Questions about rebar

M ELEY · 9th June 2017, 07:27 AM

Thanks, Rick. Actually, the large grappling irons of this size were never thrown. They could be used as anchors or to hang from the spars to snag an enemy ship.

Thanks, Fernando, for your input. The large 'block-like' thickened iron neck appears to be one solid piece, the tines of the prongs are solid and don't bend and the flattened flukes are part of the tine simply pounded flat, not a second piece. In any case, an interesting maritime piece.

M ELEY · 10th June 2017, 01:48 AM

Hey Fernando, I hope you didn't go to all the trouble of going to the harbor front just for me!

I do appreciate your efforts, though. But just in case I ever post a pic of a Somali pirate sword, don't feel obligated to sail off that deadly coast for info anytime soon!

M ELEY · 27th October 2017, 10:10 PM

After much persistence, I finally found an obscure article which proves rebar was around and definitely used prior to the Revolutionary War both in structures and statues. It was mentioned that the George III statue in NY was pulled down and melted into lead shot for the colonials, but there wasn't tons of lead produced. Only one gentleman pointed out the fact that lead (and even bronze) statues had some form of inner skeleton and it was usually iron rebar.

Extrapolating on this, I still hold to the premise that this giant grapple indeed dates to the late 18th/early 19th century, with perhaps the latest date being around 1850-ish. I know that today's grapples are also made of common rebar, but I'm sure this is simply a much earlier practice that just held on through the years. This is an interesting article about the difficulties of saving these old lead statues as the rebar eventually rusts away.

https://rupertharris.com/pages/the-c...orms-of-damage

27th October 2017, 10:10 PM	#3
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,206	Found it! After much persistence, I finally found an obscure article which proves rebar was around and definitely used prior to the Revolutionary War both in structures and statues. It was mentioned that the George III statue in NY was pulled down and melted into lead shot for the colonials, but there wasn't tons of lead produced. Only one gentleman pointed out the fact that lead (and even bronze) statues had some form of inner skeleton and it was usually iron rebar. Extrapolating on this, I still hold to the premise that this giant grapple indeed dates to the late 18th/early 19th century, with perhaps the latest date being around 1850-ish. I know that today's grapples are also made of common rebar, but I'm sure this is simply a much earlier practice that just held on through the years. This is an interesting article about the difficulties of saving these old lead statues as the rebar eventually rusts away. https://rupertharris.com/pages/the-c...orms-of-damage

9th June 2017, 07:27 AM	#1
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,206	Thanks, Rick. Actually, the large grappling irons of this size were never thrown. They could be used as anchors or to hang from the spars to snag an enemy ship. Thanks, Fernando, for your input. The large 'block-like' thickened iron neck appears to be one solid piece, the tines of the prongs are solid and don't bend and the flattened flukes are part of the tine simply pounded flat, not a second piece. In any case, an interesting maritime piece.

10th June 2017, 01:48 AM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,206	Hey Fernando, I hope you didn't go to all the trouble of going to the harbor front just for me! I do appreciate your efforts, though. But just in case I ever post a pic of a Somali pirate sword, don't feel obligated to sail off that deadly coast for info anytime soon!