# Can anyone ID this tool, possibly used by weavers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 1, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037 "2012-01-01T14:16:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/1 "2012-01-01T14:16:48Z")
Best description I can give is Dad’s sketch of it ([here](http://goo.gl/GXpMJ)). All he could say was that it was the shape and size of a large knife or dagger, but with a blunt tip and edges. There were notches along its length, which ended in little circles. The best anyone he showed the sketch to so far was that it was used by weavers. Any ideas would be appreciated by Dad. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/2 "2012-01-01T14:46:28Z")
I don’t see a picture when I click your link. As I’m a weaver, I was hoping I could give you an answer. It sounds like a weft beater from your description - a device used to push the weft threads tightly and evenly into the warp threads ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/3 "2012-01-01T15:18:18Z")
Not sure what happened to the link there, sorry. The notches in the tool aren’t at the end but at right angles along the shaft. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/4 "2012-01-01T15:27:38Z")
It appears to be a sheet of carbon paper. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/5 "2012-01-01T15:32:57Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It appears to be a sheet of carbon paper. Well done, sir. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/6 "2012-01-01T15:45:54Z")
It is hard to tell from the picture; does it use AA batteries or C batteries? ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/7 "2012-01-01T15:59:48Z")
I clicked all over the page to try to save an image and work with it. There are no images on the page. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/8 "2012-01-01T16:30:44Z")
From your description, it sound like it could be a sleying hook, which is used to thread the heddles on a loom and draw the warp through the reed. Do a Google image search and see if anything fits. ETA: Oops. Missed the part about the notches being at right angles. Probably not a sleying hook, then. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/9 "2012-01-01T16:44:15Z")
The original URL worked for me, but here is a direct link to the image: [http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6612363849\_4a76593e05\_b.jpg](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7167/6612363849_4a76593e05_b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/10 "2012-01-01T20:39:00Z")
I never thought that looked obscene till I posted it on the internet 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/11 "2012-01-01T20:52:52Z")
Your dad has a dirty mind. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/12 "2012-01-01T21:38:12Z")
Where did he see this tool? Under what circumstances? Can he get a photo? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/13 "2012-01-02T01:22:30Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > I never thought that looked obscene till I posted it on the internet 🙂 Speaking of weaving references that come across oddly… > [@Broomstick](#): > > It sounds like a weft beater from your description - _\_ Have you stopped beating your weft? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-id-this-tool-possibly-used-by-weavers/608037/14 "2012-01-02T03:13:00Z")
Is it possible that it is the handle to a [jacquard heddle](http://www.creditocean.com/products/jacquard-heddle-200350.html)? (Mouse over to see enlarged view.) Most “solid” heddles tend to be flat pieces, [like this](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ug08m-9wMo0/THUQejZibPI/AAAAAAAABV8/xRGALEEi5Qc/s1600/rigid+heddle.JPG), or [like this](http://www.stringpage.com/blog/photos/heddle20070719.jpg). The jacquard heddle looks to be a bit more complex.