Toothed scraper for cleaning grooves (no. 6)

Item passport

Dating

Provisionally late 19th to first half of the 20th century; a typological assumption.

Condition

Age-related surface traces and the shape of the teeth are preserved; the working teeth are functional.

Dimensions

Length146 mm

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History

Hand tool by an unknown maker, presumably a workshop conversion. A massive short shank with an all-metal oval loop handle (twisted joint) ends in a bent working section: the tip is blunt, slightly rounded and smoothed, and on the inside of the bend there are separate sharp teeth. Length 146 mm, mass 125 g. Steel / iron, composition not determined. No marking established. In the owner's practical test it effectively removes bark, wood fibres and burrs from grooves, mainly by the action of the teeth when drawn along.

Dating. Provisionally late 19th to first half of the 20th century; a typological assumption.

Sources

Research status

Maker, country and craftsman are unknown. Hypothesis: a conversion of a damaged hand auger — a craftsman may have shortened or reshaped the working end, bent it and formed teeth for a specific task; this fits the construction and working properties, but there are no traces of the original bit and no documentary confirmation. The alternative is original manufacture as a specialised scraper. Found in the same bag as the old bits, hand augers and one of the braces; a common origin from a woodworking shop is likely but unproven. The purpose is confirmed by practical testing; origin and dating remain hypotheses. Bought at a flea market in Frankfurt am Main, price 1 €. Catalogue card no. 6.