It followed me home (Part 2)

rjdankert said:
It's funny, but I've always called that tool a "Four-In-Hand". I noticed in the Northern Ironton File Set their tool is called a "Shoe Rasp":


It seems many others use "Shoe Rasp" as well.


Here is a page from a 1911 Nicholson catalog:


https://archive.org/stream/Nicholson1911CatalogAndEnvelope/Nicholson 1911 catalog and envelope#page/n25/mode/2up


From Nicholson's website:


http://www.nicholsontool.com/files/nicholson-21870n-9-four-in-handr-rasp-and-file.html

Above for:
Four-In-Hand®


I wonder if the tool is a "Shoe Rasp" and Nicholson at some point registered the "Four-In-Hand" as a trademark for it. Calling that tool a "Four-In-Hand" would be similar to the way "Kleenex" is used to refer to facial tissue?


Bob
Click to expand...

Excellent informative post :thumbsup:
This presents a very good question and theory.
I have heard the term shoe rasp but I didn't put the two together as the same style.

Was it mentioned in "An Axe To Grind"? Or was just the "Four In Hand" mentioned by name? I will be rewatching tonight:):thumbsup:

I like your Nicholson branding theory;)
 
I'm betting today's four in hand rasp was was mostly used by the many cobblers back in the day, simply referred to as a shoe rasp, and the name just stuck. There used to be a shoe shop or two in every little town around here, I haven't seen one anywhere in years.

I've also shod a bunch of horses over the years and never found a use for anything other than a flat farrier's rasp.
 
quinton said:
I'm betting today's four in hand rasp was was mostly used by the many cobblers back in the day, simply referred to as a shoe rasp, and the name just stuck. There used to be a shoe shop or two in every little town around here, I haven't seen one anywhere in years.

I've also shod a bunch of horses over the years and never found a use for anything other than a flat farrier's rasp.
Click to expand...

That makes total sense to me. Seems that when a trade or skilled craft is phased out or put close to extinction, the tools, terms and lifestyle of that craft start to be lost as well.

There use to be a cobbler/shoe repair shop in my hometown and in near every other town here in CT too.
Funny, sad really, the last hold out I considered still local, held out till about late 90's early 2000's.
It's a damn CVS or Walmart now.
 
The earliest reference I found to a "4-in-hand" file-rasp was a 1952 ad for Nicholson:

content



A Nicholson catalog from 1945 calls it a "shoe rasp":

BookReaderImages.php



A Nicholson catalog from 1953 calls it a "4-in-Hand Rasp (formerly Shoe Rasp)":

BookReaderImages.php
 
An interesting book from 1852 describes how files and rasps were made, and specifies different patterns of rasp teeth for different applications:

Lines sloping from the left down to the right-hand side: cabinet rasps, wood rasps, farriers' rasps.

Lines sloping from the right down to the left-hand side: rasps for boot and shoe last makers, and some others.

Circular lines or crescent form: rasps for gun-stockers and saddle-tree makers.

content

from Appleton's Dictionary of Machines, Mechanics, Engine-work, and Engineering: Illustrated with Four Thousand Engravings on Wood. In Two Volumes, by D. Appleton, 1852, 960 pages
 
I like that "Last Makers' Cabinet Rasp".

Steve Tall said:
The earliest reference I found to a "4-in-hand" file-rasp was a 1952 ad for Nicholson:

content



A Nicholson catalog from 1945 calls it a "shoe rasp":

BookReaderImages.php



A Nicholson catalog from 1953 calls it a "4-in-Hand Rasp (formerly Shoe Rasp)":

BookReaderImages.php
Click to expand...

This is very interesting and informative.
Seems the four in hand may have evolved from the shoe rasp.
What became of the horse rasp?
I believe that more accurately, my new to me Heller Bros Co. file/rasp is a plain horse rasp and not specifically a four in one style.

yrZBJ7j.jpg
 
Beachlogger said:
Never hurts to ask
Click to expand...

I am sometimes surprised at what people didn't know they wanted to give away till their asked ;)

These were fairly obvious give away by way of their staging and location, I just like to be polite when they are out in their yard like this gentleman was.
 
Miller '72 said:
I like that "Last Makers' Cabinet Rasp".



This is very interesting and informative.
Seems the four in hand may have evolved from the shoe rasp.
What became of the horse rasp?
I believe that more accurately, my new to me Heller Bros Co. file/rasp is a plain horse rasp and not specifically a four in one style.

yrZBJ7j.jpg
Click to expand...
That rasp you like looks like a Nicholson no 49. Look for a USA made one. The no 50 is good also but cloggs a little more. It takes a big step up in price to get one that’s better as far as I know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top