Weird item, made of Lead.. cover? I have no idea where to start. Found in area with 1700's items.

Dogfisch

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I found this strange item on a beach in Massachusetts. In this location I have found lots of musket balls of many calibers, powder flask parts, shoe buckles and coins dated from the 1700's. This mystery item is made of lead and has traces of iron rust on the inside and it is curved in shape so it looks like it was used to cover something that was iron at one time. Possibly a barrel? Any ideas?
 

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Curious piece you found, no clue what it is, it doesn't appear the rivots(if that's what they are?) go all the way through, hard to tell from the pics, so something may of fastened over the top of it instead of it being a cover, what that was is anyones guess. Hopefully someone can ID it for you.
 
yeah I thought they were rivets but they don't go through so this might be the inner casting of something?
 
It looks like half of a poured bearing ( Babbit ) ?
 
Ahhh ok yes, I just looked up what a poured bearing is. Your right, it has to be that. Good call. Any ideas from what? You have an idea how old? possibly a wagon wheel bearing? The area where this was found to my knowledge never had an automobile on it. It was underwater by 1910.
 
Ahhh ok yes, I just looked up what a poured bearing is. Your right, it has to be that. Good call. Any ideas from what? You have an idea how old? possibly a wagon wheel bearing? The area where this was found to my knowledge never had an automobile on it. It was underwater by 1910.

I believe traditional wagon wheels had wooden bearings. Being on a beach, my guess would be from a boat's propeller shaft or a marine engine. That or it was refuse from elsewhere that got dumped.
 
you learn so much stuff on this forum, way outside of metal detecting. Never even heard of a "poured bearing"
 
Ahhh ok yes, I just looked up what a poured bearing is. Your right, it has to be that. Good call. Any ideas from what? You have an idea how old? possibly a wagon wheel bearing? The area where this was found to my knowledge never had an automobile on it. It was underwater by 1910.

My guess would be part off a saw mill. By 1910 logging should of been pretty well done in your area ?
 
No logging that in aware of but there was whale oil processed on the location.


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