I’ve been sharing a recent find with the ‘tools for woodworking’ guys over the past week or so – disinterring and discussing a couple of chests of tradesmans’ tools, including a set of 30 carving/patternmakers’ chisels and gouges.
As I’ve taken them out and wiped them clean, I’ve discovered a set of scratched illustrations on the chisel handles. They are strikingly like scrimshaw, very well executed, and dateable as to time of origin to within a few years.
They’ve got me thinking. One of the previous owners of some of these tools could well be a relative. One of the ‘works of art’ is signed (with a set of initials), and they seem to be the work of three different people.
Is this something others have noticed? Is there a tradition, anywhere else in the world, of personalising tools like this? They seem to be turn-of-the-century (1900) tools, and the illustrations date to the 1920s.
I’ve attached a photo – hard to photograph these things!
Malcolm
Edited 9/26/2005 3:58 am ET by Malcolm
Edited 9/26/2005 4:01 am ET by Malcolm
Replies
Hi Malcolm,
Sounds like just the kind of thing people would do at the turn of the last century; the sun has set, television hasn't been invented, illumination is by oil lamp or candle for the most part, it's too early to sleep.
A lot of those kinds of activities (scrimshaw, chip carving) seem to be well suited to confined spaces, at night, in winter, aboard ship, etc.
It seems a shame that so many of us seem content to grab a cold one and veg in front of the TV after the sun sets these days.
Thanks for the thought provoking post,
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
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