Old lock or pocket watch?

[cauldron]

Hi, I am new to this site and although I have been collecting things for awhile, am trying to learn how to clean an item enough to ID. This is about the diameter of a lock and feels very heavy. My current search area has a lot of rusted iron in the soil, but the items aren't always iron. Some parts of this item have shiny gold or brass appearing metal showing through and I can see what appears to be 1 small screw. Should I try to clean this more and can anyone tell me what they think it might be? Thanks, in advance!

 

[tamrock]

Looks like molten metal poured hot in a can of chew? I see only one side view. Are they the same looking? Could be an old pocket watch, pocket barometer or pocket altimeter from the old days that surveyors used.

 

[cauldron]

Thank you - hehe wish it was gold!! I have access to an old landfill in NE Florida that possibly had an outhouse somewhere on the property. It is an industrial area and the business owner has allowed me to dig on his property. There is a section that might be leftover burned parts from an old house. I have a lot of bottles from 1900 to 1929 from that spot also.

I need to figure out how to clean it better without harming it. I will include more photos after cleaning a bit more.