leatherbob48

Thank you Fred - The owner of this box we got from Japan appears to have been a jack of all trades. The trades seem to cover Blacksmithing, leather work, carpentry and possible cobblers. Thank you for your help. Bob.

Hi Mike - Thank you for your note. It sounds like this is a feather file as both sides seek to have the same surface. It is perhaps interesting that within the tool box that it came in there were 3 Japanese saws. I attach photographs as requested of both sides of the file (?) and of the 3 saws as well just in case they are relevant. Thanks again for your very interesting comments and help. Regarding horn work we inherited a horn box made by John Obrisset in the early 1700 which has a lid which is almost translucent. If you hold it up to the light it shows the Armorial of Francis Drake. I am told that they have tried to reproduce the horn box making process without success -maybe because the horn itself has changed over the centuries. Thanks again . Bob

Thank you - yes we thought that it must be a leather AND wood worker as there were also saws and planes in the box. The pricking tool makers mark looks like a flower but with a square centre with a dot inside the square. Thanks again.

Hello - We recently acquired a large Japanese box containing vintage tools some of which we believe may be for leather working. We would be most grateful for any comments about their use. We in particular are unsure what the brass "pricking tool " is used for ( if it is such,) as it is seems too thin to be a punch. The box also contained 2 metal frames which we wondered whether they may be for stretching pelts/hides ? We grouped togther all the other tools that we couldn't identify and wonder whether these too have leather working associations. By way of background we believe that the contents of the box are 50 years plus and the other tools included in the box were saws , planes and metal blacksmith items such as a vice and varius tin snips. My wife and I are retired and enjoy doing up old tools as a hobby and returning them to circulation. Any help woud be greatly appreciated. Bob and Bryony