Found some odd stuff today

[cti4sw]

Was exploring a section of woods I'd not been to yet when I happened across what I think was an old fire pit. There was a lot of iron and glass, some intact and some not, in the area. I found a vise, from The Erie Tool Works of Erie, PA:



Next to it was this draft for a stovepipe:



Then there was this leaf spring, possibly from a wagon or a buggy:



Then some large iron pieces I've since identified as coming from a vintage 1920s Regent upright piano:



There were also two sets of chains, which I didn't take pics of, and here are the unknown bottles I found that I left there:



And then the four I did bring home (because they were smaller); the first on the left is a vintage Brite-Ace shoe polish bottle. The first three from the left are squarish and the last one on the right is round:



I read somewhere that cast iron was the plastic of its day. "Graniteware", named for patterns such as this, was produced from 1870-1948, although this chamber pot no longer has a makers mark (if there ever was one to begin with) so its true age is unknown.



And finally, this pipe vise was attached to a foundation slab alongside a vacant house that I think was once used as an early radio or weather station:



On the base plate, the printing (as far as I can see) says: "Genuine / Vulcan / No. 2 / V4T_ 4 in Pipe / (illegible) / ___ Williams & Co"
On the side, it says simply "Genuine Vulcan No. 2"

Any further information on any of these items is appreciated. HH!

EDIT: Crap, I forgot about the abandoned manure spreader (pun not intended, lol).

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[wvwildman]

nice finds congrats the 2nd pic is a draft for a stove pipe

 

[surf]

Hello cti4sw,

That Ace bottle is a vintage shoe polish.

Vintage Brite Ace Self Shining Liquid Shoe Polish Bottle with Wood Top | eBay

I like that graniteware chamber pot, too.

Blue Swirl Graniteware Chamber Pot

 

[wvwildman]

the last pic is a manure spreader

 

[cti4sw]

the last pic is a manure spreader

Doesn't half look like the last manure spreader I found... This just looks like a trailer

 

[nsdq]

leaf spring looks to be a seat spring from a buggy or wagon

 

[wvwildman]

 

[wvwildman]

the one in your pic is missing parts

 

[drayo]

Nice finds...the genuine Vulcan no. 2 is an old pipe vise for bending/ cutting pipe.

 

[cti4sw]

Hello cti4sw,

That Ace bottle is a vintage shoe polish. I like that graniteware chamber pot, too.

Thanks for the ID! I did Google the material and pattern, which led me to Graniteware, but I couldn't find the shape at all.

leaf spring looks to be a seat spring from a buggy or wagon

Thanks, I thought a leaf spring but couldn’t figure out why it would be so small.

the one in your pic is missing parts

That was easy enough to see, lol... the other one I'd found was missing the entire trailer, all that was left was the spreading mechanism.

Nice finds...the genuine Vulcan no. 2 is an old pipe vise for bending/ cutting pipe.

Yes, I did realize this when I was researching the Erie Tool Works vise I’d found. Thanks!

 

[dig kzoo]

Great finds! and yup its a crap flinger, I used one just like it for years.

 

[capt-zero]

Where you found those piano parts, look for little rectangular pieces of flat "plastic". Those old pianos had real ivory key covers. They weather fairly well and will last for years. Schrimshanders pay well for those.

 

[cti4sw]

Where you found those piano parts, look for little rectangular pieces of flat "plastic". Those old pianos had real ivory key covers. They weather fairly well and will last for years. Schrimshanders pay well for those.

I didn't even think of that... what does ivory do when it's heated? Will it melt? I did find a blob of white..whatever that I just turned aside. Looks like I might be heading back there this afternoon...

 

[Davers]

Very interesting items & you are very good at Iding things. I wish ; that I had your paitence. Thanks for the lesson and hope you find the Ivory

 

[cti4sw]

Very interesting items & you are very good at Iding things. I wish ; that I had your paitence. Thanks for the lesson and hope you find the Ivory

Patience? What patience? Who said anything about patience? I have ADD, which means I have zero patience, lol. I do seem to be good at finding useless things, though. Thanks

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

Great Stuff Man..I love finding that Random Old Shiii like that..I actually save all my odd pieces of Iron

 

[cti4sw]

Great Stuff Man..I love finding that Random Old Shiii like that..I actually save all my odd pieces of Iron

lol i live in a 1 BR apt with a closet-sized locker for storage space. If I had a place to put those piano pieces I definitely would have taken them... instead, since I figure they survived the past 50 years in the woods they can sit a little longer until I can find someone who will want them. Once I get a house and I can take over the basement, then I will be saving a lot more.

EDIT: A guy from a piano restoration company told me that old piano parts sometimes sell on eBay as "curiosities" for about $100... I think I'm gonna go grab 2 of the smaller parts, clean them up, spray-paint them black (for preservation) and make them into wall hangings. If they turn out okay, I might do something similar with the other 2 and list them on eBay

 

[capt-zero]

In regards to ivory keys, ivory will not melt, but it can burn. It's chemical composition is the same as your fingernails or your teeth; pure calcium carbonate. Sometimes those old pianos had solid ivory keys. However, if they are just key covers, they will be about 1mm thick by one inch by two or three inches long. I've managed to find some of them and they make beautiful inlays.

 

[cti4sw]

I went back on my lunch break, and although I did take two of the piano parts and the vise, I didn't see any ivory (not that I had time to look). It's supposed to sleet today so this ivory safari will go into limbo for a bit. I'll keep you posted.

 

[2mtech]

That's some great stuff, looks like you found half the farm! That vise looks like it could be put back into service with enough Break Free...could come in handy in your apt...