Mikestang Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 (edited) I was out detecting for meteorites in the Soda Mountains (west Mojave, CA) this past weekend and came across a bunch of scrap iron shards scattered around an area. I found one piece with some writing stamped into in, and searched around until I found the other half. Does anyone have any idea what this might have been? The pieces of scrap laying around make it look like some sort of iron container had exploded, and this round piece with the words appeared to have been the bottom exterior of the vessel. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Edited May 8, 2013 by Mikestang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nugget Shooter Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Interesting indeed and hopefully someone here will get this one.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DolanDave Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Cant tell how big it is, No 12 ?? Shotgun shell?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nugget Shooter Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I am with Dave here, what is size Mike? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 (edited) Sorry, I forgot to post scale in the photo. It's about 12 inches in diameter and several millimeters thick. For sure not a shotgun shell. I was thinking it may have been part of some old timer's still who was making moonshine way out in the hills (i.e. the bottom of the container in the middle of the photo below), but this type of stuff is way out of my zone of familiarity. There was also a portion of a conical tube that also could have been a piece from the picture below, I should have snapped a photo of that piece, too. The rest were just scraps of iron, and aside from some being concave that you could tell it was probably some sort of container, there was nothing else really discernible about them. Edited May 8, 2013 by Mikestang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nugget Shooter Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Lot of boilers blew up across this great country over the years and I have found some of their parts so you may be on the right track Mike.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Lid off a wood cook stove? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted May 8, 2013 Author Share Posted May 8, 2013 Probably not a stove lid, those are usually much thicker. Hopefully someone will know what the markings mean, or a way to track down their meaning. So far all my searches have come up empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilaoro Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 I think garimpo got it close! Not a lid but a pad to go on top of a stove to set a pot on.Check and see if it measures 10" exactly, the little triangle missing would have had a notch to pick it up with a handle made for the purpose.Lid off a wood cook stove? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 In keeping with BLM rules, I left the "artifact" (trash) where I found it because it may be over 50 years old, so I cannot measure it. Next time I'm out there I'll hike back over to it and check it out in more detail. The rest of the iron pieces would have made this a container of some sort, not just a pad or a lid, as there is a raised lip around the side that is in the dirt in the picture where other pieces would have connected to. Tough for me to describe, but I hope you get a bit of a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoser John Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 OMG to the devil with the BLM bs-John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Probably not a stove lid, those are usually much thicker. Hopefully someone will know what the markings mean, or a way to track down their meaning. So far all my searches have come up empty.This is a job for our one and only Sherlock Holmes aka Skip..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 (edited) OMG to the devil with the BLM bs-JohnFor sure, it's crazy that I have to leave trash like beer cans and bottles from the 1960s out in the desert, or trash like this that is the only man-made garbage for miles in any direction. The one time I try to be a good samaritan and clean this old stuff up will be the first time I ever run into a BLM ranger out in the bush, so I limit myself to cleaning up contemporary trash..."Sheld" being the key to my search, all I get is:South Hadley Electric Light Department (SHELD)85 Main Street, South Hadley, MAorSheld\, a. [OE., fr. sheld a shield, probably in allusion to the ornamentation of shields. See Shield.] Variegated; spotted; speckled; piebald. [Prov. Eng.]ortons of search hits that are a misspelling of "shield" Edited May 9, 2013 by Mikestang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Au Seeker Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I have did a little searching on this, but I have come up empty, the key word is "little" as I only had a few minutes to do some searching due to a long and heavy work schedule, I will try again when I get some time to do so.If you get out to this piece again, try getting all the info on it, I can't quite tell what it is under "E & S Sheld" and also there seems to be some more letters at the bottom, though some of the lettering may be missing due to the broken area/s, any symbols or possible trademarks if present will help as well. On relics like this it is sometimes the left out little tidbits that make the puzzle of what it is come together, and other times it almost fruitless no matter how much research you do, such as it is with some of our history. much just gets lost in time!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 The lettering along the bottom was tough to make out even in person, but yea, I should have taken more picts. I didn't really think about trying to figure out what it was until I got home, but yea, next time I'm in those hills I'll go back and document it much better. Thanks for all the help so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nugget Shooter Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 This one is fun and can't wait to her the bell ring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spa in nv Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I have did a little searching on this, but I have come up empty, the key word is "little" as I only had a few minutes to do some searching due to a long and heavy work schedule, I will try again when I get some time to do so.If you get out to this piece again, try getting all the info on it, I can't quite tell what it is under "E & S Sheld" and also there seems to be some more letters at the bottom, though some of the lettering may be missing due to the broken area/s, any symbols or possible trademarks if present will help as well. On relics like this it is sometimes the left out little tidbits that make the puzzle of what it is come together, and other times it almost fruitless no matter how much research you do, such as it is with some of our history. much just gets lost in time!!I am not sure but the lettering under E&S Sheld looks like it could be a number like "No 12". Maybe?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimshot Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 (edited) hmmmm??? http://www.sheld.org/ Edited May 10, 2013 by Rimshot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel Pan Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Since the E&S made me think of railroads, like B&L, V&T, or S&P, etc.I tried E&S Railroad, no luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted May 10, 2013 Author Share Posted May 10, 2013 I am not sure but the lettering under E&S Sheld looks like it could be a number like "No 12". Maybe??Yes, it says No 12 there. Along the bottom is IO OU something something something I don't recall, heh.Rimshot, yea, I found that same thing, pretty sure it's unrelated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueRose Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Hello, newbie here. I'm in the research stage and was intrigued by your pic. The curve of the lettering should continue, by the placing of the No 12, and the most likely name would be Sheldon. I found a Sheldon boiler that was used for an iron. It was developed in the 1920's for the Amish in Canada. The info is on a site selling only the iron (a vicious looking thing) but they basically are non-electric commercial irons. Site = AllBrands.com, Item = Sheldon Commercial Steam Ironing System, 6 Pound IronSeems to me someone borrowed it for distilling or mining. Wonderful site here, I'm learning so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.