[TheForge] Re barn repair

[theforge@mailman.qth.net]

How old is the barn?  If your farmer is anything like the ones here...could 
be nearly anything....

Jerry V
Williamsburg VA

<< several of the loft floor joists are cracked and
 sagging. in finding places where the loft joist
 were spliced there are roughly 2ft long by 4 inches wide
 by 13 inches tall black steel/iron upside-down "saddles".
 
 these show hammer marks so they were definitely forged.
 
 poor ascii art below ( definitely not to scale ):
 
     ++   ++    +-------------------------------+
     ||   ||    | cb   cb               cb   cb |
     ||   ||    |                               |
     ||   ||    |   cb                    cb    |
     ||   ||    |                               |
     ||___||    | cb   cb               cb   cb |
     \_____/    \_______________________________/
 
 cb = carriage bolt, which passes through the steel/iron
 upside-down "saddle" and the loft floor joist. bolts look
 to be 3/4 inch in diameter.
 
 the loft joists look to be actual 2x12s and not 1.5x11.25s.
 
 would anyone have any suggestions as to what grade of
 steel/iron these "saddles" could be made of? >>