older metal tool ? found off a dock

[RCO]

First thought that came to my mind as well. Mixing maple syrup maybe, eh?

Now that it's out of the water it'll probably oxidize (rust) pretty quick

yeah I noticed that after I took that picture its started to dry off a bit and looks a bit different in terms of colour / rust

there was obviously a maple syrup industry here , not sure if it could possibly be connected to that

the area near where it was found also had a lakefront store , hotel , boat builders , marina

 

[RCO]

I generally get a kick out of these "what is it" teasers. This is one where I sincerely hope someone comes up with a definitive answer as I am just going with my best two, minimally-educated guesses. If the "blade" or "spoon" portion of the implement is significantly cupped (it's hard to tell in the plan view), then I think that CanadianBottles is on the right track--it is likely the bit of an ice auger. If instead, that blade portion is relatively flat, then I think it might be a bark spud (tool for peeling logs). The through-slots are a bit baffling in either case. The handle ferrule on a bark spud is often kicked up from the plane of the blade, like most shovels, on the order of 15-degrees; but that is not always the case.

I've been poking around at that location with metal magnet since 2019 but been swimming there since 2014 for bottles and found various soda's and milks there

most of the metal items I've pulled out so far didn't appear that old , is some nails or bolts which appear older

but its been a fairly busy dock area for a long time , so likely older items down there . the spot where I pulled it out would of been the very end of a long since removed dock .

so a good chance it had been on a boat or on the dock and fell in the water

 

[willong]

there was obviously a maple syrup industry here , not sure if it could possibly be connected to that

the area near where it was found also had a lakefront store , hotel , boat builders , marina

Sounds like a neat area.

 

[willong]

I've been poking around at that location with metal magnet since 2019 but been swimming there since 2014 for bottles and found various soda's and milks there

most of the metal items I've pulled out so far didn't appear that old , is some nails or bolts which appear older

but its been a fairly busy dock area for a long time , so likely older items down there . the spot where I pulled it out would of been the very end of a long since removed dock .

so a good chance it had been on a boat or on the dock and fell in the water

Been thinking about this mystery item a little more and another thought came to mind. Was the water approximately 12' or more deep where you found it? Are there many reedy shallows on the lake; or in channels connecting to other lakes? Was it ever a popular place for waterfowl hunting or fishing for Northern pike or Muskellunge?

The slots in the blade portion of the item don't make much sense to me for the other proposed uses (bark spud or ice auger). However, suppose another "blade" fitted into the slots so that the two together formed something like a duck's bill. Might it be an antique, cast iron version of this:

Pictured item is a modern push pole for propelling boats, typically through shallow and weedy areas, by poling.

 

[Newfie treasure hunter]

found off a dock in a fresh water lake in Ontario Canada , not near an ocean . never been a commercial fishery there either

is a lot of boats there , seen pictures from the past and that area was filled with wooden boats , canoes etc

was a lot of logging here , during the winter was people who removed bricks of ice from the lakes to ship to other places

My first thought was an ice breaker. Would have been on a long handle and would've been used almost like a walking stick. No idea if Im correct

 

[RCO]

Been thinking about this mystery item a little more and another thought came to mind. Was the water approximately 12' or more deep where you found it? Are there many reedy shallows on the lake; or in channels connecting to other lakes? Was it ever a popular place for waterfowl hunting or fishing for Northern pike or Muskellunge?

The slots in the blade portion of the item don't make much sense to me for the other proposed uses (bark spud or ice auger). However, suppose another "blade" fitted into the slots so that the two together formed something like a duck's bill. Might it be an antique, cast iron version of this:
View attachment 225472
Pictured item is a modern push pole for propelling boats, typically through shallow and weedy areas, by poling.

there is still pike and muskee in that lake , I'd imagine people hunted ducks on it years ago .

I wondered if it could of been used on a boat somehow

there was a mysterious boat builder in that area who made propelling boats , I don't know a lot about them but would of been there around the 20's or a bit earlier

pictures of those docks show a lot of older wooden boats , canoes etc , so many boats in that area back then

 

[Harry Pristis]

when I first saw it - my thought was some type of mixing paddle - something that moved easier through liquid with those slats but who knows.

It's difficult for me to think of anything it could be other than a mixing paddle. What would you boil in a large vessel in inland Ontario? . . . Maple syrup? . . . Laundry? . . . Stew for the regiment?

 

[east texas terry]

I have found a tool that looks like it in the early 1900 turpentine camp in East Texas

 

[Toma777]

I'd say a Barnacle Scraper or Mixing Paddle, and I'm leaning more towards a Mixing Paddle.

I have an ice scraper tool that looks a bit like that for scraping ice off of cement.

 

[willong]

I have found a tool that looks like it in the early 1900 turpentine camp in East Texas

Well, since turpentine is another product produced from boiled sap, I say that adds credence to the mixing paddle theory.

On the other hand, one method of obtaining the sap that is to be distilled is to slash the trees' bark in a V pattern to produce a scar where the sap will collect (similar to collecting natural rubber latex). So, that brings up the possibility of a bark spud again.

Turpentine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I would look in Sloane's "Early American Tools" if I had any idea where my copy got to. Still hoping someone can come up with a definite, documented answer.