Treasure chest lock, right?

dlax

Elite Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
594
Location
Massachusetts
Ideas on what this lock could have been safe guarding? Thoughts on era? Resized_20190119_145540_1813.jpg

Resized_20190119_145548_1235.jpg

Sorry for the sink full of dishes.
 
That's really interesting. I thought it kind of looked like something called a half mortise chest lock. They were apparently common in 19th century American furniture. But I might be wrong. You should search it.

Did you find it in the United States? England? The location might offer a clue of its purpose.
 
That's really interesting. I thought it kind of looked like something called a half mortise chest lock. They were apparently common in 19th century American furniture. But I might be wrong. You should search it.

Did you find it in the United States? England? The location might offer a clue of its purpose.

In the US, New England. Finds span centuries and industries. Mostly ship building. But there was a trunk factory a few properties over.
 
Don't know, but you did dig a huge hole where you found that, right? :digginahole:

Haha I have definitely been second guessing myself ever since, I THINK so. I did check with my detector, so i do know there isn't a cache of oak island treasure.
 
That could be for some chest, as has already been suggested, but it looks to me rather more like a door or gate lock...just a bit too large for chest or cabinet. I tell you though, raid the pantry and toss that rusty thing into a little bath in some plastic container of 1 part molasses to 9 parts water. Come back in a week or two with a bristle brush, and then maybe rinse, lather, and repeat, and it'll soon enough look 1000% better--like you might even possibly be able to use it again after a trip to the oldest locksmith in town to source a key.

You see, molasses contains what are known as "chelating agents", which grab and carry off those iron oxides, leaving behind the solid metal. It's related to the old mechanic's trick of soaking rusty bits in Coca-Cola, and is kind of like your lazy patient man's electrolytic bath...maybe less aggressive, but in a good way. After rinsing and drying, a liberal hosing down with some WD-40 or whatever spray lube's handy should help keep further rust at bay for a time.

Seriously, try this molasses thing on some rusty crapola, like that once favorite old crescent wrench you finally found again out there in the back yard after all those years, and tell me if it doesn't work a charm! For visuals of the results, check this out.
 
That could be for some chest, as has already been suggested, but it looks to me rather more like a door or gate lock...just a bit too large for chest or cabinet. I tell you though, raid the pantry and toss that rusty thing into a little bath in some plastic container of 1 part molasses to 9 parts water. Come back in a week or two with a bristle brush, and then maybe rinse, lather, and repeat, and it'll soon enough look 1000% better--like you might even possibly be able to use it again after a trip to the oldest locksmith in town to source a key.

You see, molasses contains what are known as "chelating agents", which grab and carry off those iron oxides, leaving behind the solid metal. It's related to the old mechanic's trick of soaking rusty bits in Coca-Cola, and is kind of like your lazy patient man's electrolytic bath...maybe less aggressive, but in a good way. After rinsing and drying, a liberal hosing down with some WD-40 or whatever spray lube's handy should help keep further rust at bay for a time.

Seriously, try this molasses thing on some rusty crapola, like that once favorite old crescent wrench you finally found again out there in the back yard after all those years, and tell me if it doesn't work a charm! For visuals of the results, check this out.
Awesome read, thanks for sharing!
 
That could be for some chest, as has already been suggested, but it looks to me rather more like a door or gate lock...just a bit too large for chest or cabinet. I tell you though, raid the pantry and toss that rusty thing into a little bath in some plastic container of 1 part molasses to 9 parts water. Come back in a week or two with a bristle brush, and then maybe rinse, lather, and repeat, and it'll soon enough look 1000% better--like you might even possibly be able to use it again after a trip to the oldest locksmith in town to source a key.

You see, molasses contains what are known as "chelating agents", which grab and carry off those iron oxides, leaving behind the solid metal. It's related to the old mechanic's trick of soaking rusty bits in Coca-Cola, and is kind of like your lazy patient man's electrolytic bath...maybe less aggressive, but in a good way. After rinsing and drying, a liberal hosing down with some WD-40 or whatever spray lube's handy should help keep further rust at bay for a time.

Seriously, try this molasses thing on some rusty crapola, like that once favorite old crescent wrench you finally found again out there in the back yard after all those years, and tell me if it doesn't work a charm! For visuals of the results, check this out.

Thanks! I did have an electrolysis bucket set up last winter. It might be just the right find to dust it off for. If that doesn't get me too far then I will try your molasses bath!
 
Back
Top Bottom