COLONIAL IRON! Sling buckle, cauldron, bells, hoe, pitchfork, lock, and more!!

[Scrappy]

Over the last year or so, I've really become hooked on the black and oxidized side of relics . Master Iron Preserver and Tnet member OutdoorAdv and I became friends a while ago, and he showed me the dark side of relics: IRON!!!

Brad has been kind enough to process some items that I'd like to show you all. These items have been collected over the last year and are some excellent examples of colonial Iron. Some may cross into the antebellum period, but none of the sites these relics came from existed past 1820.


Pitchfork, hand-wrought hoe, and hand trowel.

Note the makeshift repairs done to the pitchfork.

A closeup of the hoe. Incredible to imagine this was bent by someone 200+ years ago.

Beautiful hand iron.

An amazing lock face Plate. This one came out incredible, and my hat is really off to Brad for the delicate restoration on this delicate one.

Two Iron bells.
The small one still has the "dinger" inside. From best we could tell, we came to a consensus that these bells were copper plated.

And my absolute favourite - a mid/late 18th Century sling buckle. Wow!!!

All the buckles

Smalls

Larges. Note the hand forged pivot pin of a hinge. It was "clinched" (the end bent) after being driven through wood.

So keep that iron you find and show it some love [emoji173]️. You may be absolutely floored by what exists under that oxidation and dirt.





Thanks again to Brad OutdoorAdv for the preservation. He's a master of the art and a great pal for spending the time preserving these amazing items.

Enjoy, and good hunts everyone!


Steve

 

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[Valley Ranger]

Great finds! I think iron items like these are some of the most "under-appreciated" relics we often find. I love them! Very nice job on cleaning and preservation. I'd like to know the details of the method used. I use both apple cider vinegar and electrolysis, depending on the item. Thanks for sharing these!

 

[Scrappy]

Great finds! I think iron items like these are some of the most "under-appreciated" relics we often find. I love them! Very nice job on cleaning and preservation. I'd like to know the details of the method used. I use both apple cider vinegar and electrolysis, depending on the item. Thanks for sharing these!

You got it man. And you're absolutely right about the under appreciation. A few of these items are my absolute favourite in my entire collection of relics. Brad has all the details of the preservation, which he may or may not have posted on the preservation forum.

 

[joeyfresh]

not only are iron relics cool they look good in in displays along side the brass and coins. That Brad is lethal with a car charger and some sacrificial anodes! Thanks for posting Steve-o!

 

[gwdigger]

Beautiful items Steve. Brad really hooked you up.

 

[trapperart]

They really look good

 

[OutdoorAdv]

I'm just glad I'm not tripping over your box of iron in my garage anymore. Haha. That was a nice box of rusty iron you had... I had a good time deciding what to process. Those bells are my favorite man. I've never dug a complete iron cowbell, so it was cool to get a couple to process. I was unsure how'd they hold up, but they seemed to do well. Anyway, my setup has been running since Sunday, cleaning up all my iron from last weekend. Hopefully I can post that hunt later this week when it's all processed.

 

[Valley Ranger]

I'm just glad I'm not tripping over your box of iron in my garage anymore. Haha. That was a nice box of rusty iron you had... I had a good time deciding what to process. Those bells are my favorite man. I've never dug a complete iron cowbell, so it was cool to get a couple to process. I was unsure how'd they hold up, but they seemed to do well. Anyway, my setup has been running since Sunday, cleaning up all my iron from last weekend. Hopefully I can post that hunt later this week when it's all processed.

Great job! What method/process do you use to seal the iron after cleaning to prevent rust from returning? I've been applying 3 in 1 oil, letting that sit for a day or so, wiping away excess and then spraying a coat or 2 of poly on. This seems to work well for me.

 

[villagenut]

Great post, I am a lover of iron as well

 

[DownNDirty]

Brad is the man-the "Iron Master"!

 

[OutdoorAdv]

Great job! What method/process do you use to seal the iron after cleaning to prevent rust from returning? I've been applying 3 in 1 oil, letting that sit for a day or so, wiping away excess and then spraying a coat or 2 of poly on. This seems to work well for me.

I use boiling candle wax, in a big pot, on a Coleman camp stove outside. Cheap unscented candles. I basically bring the wax past the boiling temperature of water and the iron goes in for about 10 min at boiling, then sit for about 20 min before removing the iron from the wax. It completely dries the iron and seals it.

 

[Valley Ranger]

I use boiling candle wax, in a big pot, on a Coleman camp stove outside. Cheap unscented candles. I basically bring the wax past the boiling temperature of water and the iron goes in for about 10 min at boiling, then sit for about 20 min before removing the iron from the wax. It completely dries the iron and seals it.

Great, thanks.

 

[parsonwalker]

Great stuff man!

 

[dirtlooter]

amazing work, those old rusty tools etc had been worked hard and brought back to life. pretty cool

 

[vpnavy]

..: NICE FINDS Steve :..​

 

[relic nut]

I too like to find the old iron. These tools were a must, and very valuable to people back then. I think that's why most we find are wore clean out. The availability and value of them would have made them hard to replace.
That's history in your hands.

Great job on preserving!
HH, RN

 

[treblehunter]

Nice thread, I have more iron then a hoarder should stockpile. You should see what the plow brought up at the Hayfield, iron wise I'm talking, let alone all the brick, pottery, and glass. I have numerous cellar holes that are prime candidates for sifting.

 

[Scrappy]

not only are iron relics cool they look good in in displays along side the brass and coins. That Brad is lethal with a car charger and some sacrificial anodes! Thanks for posting Steve-o!

Adding some black iron to the display enhances everything. Even my wife likes the iron and helped me rearrange my display. Brads iron brought us closer

 

[Scrappy]

Beautiful items Steve. Brad really hooked you up.

Seriously, if the guy asked me to build him a deck right after he gave me the iron, I would have said yes.

 

[Scrappy]

I'm just glad I'm not tripping over your box of iron in my garage anymore. Haha. That was a nice box of rusty iron you had... I had a good time deciding what to process. Those bells are my favorite man. I've never dug a complete iron cowbell, so it was cool to get a couple to process. I was unsure how'd they hold up, but they seemed to do well. Anyway, my setup has been running since Sunday, cleaning up all my iron from last weekend. Hopefully I can post that hunt later this week when it's all processed.

The bell with the "dinger" is my favorite. I bet it sounds the same now as it did 225 years ago. Your work with the bells must have been tough as well - some of the iron was pretty thin, and it was plated with copper. Thanks again, I owe you