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.
Don't know, but you did dig a huge hole where you found that, right?
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.
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.