✅ SOLVED Spike-like oject

[macrota]

This iron object was found on private property in Montross, VA near Westmoreland State Park. The property has never been developed. It was dug 4-inches deep near a tree on a steep hill leading to shore of Lake Independence, a man-made reservoir.

The shape was obscured by thick rust blooms which were removed by electrolysis, then cleaned with a water and hydrochloric acid solution.

It's 4.5 inches long and seemingly forged for a special purpose. It is part of a larger object - broken off where indicated. The mushroomed curved top is symmetrically lapped under at the sides and the downward-curved terminate comes to a blunt point. The curved spike, wide at the base in profile view, terminates to a flattened end. The end of the spike is beveled like a chisel. It appears to be hand-forged and does not appear to be recently made. The mushroomed top does not appear to be hammered except at the time of forging.

What is it part of?



OBJECT IDENTIFIED!

GpSnoopy wins the satisfaction of solving this puzzle with a photo of a modern log grab. mical66 gets credit for noticing the top looked hammered and mushroomed, which I took issue with. In fact it was hammered and mushroomed like a spike - and apparently well-used.


This log grab was found on a steep hill where timber is, and probably was, abundant. It makes sense to employ one or more of these to yank a log from a steep hill using a horse or two on level ground. The blunt point on the end of the head might have kept the log grab from breaking free of the timber. The chisel-like tip of the spike would make is easier to hammer the device into wood. The mechanics of this object align with the utility of a log grab.

I'm satisfied that GpSnoopy and mical66 provided the solution and once again shown the power of forums.

The date of the object is undetermined.

Thanks,
macrota
http://marylandfreestateclub.com

 

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[bigfoot1]

pretty sure that is a soil ripper tip...here is modern version..

 

[diggummup]

I don't know what it is. I just wanted to say that your description is one of the best I have ever read on here.

I was thinking part of an old tree climbing spike but I doubt it.

 

[macrota]

Thanks, Bigfoot1, your answer is logical. I wish I could find a photo of the complete part. The mushroomed top is still a piece of the puzzle. Also the age. The area in which it was found dates back to 18th century.

 

[macrota]

Diggummup, thank you.

 

[mical66]

makes me think of a hammer pick or knapping hammer type object , the mushroomed end has been hammered alot and the broken side could be where the handle was attached and broke off,, what it was used for i am not sure,, i will look and see what i can find .

 

[macrota]

Mical66, The uniform, mushroomed top does not appear to have been hammered very much if at all. The surface is smooth with no dents.

 

[BosnMate]

I think it's a broken part of a horse shoeing tool called a clinch cutter. A clinch cutter is a two ended tool, and the pointed end is to drive into the crevice the nail head is seated in, and pry the nail up enough to be pulled out. When a horse shoe is nail on, it come out of the foot and the tip is cut off and the nail is "clinched" over to hold the shoe tight. When or if the shoe needs to be removed the clinch has to be cut, and the other end (broken off) of the tool is used for that. The pointed end comes into play when pulling an individual nail for one reason or another, many time because the nail hit the "quick" and the horse was lame.
Pictured is a modern clinch cutter, and it's not exactly shaped like your point, and of course one in the photo is brand new, so there is no wear. When I retired from horse shoeing, my clinch cutter was just as pounded over at the top as your is. Also keep in mind that not all clinch cutters will look exactly like that new one, and many would have been hand forged with no two exactly alike.

 

[mical66]

Macrota , to me the top looks hammered , i have used many chisels that the heads mushroomed like that and were smooth as a egg.
But ,,, i am not saying i know what it is,, just what it looks like to me
some type of hammered pick tool.

 

[macrota]

mical66 - I agree it looked hammered to me at first, and I've seen mushroomed spikes, but close inspection revealed a very symmetrical top and side fold-under, including the curved blunt point. I think the only hammering was done at the time of forging the original metal. It's a real poser.

 

[bigfoot1]

....another guess....spiked iron cultivator...lots of types made

 

[mical66]

being undeveloped land could it be some part of a lumberjacks tool ? like these pictures of a lumberjacks log pulling/rolling tool .

 

[bigfoot1]

not knowing the size of the trees I am not sure of it being unfarmed.even 50 or 60 years left untilled can be reclaimed by forest.I have to assume(without better idea)that the item in question was used to displace earth...ie...farming.I sure would like to see this one get solved,has peaked my interest.

 

[GpSnoopy]

After looking at many hundreds of pictures of sharp spiky objects, I am amazed at the ingenuity of our forefather's creativity and engineering. There are tools and machines, both agricultural, gardening and forestry related that had countless methods of using sharp pointy objects in hand tools, pulled implements, shakers, rotating wheels-drums-discs-belts, and used for picking up, moving, separating, chipping, pulverizing, or stirring many types of material. In other words, I've drawn a blank

 

[BosnMate]

4 inches is to small for a ground implement, that wouldn't do anything but barely scratch the ground. I know I've seen this before, and I think I know what it is. I still think it's possibly part of a clinch cutter. But mical66 has a better answer. It very well could be a broken pickaroon. Here are photos of pickaroons, and if you want more, google "pickaroon."

When using a pickaroon, use your arms, do not use weight to move a log. If you are pulling and leaning into it, and the thing comes out of the log, you are on your butt. Been there done that. Being found in the woods makes me also think pickaroon. Couple of more photos.

You don't want a hook on the end of the pick, because that makes it very difficult to remove it from a log.

 

[bigfoot1]

bosnmate...that makes alot of sense..I think you and mical are on it.The cultivator wheel I pictured shows an apple for scale putting this item within size range...however it looks too much like what you two propose.I'm going with pickaroon also.

 

[GpSnoopy]

Just another WAG (Wild @ss Guess), but could it be a broken end from a well used and abused log dog? They were used to keep logs from moving/rolling when building log walls, so that they could drill or hew the logs in place. The image is from a more modern version.....

 

[GpSnoopy]

Or a type of log grab. This was more what I was looking for. Here is both a modern and semi-vintage version. They both already have a "cap" on top for hammering, that over time would mushroom even more.

 

[BosnMate]

Or a type of log grab. This was more what I was looking for. Here is both a modern and semi-vintage version. They both already have a "cap" on top for hammering, that over time would mushroom even more.

Even more than a pickaroon I think GpSnoopy has nailed it. Lumbercamp's avatar is probably an example of the way it was made up. It's something that could be hand forged by a farmer, and it broke off the end of the chain. Note the rounded area on top of snoopy's hook, for pounding the hook into the log. I couldn't find a picture of one, but when I retired, the mill I worked in had a couple on hand, along with other things for pulling logs out of bad jams, where a choker couldn't be set, or cant hooks wouldn't work. The hooks are used on each end of a chain and driven into a log so the log can be lifted. It's not the best or safest way to do things, but they work. Check out lumbercamp's avatar, that's the only picture I could find. We kind of had this same discussion in Jan. of 2012 by a find made by Lumbercamp. For my money, I'd say GpSnoopy solved this one.

 

[mical66]

that is one of the pictures i tried to find GPsnoopy,, good job i believe that is what the item is