✅ SOLVED Horse plow thing??...?

[Kookiemonsta]

I live on a park that was built in the 50's. Prior to that the area was all farmland like 1940 and before. I found this by a tree with my beeper. It has taken nearly an hour of a toothbrush and water to get it this clean. Any ideas on what would clean it further without destroying? I think its brass of some sort. It appears to have a rams head on it... you can definitely see the horns. I honestly have no clue anything of actual names of old farm equipment... but doesnt it look like something where a horse would attack to an old fashioned plow or something?

Any ideas?? I cant believe someone hasnt dug this thing up already... I thought it was very cool





It fits in my hand, but it weighs a TON.

 

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[creskol]

Several observations. First, there is no obvious way to anchcor this item to make it functional, except for the wedge shapeded protrusion, which is obviously designed to be inserted it some sort of receiver. When inserted, the remaining portion is offset, meaning that it is designed to be pulled against and not for straight-on tug. The slot and hook is designed for a chain, and not a rope. But what about the arms? Well, those are designed for a rope. My guess is that this is a multi-functional dog of some sort off of a farm wagon, that would have been inserted into a receiver on the sides, and a rope or a chain, or a combination thereof would be thrown over the load the wagon was carrying to tie it down.

 

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[Kookiemonsta]

My last thoughts before work. The slot is not large enough for a chaing. My pinky could barely fit through and it would be very tough getting a chaing through it; even a small one. I have been trying to think all morning of "What if this is not the whole piece of what the object is". With Creskol's reply of it being maybe a tie down im starting to think it may have been some sort of VERY heavy dut buckle..? Imagine if it had a rectangular iron piece around it where the 2 arms would be clasped in. The It would have been a piece of leather/material about 2.5-3 inches thick in that case, so a very durable and strong strap. Once the buckle was then attached something could be inserted into the slit area and be tightened down.

Some random details
Why is the Rams face COMPLETELY flat... like.. it has horns only and not even a resemblance of a nose or anything. Do you think that is because it is worn down? Does something get attached right there where a nose would have interfered?
Like Creskol said, if the two arms are behing held up by some simple brackets it would be tilting downward but when something would be attached through the slit and pulled it is then completely balance when pulling.

 

[creskol]

That's one of those cool relics that you can claim to be anything you want it to be because nobody can prove otherwise .. not just yet anyway.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

hummm...I thought it was a vertabre...but...no one has iron bones do they?

perhaps it is an old descender...for rock climbing...rope through around an back again?

 

[Michiganne]

Idea! does anyone know of a solution I could clean this with? Maybe it says something under there....
I just dont wanna bathe it in some unknown concoction and have it dissolve away lol

Soak it in straight apple cider vinegar for a week or two then scrub it again.
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/317817-apple-cider-vinegar-continues-amaze-me.html

HH

 

[Kookiemonsta]

hummm...I thought it was a vertabre...but...no one has iron bones do they?

perhaps it is an old descender...for rock climbing...rope through around an back again?

I have thought over and over if a strap could loop through then back again. From what im thinking the only way you could wrap it though multiple times would be coming down behind the rams head, out the top slit, then back in the bottom slit... doing this though would then defeat the purpose of the little Knobbed out part on the inside of the buckle part.... which im assuming was put there for a reason. Definitely the same thought process haha!

Thanks for the tip with Apple Vinegar! I will be throwing it in some once I get home tonight. I really wish I could get some sort of detail off of it to at least put it in a date range. Cmonnnnn pre 1900!!

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

electrolysis?

 

[creskol]

My last thoughts before work. The slot is not large enough for a chaing. My pinky could barely fit through and it would be very tough getting a chaing through it; even a small one. I have been trying to think all morning of "What if this is not the whole piece of what the object is". With Creskol's reply of it being maybe a tie down im starting to think it may have been some sort of VERY heavy dut buckle..? Imagine if it had a rectangular iron piece around it where the 2 arms would be clasped in. The It would have been a piece of leather/material about 2.5-3 inches thick in that case, so a very durable and strong strap. Once the buckle was then attached something could be inserted into the slit area and be tightened down.

Some random details
Why is the Rams face COMPLETELY flat... like.. it has horns only and not even a resemblance of a nose or anything. Do you think that is because it is worn down? Does something get attached right there where a nose would have interfered?
Like Creskol said, if the two arms are behing held up by some simple brackets it would be tilting downward but when something would be attached through the slit and pulled it is then completely balance when pulling.

Really?

 

[Kookiemonsta]

Really?

Haha lemme explain a bit more then
In the picture you wrote on picture my two fingers are SMASHED in there. See how the tips are kinda white? Its that absolute farthest I could get them in there.

This picture will help what I mean. A chain could possibly fit through it, but you would have to like wiggle it back and forth and twist it to get it through. So if they were to use a chain it would be very inneficient, and I would assume they would have a clasp/buckle thing large enough to easily guide a chain through. Whereas a strap about 1 inch thick would fit very well. I think I have thought about what this thing could be so much now that my mind has completely gotten off task of what it really is....

Thank you for staying in touch with the thread Creskol! I have it soaking in Apple vinegar right now and will update if I find anything new.

-Kookie

 

[creskol]

It wasn't meant to feed a chain through .. That hook arrangement is designed for either one single chain link or a ring on the end of a chain.
It is not designed for a leather strap.

 

[Kookiemonsta]

Not a whole lot of new info... BUT! The ACV seems to be getting that rust/gunk off.....VERRRRRYYYY slowly, but its definitely coming off. I am able to see the actual piece of metal now in a few parts and it has a copper/brass color to it. So I dont think its iron! I know this doesnt exactly help, but its something haha! I didnt take a picture because I briefly took it out and was cleaning it but the smell of the ACV made me gage and nearly puke multiple times.... SOOOOOO I will be waiting a week or so again to take that thing out LMFAO! My hands are just stained with this stench now BLECH!

 

[phillipg]

Not a whole lot of new info... BUT! The ACV seems to be getting that rust/gunk off.....VERRRRRYYYY slowly, but its definitely coming off. I am able to see the actual piece of metal now in a few parts and it has a copper/brass color to it. So I dont think its iron! I know this doesnt exactly help, but its something haha! I didnt take a picture because I briefly took it out and was cleaning it but the smell of the ACV made me gage and nearly puke multiple times.... SOOOOOO I will be waiting a week or so again to take that thing out LMFAO! My hands are just stained with this stench now BLECH!

electrolysis would take 4 to 6 hrs

 

[Kookiemonsta]

Looked into electrolysis and decided to give it a shot! This was my first attempt and it seemed to go pretty well.

Some new details emerged from the piece. Here are updates pictures. The hold in it does NOT have and threads lining it.



It looks like that node on top of the rams head may have been broken off at some point.

 

[creskol]

Definitely not a horse plow chain holder strap buckle thingy!

 

[artemis moon]

Could it be a cleat to tie down a boat? I've never seen a decorative one like that, most marine stuff is pretty utilitarian, but, I do see that it's got two extensions on it...also, is it actually a ram's head design or just a curly Q? My other thought is, since you found it in a park, could it be something having to do with playground equipment, perhaps from a swing set??

 

[creskol]

I think this is a wagon tongue vise or a specialty vise of some sort to work flat bar stock. It obviously has square seating shoulders where indicated in the photo below. It has a pivot point where it can be swung out of the way when not in use, and the wings are designed to prevent over rotation when in use.

 

[Kookiemonsta]

I think this is a wagon tongue vise or a specialty vise of some sort to work flat bar stock. It obviously has square seating shoulders where indicated in the photo below. It has a pivot point where it can be swung out of the way when not in use, and the wings are designed to prevent over rotation when in use.

CRESKOL YOU GENIUS!!! You are 100% correct that something went though that slot like a flat iron bar. You can see from the ruler in there it fits PERFECTLY through the slot and right along the face of it... that would also answer the question of why it has no facial features!



And here like you say if those things on the head are a pivot point it would be able to rotate back and forth and the arms would stop it both when taking it out and spinning it back the other way. I tried to illustrate it.



On the part of it where you the clamp screw would go through it is even indented a bit so that something just like you posted would be able to tighten into the divot rather then it just being flat across.



Although I still don't have an exact match for it I really feel you have it Creskol. Its more just what it was attached to now. Thank you SO MUCH! I would have never figured that out! I think its as identified as I will ever get it. How do I mark this thread as solved??

 

[creskol]

You are welcome .. If you want to mark it solved, here is how to do it:

 

[Kookiemonsta]

GAHHHH!!!! I now know 100% what the mystery item is!!!!! Creskol, you had the pivot function correct, the metal insert correct, clamp correct.

Today i went out to eat with my grandpa... I figure hey why not bring it along and ask if he knows what it is. He grew up on a farm and now owns a few greenhouses. I asked "Hey Opa do you have ANY idea what this is?".. he pauses for maybe 3 seconds... "Well, yeah. Its a piece of a Sickle Blade mower that was used to cut hay" WHATTT?! How the?! He then explained the blade would get inserted through there, screwed in, and the head part (by the way those arent horns) was the attachment to the blade and the arms then rested on each other. He knew INSTANTLY! I did some googling and couldn't find an EXACT match, but you can definitely tell that it is a piece of a Sickle Blade. Here is a reference pic with the same arms and attachment piece.

 

[garren]

The first thing I thought of when I saw your first photos was a sickle blade guard, but I searched and searched and couldn't find one like it....so gave up on that idea. Speaking of grandpas and sickle mowers. Back when I first got going with detecting I found a guard like the one you just posted. This was long before google so I carried it over to my grandpas...he new instantly what it was! Grandpas are great...I miss mine!