✅ SOLVED Seeking ID and age of iron artifact found near the home of a War of 1812 officer

[invent4hir]

>>> This was posted about 15 minutes ago, then when I did a browser re-fresh it went away; puzzling <<<

All, I found this iron artifact near the former home of a War of 1812 officer where several hand wrought pieces of a single tree were dug. The hole in the center of the third picture goes all the way through the stem. Any help w/ ID and/or age would be appreciated.

Edit: Though difficult to see in the first picture, the stem has a few threads.

 

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[Vermont treasure hunter]

The First thing looks like a syth handle.

 

[invent4hir]

The First thing looks like a syth handle.

Vermont treasure hunter, thanks for the ID. The artifact I found is probably too big & heavy for that kind of handle - but I'll still look into it.

 

[invent4hir]

Here are some more pictures after most of the surface rust was removed. Was this from a piece of farm machinery?

 

[DCMatt]

It is so hard to ID these pieces when they are out of context.

There is obvious wear on the shaft at the bottom of the circle. The top is mushroomed from aggressive hammering. Any indication there was a bearing pressed into it?

Possibly used to suspend or support a shaft or pipe. The hole for lubrication?

My best guess is a part from a hay trolley. Was/is there a barn?

 

[invent4hir]

DCMatt, thanks for posting. Yes I agree context is important. The property was a farm until the 1970s when suburbia overran the area. The home still stands in "mothballed" condition. There was a barn that dated to the early 1800s on the property until about 15 years ago when the current owner demolished it. In fact, I found what I believe is part of a barn door hinge. During 10 visits I have dug dozens of artifacts, the oldest are made of hand-wrought iron, and date to the first half of the 19th century. During peacetime the officer was a blacksmith by trade, so finding an abundance of hand-wrought iron artifacts seems reasonable.

Your observation of wear on the bottom of the shaft combined with threads supports the idea that it was possibly used to suspend/support a shaft or a pipe. While I see no indication that a bearing was pressed into it, there is a channel going around the entire interior circumference, that might have been used to keep a bearing centered and in place. And your idea of a lubrication hole - is the best explanation I've heard so far.

Will pursue this further. Thanks again!

 

[invent4hir]

The artifacts resembles this and other steering shaft support bearings. So the ID of a generic shaft support bearing is close enough. The channel mentioned in my previous post may have been for ball bearings to travel.

Given the amount of rust shown in the first set of pictures, any guesses as to age?

 

[ArfieBoy]

Could it be an oar post? Just guessing!

 

[invent4hir]

Could it be an oar post? Just guessing!

ArfieBoy, thanks for the guess. While my first thought is that it is too heavy duty for that purpose, I'll definitely look into it.

 

[Wild Colonial Boy]

Theres a whole chapter on Iron related finds in best relic book of all time

Bill Dancys Book Virginia' colonial artifacts, you can get the second printing directly from author [email protected],, I can' t put mine down





A comprehensive book that doubles as both a how-to-manual as well as a colonial artifact encyclopedia that will benefit not only the serious digger and collector of early artifacts, but also provide a valuable resource for metal detecting enthusiasts

 

[invent4hir]

Theres a whole chapter on Iron related finds in best relic book of all time

Bill Dancys Book Virginia' colonial artifacts, you can get the second printing directly from author [email protected],, I can' t put mine down



View attachment 1879411

A comprehensive book that doubles as both a how-to-manual as well as a colonial artifact encyclopedia that will benefit not only the serious digger and collector of early artifacts, but also provide a valuable resource for metal detecting enthusiasts

Amergin, thanks for the tip. With as many iron whatzits as I dig, the book would likely be a good reference.

 

[invent4hir]

All, thanks for the inputs. With your help I'm marking this as [SOLVED].

 

[DCMatt]

I had not noticed the threads on the shaft. Could be a tie rod end from an old car. Early to mid 20th C.

 

[invent4hir]

I had not noticed the threads on the shaft. Could be a tie rod end from an old car. Early to mid 20th C.

DCMatt, yes the threads are hard to see even holding it. It is possible that is a tie rod end from an old car. Would it have a hole in the center that goes all the way through?

 

[DCMatt]

DCMatt, yes the threads are hard to see even holding it. It is possible that is a tie rod end from an old car. Would it have a hole in the center that goes all the way through?

To be honest I don’t know. I see modern ones that appear to have a hole in the end. But can’t tell if it goes all the way through.