I came upon this flattened stainless steel pipe section yesterday while walking in a stubble field near home. I’m inclined to think it’s probably agricultural but there is a 57 OTU Spitfire crash site about a quarter of a mile away. Records are vague about how this one came to crash. A mid air collision is possible as another Spit crashed the same day but about 12 miles away that one may have been limping back to base. The piece is about 9 inches long. broken off at one end and with a neat seam along it. There are no markings on it.
By: Atcham Tower - 17th February 2016 at 18:39
It’s 8 and a half inches long, Andy, and I estimate the diameter to be about 2ins. The suspect Spitfire was L1082 which had quite a significant history, as you will know.
Dave Smith
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th February 2016 at 17:26
What is its length, or, more importantly, the diameter?
By: Atcham Tower - 17th February 2016 at 12:12
Thanks Stuart for your observation, which crossed with my last message. Thanks also to the others who have contributed.
By: Atcham Tower - 17th February 2016 at 12:08
It appears to have been a round tube. I’ve just shown it to my friendly local motor engineer and he reckons it’s not heavy duty enough to be average agricultural but just could be from a crop sprayer (not the aircraft sort!) The Spitfire which crashed nearby was a BoB veteran, hence my special interest in this relic.
By: stuart gowans - 17th February 2016 at 12:06
Tractors & farm machinery are rarely part-numbered.
They don’t use a lot of stainless either; it might be the business end of a grain drill, often quite thin and were prone to rusting (running in the damp soil as they do) not usually round or square, but quite thin in section, essentially the bit dragged through the ground to create the groove in which the seed is deposited, (let me know if I’m getting too technical)
By: Sopwith - 17th February 2016 at 11:06
So is it / was it a square section tube?, as that straight crease lengthwise in the picture would point that it wasn’t round tube.
By: AlanR - 17th February 2016 at 10:16
Tractors & farm machinery are rarely part-numbered.
Having been metal detecting for around 20yrs, I can vouch for that.
This object looks pretty modern to me.
By: Sabrejet - 17th February 2016 at 09:46
There must be a partnumber somewhere on it.
Cees
Tractors & farm machinery are rarely part-numbered.
By: Atcham Tower - 17th February 2016 at 09:04
No, it’s not magnetic.
By: Robbiesmurf - 17th February 2016 at 08:57
It is quite heavy for its size but but I don’t know what grade it is, Ian. It seems to me to be of aircraft quality. And Cees, there is absolutely no part number on it but there may have been one on the missing broken-off section.
Is it magnetic? A lot of aircraft grade stainless steel has a high nickel content..
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th February 2016 at 08:36
I’m with Ian on the possible identification, although difficult to tell without scale.
By: Atcham Tower - 17th February 2016 at 08:34
It is quite heavy for its size but but I don’t know what grade it is, Ian. It seems to me to be of aircraft quality. And Cees, there is absolutely no part number on it but there may have been one on the missing broken-off section.
By: CeBro - 17th February 2016 at 07:04
There must be a partnumber somewhere on it.
Cees
By: ian_ - 16th February 2016 at 22:34
It’s similar to a blast tube from one of the wing guns, although I think they are heavier grade stainless steel.
By: AlanR - 16th February 2016 at 21:51
Part of an exhaust maybe ?
By: Sopwith - 16th February 2016 at 17:33
I’d go for agricultural debris.
By: Atcham Tower - 16th February 2016 at 12:39
I agree but it could also be from a plough!
By: Junk Collector - 16th February 2016 at 12:15
it looks flattened and chewed up enough to be possibly from a crash, sorry can’t help further than that
By: Atcham Tower - 16th February 2016 at 11:59
Sorry, I’m not sure why the pic came out so large. Finger trouble no doubt!
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February 16, 2016 at 11:57 am