Any info on this wheel

Hi all,

Wanted to see if anyone could help provide any information on this wheel, pulled from the ground on our property today. I'm also looking for tips on preservation. It's a 20 spoke, ~ 34" diameter cast iron (?) wheel; the spokes alternate sides to the hub. There are no obvious grooves for belts on the wheel or the hub; one side of the hub is flanged.



Background, if any of this helps: the property was a farm in southeastern PA, and the original farmstead dates to 1856. We have also unearthed some fragments of a blown glass bottle from 1860-1880 as well as an intact bottle of Davis' Vegetable Painkiller from approximately 1890. Neither were found in close proximity to this wheel.

The wheel itself is in remarkable shape with a nice patina. While I'd like to learn more about it, what's most important is how to properly preserve it. For now it's out of the weather; I'll try to remove the dirt with a coarse bristle brush (not wire) once it dries. Please let me know if that's a stupid idea!

 

Nice find. With the smaller diameter and thin outer band it may be from some type of cart. My first thought was Oxy-Acetylene welding cart. Yours looks heavy duty.

 

My firsts thought was wheel barrow, but at 34" - guess not.

Fun find. It's still round and not all bent out of shape. Wire it for an out door chandelier.

Welcome to the board.

 

AH! Maybe getting somewhere - Antique fire extinguisher cart wheel - hence the "heavy dutyness", 20 spokes, and flanged rim? Whatever it was for it was meant to be hauling some weight!

https://www.google.com/search?q=ant...XplOAKHYSpAf8Q_AUoAnoECA0QBA&biw=1536&bih=792

 

Ya ever wonder why somebody asks questions then never responds to people that tried to help???

 

Thanks for the suggestion - wife has already announced she wants to hang it on the outside of our functioning springhouse. I am not enthusiastic about this concept; best guess at weight is about 85 lbs.!

 

Yes, it definitely was designed for significant weight. The wheel looks like a cross between the two you posted - the rim is similar to the oxyacetylene cart wheel; the spoke pattern similar to the fire extinguisher cart but not nearly as complicated a hub. It has no bearings nor any grooves to set bearings which seems odd given the small diameter for the shaft to pass through the hub - it almost looks like the bearings would have been mounted on the body and the axle shaft fixed to the wheel. I also can't figure out why the hub itself is so thick plus there's the semi-ornamental styling on the outside of the hub.

Tips on preserving? Am I ok to knock the dirt off as I plan to? Lightly oil the surface as I would a cast-iron skillet?

 

This might help
http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=1157
It recommends linseed oil. My neighbor put an old wagon by the front of our shared driveway and slathered it in linseed oil, both the wooden and the metal parts. The thing about linseed oil is that if you put a lot on, and don't wipe off the excess, it doesn't fully dry/cure under the outer film, leaving a gummy coating that many find undesirable. It also will darken. I'm sure if you google around, you will find 1,000 different opinions and materials to use. Whatever you use, I'd imagine light coat, wait a little, wipe down, repeat a few times would be common advice.

 

I would say yes.
However, with a cast iron skillet, you use cooking oil, which if not baked on gets tacky and rancid.
I would use mineral oil on the wheel. Not tacky, no smell. No need to heat.
Wait for others to give other suggestions.

 

I have cleaned up a lot of old rusted tools. i apply rubbing compound , take a FINE soft wire brush on my drill and gentle go over the whole thing. I wipe it off with a rag. Th rubbing compound leaves a nice coating that keeps the iron from rusting. If you are hanging it out in the weather you would need to recoat it every year.

 

@Kirt How many inches in diameter is the axle hole ? I suspect a horse drawn hay rake or something along that line. What did they grow there on that farm or in that neck of the woods ?? how wide is the tread part of the rim ?

 

Here's a few farm wheels for auction , with two of them being 34" ........

https://www.k-bid.com/auction/2276/item/201

 

@Kirt , here are 4 34" farm wheels ... I think safe to say they are farm wheels ..... definitly not wagon wheels with small axles like that ......

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/iron-farm-wagon-wheels-34-28-metal-1695634586

 

An early Westinghouse portable steam engine. Image from an old reprint of an 1886 Westinghouse catalog

 

I'm still thinking hay rake .

 

Welcome Kirt, They make great garden decorations also. Here are a couple I have. they are 36" and only 12 spoke but this would give the wife more ideas.
Mikey

 

Thanks much for the suggestions all!

Linseed oil still makes me nervous - I have a bit of a paranoia about fire; however, starting with your link it does make sense. I have an excellent outdoor firepit as well so good planning on my part would give me an easy way to dispose of the rags promptly!

Thanks - mineral oil and WD-40 were my first thoughts!

I'll look up rubbing compound as you suggest. I was thinking of using extra-fine steel wool and rubbing by hand; not trying to take off the rust just knocking debris loose and working the oil into all the crevices.

 

Thanks for the links to the farm wheel auctions; we seem to be getting somewhat closer!

Rim width is 4" so it's pretty wide. Not grooved so there doesn't appear to have been any intent to have anything mounted on the rim. It's also really thick - 3/8"! I can only imagine how uncomfortable a ride it would have been.

The shaft diameter is 1 3/4" and the wheel WAS fixed to the axle shaft, there is a 1/4" hole that runs straight through the hub at about the midpoint. I assume it was used for a pin to mount the wheel on the axle.

While I can't pinpoint what was grown on this farm, until the mid-1800s the area grew wheat, oats, hay and some flax and corn. The farms were subsidence so often had livestock too, cows and chickens (mostly). Horses were a luxury and rented as needed; supposition on my part but a well-trained dairy cow would most likely have been able to pull some farm implements to avoid the rental cost. Winters were long and harsh, with animals confined to stables from early November until mid-April. All that lines up with your hay rake theory.

After the mid 1800s, the farms began to specialize in vegetables for the Philadelphia market; another property I lived on about 3 miles away was an asparagus farm. The soil is rich but very heavy and hard to till; asparagus, celery, and other perennial crops would have made a lot of financial sense -- as would hay.

 

Thanks for sharing! Is that crepe myrtle actually growing around the rim? LOL

 

yes it is. It was here when I bought the place so I assume it's been there since the 70's