Iron spike or Stake

JoshnMO · May 18, 2011

You can possibly help explain this item :dontknow:

? I found it where an old home or cabin was and at the moment only have 1 pic of it. Its about 4 in. long and widest part (top) is about 1 in. wide.

Tn Gizmo · May 18, 2011

My first thought is it is a broken tip from a pickaxe...probably wrong, just a wild guess.

Bigcypresshunter · May 19, 2011

Small wedge for splitting wood? Does it look hammered on top?

JoshnMO · May 19, 2011

No, not like a well used wedge would have.

deepskyal · May 19, 2011

JoshnMO said:
No, not like a well used wedge would have.

Maybe it's not well used cause they lost it... :laughing9:

Al

lumbercamp · May 19, 2011

Quite often I find small pieces of iron that were cut off of a tool or other item. The part you found may have been cut off and the other piece used for another purpose. Blacksmiths are very innovative in doing such.

creskol · May 19, 2011

It is the tip that sheared off of a spike from an old spike tooth harrow

Charlie P. (NY) · May 20, 2011

It doesn't look like a fracture on the flat (too square) but possibly it was put into service afterward as a handy small wedge or bench dog and peened in use. Nothing gets wasted on a small farm.

creskol · May 20, 2011

Charlie P. (NY) said:
It doesn't look like a fracture on the flat (too square) but possibly it was put into service afterward as a handy small wedge or bench dog and peened in use. Nothing gets wasted on a small farm.

I have seen them shear of slick as a whistle when they hit a rock.