This thing is cool looking, but what is it's mission in life???

TIA


DM&FS

Stone work?

Making pretty shapes from cauliflower?

Star punch/pinking iron, used for decorative leather work, particularly saddlers.
Graeme

Must be pretty soft then Graeme. Look at the head, how beat up it is. Would it need to be struck that hard on leatherwork?

 A moulding/ furniture chisel ?  bob w.

Quote from: Papaw on February 28, 2013, 04:37:23 AM
Must be pretty soft then Graeme. Look at the head, how beat up it is. Would it need to be struck that hard on leatherwork?

If you ask the old timers, I am pretty sure they will tell you the cows, and leather, were a lot tougher in the old days...




ahem, I couldn't resist !!

Brian L.

Could it be a stone carver's tool?

Graeme has it -- a pinking punch.  Here's an example.   A couple of strikes and it will make the star-like leathers that go under the conches on saddles and other western wear.  A few years of being pounded through heavy leather will mushroom the head.

Saddle and boot leather is sometimes ~1/4" thick! It gets heavy.
Many tools meant to be pounded leave the shank intentionally soft to absorb shock and not break.
You are supposed to grind/file off the mushroom every once in a while!
I have heard stories of destroyed eyeballs over mushroomed tool heads.
  I reduce them back to a safe lace as soon as I get one.

I only have one of these too, but they were made in lots of sizes. A guy could probably round up 8 or 10 different sizes. 
yours Scott

Quote from: scottg on February 28, 2013, 10:51:54 AM
A guy could probably round up...

Driveby pun alert!

DWM, One of the reason why many old tools mushroomed like that (apart from they didn't bother or see the need to dress them!) is that the body was made from wrought iron with the working end steeled. I'll be surprised if your one hasn't been steeled it certainly looks old enough!
I will add, that I suspect that wrought iron doesn't fly and chip like modern alloy chisel steels but I haven't use a wrought iron tool long enough to prove it! We have probably all seen old socket mortise chisels (wrought iron) hammered down to a 1" stub!
Graeme


Added futher thought

Thanks all

DM&FS

Quote from: anglesmith on February 28, 2013, 04:13:57 PM
DWM, One of the reason why many old tools mushroomed like that (apart from they didn't bother or see the need to dress them!) is that the body was made from wrought iron with the working end steeled. I'll be surprised if your one hasn't been steeled it certainly looks old enough!
I will add, that I suspect that wrought iron doesn't fly and chip like modern alloy chisel steels but I haven't use a wrought iron tool long enough to prove it! We have probably all seen old socket mortise chisels (wrought iron) hammered down to a 1" stub!
Graeme


Added futher thought

Even with all steel chisels and punches, the working end is usually more tempered and the head is not.  As Graeme said, you want the head to mushroom a little instead of chip.