News:

"A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." - Robert Hughes

Main Menu

My first Whats-it, hopefully not my last

Started by drummertom, November 15, 2011, 04:20:27 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

drummertom

I thought I was the biggest pack rat in the world till we started going through my brothers stuff. I found this http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/23940767 among other things. It looks kinda like a musket ball maker (I think) except the ends are solid and not cupped. Any ideas?

anglesmith

"Pinching iron" For straighting hair and setting small flat curls! Hairdressing is not a new trade, there are four pages of hairdressing tools in, The Victorian Catalogue of Tools for Trades and Crafts (circa 1845) Philip Walker 1994
Graeme

johnsironsanctuary

How about a tinsmiths' tool for setting copper rivets on the other side of a beaded edge. It looks a bit heavy duty for a hairdressers' tool. There has to be a purpose for the relief behind the jaw. It would work for flattening a lock seam, but why is it round?
Top monkey of the monkey wrench clan

Neals

I've seen them listed for sale as hair flattening irons

johnsironsanctuary

OK Neal, that was a WAG on my part, but if it were mine, I wouldn't put it in my curling iron museum. I'd make a bullet mold out of it.
Top monkey of the monkey wrench clan

anglesmith

John, Had a second look at photo's, they are very heavy and are mallable cast, made for cheapness/easy production! The ones I have are finely forged and don't have the relieve behind the faces. So maybe there is another use for these heavy "pinching" irons? Back to research!!
Graeme

john k

I vote for hair straightening irons.  These were heated on the cook stove, and the ends were heavy to hold the heat, so they could work longer before re-heating.   The relief, the rounded out part was there so only the hair separated out to be straightened  was heated, and so hair wasn't pinched in the hinge, that might hurt!
Member of PHARTS - Perfect Handle Admiration, Restoration and Torturing Society