Ric Dean Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Ornament? This came from a Auto Service Garage that closed in 1936. It was in a wood box of old tools. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks, Ric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) Almost looks like a top ornament from an old cast iron fence, to me. Edited January 12, 2017 by keiser31 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Dean Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 11 minutes ago, keiser31 said: Almost looks like a top ornament from an old cast iron fence, to me. Would a cast iron fence have an ornament that is nickle plated? thanks for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipdang Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 It would look pretty threatening on a car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMoneyPit Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Tip of a lightning rod for the top of your barn... usually see three to six of them depending on the size of the barn. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 One of a set from Ben Hur's chariot.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 I have an automatic 'newly listed' search for 'lightning' on eBay for 10+ years and have never seen one if these. Lightning rods are 'typically' 1/2 inch copper. I collect the stuff. It doesn't look automotive to me. I'm going with Ben Hur's lance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Lawson Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 What about a tire bead breaker ? The round part is the hand grip and you belt it with a heavy hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roysboystoys Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Does the round piece on the end have a square drive ? this looks like an abused burnishing / reamer to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drwatson Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 It looks like it could be an old (abused) top to a flag pole, some can look menacing like one pictured here. What does the bottom end look like? threaded? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Bent and abused maybe. And probably not what you would shove into the ground to hold one of those new fangled solar lawn lights. I have couple of those but they are in the ground now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMoneyPit Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Here's the one I took off my barn in central PA many years ago. I have two milk glass balls somewhere, but look at the point it's very similar. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Good one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&J Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 21 minutes ago, keiser31 said: Good one! Ditto on that... When I saw this thread right when it was posted, I instantly thought that the 3-blade shape reminded me of an upscale lightning rod tip, but I'd never recalled seeing one that was plated....so I did not say anything. :) ...of course, it's hard to really get a good look at most rods still on a barn roof...unless you are a roofer.. anyways, we will never know why the guy had it in the toolbox, but must have been useful for some repair task? . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 I remember them on my cousin's barn which had been in our family for over 100 years. I knew I had seen them as a kid, but forgot where. Thanks for the flashback! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 I concede, if the female end will fit over a 1/2" copper tube , it is a lightning rod finial . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emjay Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 What is the theory of the point? Does it attract lightning better? Or is it to act as double duty in case a dragon fall onto your building, you can have it for super? An electrical engineer coworker stated he didn't understand the concept. His thoughts were, the strike just traveled a few thousand feet, what difference does another twenty make? My garage has a metal roof and one corner is grounded but maybe not the full eight foot rod. One day lightning came down an oak tree less than eight feet away from the roof but the strike jumped into the wiring of the building instead. No repairs were needed to the wiring but there was a fire in the structure. Neighbor saw the whole thing. I guess I need to put a point on the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Dean Posted January 13, 2017 Author Share Posted January 13, 2017 Sorry I haven’t replied to all the posts yet. I can’t find the dang thing after taking the photos I guess that says something about me. I will continue to look for it but one thing I can verify is that it is threaded at the bottom. Thanks much guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleek Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Emjay, we lived in an old 2 story house with lightning rods while growing up. The way I remember it was the rod was installed above the highest point of the house and had a ground wire running to a metal stake in the soil. It was supposed to attract the lightning before it hit the house and ground it to prevent damage to the house itself. Some large homes could have several rods on the corners of the house. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Lightning is attracted to a metal point. Lightning rods do not attract lightning, but if it is going to strike neat it will go to the rod. This is one of my buildings. it is 88 feet long. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMoneyPit Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Very impressed with your collection. I'm not surprised that you didn't recognize the tip as lightning, I think that these were different depending on where you were. I've seen different ones in PA than I saw growing up in New England, and different ones yet in Tennessee & Alabama. I don't know why I kept the one I have but at some point it will wind up on my final retirement barn, which is coming up too quickly! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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