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<blockquote data-quote="Ahall" data-source="post: 3947339" data-attributes="member: 49426">Old axle for something small, probably horse drawn.The square to round transition at a forged in bearing race is typical of them.The threads are for the nut that held the hub and outboard bearing on the wheel.Bet if you look closely it has rusted to almost a wood grain pattern. Thats typical of the early iron axles.&nbsp; They have a lot of silicon inclusions that get drawn out into lines during manufacturing process and don&#039;t rust at the same rate as the surrounding iron.&nbsp; The iron is very soft and prized by blacksmiths because it forges more easily than the modern stuff.&nbsp; Pattern welded knife makers also want it because it forge-welds easily.When it was driven in, it was probably a just another piece of scrap metal from behind the barn.Any chance it marks the location of an underground water pipe or something similar?</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Ahall, post: 3947339, member: 49426"] Old axle for something small, probably horse drawn. The square to round transition at a forged in bearing race is typical of them. The threads are for the nut that held the hub and outboard bearing on the wheel. Bet if you look closely it has rusted to almost a wood grain pattern. Thats typical of the early iron axles. They have a lot of silicon inclusions that get drawn out into lines during manufacturing process and don't rust at the same rate as the surrounding iron. The iron is very soft and prized by blacksmiths because it forges more easily than the modern stuff. Pattern welded knife makers also want it because it forge-welds easily. When it was driven in, it was probably a just another piece of scrap metal from behind the barn. Any chance it marks the location of an underground water pipe or something similar? [/QUOTE]

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