What are these???

[capsoda]

Hey Steve, (steveinlanc) Cobaltbot's name is Steve also.[]

 

[aridice53]

Wow!! Cool find!!
I would love to come up there and tromp through your woods. I'd bring my metal detector!!

Char

 

[zanes_antiques]

This item really caught my eye. I have an affinity for wrought iron. That is an exceptional Trammel. It's the first one I've seen decorated in that manor. Let me know if you ever want to trade it for bottles.

 

[steveinlanc]

Cobaltbot... er, Steve, I am an afficionado of of old wrought and cast iron... commonly referred to as a "rust hunter" [] I've bought, sold and/or traded dozens of trammels over the years and the one you found with the decorative work is simply outstanding.

I would highly recommend that you at least do basic conservation on both pieces - steel wool and/or wire brush, a good slathering with WD-40 and finally a firm rubbing down with a bee's wax based preservative. We've had great luck with Howard's wax, although the rust collectors' world has, of course, a variety of specialty waxes "just for old iron".

GuntherHess - I have MAJOR hearth envy just now. Gosh darn you all to heck! []

Steve (Cobalt Steve that is) - Where do you live? If you have stuff like that just lying in the woods I'd consider using some gas to come crawl around them on my hands & knees for a few days.

Just for reference, here's a chain trammel that was one of the nicest of the genre I think I ever had. It now lives in a zillion-dollar "Tuscan Villa" in Maryland.

 

[Staunton Dan]

While digging an 1850s-1860s era privy I found this bayonet that was bent to be used as a pot holder. Not exactly a trammel but an interesting item to say the least. I also found a civil war era musket with the ramrod stuck down the barrel plus the butt plate and the lock plate.

 

[cobaltbot]

Thanks for the preseration info, I'd like to become better at preservation techniques and quit procrastinating on so much stuff - rust never sleeps....

I found these about a mile away from my property although I have found similar stuff on my place. My youngest daughter and I were metal detecting and she found hand forged fire place tongs. I've also found bottles of the previous owners of my house (1883) a cleaned out privy, a single shard of a historical flask and some nice finds in neighboring foundations that pre-date mine. Anyone is welcome to come look but you'd be hard pressed to find things I've missed, however a place is never completely hunted out so you never know. I wouldn't mind someday having a forum picnic on my place, not a dig invasion on the local populace, but a party. I think I will go back to see if I can't find the other parts to those. The smaller one has minor decoration ( a vee top). Matt that's a great fireplace, mine is only in the planning stage, project # 1,376. ***sigh*****
Dan, that's some cool finds, if I lived in the war zone I'd be in way more marital trouble than I already am for bottles!