1880–1959
Hand-forged auger with a loop handle
Item passport
- Dating
- Working hypothesis: late 19th to first half of the 20th century (roughly 1880–1950s); low confidence.
- Condition
- After careful cleaning; in working order, drills well in the owner's test. Before restoration the surface was covered with brown corrosion and dirt, but the form, handle and…
Dimensions
- Length210 mm
Hand auger for drilling wood with a closed oval loop handle for turning directly by hand, without a brace. According to the owner it was made from a single metal rod; the transition from handle to shank has a double swelling. The working end is twisted with a…
Read the storyHistory
Hand auger for drilling wood with a closed oval loop handle for turning directly by hand, without a brace. According to the owner it was made from a single metal rod; the transition from handle to shank has a double swelling. The working end is twisted with a pointed lead (screw / spoon-like form). Iron / steel, alloy not determined. Length 210 mm, mass 124 g. No marks found.
Dating. Working hypothesis: late 19th to first half of the 20th century (roughly 1880–1950s); low confidence.
Restoration
October 2026: surface corrosion and dirt removed with 0000 steel wool and WD-40, the metal preserved with ISO VG 68 oil. No blackening, painting or artificial patination was used; the dark natural patina and uneven surface texture are retained.
Sources
Research status
Maker, workshop and country of manufacture are not established. Such forms may have been made later too; the place of purchase does not prove German origin. How the double swelling was formed (upsetting, swaging, a smith's operation) is not proven without inspection; the exact type of the cutting part needs further examination. Useful next steps: large photographs of the cutting end, measuring the drilled hole diameter, inspecting where the rod meets, and searching old German and French tool catalogues for the exact form. Until then the tool should not be attributed to a particular factory or smith. Dimensions, mass, purchase, restoration materials and test result are the owner's data; purpose, period and value are assumptions. Bought at a flea market in Frankfurt am Main in late September 2026. Card dated October 2026.
Purchase and price
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