery]

Funny Daydream i had the same thought 8) AA

 

[silverswede]

Well lets see. I'ts lead so it won't rust and will be heavy for it's size. It has a loop on it so a line can be tied to it and retrieve it from the lake bottom. Has to be an anchor for something larger than a duck decoy and smaller than a buoy. Now my head hurts, help somebody!

 

[irbaddadjoe]

Retractable canonball. Actually all jokes aside. I think its a mail bag counter weight .

 

[aa battery]

Hey joe whats a mailbag counter weight AA

 

[irbaddadjoe]

Mailbags used to hang on hooks next to train tracks and someone with a hooked pole from a passing train would reach out and grab mail bags. Im thinking I remember seeing these hooks swing around after bag was retrieved .When mailbag was placed on hook it was balanced out with weight on opposite end of hook. My thought with it being found by tracks. Im trying to find a pic.

 

[aa battery]

Thanks joe post a pic if you find it 8) AA

 

[aa battery]

OK maybe its a mail fish counter weight AA

 

[BioProfessor]

Is it hollow? The deep-running downrigger weights I've used have all been cast and are solid. Cheap to make since you loose alot. A hollow casting is a different bird. If you are looking for weight, why make it hollow? If it is hollow, then size has something to do with it.

unfinished Cannon ball?

When crew-served smoothbore cannon were scaled down to a size suitable for use by a single soldier, cast iron was still used for a time, but ultimately proved too light in small calibers. A naturally-occurring mineral, galena, could be processed with primitive smelting equipment to yield metallic lead. Lead can be melted over a stove or campfire with simple gear and poured into a mould, or easily cold-worked to produce a desired shape.

Lead is up to 60 percent denser than cast iron, so a lead ball weighs much more than one made of iron. In addition, the improved weight increased the range at which the projectile was effective.

Lead round balls fired through smooth bores were the military standard for years.



Daryl

 

[Foilman]

I like the counter balance theory, There are all kinds of things that had counter balance, such as a weigh scale for trucks or material.

 

[Tabfry]

Having been found near the tracks the idea of it being a mail bag weight makes sense. I've used downriggers while fishing and #2 is a bit on the small side. I don't see any dings or nicks on it that would suggest its been dragged on the bottom of the lake a time or two.

 

[CRUSADER]

Could be a steelyard weight.

 

[stefen]

If it was a fishing weight....whatcha gonna do...knock it out?

 

[HOSSNV]

OK we all pretty much agree on one thing its a weight, but what kind ? mail . counter , fishing . scale . Logic would dictate that it had something to do with the railroad ( I know , this is not aways true could have fell off one the train cars ) , but my question is this . Is there any signs of any activity ,ie a siding, a cattle chute, foundations, something that might give us a clue. Hoss

 

[aa battery]

Hoss alot in the area has changed over the years.Many mders before me have found relics and very old coins in the same area.Some of the locks i have found are pre-1900.On both sides of the tracks there are remnants of small foundations.There are some railroad buffs here and iam going to check with them about mail bags.Thanks AA

 

[HOSSNV]

Good plan AA, check with RR buffs. If there like this fella I met here in Vegas they can recite the numbers off the locomotives !. Hoss