What do you think this is?
- Thread starter hittman
- Start date
Bob Wright
Hawkeye
At first glance I thought hoof rasp, but its a mill file with a pretty nice handle. Could be used for anything for shaping or smoothing steel.
Bob Wright
Bob Wright
Don Lovel
Hunter
rasp handle made out of a tuning key for an upright bass
protoolman
Service-Sixer
Looks like a nice antique screwdriver handle fitted to a small bastard file.
That wasn't very nice!...... :mrgreen:protoolman said:
gramps
GunnyGene
Hawkeye
Looks like an old English paring chisel handle to me.
coach
Hunter
None of my files have handles as nice as that. When they have handles that is. :roll: 
DeletedMember275
Hunter
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2002
- Messages
- 2,759
protoolman said:
My thoughts exactly.
pete44ru
Hunter
.
An nice/old hand/wood chisel handle, grafted onto a file.
.
An nice/old hand/wood chisel handle, grafted onto a file.
.
OP
Thanks for all the replies. Here's the story and I don't know if it makes it easier or more difficult to guess what it is. There are no markings on this thing.
I thought it was a metal file with an old wood handle. Not sure why a "metal" file came to mind except the grooves are fairly fine, not at all course like for removing serious amounts of wood or other material.
The wife's 78 year old aunt had this in the rafters of a 2 car garage. This garage has been rehabilitated several times over but I never knew this story. According to the aunt, this little homestead was build just after the Civil War. What's now the garage was formerly a stable (and 3 or 4 times it's current size) and her grandfather was a veterinarian. The aunt says this has been in the garage / stable "as long as she remembers". She has pictures from the early 1900's with "Grandpa", some horses and a carriage in and around this garage.
So, is it a hoof rasp? Guess it'd be hard to say. One thing for sure, since the handle doesn't show a bunch of wear, it must not have been used much.
I thought it was a metal file with an old wood handle. Not sure why a "metal" file came to mind except the grooves are fairly fine, not at all course like for removing serious amounts of wood or other material.
The wife's 78 year old aunt had this in the rafters of a 2 car garage. This garage has been rehabilitated several times over but I never knew this story. According to the aunt, this little homestead was build just after the Civil War. What's now the garage was formerly a stable (and 3 or 4 times it's current size) and her grandfather was a veterinarian. The aunt says this has been in the garage / stable "as long as she remembers". She has pictures from the early 1900's with "Grandpa", some horses and a carriage in and around this garage.
So, is it a hoof rasp? Guess it'd be hard to say. One thing for sure, since the handle doesn't show a bunch of wear, it must not have been used much.
RugerHound
Hunter
Someone sure could have used it as a hoof rasp even if it wasn't what it was originally designed for. That's a handsome handle... I'm pretty sure it's a metal file by design.
Bob Wright
Hawkeye
Hoof rasps have coarser teeth as a rule, but that could have been used as a trim file after shoeing.
Bob Wright
Bob Wright
Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
hittman said:
Hi,
The few hoof rasps I've seen in person look more like a wood rasp, pretty coarse. But doing a quick search online for some pictures, various specialty rasps, including finishing rasps, pop up. Looking at some of the pictures, I could see how it might be one of them. But without checking with one of my clients who's a farrier, I'm gonna guess from the top picture it's about a 12" metal file. If it's been around since 1900 or so, it wouldn't surprise me if someone made a custom handle for it. Some folks used to take a different kind of pride in their tools, ya know?
Rick C
OP
Bob Wright said:
That's something I hadn't thought of.
I know zero about horses or blacksmiths or farriers but am flattered she allowed me to give this item a new home. And I got to hear a neat story about the family history too. She says about 2 blocks south, where the ambulance shed is now, was a "public stable" back in the old days. Her grandfathers stable was for the horse-clientele only but folks traveling through town could stable their horses down the street.
OP
Thanks Rick, my search of internet pictures made me think the same as you. There's a lady in my office building who owns horses and ropes competitively some so I'll see if she'll look at this for me tomorrow.
OP
One local person experienced with horses agrees this item is very old and explains away the lack of hard usage thinking it may have been used to file down sharp teeth. :shock: That doesn't sound very pleasant and I never would of guessed a horse gets sharp teeth!
Bull Barrel
Hunter
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Looks like a yardstick to me....
Bob Wright
Hawkeye
Bull Barrel said:
No, no! It the other thing in the picture we're talkin' about!
Bob Wright
picketpin
Buckeye
They might have used it for a hoof rasp but it is Much finer than any hoof rasp actually made for that task. L
A rasp has much more agressive teeth. Hoof aren't all that hard. The thought does come that it might have been used for finally fitting/dressing the hoof to the new shoe where you are in fact removing some metal.
Sca;e is hard to tell. If it was for shoeing either a hoof rasp or to finsh it would normally be about 2" wide and at least 12" long and fairly thich.
Bastard File. Coarse enough for some wood applications and fine enough for rough/heavy metal removal. Again, usually a pretty big file.
It's called floating the horses teeth. AS they get older and worn down unevenly they end up with odd sharp, uneven edges that make it hard for them to eat grain/oats in particular and they spill/waste a lot of grain while eating.
RWT
A rasp has much more agressive teeth. Hoof aren't all that hard. The thought does come that it might have been used for finally fitting/dressing the hoof to the new shoe where you are in fact removing some metal.
Sca;e is hard to tell. If it was for shoeing either a hoof rasp or to finsh it would normally be about 2" wide and at least 12" long and fairly thich.
Bastard File. Coarse enough for some wood applications and fine enough for rough/heavy metal removal. Again, usually a pretty big file.
It's called floating the horses teeth. AS they get older and worn down unevenly they end up with odd sharp, uneven edges that make it hard for them to eat grain/oats in particular and they spill/waste a lot of grain while eating.
RWT
