Black Frog Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 This isn’t a forging project directly, but looking for some input and ideas.I was scrounging through my favorite salvage yard last week, and came across this and thought it would be a cool item for ‘something’.Internal diameter opening is around 24” from a rough guess. Outside rim where the bolt holes are is over an inch thick, guessing 60 pounds ballpark.There is a ½” wide lip edge under the upper rim that has the lettering. A very beefy piece, but way too unique for me to pass up for the few bucks charged for it.It was filthy rusty, but after a cleanup it looks great.Central Station Steam Co. Detroit MichPat. May 2, 1905 Oct 17, 1905 Guessing it was some retaining rim for some sort of steam boiler or steam engine?Now wondering what the best use for this grand old piece might be. The lip edge under the lettering rim lends itself to a lot of possibilities. One thought was to use this as an outer rim for a thick glass table top and forging a leg design. Also thought, wouldn’t it be neat to use this as some sort of picture frame featuring an old (yet to be determined) black and white photo inside? Then I thought, how about putting a beveled round mirror inside the ring…… I think that in the right room, this thing would look fantastic hanging on the wall.Of course hanging something this heavy on a wall would require some mounting hardware attention.Any other suggestions or ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Fishbowl mounted *through* a wall so viewing in one room and servicing in another... Window into a Sauna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 Cool idea, window! Or even fishbowl (convex) glass as the window....I'll bring all these options up with the powers that have the final decision making abilities on this project. ;)Me: Hey baby, I want to use that ring for a window going into the sauna.Her: We don't have a sauna.Me: Well I guess we might have an excuse to get one now. :)I do plan on moving at some point in the next few years, so thinking I may not want to make it a feature that can't easily move with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Yeah, that's one of those MUST follow me home scores Froggy. The possibilities are almost endless. Reading the description before looking at the pic I was thinking ways of making a fire ring or grill. The bolt holes and a little creative twisting, bending, and tennon peining came to mind. Taking a look brought end tables, and shadow boxes to mind. You did you offer an appropriate reward to the yard guys for setting others like it aside for you? Yes? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Hmm scrounge a tiffany style domed lampshade and make a "wall hanging" mood light from it---movable Free form custom lavalamp? Put some massive butterfly nuts on fake bolts on it, convex heavy duty lexan bowl with a dremmel machined crack in it that "leaks" water into a bucket on the floor---fountain! (run the return behind the sheetrock, easy to patch the two holes before you move...) (would drive me crazy waiting for catastrophic failure.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01tundra Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Table with a glass top so it can be seen, plus a really cool, heavy duty, instustrial looking forged base. That thing would make a great coffee table! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 I vote for the mirror, though as you mentioned if it's going to hang on a wall it would require some heavy duty hardware. That's quite the find, I'm jealous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 I've already forged a custom bottle opener for the owner of the salvage yard, with the name of the business and his name on it. He LOVES it. :) So I am in great standing with him, and try to visit every few months when I'm in that area. This ring didn't come into the yard recently, it was laying in his cast iron pile with literally tons of stuff. This place has things sitting there from 50 years ago, it is indeed my favorite place and I could spend hours looking through it all. He's guessing it has been in this pile for years, maybe decades, I just happened to poke through the items I could move without injuring myself. Lots of pieces too heavy and awkward for me to move kept me from looking deeper into the pile. It was on the backside of this pile. The scale of these items make the pile look smaller than it is, those are fairly large tires on top. And some sort of steam piston (?) casting laying on top in the middle. There's a huge frame casting of some sort of steam machine on the backside that you can't see in the pic, I couldn't even budge any movement from it, should have snapped a pic of it. And there's another similar C.I. pile nearby..... I actually found several cool things from this pile I brought home, plus eyed up a few more for the next trip. The disappointing part of it though, I found a broken half of an identical Central Station Steam Co. ring in this pile... couldn't find the other half. If it wasn't broken, I would have had a matching pair of these uber-cool steam rings. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01tundra Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 I'm going to go ahead and show my true redneck, hillbilly colors and say......man I wish I had that pile of scrap metal in my yard :D ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Looks like the ring for a manhole cover. A lot of older cities had steam distribution from a central plant, much like gas water and electric. Some "factory towns" had steam delivered to the plant to the workers homes as part of the rent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 I'm going to go ahead and show my true redneck, hillbilly colors and say......man I wish I had that pile of scrap metal in my yard :D ! My wife looks out the window and that's what she see's. :blink: Not that it really looks that way. ;) That old piece has "steam punk" written all over it. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Sure looks line another trip to the resource center (junk pile) is in order. Look for pieces of something with a good ring to it. Bring them home and hang them from the holes to make a wind chime until you get the sauna built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 Here's one of the other pieces that I found interesting and had to come home with me.Not sure what it was used for or what it came from, but it has four cast boss stand-offs which the bolts are going through.16" internal diameter and over 1/2" thick cast iron. I thought this also could be a cool item for "something".I'll get this one cleaned up in the next week or two, and guessing it will look as nice as the steam ring when finished.The steam ring was about in the same shape as this when I started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Use the second as a base for a glass top coffee table using the first as the top rim for the glass to sit on or in. Just forge the support legs to attach the two. That second one already has built in feet. Though you probably want to add something under the "feet" to keep it from gouging the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Maybe use rubber snubbers inserted into some of the bolt holes in the top ring for the glass to rest on. And if you put it together with bolts, when you move, you could easily disassemble it for easier transportation. I think it would just look absolutely awesome. What ever you decide to do, I look forward to the pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 The internal lip edge of the steam ring would be fantastic for "insetting" the glass of a table top, or makes for a natural picture or mirror frame. Here's the cross section of the ring that shows the lip: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 My first thought was steampunk style clock frame, but I like the table idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 oooohhhhh.... a CLOCK!Hadn't thought of that, and a very cool idea!Thanks! :)....thinking more about the clock idea, perhaps that second ring I pictured would be more "clock-like" than the steam ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 How about a clock table? Put a large faced clock under the glass? Sounds pretty 'Steampunk" to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Greetings Frogman, Got some cool looking future art from your favorite supplier.. The first one looks like a flange seal retainer for a large steam pipe. The second one I have no idea... One neat thing is to put the two together to form a sphere 90 degrees apart and just hang it from a cable ... If you like the look a neat looking center light or globe might work... Lots of fun repurposing quality iron... Have fun.. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 How about a pic of the other side of the second ring? A glass top clock table! Cool beans is right. You can glue a line of felt on the contact area between the glass and the iron. A few bronze bolt heads and a steam punk'ed counter top espresso maker and you have a PERFECT coffee table. Hang a couple large brass bells on the clock and it'll let you know when coffee break / tea time is. Don't forget glass insulators and brass conduit/fittings for the electrical. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Frosty, here's the backside of the second ring after the first go round with cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Armillary Sphere came to mind but it's a tad heavy...then a holder for a globe---one of the old ones with the steamship paths marked on it perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuerna Verde Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Good morning all The second one is a chain sprocket. It is unfortunate you didn't find some of the chain with it. -grant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 I figured it was some sort of sprocket. The matching chain might still be around at the salvage yard.There's a whole pile of chains, anywhere from ship's anchor chains on down.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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