Odd items found in 100 year old machine shop. (e.g. caltrop)

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Disaster Area

Cast Iron

Joined

May 6, 2005

Location

35 miles North of the inception of Babbitt (Taunto

• Nov 25, 2011

• #1

There was a machine shop in Stoughton, MA that closed in 2005. They had 2 large planers. Adjacent to one planer (either a Gray, or Cincinnati IIRC), were these items:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oSeS8zjbk9si_i672sUvjdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

The material is cast iron, and they appear to be old.
The sprue from the casting is evident on some of the 6 pointed 'stars'.
Four of the points are quite sharp (just from the casting they are sharp), the other 2 are less so.
All are the same size, point to point: 2 inches long. When laid flat, about 1 1/4 inch tall.

They had old style planer jacks in the same area , so I figure they are either precision planer work holding tools (or caltrops). Can't figure why caltrops would be there (they were in operation for over 100 yrs), so it must be planer related?


What odd items have you found in old machine shops?

 

M

Mike C.

Diamond

Joined

Nov 25, 2004

Location

Birmingham, AL

• Nov 25, 2011

• #2

You never know when you are going to be raided by rogue cavalrymen.

 

9

99Panhard

Stainless

Joined

Feb 22, 2006

Location

Smithfield, Rhode Island

• Nov 25, 2011

• #3

I don't think they are caltrops... but I don't have any idea what they are. I have seen them before and I think we have some in our office, sent to us by someone who thought that is what they were. There is a theory bandied about that they are caltrops and that they were mass produced during the Civil War... the main problem being that, I far as we know, none have been found in a CW context.

 

A

abarnsley

Titanium

Joined

Mar 24, 2005

Location

Palmer, Alaska

• Nov 25, 2011

• #4

They look like the things placed in cored castings to break up the core. Part rotated or shaken, sand broken loose..

Would make sense to be near planer, as they sometimes stuck in the raw casting. Planing usually being one of the first operations.

 

D

Disaster Area

Cast Iron

Joined

May 6, 2005

Location

35 miles North of the inception of Babbitt (Taunto

• Nov 26, 2011

• #5

Mike: perhaps the owner had nightmares of the charge of the light brigade, & was worried, late at night....

99panhard, and abarnsley: maybe deburring media? I am not an expert on older deburring/core cleaning processes (e.g. used in 1940s, or earlier) to clean the holes in the sand castings, however there is black gunk on the exterior of the cast iron (could be machine shop gunk, or residue from used sand - don't know). The cast iron points -are- sharp and pointed x 4 sides (except 2 sides which are dull pointed). I need to look at these things under magnification.

 

T

Tom A

Hot Rolled

Joined

Apr 26, 2009

Location

NW Florida

• Nov 26, 2011

• #6

Don't know what they are , but definitely NOT caltrops .
Caltrops were always designed with 4 prongs , so that they would always land with one prong facing straight up . Those don't .

OTOH , they still could have a military use .
I suppose you could pack them in a canister-shot load . Ouch !

Tom

 

9

928gene928

Cast Iron

Joined

Sep 13, 2005

Location

Joliet, Illinois

• Nov 26, 2011

• #7

Odd Items

Could they be for a plate burning support?

 

gwilson

Diamond

Joined

Oct 1, 2006

Location

williamsburg va

• Nov 26, 2011

• #8

I cannot remember what those things that are used to support a casting core are called. We used them when we made the castings for the 18th.C. fire engine,for which I made the casting patterns and the cores. I tend to support the the theory that this is what they are. When the metal was poured,they became part of the casting.

Equally,though,they could have been large tumbling media.

 

johnoder

Diamond

Joined

Jul 16, 2004

Location

Houston, TX USA

• Nov 26, 2011

• #9

I cannot remember what those things that are used to support a casting core are called

Click to expand...

Chaplets

J.O.

 

U

USMCPOP

Titanium

Joined

Jul 15, 2005

Location

Midlothian, Virginia

• Nov 26, 2011

• #10

???

Civil War Caltrops

CIVIL WAR IRON CALTROP

 

F

fen2art

Cast Iron

Joined

Jun 5, 2006

Location

Rocklin, CA,USA

• Nov 28, 2011

• #11

finials?

Could these be finials for a "wrought iron" (cast) fence? did the shop do any decorative
ironwork?

 

I

iwananew10K

Diamond

Joined

Sep 12, 2010

Location

moscow,ohio

• Nov 28, 2011

• #12

fen2art said:

Could these be finials for a "wrought iron" (cast) fence? did the shop do any decorative
ironwork?

Click to expand...

i had to comment here- i think fen2art may have nailed it- i was looking at that pic and just knew i had seen those before- the little river town where i grew up(Moscow,OH) still had almost all of the original wrought iron fencing when i was a kid. each lot had the same basic fencing but with all kinds of different finials-i distictly remember 1 lot in particular and it had finials exactly like pictured. can`t tell you how many times kids got their jeans caught on those things while jumping over- made for a great face-plant.

thanks for the memory fen2art!(edit- even if that`s not what they are)

 

Last edited: Nov 28, 2011

A

adammil1

Titanium

Joined

Mar 12, 2001

Location

New Haven, CT

• Nov 28, 2011

• #13

Disaster Area said:

There was a machine shop in Stoughton, MA that closed in 2005. They had 2 large planers. Adjacent to one planer (either a Gray, or Cincinnati IIRC), were these items:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oSeS8zjbk9si_i672sUvjdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

The material is cast iron, and they appear to be old.
The sprue from the casting is evident on some of the 6 pointed 'stars'.
Four of the points are quite sharp (just from the casting they are sharp), the other 2 are less so.
All are the same size, point to point: 2 inches long. When laid flat, about 1 1/4 inch tall.

They had old style planer jacks in the same area , so I figure they are either precision planer work holding tools (or caltrops). Can't figure why caltrops would be there (they were in operation for over 100 yrs), so it must be planer related?


What odd items have you found in old machine shops?

Click to expand...

Is that the beautiful old shop that I believe sat infront of the large bridge for the Northeast Corridor? It has been a while since I was there. It was quite the neat shop if I recall correctly. Just wondering do you have any pictures of what it looked like inside? I vaguely recall it if it is the one I am thinking of. I got the quick tour driving by.

 

S

Smoothbore

Cast Iron

Joined

Jul 17, 2011

Location

PA, USA

• Nov 28, 2011

• #14

They are cast iron "tumbling stars", used to clean and de-burr castings.

They come in various sizes, and are added to a load of casting, when they are "churned" in a "tumbling barrel" type finishing system, commonly found in Gray and Malleable Iron foundries, ... or in a "vibratory bowl" finishing system.



.

 

M

Mcandrew1894

Stainless

Joined

Sep 29, 2006

Location

Massachusetts

• Nov 29, 2011

• #15

+1 for chaplets....

Dave

 

Billtodd

Titanium

Joined

Feb 8, 2009

Location

Colchester UK (where the lathes used to be made)

• Nov 29, 2011

• #16

Given the necessities of war, perhaps Caltrops and Chaplets are, or were, one and the same thing ???


Bill