# Does anyone know what this old tool is? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494 "2009-03-15T03:48:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/1 "2009-03-15T03:48:49Z")
I work at an old house museum and we have a variety of old tools in our collection. We do school programs for third graders where we take old gadgets and tools and have the kids guess what the tool was used for back in that scary time before electricity and plastic. We get donations of items to use in this program and we recently got an item that put us in the place of the school children. We have no idea what the item is or what it is used for. In the spirit of the situation we all tried to guess what it was used for. The paperwork that came with it claims that it is a andiron (it is one of two). That seems unlikely to us because of the wood handle (among other things). I thought that maybe one of the dopers might be able to tell us what it really is. Here is a [picture](http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h292/heraldgwena/what.jpg). ---
**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:** [March 15, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/2 "2009-03-15T04:01:02Z")
Could you post photos of the other side and an oblique view? What are the approximate dimensions? What type of metal is it made from (is it ferrous or not)? ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/3 "2009-03-15T04:11:31Z")
Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of it an I won’t be at work again until Tuesday. I can tell you that the other side looks the same as that side and there are no markings or missing pieces on either side. The piece is about 6 inches long. The strip of metal on the top is about 3/4 in. wide and the entire top piece is about 2 inches. I don’t know what type of metal it is, but it feels pretty light weight. Sorry, that’s all I got. I hope it is enough. ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/4 "2009-03-15T04:12:45Z")
Oh, and as to the metal, there are no signs of rusting, if that helps. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/5 "2009-03-15T04:13:34Z")
It looks to be cast iron. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/6 "2009-03-15T04:27:08Z")
Could it be a part of something? Like a lever from something or a handle for something? ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/7 "2009-03-15T04:35:26Z")
That is one of the thoughts we had, but it has no obvious joints or points of attachment and the wear pattern is mostly on the top of the humps in the metal and not really anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/8 "2009-03-15T04:39:07Z")
I have no basis for my assumtion, but something about it makes me think it’s for leather working. Like maybe you could wrap a place a peice of leather over a horn and use that to work the leather into that shape. Probably not. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/9 "2009-03-15T04:39:56Z")
It looks like a handle for a Dutch Oven. ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/10 "2009-03-15T04:41:41Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I have no basis for my assumtion, but something about it makes me think it’s for leather working. Like maybe you could wrap a place a peice of leather over a horn and use that to work the leather into that shape. > Probably not. Oddly enough, that was also my instinct, but I had nothing to base it on. Maybe that is on to something. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/11 "2009-03-15T04:42:23Z")
I reminds me a little bit of a pipe bending tool. Not quite, but maybe that’s a clue? ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/12 "2009-03-15T05:02:55Z")
The handle doesn’t go in very far, so I doubt that it would take much lateral or pulling load. I assume that the user presses down with the handle. Beyond that, there are a few indentations opposite the handle where someone may have hammered with it. Like **beowulff** said, could you post more pics? I’d like to see where the metal is smoothed from work. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/13 "2009-03-15T05:04:29Z")
> [@heraldgwena](#): > > …The wear pattern is mostly on the top of the humps in the metal and not really anywhere else. If I had to guess, it might be some sort of crimper or shaper, sort of like a portable bead roller. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/14 "2009-03-15T05:29:27Z")
Can anyone think of a seam which could use the smooting of it? The curvature suggest the work was expected to be higher ahead, and lower behind - if it were pushed, as opposed to pulled over the work ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/15 "2009-03-15T06:20:00Z")
I’m thinking something that might stretch another material, like widening a shoe. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/16 "2009-03-15T06:36:35Z")
Of course, if you _can’t_ figure it out, that’s a good learning opportunity for the kids, too: It’s good for them to know that others know things, but it’s also good for them to know that there are some things even the experts don’t know. ---
**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:** [March 15, 2009, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/17 "2009-03-15T07:05:42Z")
You might be able to get some help here: > **[What is it?](http://55tools.blogspot.com/)** > > I've been collecting unusual tools and other objects for quite a while, and several years ago I started this project of posting them on the web as puzzles for visitors to figure out what they are. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/18 "2009-03-15T10:48:17Z")
Saddlemaking? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/19 "2009-03-15T13:15:11Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > Saddlemaking? That’s actually what I was thinking of when I mentioned leather working. ---
**Author:** ![Bewildebeest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bewildebeest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bewildebeest)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494/20 "2009-03-15T14:25:32Z")
Maybe a glove darner? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-what-this-old-tool-is/489494.md?page=2)