Iron Whatzit

I am crafting a rustic clock as a present. I require some old cut nails for the faceplate design. To find the cut nails I require, I am hunting through a location of an old barn. The barn was around from 1850s to 1925. The barn was torched to make room for a Forever Green park, so there is a multitude of iron in the ground, including some whole cut nails.

I have found a variety of old iron artifacts besides nails. The following pictures are of an object I found the other day. It is 16 inch from end to end. It is a single piece of iron wire twisted and wound to perform a specific purpose.

It has no intrinsic value other than a piece of Americana. Not sure if it has a function for animal husbandry or not. It is not sturdy enough for a rug beater. Got any clue what it might have been used for?

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to me it looks like a "home made " fence latch for a wooden gate opening to an animal pen or field.

I'm thinking it could be a barn door latch pull or animal pen latch pull, where the long thin piece goes through a wall or door to a latch on the other side. The wide part would be the handle you grab and pull.

I believe what you have there is the wire that went around a glass insulator. Looks like a Western Union Splice.

http://www.insulators.info/icon/articles/tie-wires.htm

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Originally Posted by The Rebel

I believe what you have there is the wire that went around a glass insulator. Looks like a Western Union Splice.

http://www.insulators.info/icon/articles/tie-wires.htm

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I had no idea there was such an art and science to using insulators! Fascinating photos. I will be looking at 20th century home site poles more intently now.

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Originally Posted by Skamaniac

I had no idea there was such an art and science to using insulators! Fascinating photos. I will be looking at 20th century home site poles more intently now.

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HA! 20+ years ago my best friend & I used to hike old abandoned RR Lines (Pre-Rails To Trails). Once in a while we'd get lucky to find 1 not smashed or shot off the pole. Can't believe what some of those are worth.

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Originally Posted by The Rebel

HA! 20+ years ago my best friend & I used to hike old abandoned RR Lines (Pre-Rails To Trails). Once in a while we'd get lucky to find 1 not smashed or shot off the pole. Can't believe some what some of those are worth.

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Yeah, My brother found some near a railroad that was next to a boy scout camp. A few of them went off and found those but didn't invite me. :( It wasn't until many years later when I went up to Maine with a few people somerwhere near Embden that there was an old rail. We went out on the rocks in the river, and then back up to follow the rail bridge and just within a few hundred feet we were finding them on the ground. As far as price I thought they were only $5 at the antique shops. Unless that was 15 years ago price that I have seen them at those shops.

I was watching an old western the other day and guess what I saw. A wire device much like the one here. For those of you who thought this must be a latch for a gate or door , I believe you have hit the nail on the head. The one I saw was attached to the stationary gate post and the loop went around the upright gate rail when the gate was closed.

Now I have another farm artifact to add to my collection on the garage wall.

Thanks everyone for helping me identify this Whatzit. :thumbsup02:

portable clothesline

What you have is a half round either 5 inch or 6 inch galvanize gutter hanger old. Used to do guttering.vanzutphen