Old Sickle

I'll need to post some pics of the one I picked up over the weekend. Not as pretty as yours, but it works! :D
 
Not seen a handle like this on English or French sickles - is there any maker's mark on the blade??? For the ferrule I would not try post fitting large diameter wire, but rather wrap several turns of smaller diameter wire - and they could be soft soldered together without damaging the wood if required. Some Spanish sickles had leather (rawhide) ferrules, wrapped several times when wet, and held with a tack - shrinks when dry - handles of this type are common on Spanish billhooks, so maybe also on their sickles?????
 
No maker's marks that I can make out. You're probably right about using smaller strand wire. Honestly it was my first attempt and it kind of stuck there. I could probably do a better job but I could also mess it up worse :) Thank you for the suggestions and info. :thumbup:
 
The handle style actually looks pretty darn American to me. Some of the higher end tanged tools of the late 1800's to about the 1920's had handles of a similar style. Collins "fancy handle" bowies had a handle very similar, but done in stacked leather with brass fittings. :)
 
I do not know much about American sickles - the vast majority I have seen have rivetted scale handles - but it may well be US made. Often sickle handles did not have ferrules, just a plain wooden handle fitted to a tang....
 
Most American sickles with rat-tail tangs that I've seen had ferrules. I've just also seen many of them with the marks of where one clearly used to be but cracked off. The one that I picked up recently, for instance, had one made from very thin brass that had come away in two halves, rendering it completely ineffective. I ended up prying it off. :p
 
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