Item NA16 - Manhattan Tool Mfg. Co. Hawsing Iron. 

This smaller size hawsing iron is marked, “Manhattan Tool Mfg. Co” but I can find little info about the Co.  The EAIA DAT is silent on this, and other sources suggest that the company did exist in Orange, Conn.  Hawsing irons were used by caulking teams on 19th century wooden ship when especially tight seams were desired, both in the hull planking, and especially in deck planking,  When the seams were mostly filled with caulking, two-man teams—one positioning the captive caulking iron in a seam, and the second swinging a large caulking mallet (a ‘beetle”) would drive the final layer of caulking with great force.  The hawsing iron here is of traditional shape, with a long slightly curved flat handle having a rat’s tail hanging end, and diamond shaped eye that loosely holds the captive, yet moveable caulking iron.  This example has a handle 24 ½ inches long (which is on the short side of many hawsing irons) and is made of steel ½ inch thick.  The caulking iron, itself has an edge length of  3 7/8 inches and quite sharp, as befits a decking iron.  The head of the iron has been split, but is still tight, and there is a welded repair to the eye of he handle.  About half of the original black paint remains on the tool  Easily Good

 

Price - $45.00

To order, email sushandel@msn.com

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