Beach find this weekend - metal spike - need some help identifying it

[SailDive]

Folks in the today's find forum suggested I bring this one here.

Found this 18" spike with interesting head in some planking this weekend on a beach. Only around 4 inches was still in the wood (the black section near the bottom of the shaft) so it came loose pretty easily. Since we were on foot / sailboat, we left the heavy, waterlogged wood behind. It's shape was not particularly evocative on anything, around 2 foot long at most, I'd guess.

Any ideas on what it might be from?

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the less than ideal picture, I can try and take some more this week if that would be helpful.

 

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[huntsman53]

I have no idea but it looks like a Pirate's pegleg as it has an upper leg and joint look to it. Sometimes, the wood and it's position around the spike can help with identification and especially so, if the type of wood can be determined. If the piece is in fact a spike, is it real heavy or not? I ask because it may help in determining what the piece is made of! Most often when wood or any other porous material is surrounded by iron objects, they take on the look of iron due to iron leaching into them as the iron dissolves/degrades.

 

[SailDive]

Thanks for weighing in - I appreciate it.

It is pretty heavy, and, according to the mechanical engineer part of the partnership, it's definitely iron not steel based on the corrosion. I'd guess it was solid metal from the heft too. I'll try weight it tomorrow and take some better photos.

I wish I had been able to take a photo of the wood, but I've killed a couple of phones with water, so I don't take them to the beach anymore. This was sticking out of a pretty thick plank and looked like it had once been driven into that, and a layer of wood planking that was now missing as some sort of fastener.

 

[SailDive]

Another Google search found an article in Maritime Archaeology referencing Dr. Michael McCarthy's book on ship fashenings with the attached illustration. The piece we found looks to be a good match for a fastener in the attached image.

View attachment 1612569

 

[huntsman53]

The pic did not upload, so please try again.

 

[SailDive]

Sorry - let me try that again.