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Zyta 
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 Topic: What was this tool used for? Is it a Knife
Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 7:06pm |
Can someone help me identify this tool or Knife...what was it used for? I found this hidden on a beam in the old Black Smith Shop that my uncle aquired. It looks like it was forged/made by a Black Smith.
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Reeseholler
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 7:07pm |
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Kinda looks like some sort of dinner knife. If not that, my guess would be that it looks like it has a twist to it to be pounded into something to separate two pieces or break something up.
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Zyta
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 7:08pm |
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Zyta
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 7:09pm |
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Zyta
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 7:11pm |
I was wondering if it didn't attach to the bottom of a rifle? it has a very sharp blade on both sides.
Jim
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Jacob (WI,ND)
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 8:15pm |
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No idea, but has the makings of an awesome letter opener...
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Jacob Swanson
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chllngr528
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 8:29pm |
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Its not a bayonet. Not any kind I am familiar with anyways. Did you clean it up or is that how you found it?
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JC-WI
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 8:43pm |
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That blacksmith was an early day advenger with his martial art weapons hidden away securly from his enemies but easily accessible in time of need.
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Unit3
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 8:54pm |
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Is it a parting tool? I have seen a TV show that a hole was made by driving a tool like this into red hot steel. Maybe?
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chllngr528
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 9:10pm |
 JC(WI) wrote:
That blacksmith was an early day advenger with his martial art weapons hidden away securly from his enemies but easily accessible in time of need. |
Thats it!!! The blacksmith must have been one of the last of the rare canadian ninjas.
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donslick72@gmail.com
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 9:14pm |
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Looks like a tape measure. I'm surprised nobody beat me to that one. Don
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chllngr528
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 9:15pm |
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It may be a unfinshed knife. I know nothing about blacksmithing but I will ask a buddy of mine tomorrow. He runs the blacksmith shop at the antique equipment show we have here.
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Reeseholler
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 9:46pm |
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I had thought an unfinished knife but that round end puzzles me. It's not flat enough to look like it would be used with a hammer.
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Zyta
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Posted: 12 Mar 2011 at 11:10pm |
Thanks for the feed back! yes it would make quite the letter opener thats for sure. Be for they knocked down the building to clean up the site I went over the building once more and found it on top of a beam. It was all rusty when I found it. After a little clean up on the wire wheel I amazed at how it looked.
Would it have been a tool the Black Smith used to clean out the horses hoves during the shoeing process and maybe hung from his belt?
No one around this area can figure it out either?
Jim
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AllisChalmers37
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 12:30am |
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lightning rod??
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SHAMELESS
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 10:03am |
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i have a few of those, but like on the left end of your pic, it's about an 1/8th in thick, used for cleaning out keyways on shafts.
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Pa.Pete
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 1:15pm |
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It looks like a railroad spike that he made into a knife.
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Zyta
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 1:55pm |
Well its still a mystery..its not a railway spike both sides of the blade are razor sharp! I guess back 1860's Black Smith's were into making weapons!
Jim
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Gerald J.
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 4:29pm |
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Thing is, a blacksmith with forge and anvil with hammer had the capability of shaping iron or steel into ANYTHING he wanted, even if he only needed it once. He didn't have to order it he just made it. Might have been for use cleaning out a hoof, though those usually were curved to scoop better, might have been the beginnings of a letter opener, a gillet slicer (e.g. fighting knife), might not have been completed. Might have had a wooden handle that rotted away to compliment the rounded end. Might have been used to split kindling with the rounded end available for bashing with a hammer or hatchet. Very likely there was never anything printed about the design and what you have is the only one ever made.
Gerald J.
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Zyta
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 4:31pm |
Thanks Gerald, probably right will never know exactly what is was hhe made and they were creative. I also have a feeling there was a wooden handle on it at one tiime.
Thanks for the comments!
Jim
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Pa.Pete
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 4:58pm |
Zyta wrote:
Well its still a mystery..its not a railway spike both sides of the blade are razor sharp! I guess back 1860's Black Smith's were into making weapons!
Jim |
Like someone else said a good blacksmith could make just about anything.
I also read that the old spikes were made with high carbon steel and made good knives like this one.
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realolman
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 6:42pm |
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what strikes me about it is that it looks brand new and doesn't seem to have a single rust pit on it. looks like it was just made this morning
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427435
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 6:58pm |
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I also think it started out as a railroad spike. Then the blacksmith needed a piecing tool for some project and just made it. Perhaps for putting a slit into leather or a piece of hot steel.
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Mark
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1946WP
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 8:58pm |
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I worked on the railroad for 34 yrs and it's not rail spike, but it looks more like it could be a crossing spike thats been made into a knife.
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Stan R
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Posted: 13 Mar 2011 at 9:38pm |
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Timber Spike
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48AC/WD
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Posted: 14 Mar 2011 at 9:28am |
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It may be either a timber spike or it could be used to clean hooves and trim before re-shoeing a horse, it also could have been used to cut soft metals out of the forge (like brass, bronze, copper, tin,) ect...
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jjrosty
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Posted: 14 Mar 2011 at 10:01am |
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It could be a scribe used to mark the wood beams. some woodworkers use a knife vs a pencil. of course blacksmiths would make anything they needed out of necessity
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Zyta
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Posted: 14 Mar 2011 at 1:38pm |
Yes it does look good now! when I found it it was very rusty and cleaned up well on my bench grinder and polisher. Much better metal used back then!
Well I am going to used it as a letter opener at my home office.
Appreciate everyones imput!
Jim
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Gerald J.
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Posted: 14 Mar 2011 at 2:16pm |
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My dad and I have both made custom tools not copying anything made commercially. After while I'll got take a picture of one or two of his out in the machine shed and see if their purpose can be figured out.
Gerald J.
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Gerald J.
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Posted: 14 Mar 2011 at 2:36pm |
 Well, I failed at that. Didn't find the custom tools I expected from his stuff, but I did get a picture of a piece I made last year. Used for a couple days, probably won't ever use it that way again. But it has a new use. Gerald J.
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