This old brush hook ...

[BillinOregon]

Bought the hammer and the brush hook for $5 this morning, and plan to reshape the blade and handle into more of a scalper pattern. I may experiment with using chlorox to pit the blade where the newly ground steel appears to try to blend it with the older metal. Wish my bon chance!

 

[Brasilikilt]

Hey Bill

I think it might look better if you do your blade reshaping, and simply sand and polish all the rust and dirt off.
With some honest use, any patina will be even and consistent......
I don't think any old timers had rusty or pitted knives on account that they were used regularly and would probably be cleaned and sharpened pretty often.

 

[StevePrice2]

looks like a beet digger to me ... but what do I know? :grin:

Show us the blade when you rework it!

Steve

 

[Claude Mathis]

looks like a beet digger to me ... but what do I know? :grin:

Here's a good site for old farm tools. There are some beet knives toward the bottom of this page: http://www.antiquefarmtools.info/page5.htm

 

[kansas_volunteer]

The brush hook looks a lot like a Chinese "hatchet." On the Chinese version the projection protects the blade when splitting fire wood on the ground, rather than on a chopping block. The projection strikes the ground, keeping the edge above the ground, and thereby sharper.

Of course, it could be some sort of western tool as well -- and probably is. It just looks Chinese. Dzai jyan.

 

[StevePrice2]

Here in the salt lake valley is a local school whose mascot/team icon is the Beetdigger with a beet knife and a sugar beet on their logo. Hence my guess about it. Plus a website where you can buy new ones and other nifty blades like hop knives, cabbage knives, shoe knives, clam knives, etc...
http://www.landmarkdistributions.com/k_okc_ia.asp

 

[pichou]

Old cabbage knives are pretty common around here (so are kraut cutters :grin: ) but I never saw a beet cutter before. Learned something new! :hatsoff:

 

[larry wv]

All of the Brush hooks here on the farm are like a single blade axe with a 90 degree turn in them. One solid piece of metal. They are original. At least I don't have to swing one anymore. Larry Wv

 

[wirewiz]

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My dad made this "hook" back in the '20's. He and I used it many times to build blinds. This design allows you to reach over a branch and pull in places where you can't swing. This is an "old country" design, probably from the middle ages.

Wirewiz

"There is no such thing as ancient history."

 

[BillinOregon]

A beet knife it is.
Wirewiz: Love your dad's brush hook!

 

[Bryanbrown]

Wirewiz in the 18th century those were known as fascine knives or (often on longer handle) bill hooks. They can be traced all the way back to at least the Romans. And are sold in better garden stores today.

They are actually the most common tool found at 18th century military sight digs. Having been commonly used to make the fortifications, fascines (pointy sticks in the ground at @a 30 degree angle to repel horse). And gambions ("basket" like structures filled with dirt to create walls and cover.

These are where the expression "by hook or by crook" comes from, the old English tenant agreements forbade cutting green wood for firewood, but you could gather "such dead fall and limbs that may be gathered by hook (bill hook) or by crook (think shepherds crook)"


Bryan K. Brown www.gunsmithy.com www.jaegerkorps.org
[email protected]
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Alle künst ist umsunst wenn ein Engle auf dem Zundlocke brünst.