1800s House Site Wrap Up

[GB_Amateur]

14 hours ago, F350Platinum said:

It sheared off rather cleanly, must have taken quite some force. This photo shows the base of it. No sign of being sawn or clipped, just broken. I have no idea how brittle bronze can be. It's solid all the way through. I'm considering grinding it flat and tapping it for a double ended screw of some sort, then matching it with a wood staff after polishing it.

Bronze is harder than brass, and as such a bit trickier to machine, but nothing like stainless.  If you have experience working with metal you should be just fine (e.g., make sure to oil your drill bit and tap).  Clamping it to drill the hole may be the tricky part.  If you happen to know any professional machinists, they should be able to helpfully advise.  I would err on the side of a larger tap than smaller, maybe 5/16" but you have it in your hand so you're in better place to determine that.  Of the guesses you received, the bed finial gets my vote, particularly because it broke off.  IMO too heavy for the end of a curtain rod.  Regardless, converting it to a cane handle is clever and likely to end up as a nice, useful piece of craftsmanship.