Thread: Unknown hand tool

I think it's a chimera; the handle looks like it's from a large London pattern screwdriver.

As for the blade; copper alloys are unusual materials for tooling. They are generally only needed in non-magnetic or non-sparking applications. My only guesses would be as a scraper if the blade is thin and flexible, or as a caulking tool if it is over 3mm thick.

Certainly not a shipwrights caulking iron

Blade is approx. 4mm thick. Scraped a bit of the tarnish off and shows copper underneath.

Any chance of some close up pics of the business end, please? It's extremely hard to guess without it. Are there any markings on it under the tarnish?
Kryn

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Blade thickness tapers from 6.5mm at shoulder to 2.4mm at tip. No markings on blade. Blade material is non-ferrous alloy possibly copper / brass.

I'm going to suggest something and immediately contradict it...

An iron of sorts for heating wax or hardened shellac and then spreading it into voids/blemishes on workpieces? A repair knife, if you will? This would explain the utility of copper, which would heat and cool very quickly, and also the blunt edge at the front.

Having said that (this is the contradiction part...), it seems like a tool like that would have a lot more wear and tear visible, given the repetitive heating and cooling, spreading goopy stuff on it, etc.

But maybe the user was just good at cleaning it off each time? Or it was very infrequently used?

Either way I think it would make a good tool for that application.

My AU$0.02.

Cheers,
Luke