Random iron pieces?

[Courtzzy]

Most of these pieces were dug from a mid-1800’s-mid 1900’s trash pit. Any ideas on what these items may be? They’re so rusty and corroded, so I know it’s a long shot asking! My boyfriend was hoping the pig iron piece may be a shell fragment from the civil war. We were digging on the battle field of franklin if that helps. I was thinking the hardware with the bolt may be from an old buggy? But we have no idea! Thanks again! (:

 

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[Treasureman25]

happy digging!

 

[Anduril]

The thing with two bolt holes (w/ 1 bolt present) looks like half of a journal bearing housing for an engine.

 

[ticndig]

pic -1 ground clamp

#2 concrete anchor set tool

#3 fordson tractor wrenches

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Digging an old trash pit you're likely to find something non-ferrous eventually, maybe even old bottles.

Dave

 

[Tony in SC]

Yep!! A main/rod bearing cap fpr old engine.

The thing with two bolt holes (w/ 1 bolt present) looks like half of a journal bearing housing for an engine.

 

[ticndig]

Yep!! A main/rod bearing cap fpr old engine.

I thought it looked like brass as its not encrusted like the others.

 

[Courtzzy]

Oh yea we’ve found so much non-Ferris stuff already! those were just a few items that we didn’t really know what they were! This is our collection so far! All the bottles and almost everything in the cabinet came from the trash pit! Except the button collection and the necklaces on the stand. ☺️That’s my Egyptian mummy bead and scarab necklace!! My prized piece!! (: but it’s so much fun digging old trash pits. It’s my absolute favorite!! I even love digging all the old pottery pieces! They’re all so beautiful and different. We dated those to the mid 1800’s we’re pretty sure!

 

[Courtzzy]

Yea it’s totally brass!!

 

[Courtzzy]

The guess about the long pieces being tractor wrenches is great; however, the pieces are flat and do not have sockets at the ends. It’s more like a curl design in a way? Sorry the picture quality is so bad. I took them with my iPhone but the quality always goes down when I post it. Maybe these will help more!!

 

[ticndig]

the pics are fine , the relics are just encrusted and looked like a wrench from my viewpoint.
That's a nice collection you've got going there, thanks for sharing.

 

[Courtzzy]

No problem at all. I could totally understand how it looked like a wrench! It’s just slightly different. No idea what it is. Haha but thank you!!! (:

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Courtzzy wrote:
> My boyfriend was hoping the pig iron piece may be a shell fragment from the civil war.

Courtzzy, as my member-name suggests, civil war artillery projectiles are my specialty area of relic study. The largest size of cylindrical-bodied (bullet shaped) artillery shell used at the Battle of Franklin was the yankees' 3.67"-caliber "20-Pounder" Parrott shell. Its sidewall fragments were about 5/8th-inch thick, and the nose and base fragments were even thicker. Many 3"-caliber shells were also used, whose sidewall thickness was about 1/2-inch. Your cylindrical-bodied iron find's diameter is larger than 3.6-inches, and its walls are a lot thinner than 1/2-inch. So, I'm sorry to have to disappoint y'all's hopes about it, but your iron find is excluded from being an artillery shell fragment. It appears to be a piece of broken cast-iron pipe.

The diameter of the smallest of the sawed-in-half civil war artillery shells in the attached photo is 2.85-inches. Knowing its diameter gives you an idea of how thick its sidewalls are. Cannonballs were the most numerous artillery shells used at Franklin, and their fragments were also "about" a half-inch thick. (Specifically, some were .45-inch thick and some were .70-inch.)

 

[Courtzzy]

Thank you so much for all the information! We knew pretty certain that it wasn’t, but thank you for clarifying!! We figured it was too thin to be any type of artillery fragment. We just didn’t know what it was! I will save your info for in the future when we hopefully find one for real. lol. But I also love your quote at the bottom. Have a blessed new year!!!