MYSTERY OBJECTS

[Gloria]

Some sort of picker?

[chinatyke]

Try again: the spiked end was used to push a wick fuse into the hole on a musket, the nipper end trimmed it to length, then some damned fool lit it?

Imaginative if nothing else!

[hartley353]

There is something in my fishing bag that could be a clone, the pointy end is used to clear varnish from the eyes of home tied flies, and the nipper to cut off the tab end from knots when attaching the fly to the leader. Mine says House of Hardy Alnwick.

[chinatyke]

Some sort of picker?

That's it! Thanks Gloria. The spiked end is for picking your nose and clearing the wax from your ears, and the other end is for removing nostril and lug hair.

Sorry. Only fun!

[Marilyn]

Winkle picker...

( or a DIY dental tool)

[Stanley]

All very ingenious but not there yet. You need a clue, think 'pickfound'.

[Gloria]

is it for making peg rugs?

[Wendyf]

My grandma was a burler & mender...would she have used one? Or are they nail clippers??

[Cathy]

Ice breaker... Ice pick...

[Stanley]

Wendy, you are so close it would be cruel to ask you to be more specific, but I'm going to! Bigger clue, look in the Glossary of Textile Terms in Rare Texts and search for 'pick-finding'.

[hartley353]

There is something in my fishing bag that could be a clone, the pointy end is used to clear varnish from the eyes of home tied flies, and the nipper to cut off the tab end from knots when attaching the fly to the leader. Mine says House of Hardy Alnwick.

Must research this what came first the fishermans tool,or the textile tool,also in my fishing bag is a tacklers pocket knife.

[hartley353]

From trade directories the makers of Stanleys object were in sheffield 1925 making knives. The manufacturers of my fishing fishing accessory were in Alnwick in 1890
offering their services as cutlers,the mystery deepens. This may have had many guises

[Stanley]

This is a very specific tool and was universal in the industry. I have never seen it used anywhere else. Nolic knows but he hasn't come clean yet. If nobody gets it today I'll put you all oput of your misery! Think picks and cloth!

[Gloria]

This is a bit of an educated guess--is it for fastening/tying the thread off at the end and cutting it off?

[Steeplejerk]

Picking rogue seeds and knots from woven cotton..

[hartley353]

Last guess when a warp thread broke,this tool could be used to extract the broken ends which could be spliced and the loose ends of the knots snipped to a neat appearance. I showed mine to a friend who runs craft classes, and without hesitation he said thats a thonging tool. Pointy end opens up the hole to enable the thong to pass more easily and the nippers to trim the thong at the end.

[Stanley]

Gloria is closest. Every warp that went down into the weaving shed had a card with it describing all it's characteristics, yarn weights etc and often contained the words 'pickfound' all tags to be removed. Pickfound meant that when a shuttle ran ot of weft the loom had to be backed off and the new shuttle inserted at the point where the old ran out so there was no gap in the weave. This meant that there were two tags of weft, one from the end of the old package and one from the new. All weavers had a pair of these tweezers and a pair of scissors. The spike was used for finding the old tag and the nippers for pulling the thread tight and often for snapping the end off. Many weavers preferred to use the scissors for a clean cut. They also had a small steel comb for 'scratting' the weave up if there was anything that looked like a loose shop or a fault.

Try this one. Why would a well-equipped wagon driver have one of these about his person?

[Nolic]

Missed all these around the "Pikers" - sounds like pike as in the fish. That's what my mum and dad called them. New ones were useless, the spike end was often too thick and the spring on the tweezer too strong. A stone doorstep cured the first and a few well placed taps with a hammer the second.The weavers armoury was complete with a reed hook added to the scissors, comb and piker. Nolic

[Bodger]

for blocking hydraulic fittings ?

[hartley353]

Could be used as a simple spirit level to make sure the load was level and even.

[Gloria]

Is the ball thing sunk flush into the wood or does it stand out? and, how big is the piece of wood? It's very difficult to make out.

[Stanley]

Bugger! Bodge got it exactly the first time! In the days when we had hydraulic brakes on wagons a burst brake pipe was a show-stopper. Pop a ball into the union and tighten it up and that section of pipe was isolated. Not recommended but it got you home on a bad night! I shall have to exercise my poor brain again.....

[Stanley]

[Marilyn]

Hand-made, seed impregnated, paper.

[Stanley]

Ah, you remember the dreaded woodchip as well then! Sorry Maz, no but not a million miles off.