Metallic Cable Tags

[308Jeff]

Found some of these when I was going through the junk in my garage today. Back when I installed cable, we'd wrap them around the feed in the ped or box and use 'em to identify the address or the unit number. They're non-magnetic, and it's very easy to scratch into them with anything metallic.

Any ideas what they're made of?

187821

[dbosman]

Permanent garden markers are zinc wrapped around steel spikes.
You can "engrave" those with a pen. Are there enough to bother taking to a recycling place with an XRF "gun"?

[308Jeff]

Permanent garden markers are zinc wrapped around steel spikes.
You can "engrave" those with a pen. Are there enough to bother taking to a recycling place with an XRF "gun"?

I don't have that many, but I have a few other item's I'm gonna get XRF'd. I'll take these along and report back.

Thank you!

[DanishM1Garand]

Those, I think, are aluminum. I've pulled lead tags off of lead cable being wrecked. I've never added a lead tag to a cable. I've been a lineman since 1995.

[308Jeff]

Thank you, sir.

[lightman]

Back in the day the phone company used lead tags to mark the map locations on poles, or maybe the locations of splices. Then they went to galvanized material and later to plastic. They were about 2X2 inches and maybe 1/16-1/18 in thick and stamped with a letter stamp. They were screwed or stapled to the pole, about head high and then sometimes again up high at the splice. The ones that I have are very soft, probably pure lead. I retired as an electrical lineman and never saw lead tags used to mark cable. Not saying it never happened, just never saw it!

I'll try to post a picture of some of the ones that I have tomorrow.

[lightman]

Here are a few pole tags that I had.


http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy164/PTheodo/IMG_1243.jpg (http://s788.photobucket.com/user/PTheodo/media/IMG_1243.jpg.html)

These were used to mark the location of splices or equipment on a map.