Malto

thanks all - once the acid test was mentioned I dug into and found exactly what you gentlemen spoke of...including the order.

Thanks Thomas, I will have to look into those. I appreciate the additional info.

 If I had exact data regarding the material I gladly would have shared it. Other than I thought it was old. How old?...I have no idea nor did I make any claim. I just said that one blacksmith that I shared the images with, that supposedly had expertise in this area (nautical items), dated it to the late 1600s - early 1700s and said in his opinion it was Welsh or Irish in origin, had typical construction for nautical chain, and was used to weigh anchor on a brigantine size ship. He additionally said it was "old iron process."    

That being said, if I thought the story ended there I would not have posted here. I am familiar with the great chain across the Hudson and I have seen a piece of it as I have spent time in that area visiting West Point. So now I have two conflicting opinions and dates - one smith saying 150 years later than the other and one saying anchor chain and the other raising the possibility of other industrial use. Myself, I just want to know when it was made, where, and why it is shaped like it is which is a bit unusual and not perfectly uniform with odd indentations that seem to have no function  - and now,  I would like to confirm the material as well. I have written maritime museums, a nautical research group, blacksmiths, and next on the list is Industrial archeology. Thanks for that thought. I think I will take a pass on any test that involves cutting it and leave the material in question for now. Best regards

.Thanks. I believe it is real wrought iron. According to my research after 1820 most anchor chain had a vertical stud that added strength, weight, and helped prevent kinking. That's not to say none were made without that feature after that time, but it did become the standard.   

Hi, new here. I have not taken up the hammer yet but I do have a strong interest in forging, anvils, fire, and old rusty heavy metal objects. I thought some here may find this of interest as well as offer some thoughts on it. I pulled this out of the frozen ground at the bottom of an iron scrap heap at the estate sale of a welder turned sculptor in a coastal town on Long Island NY. I believe it is a very old section of anchor chain. Each link measures 10" long and 5" wide. It is nine links long, measures about 6' stretched out, and weighs in at 70 lbs. One smith I shared the images with felt it dated to the late 1600s or early 1700s and was possibly Irish or Welsh. Something about the style. Does anyone have any opinion on when it dates to, where it was made, and or how it was made? The divoted areas are of particular interest to me. Thanks