Greetings,
The post a few days ago about the cobbler's hammer got me
wondering too. Went to the big downtown library and found "Dictionary of
Leather-Working Tools, c.1700-1950" by R. A. Salaman. From the description
in the earlier thread, the hammer is a 'cordwainer's hammer,' used in
America and Canada. The pein (pane in the book) was used in, I gather from
the text, an adze-like motion. The purpose was to make little pleats in
curved parts of the shoe leather, so the leather would wrap tightly around
the last. The buckled high spots were then rasped off. One quoted
authority suggested that only bodgers would use such a technique. Dissent
among craftsmen! Whodathunkit?
A tidbit I got from the book is that what we see called a "Mill
Knife" in our LV catalogs derived from shoemaker's knives. The blades were
first used without handles by the "clinkers" who cut out the shoe
pieces from the hide. The blades were bendy if too long, and ungrippable
if too short. Then a clever inventor made the handle which allowed only a
desired length of blade to protrude.
A final tidbit is that Paul N. Hasluck, who wrote/edited the great
woodcarving book, wrote a series of how-to books, including saddle and
harness making. Ping Charlie Self: get cracking, dude!
--
"Keep your ass behind you"
wreck20051219 at spambob.net
Australopithecus scobis wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> The post a few days ago about the cobbler's hammer got me
> wondering too. Went to the big downtown library and found "Dictionary of
> Leather-Working Tools, c.1700-1950" by R. A. Salaman. From the description
> in the earlier thread, the hammer is a 'cordwainer's hammer,' used in
> America and Canada. The pein (pane in the book) was used in, I gather from
> the text, an adze-like motion. The purpose was to make little pleats in
> curved parts of the shoe leather, so the leather would wrap tightly around
> the last. The buckled high spots were then rasped off. One quoted
> authority suggested that only bodgers would use such a technique. Dissent
> among craftsmen! Whodathunkit?
>
> A tidbit I got from the book is that what we see called a "Mill
> Knife" in our LV catalogs derived from shoemaker's knives. The blades were
> first used without handles by the "clinkers" who cut out the shoe
> pieces from the hide. The blades were bendy if too long, and ungrippable
> if too short. Then a clever inventor made the handle which allowed only a
> desired length of blade to protrude.
>
> A final tidbit is that Paul N. Hasluck, who wrote/edited the great
> woodcarving book, wrote a series of how-to books, including saddle and
> harness making. Ping Charlie Self: get cracking, dude!
Interesting. Good bit of research, Asto...Austra...guy! I'm sure, as
with most tools, that there were several variations on the usage,
particularly in light of how many different versions of cobbler's
hammers I've seen. Knocking down pleats is a possible function, but it
wouldn't be necessary to have such a curve on the working end.
I surmise that the thin end could work well to start a tack held
between the fingers, and that the curved peen would function as a dolly
does in autobody work - it could be held inside the workpiece to bend
over nails that would be driven with another hammer.
R
On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 21:30:47 -0800, RicodJour opined:
> between the fingers, and that the curved peen would function as a dolly
> does in autobody work - it could be held inside the workpiece to bend
> over nails that would be driven with another hammer.
Indeed. There is yet another special tool used "when the worker's hands
are too large to fit in the shoe."
--
"Keep your ass behind you"
wreck20051219 at spambob.net