✅ SOLVED Cannot for the life of me...

[Dougie Webb]

Hey y'all. I try hard not to bother you guys with trying to identify my junky finds but this one is just weird. I just got done living in San Diego for several weeks for work and spent many evenings and weekends exploring the backcountry in my convenient Jeep Wrangler rental. This thing I found outside of Jamul (32.72723143915419, -116.74852966650205) on the side of a truck trail in fairly shallow sand. I've had to do a lot of cleaning and soaking to get it to this point, and the more I clean, the more puzzled I am.

Here's what I know

• Fundamentally, it's a rock. I don't know what kind. It's heavy (about like granite) and not magnetic (The area has had mining activity dating back to the 1800's)
• About six inches tall
• Precisely drilled holes throughout. Some go all the way through. Others only partially. Some are plugged with metal. One even has a screw in it.
• Most of the metal is magnetic, except for one spot I'll point out.
• The rock is stamped with some initials at the bottom.
• The pictures should tell the rest of the story

Any help in solving this mystery is appreciated!

Side

From the top looking in

A chunk of iron and a screw (!)

Initials on the bottom (I see NAL P ?)

All the way through. Looks almost "graduated" the way it's drilled

Another iron "plug" there on the left

This piece of metal is not magnetic. Although the side of the rock beside it is!

 

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[lisfisher]

The rock kind of resembles soapstone. Can it be easily marked or etched with a nail ?? Are you sure its not lead? The top opening/hole view looking down seems awfully strange to have opening shapes like that

 

[eman1000]

Total stab in the dark but wonder if it could have been part of a hitching post? Possibly added to or modified over the years - was it along an old trail for horseback..

 

[BBJJBB]

Hey y'all. I try hard not to bother you guys with trying to identify my junky finds but this one is just weird. I just got done living in San Diego for several weeks for work and spent many evenings and weekends exploring the backcountry in my convenient Jeep Wrangler rental. This thing I found outside of Jamul (32.72723143915419, -116.74852966650205) on the side of a truck trail in fairly shallow sand. I've had to do a lot of cleaning and soaking to get it to this point, and the more I clean, the more puzzled I am.

Here's what I know

• Fundamentally, it's a rock. I don't know what kind. It's heavy (about like granite) and not magnetic (The area has had mining activity dating back to the 1800's)
• About six inches tall
• Precisely drilled holes throughout. Some go all the way through. Others only partially. Some are plugged with metal. One even has a screw in it.
• Most of the metal is magnetic, except for one spot I'll point out.
• The rock is stamped with some initials at the bottom.
• The pictures should tell the rest of the story

Any help in solving this mystery is appreciated!

View attachment 2022013

Side

View attachment 2022019

From the top looking in

View attachment 2022020

A chunk of iron and a screw (!)

View attachment 2022014

Initials on the bottom (I see NAL P ?)

View attachment 2022018
All the way through. Looks almost "graduated" the way it's drilled

View attachment 2022016

Another iron "plug" there on the left

View attachment 2022017

This piece of metal is not magnetic. Although the side of the rock beside it is!

View attachment 2022021

I don't think that's rock. The top almost looks bent not cracked. The chunk of iron and screw picture you can see there was once a piece of iron next to it. You can see the outline as if that piece of iron was in the shape of a sideways 8 and one half broke off. You can see the break in what's still attached. Is the underneath flat. It looks like there was once a swivel connection that was in the large hole and they just kept hastily kept drilling fastners in it time and time again as one failed after another. You said it's very heavy but some of that might be lead inside. It just doesn't look like rock. The major give away is the letters are raised and not carved into it. The letters are to evenly pronounced like they were molded. It's very interesting. I would detect that area.

 

[Dougie Webb]

The rock kind of resembles soapstone. Can it be easily marked or etched with a nail ?? Are you sure its not lead? The top opening/hole view looking down seems awfully strange to make opening shapes like that

@lisfisher it actually may be lead. i'm going to weigh it in water and see if I can ballpark it. It scratches with a nail but not my fingernail, so that's the only thing that's suspect. when i scratch it with the nail, it's almost shiny underneath.

 

[Dougie Webb]

Total stab in the dark but wonder if it could have been part of a hitching post? Possibly added to or modified over the years - was it along an old trail for horseback..

@eman1000 that certainly a possiblity...this definetly would have been a trail used by horses.'

 

[Dougie Webb]

I don't think that's rock. The top almost looks bent not cracked. The chunk of iron and screw picture you can see there was once a piece of iron next to it. You can see the outline as if that piece of iron was in the shape of a sideways 8 and one half broke off. You can see the break in what's still attached. Is the underneath flat. It looks like there was once a swivel connection that was in the large hole and they just kept hastily kept drilling fastners in it time and time again as one failed after another. You said it's very heavy but some of that might be lead inside. It just doesn't look like rock. The major give away is the letters are raised and not carved into it. The letters are to evenly pronounced like they were molded. It's very interesting. I would detect that area.

I think you may be right with it not being rock. When I scratch it with a nail it's shiny. Putting a nail in rock doesn't make sense anyway.

that's a great clue, thanks. Yes, the underneath is pretty flat.

 

[Dougie Webb]

@BBJJBB Yeah, it's absolutely metal. i thought maybe it was just the stuff imbedded in it that was setting off the detector, but after discriminating out iron and setting sensitivity low, it's going off from like 8 inches away

 

[DCMatt]

It looks like lead to me as well.

Maybe electric generator or battery related?

 

[BBJJBB]

Hey y'all. I try hard not to bother you guys with trying to identify my junky finds but this one is just weird. I just got done living in San Diego for several weeks for work and spent many evenings and weekends exploring the backcountry in my convenient Jeep Wrangler rental. This thing I found outside of Jamul (32.72723143915419, -116.74852966650205) on the side of a truck trail in fairly shallow sand. I've had to do a lot of cleaning and soaking to get it to this point, and the more I clean, the more puzzled I am.

Here's what I know

• Fundamentally, it's a rock. I don't know what kind. It's heavy (about like granite) and not magnetic (The area has had mining activity dating back to the 1800's)
• About six inches tall
• Precisely drilled holes throughout. Some go all the way through. Others only partially. Some are plugged with metal. One even has a screw in it.
• Most of the metal is magnetic, except for one spot I'll point out.
• The rock is stamped with some initials at the bottom.
• The pictures should tell the rest of the story

Any help in solving this mystery is appreciated!

View attachment 2022013

Side

View attachment 2022019

From the top looking in

View attachment 2022020

A chunk of iron and a screw (!)

View attachment 2022014

Initials on the bottom (I see NAL P ?)

View attachment 2022018
All the way through. Looks almost "graduated" the way it's drilled

View attachment 2022016

Another iron "plug" there on the left

View attachment 2022017

This piece of metal is not magnetic. Although the side of the rock beside it is!

View attachment 2022021

It's possible some sort of lead scale weight. With the hole at top and flat bottom.

 

[Dougie Webb]

It looks like lead to me as well.

Maybe electric generator or battery related?

@DCMatt It's just so darn Frankenstein-looking. Why all the damn holes and screws?

Maybe it's folk art

 

[lisfisher]

If it's shiny underneath when scratched with a nail I'd say definitely lead

 

[BBJJBB]

Hey y'all. I try hard not to bother you guys with trying to identify my junky finds but this one is just weird. I just got done living in San Diego for several weeks for work and spent many evenings and weekends exploring the backcountry in my convenient Jeep Wrangler rental. This thing I found outside of Jamul (32.72723143915419, -116.74852966650205) on the side of a truck trail in fairly shallow sand. I've had to do a lot of cleaning and soaking to get it to this point, and the more I clean, the more puzzled I am.

Here's what I know

• Fundamentally, it's a rock. I don't know what kind. It's heavy (about like granite) and not magnetic (The area has had mining activity dating back to the 1800's)
• About six inches tall
• Precisely drilled holes throughout. Some go all the way through. Others only partially. Some are plugged with metal. One even has a screw in it.
• Most of the metal is magnetic, except for one spot I'll point out.
• The rock is stamped with some initials at the bottom.
• The pictures should tell the rest of the story

Any help in solving this mystery is appreciated!

View attachment 2022013

Side

View attachment 2022019

From the top looking in

View attachment 2022020

A chunk of iron and a screw (!)

View attachment 2022014

Initials on the bottom (I see NAL P ?)

View attachment 2022018
All the way through. Looks almost "graduated" the way it's drilled

View attachment 2022016

Another iron "plug" there on the left

View attachment 2022017

This piece of metal is not magnetic. Although the side of the rock beside it is!

View attachment 2022021

Actually this might be from the Portland Cement Co. that operated in that area which if you traveled the trails you must have come upon the ruins of the Jamul Kiln that's still stands. There is a capital P and it would explain the rsised letters. Portland Cement has varieties that are gravel free made of very fine particles. I believe it may just that and someone was bored screwing around drilling holes. That major hole is obviously from a stable drill. See if you can take a hammer and chip off a piece. Lead will squish and break off and Portland Cement will not squish. It will just chip off. Messing around in 1890 on lunch break drilling and pounding in nails. Just one more idea for you.

 

[crashbandicoot]

A battery cable end? Much used and abused trying to maintain a good contact. I,ve seen and used myself a screw driven into the lead part to tighten up a connection.Again,a guess!

 

[BBJJBB]

A battery cable end? Much used and abused trying to maintain a good contact. I,ve seen and used myself a screw driven into the lead part to tighten up a connection.Again,a guess!

You nailed it

 

[Dougie Webb]

@BBJJBB i Cut a slice at the top with the angle grinder, and it’s a pretty shiny metal, my detector thinks it’s aluminum and it feels light. But the strange thing is that the piece itself is so heavy. Tempted to cut it wide open. Almost looks like a seam running vertically on two sides

 

[BBJJBB]

View attachment 2022176 @BBJJBB i Cut a slice at the top with the angle grinder, and it’s a pretty shiny metal, my detector thinks it’s aluminum and it feels light. But the strange thing is that the piece itself is so heavy. Tempted to cut it wide open. Almost looks like a seam running vertically on two sides

Oh yah. That's lead. I think it is part of an antique electric system

 

[DCMatt]

Maybe "NAL" is the last letters of TERMINAL...

What does the bottom look like?

 

[Dougie Webb]

Oh yah. That's lead. I think it is part of an antique electric system

@BBJJBB i think you are right on.
And @crashbandicoot too

Maybe "NAL" is the last letters of TERMINAL...

What does the bottom look like?

@DCMatt just flat, no features.

I’m wondering if it’s not heavy bc it’s got something inside of it. BC the outside is clearly lightweight aluminum.

There’s an obvious seam here

Could this be a ground or a terminal?

This likely had a screw as well

And this hole has some sort of clasp

 

[Dougie Webb]

This is a stab in the dark, but I think it could be a crude electric lantern. The hole in the top looks just the right size for a bulb to rest in. Same concept as this just a little more crude