Posted 5 years ago
tommy_Z
(10 items)
Hello there! Years ago I worked as a security guard posted at a plant that manufactured 55 gallon steel drums. Between the two plants there was a railroad track. I found this item green with corrosion mostly buried in the dirt parking-lot . At first I thought it might be some kind of railroad spike but it was solid copper and seemed to fit in my hand perfectly, like some kind of tool. You can't see it in the photos but there is a slight wear-spot on the underside of the right tip. Could this solid copper tool have been used to pry the lids off the steel drums? It is a very interesting find and I have never found out what this object truly is. The bright metal disc in the one picture was a quarter (to show scale). I hope someone has some information on this item. Have a great day!
I'm not sure it'd be very practical to routinely use a copper tool to pry open steel drums...wouldn't think such a tool would last very long...?
Any chance it might be made of a more sturdy brass/bronze alloy instead? If so, then *maybe* it's something made for some use in a "hazardous/non-sparking" environment...??
I'm not sure... does brass tarnish green? It could be a mixture of some sort. If you hold this in your hand for a minute it smells like a penny. Copper is a "soft" metal so I'm not sure what it was used for. The mystery continues...
This doesn't begin to look like copper. I would say it is brass which contains copper and zinc which would explain the green. I have also opened 55 gallon drums and this tool made of copper wouldn't work. In fact I seriously doubt that was it's function. There are special tools made for doing that. Now days they just use a deheader.
Thank you both for your input. As I wrote, there is a railroad track between the two buildings. Could it have been railroad related somehow? Perhaps it fell off of a boxcar or something? This particular item has me stymied, baffled, puzzled, and perplexed. ;) The mystery deepens...