For anyone interested in 18th century tool documentation.

OK, I was saving what I consider to be the absolutely awesome source for 18th century metal working hand tools for last.

Around 2000, I walked into the Old Gunsmith Shop at Colonial Williamsburg with the main intention of finding period documentation on Turnscrews (the 18th century name for Screwdrivers) and Artificer’s/Armorer’s Tool Chests.

When I asked what a period Turnscrew should look like, they handed me for my inspection what honestly wasn’t a very good repro. (This was a low period for the gun shop, which I’m glad to say they have corrected since.) So, when I asked how they documented it, one asked me if I had ever heard of the John Wyke tool catalogues? They showed me their repro copy and my jaw bounced on the floor every time I turned the pages. Just like the original catalogues, there was no explanation of the tools. However, they informed me the University of Virginia had published a book [1978] of the Catalogue with explanations of the tools. Unfortunately, they were out of print.

For a “thrifty Scot” like me, I went more than a bit crazy and bought a used one from Amazon for $120.00 back then. I was so enthralled with it, I found a second copy on Ebay for $50.00 about 6 months later and bought that one as well, in case I wore the first copy out. The Winterthur Museum had another run of the books published a decade or so ago for $35.00 each and have since run out, but at least that means more copies are available as used books.

The book I’m referring to is “A catalogue of tools for watch and clock makers” by John Wyke of Liverpool, ca 1780. Many if not most of the common tools listed in the catalogue date back to at least the 1750’s, though, so it’s a great reference for most of us. Though it does have some tools in it that were only used by clock makers, the majority of the tools is a cornucopia of hand tools used by almost anyone who worked metal. Unfortunately, no one has made a free, online copy available as far as I’m aware.

In the below link, it has an illustration of the Dust Cover and shows two box joint pliers along with a scribing compass. It also has some illustrations of some of the engraved plates when you scroll down the link’s page, but not the pages following the plates that describes them.

www.anvilfire.com/vises/af_vises_301.php


Below are some other links to some of the plates:

Drilling and boring bits, taps and screw plate dies:

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Hammers, including Claw Hammers:

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Lancashire Pattern Hack Saws, which were used not only in the metal working trades, but also by surgeons. The interesting thing is these were still being made brand new as late as the 1940’s in the UK and by then in blade lengths common today. Now for older Lancashire Pattern Hack Saws, they came in sizes as small for a 3 or 4 inch blade and in other “non standard” sizes for modern blades. Merchants had coils of saw blade material and they snapped off the size the customer needed and charged him by the inch. Then the customer took the blade to a blacksmith to bore or hot punch two holes in the blade, if the customer didn’t have the ability to do it himself. We can do the same thing by snapping off modern hack saw blades and drilling holes in them, to get them to fit on original saw frames.

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Gus

Excellent, very good information! Looking forward to digging into this collection and reading. Thank you for sharing all this.

I hope this illustration of John Wyke's Catalogue comes out below:


www.anvilfire.com/vises/images/catalog/Catalogue_Tools_Watch_Clock/cover-1978_320.jpg

About a year after I bought my first copy, I ran across a duplicate of the largest set of box joint pliers illustrated on the cover, while perusing Ebay.  I think they were labeled as being old jeweler's pliers.  Much to my delight, I guess no one else realized what they were and I bought them for the princely sum of around $8.00.  I keep transferring them back and forth between my period leather working kit (mainly to pull needles through heavy leather) and my Artificer/Armorer tools, as they are that handy.  Now my pair most likely were made in the 19th century and possibly even the early part of the 20th century, but they are right as rain for the 18th century.

I mention this because I have found thanks to the catalogue that many times that tools made in the 19th century and even some made in the early 20th century are correct for our period and that can save one money from either making or buying period tools.  This because to many or most folks, they are just "old tools." 

I bought a bench vise (not a post vise) that is probably early to mid 19th century, but is a dead ringer for one in the catalogue shown below on the left.  I did pay $45.00 for it, but they are much more uncommon than post vises.  
www.anvilfire.com/vises/images/catalog/Catalogue_Tools_Watch_Clock/plate-18_640.jpg


Also want to mention the one thing I do stay away from is tools marked "made in England" or other foreign countries, as that rather destroys the impression to the public in my mind.  However, there are enough original tools out there, one can normally find most of what one needs without buying the ones marked with the country of origin.

Gus

Good question, Nock,

I probably should not have been so succinct.

Laws requiring country of origin markings began around 1880.  In the U.S. the Tariff Act of 1930 seems to have been particularly influential in American Country of Origin Labeling law.  So usually when something has "made in England" or even "England" on it, it sort of destroys the 18th century historic illusion we try to do and especially for living histories and some very stringent reenactment events.

Now, if it has a CITY marking on it from England or another country, that's pretty much OK.

The best thing of course is just the maker's name or no marking at all.  

Gus

Pictures of the saw?

You are most welcome.

Gus