Hoping this ain't a hoe

[Billman49]

Update:

Founded in the 1830's by John Bedford and after 20 years passed to Messrs. Burys & Co. (Limited Company August 1865). Making blister, shear, crucible & spring steel in large quantities for general trade as well as their own use. They manufactured files, saws, edge & engineers tools of all kinds, hammers, miners picks, steel plough plates, knives for reapers, choppers & other agricultural equipment. For more information see: Illustrated Guide to Sheffield, Pawson & Brailsford 1879 Ref: 914. 274 S

It would appear Bury went into partnership with an existing company, John Bedford & Sons (Regent Works was already founded pre 1780) - but the company passed soley to Bury in the 1850's - they appear to have retained the old Bedford mark for their tools...

In the 1880s John Bedford & Sons was at Lion Works, using a different trademark - must stop now as my wife is complaining I am wasting too much time researching this intriguing company history... Interesting they named the new site Lion Works (the old JOBS logo shows a lion), but had to use a new unrelated tradmark...

[rusty]

From the Ad:

Converters, Melters, Rollers, and Tilters (Of steel)

ok...the the heck is Tilting steel?

[Chillylulu]

From the Ad:

Converters, Melters, Rollers, and Tilters (Of steel)

ok...the the heck is Tilting steel?

I don't know for sure, but if you tilt too far your turn is over. ;)

Chilly

[Papaw]

I used to be a pinball wizard at tilting!

[Billman49]

Just checked my Barraclough, History of Steel Making - he mentions a tilting open hearth furnace, mounted on trunnions that will tilt +/- 20 degrees for charging and pouring.

However, I suspect that tilting (as a verb) refers to the process of hammering under a mechanical (usually water powered) tilt hammer (also known as a trip hammer or helve hammer)... Later hammers were steam powered (Naysmith type) or used hydraulic pressure (press forging).

Many Sheffield steel producers were also forge masters...

See http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tilt

Verb
 
tilt (third-person singular simple present tilts, present participle tilting, simple past and past participle tilted)
1.(transitive) To slope or incline (something); to slant [1590] Tilt the barrel to pour out its contents.
2.(jousting) To charge (at someone) with a lance [1590]  
3.(intransitive) To be at an angle [1620]  
4.(transitive) To point or thrust a weapon at. (Can we find and add a quotation of Beaumont and Fletcher to this entry?)
5.(transitive) To point or thrust (a weapon).  
6.To forge (something) with a tilt hammer. to tilt steel in order to render it more ductile
7.(poker) To play worse than usual (often as a result of previous bad luck).
8.(photography) To move a camera vertically in a controlled way.

[Branson]

Could it be a Whale blubber knife ?

I have one of those -- they look like a saddler's head knife on steroids.  Mine's about  9 inches across.  The guy I bought it from thought it was an edger.

[Bill Houghton]

Branson,

I don't recall: do you live on the coast, or was this whale blubber knife for some of those inland whales?

[Branson]

Branson,
I don't recall: do you live on the coast, or was this whale blubber knife for some of those inland whales?

Inland dweller here.  It's odd how things travel around though.  I have a Queen Ann (1730 or so) English cutlass that an antique dealer found in Montana, and a pattern maker's hacksaw made in 1870 in Sacramento that I bought from an antique dealer in Princeton, New Jersey. 

[scottg]

I for one would love to see this restored.
 Stirrup adzes sometimes have extraordinary embellishments, but even the plain ones often show style and grace.
     yours Scott

[Billman49]

Ref 'tilting' of steel, I just found these images in my archives...

The first is an extract from a Victorian magazine (The MIrror) I found in Google books - the second shows Steel Tilting at Sanderson Bros, Attercliffe Works, Sheffield circa 1862

[Mike H]

Would anybody know if the handle for this stirrup adze would be fancy or plain?
I'm guessing straight-forward, functional & plain.
I have Googled Bury's & Co. stirrup adze a couple of different times trying to come
up with an image. When it comes down to it; if I get time to turn out something for it,
absolute adherence to authenic manufacturer's pattern will be low priority.
Just thought it would be good to have the option to replicate if handle not too ornate.

[rusty]

> Steel Tilting at Sanderson Bros, Attercliffe

Hammering with a 300+ pound hammer, 2 - 4 times a second.....
An entire building full...

Can you even begin to imagine the noise?

6 Tons....

By 1914 a blast furnace producing less than 700 tons/day will be considered only marginally profitable, large steel plants will turn out 15 to 20,000 tons/per day