Help Identifying "pine cone"

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darrin1200

darrin1200

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Joined
Mar 17, 2010
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Lyn, Ontario, Canada
I know this is not a pine cone, but I don't know what else to call them. I found a bag of these at a garage sale, the lady did craft decorations. She had them piled in with real pine cones. All she could tell me, is that they came from down south and that maybe they were from a locust tree. They are about an inch in dimeter.

Relative to Canada, thats a lot of area. Can anyone confirm for me, what these are.

For $1, I'll give them a shot. I am hoping to cast them later this weekend. Anyone have any tips? I'm thinking to pile them into a slab mold rather than a single pen mold. Then slice them up, that way they appear more random in the cast.

Thanks
 

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Thanks guys.

Sweet gum sounds better than locust too.

Thanks for the offer Perry, but it might be a little bit of a drive. I will keep it in mind if we do get down to that area.
 
When I was a kid in California, these things were all over the place. They came off a tree that resembles a maple. We called them dingle balls.
 
That's a beautiful pen!

I did NOT like having this tree in my front yard! We cut it down last year... now I wish I saved some of those stupid gum balls! LOL

Maybe a neighbor has some haha... I'd like a pen like Ben's!
 
I get these all the time on my liquid Amber tree. They don't do so well getting sucked up into the leaf mulcher. I guess I'll have to start picking them up and bagging them.
 
Haha, yes I remember running over the occasional stray with the mower. Shot some pretty good distances before on accident!

But I'm glad I don't have to rake them suckers up anymore!!
 
Thanks guys. I have two cast, One in green and the other in red. I'll see if I cant get one of them onto a pen kit this week.

Crimsonkeel, that is a beautiful pen. I really like the white. Is that Alumilite cleat with white dye?
 
I have made two pens from them.

They almost look like honeycomb. My next door neighbor has a tree and I have ran over zillions with my lawnmower.

Now I know what I can do with them the tree has withered in the drought here.
 

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I echo the name sweetgum but they are seed pods, not cones. They are everywhere. Stay out of the yard barefooted. They are the cause of many a dirty look from the neighbors when my wife walks barefooted in the yard and voices her opinion of them loudly. I too say bring a rake and a truck and you can get a lifetime supply this time of year from one nice size tree.
 
As I recall my Tom Sawyer days, the sweet gum balls didn't fly too well from a slingshot.
Neither did the sycamore.
Drive through the south and you'll see thousands of acres of harvested trees all gone to the pulp plant. All those trees that were left behind are sweet gum trees.
 
That's the one I was trying to remember. China berry tree! I still remember the awful smell.
there's an insect here in Oklahoma that devours the cut wood. I cut some for firewood one winter and when brought into the house would keep me awake from the noise of all those borers in the firewood. I was happy to see the end of it.
 
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