Four Civil War cast iron caltrops, c. 1860s. Caltrops are anti-personnel weapons designed to be scattered in roads, trails, or streambeds to puncture the boots or break the hooves of horses. Developed in ancient times, the simple, spiky weapons saw frequent use in the American Civil War, but because they were dropped in quantity in the field of battle, they are seldom found. These six-pointed caltrops are both rare pieces of American military history. If in mint condition these antique ones are worth $385 a piece. Looking further they say different forms of caltrops can be traced back to Roman days, we still use a four prong for security or on chain to stop a vehicle by police. That blade looks like it came off an extended pruner, mine is about that length. You find the most interesting items, I find it fascinating and enjoy trying to figure out what things are. I love watching you and Alex as you always show so much enthusiasm, no matter what the object is. One of my favourite videos lately was watching Owen pull up four anchors by himself, tough little Dude a real mini me.
Love your videos, Fisher, and with Alex! AND Bayli,too! It's a great day for fishing. I knew that spot looked familiar! It's where you've caught all those files, a lot of them. I cringed when you got the truck to pull out the magnet - I'm afraid the rope will snap and take out your back window. I am glad you got the magnet back! Kudos fur helping the guy start his car, you're a good man. Keep the videos coming!
The caltrops are also used in giant tumblers to clean up cast iron parts. If there was a shop that did iron casting for things like stove feet, doors, or even the burner plates for the stoves they could have been used for that. Those look like they have never been used. Since there was a coal shovel there too it’s a good possibility. Good finds. That was some huge rod stock cut offs from the machine shop too. So much interesting stuff has found it’s way into the water there.
5:25 is a metal lathe drill chuck, 7:35 is a motorized reciprocating hack saw blade, 8:25 is just like you guessed an old coal shovel, 12:35 is probably the end of a hot rolled steel rod stock that was cut to length and that was the waste piece. I imagine the caltrops were made during the Civil War and were never purchased due to the war ending and was just overstock, they probably just threw them all in the water because the government would have been the only customer to buy them and they didn't want them so the machine shop was stuck with them.
Love, love, love to watch your videos. Glad to see Alex get the large shovel, but I know that shovel has another name. I have one on the farm. Thanks for good, clean entertainment!❤
Hi Tyler😊Ball and Jacks is what we called them back in the day. And this Christmas Eve I will be 59. So………sorry about the raspberries. Expensive as they are…..I sure hope the wildlife enjoyed them.😊❤keep up the fantastic work that you all have been doing.😊❤
Awesome finds today Tyler, Alex, and Bailey. You should restore those military pieces. You can make some really good money from collector's. I'm glad that you got your magnet back. Now you need to go back to the area you lost your other magnet, and try again to get it back. Have a great day my friend ❤️🙂⚘️.
Great day! The metal cylinders with the groove is where plate steel is drilled with a starter hole, then the cylinder is cut out. We had a machine that could cut those using natural gas and oxygen.
Always awesome Tyler!!!!!!! So cool that you got your magnet back 👍👍Those caltrops are so cool, I had no idea they were worth so much 🤯 Thank you Tyler 💖
Just got a cable puller winch incase my magnet gets stuck but I’m so glad I upgraded from a double sided to a 360. It’s been so fun. Just got in from fishing but no video because I don’t want to drop my phone in the river 😂
I’m a old machinist and those round heavy pieces look like what is left after they are cut out of a thick piece of iron plate. The notches on the sides are where a hole was drilled to put the saw blades through,weld the blade back together and cut the hole. The pieces are finding are the scraps. I had to do this many times during my apprenticeship and after.
Those cow trops may actually be from a ball mill. So they would use objects like that in a tumbler in metal shops that made things like knife blades or files etc. all the made tools would be put into the tumbler with those spikey bits of steel you are finding and they would clean all the edges smooth for sale.
Its exactly like a civil war Caltrop...I saw them priced from $65 on Ebay to $89 to $239. great stuff! Great video! If you ever decide to give up your used 360 magnet.....please pick me....
6:36 Probably some kind of crucible, normally they are not magnetic but perhaps there is still some metal from it being used that allowed your magnet to grab it.
The drill chuck has a morse taper that fits into some south bend machines I once used. when you need a small drill bit then the bigger bits had the same taper that you used a wedge to knock them out when you swap them..
I enjoy your video's and keep them coming. Tyler I enjoy the sound you make when you find stuff. It's nice seeing you with Alex and his girlfriend. You guys have a great day too 😊😊😊❤😊
I believe those caltrops aren’t caltrops. I think they are tensioner sprockets for a chain drive. With each link being about an inch long and wide. There were no civil war battles in Wisconsin. Soldiers from Wisconsin were stationed and fighting in the eastern theater. A caltrop lands so on spike is sticking straight up. If you lay one of those flat it will have a flat edge sticking up. Sorry dude, but those are the facts. Glad you didn’t lose your magnet!
If that is carbide your bringing up. It's worth a lot of money. More than scrap at junkyard. Tyler can you take your boat to file ale? I would love to see that.
Put some threadlock on that carabiner! lol Hope you go back and find the magnet you lost with Owen...hahaaha...providing roadside service. I do that too. Reminds me I need to get my jump battery from a neighbor I loaded it to. I've done roadside medical at car crashes on the road too. I carry a bunch of gear for that, but separate interest. I got my BFF's hubby to put thread locker on and tightening it down dude tight. It's curing, so I can't wait to try it. Bought a magnet because of you dude! We have a defunct train tracks through the town and over a crick, so that's where I'll try!
First things first, if I help you identify anything, I don't mind being name-dropped 🤩 5:10 Back to the machine shop we go! That is indeed a drill bit chuck for the "tailstock" end of a lathe. The tailstock is the part of the lathe on the opposite end of the machine from the powered chuck; it can hold either a live or dead "center," used for longer materials, or a chuck like the one you found for holding drill bits. Drilling works just as well with the material spinning and the bit stationary 😁 Edit: 6:40 Like so many other otherwise unidentifiable objects you've found here, that cylinder was probably a half-finished part that either got dropped accidentally or was defective somehow and got chucked out. Edit 2: 7:39 Yep, hacksaw blade, to be precise. Not quite as often used in modern machine shops where _everything_ is done with automated or semi-automated machines, but back when your machine shop was around, those were THE way to cut stock to size quickly. Edit 3: 8:08 I bet that's part of an actual mill or lathe or something. Awesome find! Edit 4: 8:23 Eeyup, coal shovel. Not entirely sure why it's so short, unless the coal bunker and boiler fire door were both elevated off the ground so the shoveler wouldn't have to bend over. Edit 5: 10:18 Yep, more either defective or lost parts, or perhaps something to do with calibrating and/or precision testing the machines. Edit 6: 11:37 I'm thinking maybe a base plate from an arbor press. Edit 7: 11:53 If that is indeed an old shop lightbulb then yes, that's mercury, meaning that lightbulb was absolutely not legally supposed to be in the river. I'm fairly certain intentionally chucking something like that into a river was illegal even back when the machine shop still existed! Edit 8: 12:35 That does look like it's just a waste piece, like @stealthimaster8583 mentioned earlier. The other weird thing looks like part of a very wide chain that's lost all the other link pieces except the one edge link, possibly part of a crane or forklift mechanism.
Crazy finding all those cylinders. Are they made of steel, steel and part aluminum or what? I would probably clean them up and keep them for paper weights or something. Great video today as always. 🙂🍿🥤
Just a guess, 12:53 looks like a joiner (called a 'horseshoe clip') for two ends of a large 'roller chain'. One prong goes through the hole of one 'end link' of the chain, the other through the hole in the other end's 'end link'. Then a special flat plate with two holes ( I don't know its name) is tapped onto the open ends of the prongs to hold the chain's 'end links' in place. I.e. to make the chain into a 'loop'. I've seen them for smaller chains, such as on a motorcycle. If my guess is correct, this large chain could be 'driving' some sort of 'robust' machinery.
Absolutely nice finds Tyler.Those jack lookin things ar for horses only to get hurt so they can stop in tracks to flip people off they would get shot .That shovel Alex got looks from Coal trains. I like watching ol movies with trains looks identical to the ones they shovel coal to make it go faster and keep running. I feel bad you get caught with rocks and have to use your truck to free it.We made it to Friday the 18th. Be careful next week triple digits heat.Please make sure keep Gatorade with you ? Love ya with lots of respect for the waterway CleanStream Movement:).Have a Wonderful Weekend stay safe my friend?
If you put those berry's down for my seaguls they would been gone in seconds they are evil here snatch food from your hands the lot 😅 great video weird seeing you off the boat lol
Oh my! Just googled those caltrops...those are horrible! Scattered on the streambeds to puncture boots and or horses hooves 😢 Wow 😮 Surprised you can still find those 🤔
I got a couple of railroad spikes a big nut, halfa nut, fishing weight and some sharp rebarb?. .. the first thing was a jighead because i saw something shiny nest to me. Also another fishing thing that wasnt in the water l, but was between so i just used the magnet to reach it. Those hooks dont count that much, because they were really close to me and saw them. The jig head was just some shiny thing i saw, so i just lowered my magnet on it.
It's just shocking to me how much stuff people have thrown into our waterways!! And this is just the metallic stuff. There's probably tons of other things that have rotted away into dust. Why are people so disrespectful of our water table?
Tyler, that's what they are. They were used in the Civil War Era They were used to puncture boots and hurt the bottom of the horse's feet. Be safe at all times God bless Ken from Pennsylvania.
Just magnet fished for the first time. First bridge i tossed it over and it didnt reach the water at the bottom. I found a shorter bridge though, but had to throw more to the side of the river because the water was too fast and my magnet is not a really big one (maybe hockey puck size) but supposed to be 850 pull. Its a Mikede magnet. I tried getting a cheap but strong magnet to try it first. The bad thing is that i just found out that the rope was only 33 feet. I saw another from this company that was 60 something feet. Dont know why they didnt give me that. Though it was only 27.50 something with the tax. For the price it wasnt bad. I thought the rope was good. Also banged the magnet against concrete and only scraped the side of the metal shiny side. But it didnt break! 😊
That thing that looked like part of a dril is the insides of an electris motor. The Stater I believe. You can tell becuse you can see these bars going from top to bottom with wiers wrapped around them.
I still think those things you think are caltrops are actually tumbling stars, deburring media for core cleaning processes. Hence, why you find them near machine shops so often. Second guess would be chaplets, also used in casting.
Thank you so much for watching ❤️
Thank you for creating ❤
I think the shovel your friend found if for snow removal or a shovel for coal
Your welcome
Thanks for fishing,magnet that is...but I still remember your perch!!❤❤
Thx for the good content
Four Civil War cast iron caltrops, c. 1860s. Caltrops are anti-personnel weapons designed to be scattered in roads, trails, or streambeds to puncture the boots or break the hooves of horses. Developed in ancient times, the simple, spiky weapons saw frequent use in the American Civil War, but because they were dropped in quantity in the field of battle, they are seldom found. These six-pointed caltrops are both rare pieces of American military history. If in mint condition these antique ones are worth $385 a piece. Looking further they say different forms of caltrops can be traced back to Roman days, we still use a four prong for security or on chain to stop a vehicle by police.
That blade looks like it came off an extended pruner, mine is about that length. You find the most interesting items, I find it fascinating and enjoy trying to figure out what things are. I love watching you and Alex as you always show so much enthusiasm, no matter what the object is. One of my favourite videos lately was watching Owen pull up four anchors by himself, tough little Dude a real mini me.
Love your videos, Fisher, and with Alex! AND Bayli,too! It's a great day for fishing. I knew that spot looked familiar! It's where you've caught all those files, a lot of them. I cringed when you got the truck to pull out the magnet - I'm afraid the rope will snap and take out your back window. I am glad you got the magnet back! Kudos fur helping the guy start his car, you're a good man. Keep the videos coming!
The caltrops are also used in giant tumblers to clean up cast iron parts. If there was a shop that did iron casting for things like stove feet, doors, or even the burner plates for the stoves they could have been used for that. Those look like they have never been used. Since there was a coal shovel there too it’s a good possibility. Good finds. That was some huge rod stock cut offs from the machine shop too. So much interesting stuff has found it’s way into the water there.
Thanks for taking us with you.
I follow your every video from Italy with pleasure. A million subscribers is not far off, and you deserve them all for the sympathy man. 🤙💪
5:25 is a metal lathe drill chuck, 7:35 is a motorized reciprocating hack saw blade, 8:25 is just like you guessed an old coal shovel, 12:35 is probably the end of a hot rolled steel rod stock that was cut to length and that was the waste piece. I imagine the caltrops were made during the Civil War and were never purchased due to the war ending and was just overstock, they probably just threw them all in the water because the government would have been the only customer to buy them and they didn't want them so the machine shop was stuck with them.
That chuck could also be from a drill press.
Nice to see you back at your old stomping grounds. So glad you got your new magnet back too.
Wondering if that shovel being so short could be from an Old COAL TRAIN??
Maybe😮
Love, love, love to watch your videos. Glad to see Alex get the large shovel, but I know that shovel has another name. I have one on the farm. Thanks for good, clean entertainment!❤
Really enjoyed your video. Lots of great finds 😊. God bless you and be safe 😊
Hey, if you want to find the magnet you lost, use a long steal pole or rod to search through the water. Love your show. Love your Spirit! !
Y’all having fun….. 😎
That shovel was used to empty iron shavings from the trough on a lathe in a machine shop.
Hi Tyler😊Ball and Jacks is what we called them back in the day. And this Christmas Eve I will be 59. So………sorry about the raspberries. Expensive as they are…..I sure hope the wildlife enjoyed them.😊❤keep up the fantastic work that you all have been doing.😊❤
You found some awesome things! Some antique items! Way to go!
I can only imagine how much more stuff you could pull out of there if you were able to launch your boat. Always good stuff Tyler! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
He should bring the kayak out
Awesome finds today Tyler, Alex, and Bailey. You should restore those military pieces. You can make some really good money from collector's. I'm glad that you got your magnet back. Now you need to go back to the area you lost your other magnet, and try again to get it back. Have a great day my friend ❤️🙂⚘️.
Great day out stay safe out there
You guys have a killer location! Nice Finds! - Jen
Great day! The metal cylinders with the groove is where plate steel is drilled with a starter hole, then the cylinder is cut out. We had a machine that could cut those using natural gas and oxygen.
The good old file isle never let's you down lol Some cool finds. Bring the kayak out here.
Always awesome Tyler!!!!!!! So cool that you got your magnet back 👍👍Those caltrops are so cool, I had no idea they were worth so much 🤯 Thank you Tyler 💖
Just got a cable puller winch incase my magnet gets stuck but I’m so glad I upgraded from a double sided to a 360. It’s been so fun. Just got in from fishing but no video because I don’t want to drop my phone in the river 😂
I’m a old machinist and those round heavy pieces look like what is left after they are cut out of a thick piece of iron plate. The notches on the sides are where a hole was drilled to put the saw blades through,weld the blade back together and cut the hole. The pieces are finding are the scraps. I had to do this many times during my apprenticeship and after.
I agree, that’s a coal shovel. My Dad used one like that for a long time.
Great start to the weekend with a new video!! Thank you. I can't wait for the next!
Caltrops were used to lame horses during Civil War. Or make areas for infantry ( enemy) uncomfortable to be laying down
And thank you for not using the foul language! that's one of the main reasons I love your channel!!
That sucks you still didnt find your other magnet but TG for the backup. Them Caltrops are very cool...
The round cylinders are what our Canadian men used as hockey pucks, LOL
Another great and entertaining video. Thanks
Those cow trops may actually be from a ball mill. So they would use objects like that in a tumbler in metal shops that made things like knife blades or files etc. all the made tools would be put into the tumbler with those spikey bits of steel you are finding and they would clean all the edges smooth for sale.
The game you are talking about is Bakls and Jack's. Played growing up as a child. Love both of your videos.
Awesome always cool stuff always thanks 😎
Alex good haircut there
Its exactly like a civil war Caltrop...I saw them priced from $65 on Ebay to $89 to $239. great stuff! Great video! If you ever decide to give up your used 360 magnet.....please pick me....
A short but sweet video. I enjoyed it as always. Thanks Tyler😊
The shovel that Alex found is a coal shovel. Used for feeding and stoking the boilers!
You're right, Tyler. An old coal shovel to shovel coal. Be safe at all times God bless Ken from Pennsylvania.
Nice one ⚓️🧲👍
6:36 Probably some kind of crucible, normally they are not magnetic but perhaps there is still some metal from it being used that allowed your magnet to grab it.
Those civil war cow tropes are really cool. Never seen one in person. Still have your sense of humor fisher. I really enjoy your videos
More good finds today. Enjoyed the time that you took to video.
Big drill bit... those Wisconsin dentists didn't mess around.
😂😂😂
the cut out you see is actually a key way
Hello Cash, Tyler, good Luck🍀🍀Double the luck😆
The drill chuck has a morse taper that fits into some south bend machines I once used.
when you need a small drill bit then the bigger bits had the same taper that you used a wedge to knock them out when you swap them..
The piece you found at 7:52 reminds me of a snow bird that were on roofs to keep snow from sliding off the roof.
I enjoy your video's and keep them coming. Tyler I enjoy the sound you make when you find stuff. It's nice seeing you with Alex and his girlfriend. You guys have a great day too 😊😊😊❤😊
Those are from Neenah foundry used to clean casting
Have a safe weekend people ✌️
Ok
Nice finds!!!
yey i cant belive you uploade❤❤❤
Those cylinders look like counter weights for a scale if the slot goes halfway through to the center.
I believe those caltrops aren’t caltrops. I think they are tensioner sprockets for a chain drive. With each link being about an inch long and wide. There were no civil war battles in Wisconsin. Soldiers from Wisconsin were stationed and fighting in the eastern theater. A caltrop lands so on spike is sticking straight up. If you lay one of those flat it will have a flat edge sticking up. Sorry dude, but those are the facts. Glad you didn’t lose your magnet!
If that is carbide your bringing up. It's worth a lot of money. More than scrap at junkyard. Tyler can you take your boat to file ale? I would love to see that.
That shovel was probably used to scoop chips from machining
you are so much more entertaining that other magnet fishers!
Put some threadlock on that carabiner! lol Hope you go back and find the magnet you lost with Owen...hahaaha...providing roadside service. I do that too. Reminds me I need to get my jump battery from a neighbor I loaded it to. I've done roadside medical at car crashes on the road too. I carry a bunch of gear for that, but separate interest. I got my BFF's hubby to put thread locker on and tightening it down dude tight. It's curing, so I can't wait to try it. Bought a magnet because of you dude! We have a defunct train tracks through the town and over a crick, so that's where I'll try!
5:18 that’s a chuck for a lathe. Same thing as a drill. Just used on a lathe to drill holes
Awesome video! 🙂
First things first, if I help you identify anything, I don't mind being name-dropped 🤩
5:10 Back to the machine shop we go! That is indeed a drill bit chuck for the "tailstock" end of a lathe. The tailstock is the part of the lathe on the opposite end of the machine from the powered chuck; it can hold either a live or dead "center," used for longer materials, or a chuck like the one you found for holding drill bits. Drilling works just as well with the material spinning and the bit stationary 😁
Edit: 6:40 Like so many other otherwise unidentifiable objects you've found here, that cylinder was probably a half-finished part that either got dropped accidentally or was defective somehow and got chucked out.
Edit 2: 7:39 Yep, hacksaw blade, to be precise. Not quite as often used in modern machine shops where _everything_ is done with automated or semi-automated machines, but back when your machine shop was around, those were THE way to cut stock to size quickly.
Edit 3: 8:08 I bet that's part of an actual mill or lathe or something. Awesome find!
Edit 4: 8:23 Eeyup, coal shovel. Not entirely sure why it's so short, unless the coal bunker and boiler fire door were both elevated off the ground so the shoveler wouldn't have to bend over.
Edit 5: 10:18 Yep, more either defective or lost parts, or perhaps something to do with calibrating and/or precision testing the machines.
Edit 6: 11:37 I'm thinking maybe a base plate from an arbor press.
Edit 7: 11:53 If that is indeed an old shop lightbulb then yes, that's mercury, meaning that lightbulb was absolutely not legally supposed to be in the river. I'm fairly certain intentionally chucking something like that into a river was illegal even back when the machine shop still existed!
Edit 8: 12:35 That does look like it's just a waste piece, like @stealthimaster8583 mentioned earlier. The other weird thing looks like part of a very wide chain that's lost all the other link pieces except the one edge link, possibly part of a crane or forklift mechanism.
you inspired me to magnet fish
also my craziest find were either 2 scooters or car keys
Just love all your videos ☮️❤️
Crazy finding all those cylinders. Are they made of steel, steel and part aluminum or what? I would probably clean them up and keep them for paper weights or something. Great video today as always. 🙂🍿🥤
Just a guess, 12:53 looks like a joiner (called a 'horseshoe clip') for two ends of a large 'roller chain'. One prong goes through the hole of one 'end link' of the chain, the other through the hole in the other end's 'end link'. Then a special flat plate with two holes ( I don't know its name) is tapped onto the open ends of the prongs to hold the chain's 'end links' in place. I.e. to make the chain into a 'loop'.
I've seen them for smaller chains, such as on a motorcycle. If my guess is correct, this large chain could be 'driving' some sort of 'robust' machinery.
that shovel reminds me of the ones they used to use on boats and trains to shovel coal with.
Good 'ol File Isle!
Awesome video😎😎😎
Awesome video! Thanks for helping the fellow with the car. I’ve been in his position, it’s kinda frustrating.
8:38 that’s exactly what it is 😂😂😂😂😂it’s a coal shovel for an old locomotive
Absolutely nice finds Tyler.Those jack lookin things ar for horses only to get hurt so they can stop in tracks to flip people off they would get shot .That shovel Alex got looks from Coal trains. I like watching ol movies with trains looks identical to the ones they shovel coal to make it go faster and keep running. I feel bad you get caught with rocks and have to use your truck to free it.We made it to Friday the 18th. Be careful next week triple digits heat.Please make sure keep Gatorade with you ? Love ya with lots of respect for the waterway CleanStream Movement:).Have a Wonderful Weekend stay safe my friend?
❤ I love you guys. So fun watching you!
Tyler maybe the machine shop made holes in steel and threw the hole into the water? Sorta like donut holes which we eat. Got it? 🥰😘❤️ p x
Literally the craziest RUclipsr and the craziest finds
Blade was what went back and forth before bandsaws original band saw
If you put those berry's down for my seaguls they would been gone in seconds they are evil here snatch food from your hands the lot 😅 great video weird seeing you off the boat lol
True that is how seagulls are😂😂😂😂😂😂
It's a great video and it's nice to see you fish from shore I miss that when your magnet fishing
the nothch in the side is indicative of a torch cut slug !
Oh my! Just googled those caltrops...those are horrible! Scattered on the streambeds to puncture boots and or horses hooves 😢 Wow 😮 Surprised you can still find those 🤔
Cool
18 Inch power hacksaw blade they make nice machetties!
I got a couple of railroad spikes a big nut, halfa nut, fishing weight and some sharp rebarb?. .. the first thing was a jighead because i saw something shiny nest to me. Also another fishing thing that wasnt in the water l, but was between so i just used the magnet to reach it. Those hooks dont count that much, because they were really close to me and saw them. The jig head was just some shiny thing i saw, so i just lowered my magnet on it.
The shovel is for putting coal in a stove😊
number 23 Jacobs drill chuck with No3 morse taper , send it to me for a complete rebuild!
It's just shocking to me how much stuff people have thrown into our waterways!! And this is just the metallic stuff. There's probably tons of other things that have rotted away into dust. Why are people so disrespectful of our water table?
You need to get your boat into that location
Tyler, that's what they are. They were used in the Civil War Era They were used to puncture boots and hurt the bottom of the horse's feet. Be safe at all times God bless Ken from Pennsylvania.
Now THAT is a COAL shovel used in the old Steam locomotives or industrial furnaces.
Losing a magnet has got to be so frustrating!
Those things you call caltrops for definitely from civil war used on the ground against the enemies
Just magnet fished for the first time. First bridge i tossed it over and it didnt reach the water at the bottom. I found a shorter bridge though, but had to throw more to the side of the river because the water was too fast and my magnet is not a really big one (maybe hockey puck size) but supposed to be 850 pull. Its a Mikede magnet. I tried getting a cheap but strong magnet to try it first.
The bad thing is that i just found out that the rope was only 33 feet. I saw another from this company that was 60 something feet. Dont know why they didnt give me that. Though it was only 27.50 something with the tax. For the price it wasnt bad. I thought the rope was good. Also banged the magnet against concrete and only scraped the side of the metal shiny side. But it didnt break! 😊
That thing that looked like part of a dril is the insides of an electris motor. The Stater I believe. You can tell becuse you can see these bars going from top to bottom with wiers wrapped around them.
❤❤❤. For each caltrop.
Wishing I was there!
Coal Shovel
Shovel coat on the ships
Snow shovel
I still think those things you think are caltrops are actually tumbling stars, deburring media for core cleaning processes. Hence, why you find them near machine shops so often. Second guess would be chaplets, also used in casting.
I can't find any pictures of them but when you type in civil war caltrop the exact image pops up