What kind of projectile ?

[dfxdude]

Found this at a local park a couple of weeks ago. Any ideas what it is? Some kind of ordnance? Appears to be copper or brass or an alloy of some kind. Inside is hollow and smooth.
2 1/2" long and 1/2" in diameter.

Butch/Minnesota

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[willie d]

dfxdude is it threaded on the inside? if it is then it is probably a tip for woodburning tool used in crafts. if it isn't threaded then i don't know.

 

[dfxdude]

It is not threaded. It is pretty hefty in size to be a woodburning tool.

 

[dudes2112]

I was thinking interchangable soldering gun tip, but you're right, way to big for that. Got me on that one.

Dudes

 

[Visionquest]

It looks like a part of a tool. Could be anything from a locating pin for a custom press brake fixture to an electric contact out of some conveyor system. I have seen many things similar over the years, but nothing exactly the same.

-Mike

 

[JakePhelps]

could be a contact point on a spot welder or a milling bit or something like that....could be alot of different things...any pics of the insides or stuff?

 

[DigEmAll]

Jake, you're getting pretty good at this. I also believe it's a tip for a spot welder.

 

[Visionquest]

Not a bad guess, but spot welders run via resistance and tend to erode the tip down with use, the point on this seems to be a bit too fine for the average spot welder. Typically they are made of solid copper also, not hollow.

Milling bits are made of tool steel also, soft material is not suitable for cutting.

After looking at it closer, the splines along the one end may be for rotating it ring and pinion style and on the tip about half way up the taper, it looks like it has some wear patterns on it like it possibly followed or positioned a piece of sheet metal or similar. Maybe part of a pattern tracer.

 

[onamission]

Kinda looks like a part of an old solenoid.....maybe outta an early starter of an early electric starter? nice find tho
Tom

 

[hollowpointred]

soldering iron tip?

 

[JakePhelps]

Jake, you're getting pretty good at this. I also believe it's a tip for a spot welder.

Thanks the spot welders i use in the fab room have tips just like that, dont know what the other end looks like tho but thats how pointy they are.

 

[Visionquest]

They are typically a bit more blunt than that to keep from piercing the metal they are joining and there would be no reason for the splines on the other end or for it to be hollow.

I don't think its a bad guess at all Jake and if I didn't know better, I would probably agree with it. But don't trust me on it, do an image search on google and see how close to matching it you can come.

 

[dfxdude]

Here is the end view.

Butch/Minnesota

 

[aboss]

If you can- try showing it to the people who repair or maintain the sprinkler system at the park, assuming there is a sprinkler system. For some unknown reason that popped into my head. Part of a sprinkler head or valve HH, Alex

 

[dano91]

Looks like a tip from the last of the liquid fuel soldering irons, the pump up type, for small jobs.
Dano.

 

[Visionquest]

What area in MN was it found?

 

[EDDE]

ill take a stab and say a penduleum from a survey scope/sticks

 

[dfxdude]

It was found in rural SW Central Minnesota. The population of the town it was found is 1,300 which is the 2nd largest town of 10 in the county. The typical demographics of this area is small rural towns with less than 1,000 population with grain elevators, one railroad track and one city park. 30 years ago all the towns had their own school, but now 2 or 3 towns are combined to make a high school. The family farm is disappearing as farms are getting larger and the young kids are heading for the "big city"...........Minneapolis/St Paul for school and jobs.

 

[Visionquest]

I asked mainly because I lived out in MN for about 16 years total, pretty much all over the state. I know the industrial areas pretty well, figured if I knew the town in question, it might give me a better idea of what sort of plant it could have come from.

The guess Dano suggested may be the answer, it would explain the hollow back and possibly even the angle cut splines in the base. They could have been there to enable some sort of rotation to keep the tip symetrical during use in production work. The dark colors around the base also make me think that is a good possibility.

 

[onamission]

see what I mean...... found this on google
Tom