Some balls I found

[omnicognic]

I have mentioned these in a few other posts, I finally got around to taking some pics. They are about three and a half inches across. The left one is a ceramic with a steel or iron core, the one on the right is solid steel. HH omnicognic 8)

 

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[KevGA]

You've got one nice set of balls there, pal.

 

[omnicognic]

Who didn't see that one coming!

 

[omnicognic]

I believe and was told that they were used to clean cement mixer trucks. I found them on some land that belonged to a trucking company in among broken and poured cement. HH omnicognic 8)

 

[Pooley]

I work for a concrete company and I have never seen nor heard of them using balls to clean drums on concrete mixer trucks. We "rock out" our trucks which means we put about 3 cubic yards of rock in the drum with water and let the mixer "charge" or spin very fast for about an hour, if the drum has a lot of buildup then we use a jackhammer.

 

[omnicognic]

I was carefull not to say that they were definitely used for this, they were found in the remnants of concrete and concrete crust(that thin, brittle layer of cement that forms on the ground when you wash out a mixer) I was told by someone else, that they thought they were used for breaking up the residue build up in the trucks. I'd like to get a definite answer for what they are for. I have found a lot of these in various sizes from golf ball size up to large grapefruit size. Any ideas? HH omnicognic 8)

 

[TOWcritter]

THINK TROMMEL!

 

[bakergeol]

I have seen ceramic balls like those used in a rock crusher(steel ones too). Sort of like a large rock tumbler, They were put in a elongated round cylinder or trommel ?with the ore and rotated. These are used in mining operations and eventually the ore would be broken up. I have used a small one several feet in length to powder ore but can't say the neighbors liked it. The ceramic balls were I believed used in fine crushing operations.-but I can't swear by it. They could also be used in trommels to help break up clay. So I believe your initial suspicions are correct. The cement mixer when rotated with the balls would act in the same fashion.

George

 

[Monty]

I found one about the size of a golf ball at a house demolition site.? It appears to be plastic of some sort.? Haven't a clue what it's for? It looks a lot like the one on the left.? Not a very good picture but you can see the ball in reference in this photo.

 

[omnicognic]

The trucking company that dumped these where I found them may have transported (and dumped) other material besides cement. Here in this area we have many limestone and phosphate quarries and mines. I have also seen many of the "trommels" around here, but never knew the name until now. Thanks for the help! HH omnicognic ?8)

 

[jglunt]

Just a wild guess but could these be carpet balls...a kind of victorian indoor parlor game similar to botche ball that was very popular before the turn of the century. The size of 3.5" is about right and they were made of hardened clay and sometimes ceramic. JG

 

[twister]

Whatever they are its still nice find.

HH

Twister

 

[omnicognic]

Thanks to all who replied! jimmileo, do you have the right pic? I don't see a ball in the one you posted. HH omnicognic 8)

 

[Colorado2]

If I'm not mistaken, those are mill balls. In milling operations of cement these are used in a rotating cylinder to pulverize the ore into a fine powder. This process is what makes them round and smooth and may account for why they were found near concrete dumps. Maybe they occasionally slip though into the finished product? Just my 2c~CO2

 

[JARMAN]

Nice ball,s what ever they are Omni.

 

[Monty]

Omni, you gotta look close. It's just below the key and to the right of the Mercury hood ornament. I can probably take another picture if you want to see it up close. Let me know.

 

[omnicognic]

ah jim, you aren't fooling me! that's a different pic than I saw before!

 

[pepperpump]

I would have to say they resemble cannon balls but that may be extreme.
Pepperpump

 

[Broncox Vernon BC]

Just a guess..................prehistoric mammoth nuts!
LOL
HH
Broncox

 

[packerbacker]

Colorado is on the right track I think. The cement plants used to use them, maybe still do, to pulverize the gypsum etc. used to process cement. The balls were tumbled along with the rest of the "recipe". The ones I'm familiar with were the size of a golfball and made of glass, not ceramic. They used to haul them by the traincar full and they could be found on the ground along the railroad tracks.