My Rusty Whatzit Foundry Artifact

[talesofthesevenseas]

When I visited Guilford NY, home to my Bradbury ancestors, the town historian gave me this iron artifact that was found on the site of the Guilford Iron Works. This iron foundry and machine shop was owned by my gr-gr-gr-great-grandfather Andrew Bradbury and my gr-gr-great-grandfather John Bradbury (died on the Jenny Lind) very likely worked there, as he is buried under an iron grave marker, when Andrew and the others all have marble, so it likely wasn't due to the expense of materials and seems to have been by choice. Humble though it may be, this rusty whatzit is all I own that belonged to this part of my family.

 The foundry and machine shop produced industrial goods like wagon parts and water wheels. The man who was in partnership in the foundry with Andrew was an inventor with quite a few patents for industrial machines. The foundry was in business from 1844 until 1919.

Can anyone identify what this was? It is definitely iron and a magnet sticks to it. The over-all length is 7" and the over-all width is 2-1/2". The spiked end appears to have been made to go into a wooden handle, leaving the U shape exposed to rotate about the pin that goes through the whole assembly. The piece suspended from the pin was broken off and was once longer. I think I may have a broken piece of a winch or perhaps a wagon brake? That's about the best guess I can make so far, looking at old equipment from this time period.

This rusty ol' whatzit has had a hard life. It is a great example of how rust can eat away at an iron object. (We're gonna have to use this as an example of why we should clean rust from iron!) This part has been sitting in rain, sun and snow for a century or more. There is deep and very severe deterioration. My second question is now that this discarded broken whatzit has graduated to being a treasured family heirloom, what if anything should be done to halt the deterioration, or has it gone too far to even make an attempt? I do have a lye bath setup, but that is better for burned pans than rusted iron. White vinegar could be used, so long as I am careful and remove it immediately. Or should I just leave well enough alone on this one and just keep it dry? As you can see in the first photo, the deterioration has penetrated deep into the metal and is even splitting it into "layers" and basically eating whatever this was alive.

[waywardangler]

It really resembles an oarlock but probably not what it is.

As to preserving this artifact I have 2 suggestions...
1) immerse it in a clear jar of oil and leave it there (a mason jar would be fitting)
2) there is a commercial product available at the hardware store that bonds with rust and forms a new surface that is black - i will have to go out to the garage to get the name
"Plasti-Kote Rust Not rust converter"

[talesofthesevenseas]

Not an oarlock, the piece that in the center of the Y is two or more iron plates that were bolted together but are now splitting apart. Since the business partner was an inventor, this could have been a failed prototype or test part and it may be the only one made. I was just kinda hoping someone would recognize it and say "Oh of course that's a ______ circa 1849!"

Hmmm, I am not crazy about having to keep it in a jar like a pickle. I do know that bonding agent you are talking about Wayward, I used to use it on my Volkswagen with mixed results, but the ol' bug was outside in the elements. Rust is a constant battle on a '67 bug! But it might work better on this being indoors.

Removed from harsh conditions, if I just leave it be and keep it indoors, am I (or my descendants) likely to end up with a pile of rust dust? At this point it is flaking and peeling. I think the rusting will continue, just like it would on an unoiled pan. Oiling just the exterior I don't think will help at all because the rusting has gone so deep.

I do have a contact on a maritime museum board. I am thinking it might be a good idea to ask to contact their conservationist for some ideas or tips, maybe someone dealing with shipwreck artifacts will have some additional thoughts or ideas.

[mariok54]

Good photos, Tales, but that doesn't help.
My feeling is that it wouldn't have been hammered into wood, so possibly bedded in cement in a wall?

[waywardangler]

Your piece will continue to rust as long as there is humidity in the air. That is all it needs. It is probably too far gone to stabilize but maybe the maritime museum has some info for you.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I just had a reply from the Henry Ford Research Center about how to preserve this artifact. A Plexiglas box with silica sounds like a great idea to me and I'm going to start with that and see how it does. Sitting in the open in my bedroom my poor little whatzit has been flaking rust. So far I have not done anything to it at all since I got it home, other than to worry about what to do to help it! Here is the reply from the conservator. She answered within an hour of my email! Wow!

Dear Claire,
I am not an expert in the area of archaeological conservation but I doknow that the best way to store it is to make sure that it remains very dry. You may want to consider displaying or storing it in a Plexiglas,polyethylene or polypropylene box with very dry silica gel to preventfurther corrosion. There may be a conservator in your area who could better advise you. To find an archaeological conservator who specializes in metals check with:
http://www.conservation-us.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=495&parentID=472

Below are some useful articles for the Canadian Conservation Institutehowever I would avoid any attempt to clean or coat the iron withoutspeaking to a conservator.
http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/crc/notes/html/9-1-eng.aspxhttp://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/crc/notes/html/9-6-eng.aspx I hope that this is helpful!
Mary Fahey

[mart]

Sounds like it would work !!

[talesofthesevenseas]

I like the sound of this solution because I don't have to alter it in any way. I love to think that it may have passed through the hands of my ancestors and humble and rusty though it may be, it is the only thing I have that belonged to this part of the family and they are quite special to me. I would like not to alter it if at all possible. I'm going to give this a try and see if I have less problems with flaking. The clear box will also let me enjoy it and enable me to monitor its condition, without exposing it to continued moisture. I can also put a little card inside the box explaining what it is so that my great-grandchildren won't say "Grandma was such a nutcase, look at the rusty old junk she would save!" and toss it out!

[mart]

What about one of those plexiglass boxes that are designed for photos !! If you could find one big enough then just get a bottom,,or top depending on how you use it !!

[talesofthesevenseas]

I was thinking of that, the 8x10 photo boxes are just about the right size for the artifact and I could just put a little silica from a dehumidifyer into a small container inside the box.

[snowflake]

That was so nice of them to give it to you!

[talesofthesevenseas]

It really was. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to them. Not only did they give me this artifact, but initially they sought out descendants of my ancestors and found me on ancestry.com. That opened up what became a Pandora's box of information for my family, especially on my gr-gr-great-grandfather's death. When I went to Guilford they gave us a personalized tour of the town- I've never worked with a historical society as good as this one. I wish they were all like the Guilford Historical Society. I've done my best to give back what I can, sharing info and donating to their schoolhouse fund. I'm also a member, even though I am long distance.

[JoshandLila]

just a thought.. if you got that at a foundry Im guessing it would have been attached to a smelting crucible for heating and pouring the molten material.. the pointy end probrably would have been driven into a pole.. just an idea, I have a similar hinge on a small crucible used for making lead shot

[talesofthesevenseas]

Oh neat!! Do you have a picture?

[JoshandLila]

after further inspection the hinge on mine is different but I still believe Im right on what its for. the hinge would have allowed the crucible to stay perfectly level while transporting it from the furnace to the molds. Il see if I can put a pic up tomorrow just to show the principle of it