Oddball Rodgers Hawkbill knife with Prybar dew-hickey.

[Pipeman]

I was thinking a trunk makers tool, the blade for cutting the leather, possibly detail work around the edges of the trunk and the "hammer head" for setting the tacks, not driving them which a tacking hammer would be used for. I have seen an old video of a tacker at Louis Vuitton and they just set and drive with a tiny head tacking hammer. Other than for presetting of tacks I can't see that head being used for driving any kind of tack. The claw however does have a tack grip in the V of the claw so was used for that purpose. The strange piece is the head which would be used to lever the tack out but is a very weird shape for that purpose. It really has to have something to do with the angle at which you pull the tack.

Regards

Robin

[not2sharp]

It is too fancy and too delicate to be a workman's tool. But, I could imagine something like this being used as a light crating hammer on a victorian expedition. Just the sort of thing to help retrieve a fine bottle of wine from a packing crate...



THE ERA OF CHAMPAGNE SAFARIS

Grand safaris such as these generally required 30 porters per White Hunter, plus 40-50 porters per client. Tailors were provided to make the client's clothes and armchairs were taken along on safari, together with folding baths, cases of champagne, a small library of books and one or more cooks to provide eight-course dinners. After every item had been checked, the equipment was parcelled out to the porters in 60-pound loads, to be carriedon theirheads.

link:

http://www.safariconsultant.com/history/history.html

n2s

[Pipeman]

"It is too fancy and too delicate to be a workman's tool." I agree. It's like a gimmicky toy/tool or a specialist tool of some sort.

Regards

Robin

[CWL]

It is too fancy and too delicate to be a workman's tool. But, I could imagine something like this being used as a light crating hammer on a victorian expedition. Just the sort of thing to help retrieve a fine bottle of wine from a packing crate...

I'm also thinking some sort of crating hammer, but not for safari use (paper mache sheath). I would guess this would be a tool used by a middle class merchant to open and examine contents of crates in his warehouse.

[DJD]

Interesting that the knife blade has seen significant use, but the hammer head looks unused.

DD

[meako]

I wouldn't want to be using that "hammer" on a day to day basis. The blade would be moving up and down vertically.The grip is wrong.
They would have had appropriate hammers for any work back then.
Hall runners and carpets and rugs would have have been made to size .
At a guess carpet laying as we know was not around until the 50s or 60s. Further -wall to wall carpet came with tufted carpet manufacture -early 20thc.

[Berkley]

The smear of old dried paint or putty on the hammer head may be a clue - if not to the purpose, perhaps to the work environment of its original use.

[anvilring]

Well, whatever it's intended use, it was used,(by how the handle is configured/attached) "cutting edge up". the user was drawing the blade to him/her, not pressing down to cut/use the blade (carpet for instance). Leverage was gained further as the user could lay a hand on the spine and pull like hell to remove those tacks, nails, whatever....

Lastly, I'm not thinking farier, carpet, upholstry and so on as much as I'm thinking...


"canvas stretcher" as in an artist's canvas...

[DJD]

If a person were a tradesman, he would have proper tools to do specific jobs. A hammer for hammering, a knife for cutting, rather than a combination tool that would be uncomfortable, or impractical to use for any length of time.
If this thing is for real, I'd guess it would have been designed for light work and easy carry. For example, opening and re-closing crates or containers for examination by a customs agent, wine merchant, etc.

DD

[bernard_levine]

Well, whatever it's intended use, it was used,(by how the handle is configured/attached) "cutting edge up". the user was drawing the blade to him/her, not pressing down to cut/use the blade (carpet for instance). Leverage was gained further as the user could lay a hand on the spine and pull like hell to remove those tacks, nails, whatever....

Lastly, I'm not thinking farier, carpet, upholstry and so on as much as I'm thinking...


"canvas stretcher" as in an artist's canvas...

I LIKE IT.

Artist's canvas tool. No proof, but the best idea yet. Indeed the only good idea yet.


Definitely nothing to do with horses, vehicles, etc.

Nothing to do with carpet.

Probably nothing to do with upholstery, except insofar as stretching upholstery fabric and stretching artist canvas (and stretching billiard cloth) are somewhat similar).

Somewhere I have (or had) some old artist supply catalogs. I will look for it in those.

BRL...



He likes it too:



1850 - Hendrikus van de Sande Bakhuyzen invents the laptop.

[meako]

a palette knife? could the "hammer " be used for grinding up paint mixtures like a pestle and mortar and the prybar for lifting tin lids?

[rprocter]

"Artist's canvas tool"
And the curve of the blade is perfect for laying flat against the skull just above the ear and then slicing downward. Eureka, such Provenance ! I knew i shoulda bid for it. It was Vince's knife !
roland

[bernard_levine]

Nothing like a palette knife - they are small flexible spatulas.

And Vincent used a razor.

BRL...

[BA_Colt]

Vincent sliced off his earlobe and gave it a prostitute in a box and told her to keep it safe. The main reason he could paint outdoors was the new invention of pre-mixed paint in tubes, which he often ate when he was having issues. Before paint in tubes, artists had to make their own paint, pigment and a binder.

When I learned to stretch a canvas we used this tool VC100323l.jpg and a staple gun or an upholstery tack hammer if using the old school tacks. The pliers are used to stretch the canvas tight. You cut the canvas fabric before you attach it to the wooden stretchers. I learned to mix paints from powdered pigments. This knife would not work for that.
stretchers.jpg

[DJD]

Possibly something along this line, but a lot fancier.

http://www.ebay.com:80/itm/ws/eBayIS...ectorid=229466

[not2sharp]

Early laptop?

n2s

[BA_Colt]

Another thought on it being a artist tool. You do not cut canvas; you put a small slice and then rip it. Canvas tears straight do to the weave of the fabric.

[mtangent]

I don't believe it to be original. There appears to be resin set on the stag, adjacent the blade join.
I also think "cutlers to her Majesty" would have made a fancier transition between stag & metal, rather than just glue.

[bernard_levine]

I don't believe it to be original.

I must confess, that is a possibility I had not considered.

The knife blade is likely original to the handle (likely, not definitely),

but the 'hammer' and claw might well have been a user addition.

I'm not quite convinced of this, but it is plausible possibility.

BRL...

[willgoy]

This is indeed a fascinating case.

The possibility of a 'marriage' putting a liked blade to a treasured piece of stag is a very real possibility. Maybe due to a personal whim or a joke perhaps? But...glue might just be due to a later shoddy repair? Then again, stag is not the most robust material for anything requiting leverage or hammering, and levering or hammering with a blade near you is not exactly the safest idea either! So it must be light work surely?

Something culinary?? To do with ice in the kitchen before fridges? Maybe horticultural, espalier or wall trained trees/vines in c19th-c20th England such as figs or grapes require a harvesting blade and a light tool to pry soft lead headed nails from the mortar between bricks, or to drive new ones in. These were used (still are) to secure training wires to a south facing wall in large gardens.