Blacksmith tool or Glass blowing or what ?

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

I've seen pliers ( tongs? ) like this before and if I used to know what they were used for I've forgotten.  The tip is broken off the one handle, it's jagged, looks as if it had the same inward curve as the other at one time.

 

Any help?

 

                  

Edited January 25, 2022 by Jeff-C175

[WHX?? 48,833]

@formariz has been known to do a little smithing.... 

[ebinmaine 67,644]

@Mows4three

[Pullstart 62,916]

They almost look like that’s part of the handle.  Blown glass pliers?  

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

4 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

They almost look like that’s part of the handle.  Blown glass pliers?  

 

? Not sure what you mean?  What's part of the handle?  The round bars are the jaws, the curvey part are the handles.

 

You might be on to something about glass blowing!

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

@formariz

 

Cas, any idea what that tool would be for?

 

[Stormin 9,981]

 I would say, blacksmiths tongs. I've seen similar in the old village smithy years ago. But what for I don't know. Place is a joiners shop now. Just doesn't have the same atmosphere. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Stormin

[formariz 11,987]

38 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

@formariz

 

Cas, any idea what that tool would be for?

 

Yes I do. They are Colonial Blacksmith open mouth tongs. Use by opening handles rather than closing. Before that handle broke when they touched jaws would be about closed. Inserted inside a round piece on the interior of it then open rather than close handles. They always look different from each other since they were user made. Most times the jaws are square or just square on the inside.That is Ooooooooold.

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

2 minutes ago, formariz said:

Colonial Blacksmith

 

Wow...  I knew they was old, but no idea they were THAT old!

I have unearthed other colonial artifacts around here. (axe heads, hinges, King George II copper coin)

Not sure if I dug these up myself, or if they were already here before I moved in... my GrandFIL or FIL may have unearthed them when he built this place in the 20s, 30s, and 40s.

[formariz 11,987]

Look into the history of the area. May have been an active community back in that era.

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

1 hour ago, formariz said:

Look into the history of the area. May have been an active community back in that era.

 

Yes, it absolutely was.  I'm reasonably well read about it.  A few hundred yards from here are a few buildings from the colonial period.  Across the brook from that building (which was a grist mill) was a building that was an iron forge.  That forge was attacked by the British twice during the Rev War because it was a store house of ammunition during the period.

 

This was the grist mill now a restaurant:

 

One of my 'dug artifacts' has been identified by the local historical society as a 9 lb British Broadarrow cannon ball.  It was found in the back field.  Most likely fired during one of the attacks on the Iron Works.  I've also got a number of colonial era bricks that came out of the ground on and around my property.  The King George coin was found on my property.

 

My home is on land once owned and occupied by this gentleman.  The exact location of his 'manor house' has never been exactly established as no exact surveys have been discovered, but I have my own hunches that it was within 200' of where I'm sitting right now.  There's a large area in that back field that is 'depressed' and my personal opinion is that depression is a 'cellar hole'.  It's big enough to be a large colonial manor cellar hole.  Unfortunately I don't own that property or I would be having an archeological dig.  The current owners of the property are not interested, and have forbidden any excavation.

 

http://njfounders.org/node/170

 

Quote

Lewis Morris

Dates of Birth and Death

 c.1660-1696

On 25 October 1676, 3840 acres were conveyed to Col. Lewis Morris of Barbados and his associates in the Iron Works at Navesinck, between the Swimming River and Falls River, the whole to be called Tinton Manor. Additional property was conveyed in 1681, to Col. Morris of Tinton Manor, for Ramsant’s Point, originally owned by Christopher Almy. Col Morris conveyed to Lewis, son of Thomas Morris, on 15 April 1698, 330 acres called Passage Point or Navamson Neck. Col Morris was member of the Meetings of Shrewsbury and New York Province.

 

In his will dated Feb 12, 1690, Col. named his wife Mary as executrix and his vice nephew Lewis, son of his deceased brother Richard Morris, as his principal heir. In a document dated Dec 10, 1702, other tracts of land in Monmouth County were conveyed to Richard Morris, heir at law of Col. Lewis Morris, in consideration of his services with the Ministers of State in England.

 

Lewis Morris died in 1696. A letter of administration was granted on April 1, 1696, on the estate to his wife Elizabeth Almy Morris.

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Jeff-C175

[formariz 11,987]

Interesting stuff for sure. Do you know what that forge produced?

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

Just now, formariz said:

Interesting stuff for sure. Do you know what that forge produced?

 

No, I don't.  I've never found much on their operations although I've looked.

 

There are a few ledgers extant that show transactions between the forge and local farmers so one can possibly presume that they were making plows and such for the farmers.

 

[formariz 11,987]

If you can it would be interesting to take a look at those ax heads and hinges.

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

56 minutes ago, formariz said:

If you can it would be interesting to take a look at those ax heads and hinges.

 

I'll see if I can find them out in the shop.  Haven't seen them in a few years!  They're in a cardboard box... but which one, and where?  

 

FOUND 'EM right away!  

 

Axe head #1 believed to be quite elderly, I think you may tell me this is an Adze though.  The back is broken off and not found in the dig.

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Jeff-C175

[formariz 11,987]

Where did you find tongs? We’re they buried?

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

3 minutes ago, formariz said:

Where did you find tongs? We’re they buried?

 

I actually can not recall.  They may, or may not have been dug by me.  2 generations of my wife's family lived here and they may have found them.  I don't think they were in the ground, they are nowhere near rusty enough.

 

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

Here's a piece of hinge, found near where the Adze was dug, within a foot or two.

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Jeff-C175

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

This axe head I believe to be 'modern' in comparison to the other items.

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Jeff-C175

[RandyLittrell 3,884]

1 hour ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

I'll see if I can find them out in the shop.  Haven't seen them in a few years!  They're in a cardboard box... but which one, and where?  

 

FOUND 'EM right away!  

 

Axe head #1 believed to be quite elderly, I think you may tell me this is an Adze though.  The back is broken off and not found in the dig.

 

 

 

 

 

I think that is a axe not an adze. Here is a pic of an adze and I have a similar one at home. The handle goes through 90 degs to an axe. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[formariz 11,987]

Thank you . Pretty cool stuff. Yes that is an ax. The bottom one is “newer” .I love finding stuff like that. 

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

4 minutes ago, formariz said:

Thank you . Pretty cool stuff. Yes that is an ax. The bottom one is “newer” .I love finding stuff like that. 

 

The older head has a 'bend' to it that sorta shows up in the top view.  Is that bend in the blade for 'hewing'?  That's why I thought it had a different name but I guessed wrong I guess!

[formariz 11,987]

I am not sure where you are. I am a frequent visitor of the Allaire village at Allaire State Park. Spend many days there. Lots of history and interesting stuff. I was always particularly fascinated with the blast furnace and its workings. 

[formariz 11,987]

9 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

The older head has a 'bend' to it that sorta shows up in the top view.  Is that bend in the blade for 'hewing'?  That's why I thought it had a different name but I guessed wrong I guess!

I noticed that. It does however looks like the top has the bottom of the “eye” on it. An adze wouldn’t be handled like that as @RandyLittrell mentioned. A hewing broad ax would also have a different shaped head and eye area.

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

7 minutes ago, formariz said:

Allaire

 

I'm probably about 15 miles North of Allaire.  Haven't visited there in quite some time.