I was asked by someone if I could help identify this thing. I can’t. I thought maybe someone here might be able to.
Item in question:
About 4 or 5 of them were found with a metal detector by an old barn. I don’t have any other information.
A toothed winch stop?
ETA: Better known as a ratchet stop.
I looked up the proper term for what I was thinking of: A ratchet pawl
Almost looks like a bench dog. Almost.
And is that the One Ring Of Power that I also see in that picture?
No idea what that is, were they all identical, down to the pattern? Is the pattern on one side only? It kind of looks cast, not forged, so possibly not a tool designed to take a lot of knocks.
Your friend might have some luck with a google reverse image search IF they take a different picture on a plain background, without the hand (currently, reverse GI search thinks “dagger”, and if you exclude dagger, it focuses on hands holding things)
you might want to post this at
WAG: steps to spike into a tree or wooden telephone pole.
Strike in favor: textured surface of the non-spike part
Strike against: that part is really small.
I’ll go for bench dog as well.
It is hand forged, so strong. The square section matches old benches. The knurled end makes it easy to pull out.
I’m not familiar with bench dogs, would it be common to need 4 or 5?
What i thought.
The thin end looks like it could have been snapped off a spike embedded in a telegraph pole.
Are the others the same ?
I see a finger tire.
Yes. They are put into holes on a work bench to keep the piece one is working on in place. See here.
(ETA) But I’m not certain if that is one.