Long time coming

**Doggie** · 5th August 2016, 02:02 PM

Paul
Both, hopefully.
Its worth contemplating what you have done here. That blade looks to be a late sixties/early Seventies production so its been around for nearly fifty years already. Its probably done a power of work also, judging by the remaining length. This particular tool is the most common chisel in Australia (registered, plain edge) although its size (one and a quarter?) is a bit larger than the one inch flagship which is the most common size and specific type. So who originally owned it? My punt is obviously a tradesman probably a carpenter (checking out wall plates, braces and rafters in semi dried hardwood) as its too big for a joiner or cabinet/pattern maker. Also. not many DIY guys would buy a heavy chisel like this. If a carpenter originally bought it around 1970 as an apprentice he would be sixty or so now and would probably still own it even though probably retired (tradesmen don't willingly give up their gear, their families do) so we can assume an older man originally bought it in 1970 and he has subsequently passed on and the family have got rid of it (often for nothing). I don' t know its history after that or how Luke acquired it but I guess its probably had another career or two apart from the original owner before he got it. These big tools kind of went went out of fashion after the Seventies (factory built frame walls and trusses and pine wood) and lighter chisel (bevels) became the go. The first Titans (1945) are still around and guys who bought these would be around ninety (if they bought them as an apprentice) and checked out their last wall plate a quarter of a century ago (or, checked out altogether). Any way you've got a classic tool, an icon of Australian manufacturing and building and a pleasure to use and, given it yet another life. A renovation if you will. Not a reproduction.
Dick

**Bushmiller** · 5th August 2016, 02:35 PM

Dick

Thank you for the additional information and your supposition, which I think is entirely plausible. Something that I meant to query with you is that I measured the chisel's width at 1 3/16". Now I checked in the book and I didn't see that as a standard size. There is a very narrowing of the blade as you approach the handle so possibly it did start out life at 1 1/4", but that's quite a taper.

Titan chisel.jpg

The blade length is now about 5 1/2" to the leather washer.

I am looking forward to comparing how long this chisel is on my 116th birthday in 2066

.

Regards
Paul

**Doggie** · 5th August 2016, 06:27 PM

Paul
As I said in the book the Blackwood's 1970 Catalogue marketed a range of Titan chisels in increments of sixteenths under half an inch (rather than the conventional eighths) and eighths between an inch and inch and a half (rather than quarter inches as conventional). This applied to 101's and 136's. However an inch and three sixteenths (as you have) is out of the ordinary but, Titan's brochures and advertising say you can have any size you want, just ask and order a bunch of them. I've found many sixteenth graduations but most of them have been in the smaller chisels (131's, 136's etc) intended for finer work I guess. The socket chisels of all types had a one and one eighth in the range as standard up until the Seventies but that doesn't buy the baby a new rattle as far as your case is concerned. I doubt whether its a filed down job. Probably a special order or you need a new imperial ruler.
Regards
Dick

**Bushmiller** · 5th August 2016, 07:55 PM

Thanks Dick

I think the ruler despite it's ordinary appearance is accurate to that degree. I did also check with a vernier and measured 1.2".

Regards
Paul

**Doggie** · 9th August 2016, 02:10 PM

Gess wot?? Just sold one of the last books to a guy in the USA. Howwzatt.
Dick
(Now international Titan tragic)

**hiroller** · 9th August 2016, 11:39 PM

Well done. Sold out in 7 months. Nice going!
Looking forward to the next venture.

**Doggie** · 3rd September 2016, 02:32 PM

BLACK SWAN MOMENT - gulp!!!!!
Found a Titan chisel in a job lot the other day that in many years collecting had never seen before. That is a 121 (rectangular black painted neck and sometimes wrongly called a "school chisel") with a "TITAN Australia" blade mark and a paper oval sticker on the handle. OOOPS!! In the book I say these finished in about 1958 or so and made their last appearance with the Gold decal and "TITAN GUARANTEED" on the blade. WRONG. They must have extended a few years later (1963??) before being dropped. OK. 2nd addition coming up. Rob Howard said in his review in the AWR that I'd never be finished. He was right!Doggie
Faded but still enthusiastic Titan God.

**Doggie** · 7th September 2016, 07:46 PM

[QUOTE=Doggie;1974082]BLACK SWAN MOMENT - gulp!!!!!QUOTE]

Got the pics for you as requested Highroller.121 blade stamp.jpg Titan 121 Oval, Guaranteed and Australia blade stamps.jpg
First one is the "Titan Australia" blade mark (only one I have seen in 10 years or so). Its the small "Titan Australia" version (the earliest) so I guess only a few (thousand) were made. Never seen it in any catalogue either. The second pic is the "Oval" and "Titan Guaranteed" versions which preceded it. Note the SUPER RARE 1 3/4" (Oval blade mark) 121 - It's mine. IT'S MINE OK. Found it in a dumpster bin at the tip in Mornington a few years ago. Mind you, any 1 3/4" chisel of any make is rare.
Doggie

**hiroller** · 8th September 2016, 09:58 PM

Gotta love those dumpster finds!

**Doggie** · 9th September 2016, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by hiroller

Gotta love those dumpster finds!

Not a good look for a 70 year old to be seen ratting a dumpster though! People think you are sleeping there, looking for food, feel sorry and give you their sandwich.

**Cliff Rogers** · 9th September 2016, 10:20 AM

Do you get any good sandwiches?

**Doggie** · 11th September 2016, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

Do you get any good sandwiches?

Talking of sandwiches. Bought a salad sandwich yesterday at the Melbourne Working with Wood show out at Caufield race track - $9.50, WOW heavy freight. Never the less the show was absolutely great. Drove down to the big smoke to do a morning shift on the HTPAA stand and then went for a bit of a cruise around the exhibits afterwards. Saw all the usual show folk and mouth watering, coveted stuff, met the owner lady, even said hello at the WWF stand and had a yarn and ended up buying the book "Virtuoso" from Henry Ekchart (??) about the Studley tool chest. Had an enjoyable few hours talking to a lot of tool folk who stopped by the display and even signed up a few new members. Another good day and, mud and steer poop free as well!. Rather took a fancy to the mid size Lucas mill too (this will require a strategic campaign of some length to convince a certain person we really need it) but boy, what a toy for a country lad.
Doggie (At this stage only a few books left to sell Titan godlet)

**Doggie** · 18th September 2016, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by Doggie

Gess wot?? Just sold one of the last books to a guy in the USA. Howwzatt.
Dick
(Now international Titan tragic)

Further to the above.
The cost of mailing the book to the US is horrendous. A$63 express air with tracking and takes 4 days or, A$46 economy air taking 6 days with no tracking. This is a huge percentage of the books price (50% plus). What's going on?? Surely these costs are a restriction on trade. What happened to making free trade easier. Anyway the upshot of the deal was I was going to the States in any case so I'll shove it in my backpack for him. It's 2.3Kg I didn't need to hump with me though. I'm going to see George Washington's, Thomas Jefferson's and Benjamin Franklin's tools. They didn't have Titans unfortunately so their kit will be much diminished in my eyes.

**Bushmiller** · 18th September 2016, 02:30 PM

Dick

The intercontinental postage charges are a perennial problem. In fact it is almost the same in each direction. Remember that because of the exchange rate the cost to your US buyer will merely seem "steep" rather than "exorbitant."

Regards
Paul

**Doggie** · 28th October 2016, 05:10 AM

Well. Back from Trump show and attending the HTPPA tool sale next week (6th November at Glenferrie Primary school). Few copies of the Titan tome left will probably go. Sold three while I was away, amazingly! Saw some terrific stuff while over there but unfortunately didn't get to see the Studley tool chest. It's been back in private hands for quite a while and not in the Smithsonian any more. Most amazing thing seen was an 11th Century armorers vice in the Met museum NY. Looked just like a 20th century one. Grabbed a heap of decent hand tools (Channel lock, etc) out of Home Depot which were two thirds to 50% cheaper than Bunnings even with a 74 cent dollar exchange. My travel companion (YKW) thought it was wonderful. Star turn of the trip. Picked up a Titan chisel (pretty crappy though)at a Brooklyn flea market. Go Figure!
Dick - (Globe trotting Titan guy)

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