What is this?

[kikinit247]

I found this while looking through the tailings of a silver mine. Does anyone know what it is? Should I try cleaning the rust off? Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you,

K/247

 

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[bowwinkles]

vintage rock hammer

 

[Duckshot]

Stupid carpenter (me) says it might be a candle holder.

It gets hammered into the shaft or tunnel wall, candle goes in hole. To me that hole looks too small for a hamer's handle. What are the dimensions?

 

[Rookster]

Hammer of some type.

 

[N-Lionberger]

is that a point or a wedge shape? Judging by the mushrooming on the hammer head it makes me think if its a wedge shape it might have been used for trimming rail ends, if its just a point it might have been part of a blacksmiths kit or indeed a rock hammer but the mushrooming makes me think it was used for somthing else. Thats way too fat to be a sticking tommy candle holder all of the ones in my collection are +-1/4" diameter in the part you drive into a timber or crack in the rock.

 

[Gambrinus]

It's a "round punch" blacksmith hammer missing the wooden handle. That type of hammer is not swung you use another hammer to hit the punch,
the handle is there so you can hold the punch steady.

 

[arizau]

What ever it is it will be of more value, as is, to an antique collector so don't take the rust off in case you seek to sell it.

 

[Duckshot]

Ah-ha!

Good explanation Gambrinus.

 

[kikinit247]

Thank you all for the replies. I thought I’d add a few pictures just for scale.

 

[bowwinkles]

Its style/size and its location where it was recovered still leads me to view it as being a rock hammer.

 

[Goldwasher]

What ever it is it will be of more value, as is, to an antique collector so don't take the rust off in case you seek to sell it.

not necessarily true

I'm a member of a few Ca. mining relic groups.

Guys clean off the outer rusty scale of of many different items. using several methods.

The tools look much better and the rot is stopped

its pretty cool how many of them turn out.

 

[N-Lionberger]

Its style/size and its location where it was recovered still leads me to view it as being a rock hammer.

A lot of mines had a blacksmith shop on site for repairing/building equipment, sharpenening drills etc... The mushrooming of the head indicates it was being hammered on. Hammer heads don't typically mushroom like that.

 

[bowwinkles]

A lot of mines had a blacksmith shop on site for repairing/building equipment, sharpenening drills etc... The mushrooming of the head indicates it was being hammered on. Hammer heads don't typically mushroom like that.

You may be correct but hammers that are used on uneven surfaces like stone tend to mushroom. The one plus in your favor is the small diameter of the hole for the handle tends to support your thoughts. a rock hammer would have a much larger hole and the mass of the handle should be bigger also. That still does not say that some may also use it for a rock hammer. I have been known to drive a nail with a bald peen

 

[Goldwasher]

You may be correct but hammers that are used on uneven surfaces like stone tend to mushroom. The one plus in your favor is the small diameter of the hole for the handle tends to support your thoughts. a rock hammer would have a much larger hole and the mass of the handle should be bigger also. That still does not say that some may also use it for a rock hammer. I have been known to drive a nail with a bald peen

miners did repurpose broken pick, axe and hammer heads as wedges to break rock apart.

Though if it was being used on rock I would expect both ends to show wear

 

[mendoAu]

It's a "round punch" blacksmith hammer missing the wooden handle. That type of hammer is not swung you use another hammer to hit the punch,
the handle is there so you can hold the punch steady.
View attachment 1637829

You got me convinced. Judging by the similar ones on e-bay that all have a very slim profile where the handle enters the head is pretty much a no brainer. Being a carpenter, wood cutter, mechanic kinda guy I have no hammers that have such a small profile....it would simply break in a very short period of time. I also suspect that the hammers head is mushroomed because most blacksmiths would use a very, very hard metal on their "hammers" used for pounding and the punchs' metal is probably softer metal. check these out... ( https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nk...c=1&_salic=1&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=100&_fosrp=1 )

 

[N-Lionberger]

The handle doesnt need to be super stout as it is there just to hold the punch over the work, if you tried holding a conventional punch you would burn the crap out of yourself over that orange hot metal.

 

[gold tramp]

The handle doesnt need to be super stout as it is there just to hold the punch over the work, if you tried holding a conventional punch you would burn the crap out of yourself over that orange hot metal.

Yes and always remember the end of that steel looks cold sticking out of the forge.
It's very hot also !!!!
Gt.....