Jan 25th, 2017: Hobo Nickels

[Snakeadelic]

Griff, try an image search (I used Google) with the words antique engraving tools. No quote marks. LOTS of photos of old tool sets, many of which look like they could have been duplicated by a handyman with a few scraps of metal, wood, and ingenuity. Many of the antique tools, even in the tiny little preview pix, look like their handles were repurposed from other tools, doorknobs, or just scrap wood. That kind of repurposing is familiar to me in a highly personal context--when I worked for the sword-maker, if a tool such as a hoof rasp file or circular saw blade broke, it got recycled. My skinning knife (which I call Hensbane) is one such recycled item. The drop-tip leaf blade (ideal for not nicking the guts when "unzipping" a dead critter) was cut from an L6 tool steel circular saw blade that had thrown a couple of teeth. Its handle originally belonged to a huge rasp file that snapped in half when one of the horses (they had like 20) threw a fit while getting its hooves filed and ended up stepping on the file blade. I've had that knife 20 years now and have used it on fish, birds, rabbits, deer, sheep, and one very LARGE snake. So back during the Depression when food and work were hard to come by but free time wasn't, any scrap that could be repurposed would be, and a lot of 'drifters' had all the time they needed to teach themselves whittling, carving, and engraving techniques that could be practiced on found materials and in small quantities.

[xoxoxoBruce]

The link in the OP shows some of his tools.

[glatt]

He's selling all of these on E-bay.

And if you search Hobo Nickles on E-Bay there are tons of them available. Varying quality ad some are carved for you after you pay, so you don't know what you are getting.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Snakeadelic

Griff, try an image search (I used Google) with the words antique engraving tools. No quote marks. LOTS of photos of old tool sets, many of which look like they could have been duplicated by a handyman with a few scraps of metal, wood, and ingenuity. Many of the antique tools, even in the tiny little preview pix, look like their handles were repurposed from other tools, doorknobs, or just scrap wood. That kind of repurposing is familiar to me in a highly personal context--when I worked for the sword-maker, if a tool such as a hoof rasp file or circular saw blade broke, it got recycled. My skinning knife (which I call Hensbane) is one such recycled item. The drop-tip leaf blade (ideal for not nicking the guts when "unzipping" a dead critter) was cut from an L6 tool steel circular saw blade that had thrown a couple of teeth. Its handle originally belonged to a huge rasp file that snapped in half when one of the horses (they had like 20) threw a fit while getting its hooves filed and ended up stepping on the file blade. I've had that knife 20 years now and have used it on fish, birds, rabbits, deer, sheep, and one very LARGE snake. So back during the Depression when food and work were hard to come by but free time wasn't, any scrap that could be repurposed would be, and a lot of 'drifters' had all the time they needed to teach themselves whittling, carving, and engraving techniques that could be practiced on found materials and in small quantities.

Thanks!