What is This Please?

[willower]

I'd like some help in identifying a tool which turned up in my parents' house a little time ago.

If you look at http://www.art-courses.com/whatsit you will see some pictures of it.

It is about 6 1/2 inches long, made from cast iron. The casting was quite roughly done and there are clear file marks where the thing has been cleaned up.

The small triangular blade is sharpened on one edge, and would be replaceable by straightening the round tab on the end. It could work as some sort of adjustable circle cutter, using the stout point on the end as a fulcrum after digging it into something, but I don't think it is strong enough to be for tins. Perhaps leather? There is however no way of locking the moveable blade at a given radius.

The other end also had some function. It looks as though it was meant for something to be pulled through it in one direction - it has an asymmetric feed shape. It is possible that some of these edges might have meant to be sharpened - but they never were. Viewed from the underside the three bands and the frame around them form more or less a hemisphere.

Any ideas??

Willower

 

[DaveL]

Hi Willower,

Welcome to the forum.

Your link has been caught by our spam trap, this will stop once you have a few move posts to your name. Here it is:-

http://www.art-courses.com/whatsit

Any ideas??

No, but hopefully some will be along who knows what you have found.

 

[dennis]

Hi Willower

The pointed end is very much like some old tin openers, but not sure about the other end.

Dennis

 

[Joel Moskowitz]

Unless I am greatly mistaken it's a boot jack. Used for removing big 19th century boots from feet.

 

[bugbear]

Hi Willower

The pointed end is very much like some old tin openers, but not sure about the other end.

Dennis

Agree - the end with the sliding blade is a tin opener.

So I guess it's some kind of kitchen "multitool"

BugBear

 

[Green]

It looks similar (ish) to a leather working tool I saw somewhere. For cutting strips IIRC.

 

[mahking51]

What are its dimensions?
martin

 

[mahking51]

Sorry missed the size.
Tin opener and bean slicer come to mind
martin

 

[willower]

Thanks for the ideas.

The whole tool is about 6.5 inches long, the radius about the point would be from about 1 inch to about 2.25 inches. It is only just big enough to form a proper handle if you were using the circle cutter end - unless with small hands of course.

The one end would certainly cut circles - it's the other end which is intriguing - it isn't big enough for beans, I think, something like leather bootlaces seemed possible - - but -

I'm not sure about it yet though I'm afraid.

Thanks

 

[bugbear]

The one end would certainly cut circles

Yep - stab down with the point in the centre of the tin, with the tool vertical, pivot the tool (around the point) so the tool is horizontal, set the blade to just inside the tin, then go round - this opens the tin.

It was a a common design at one point.

BugBear

 

[projekct]

:lol: Isnt that the tool for taking boy scouts out of horses hoofs! :lol: