BC Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Today I was visiting an elderly uncle (87 years old) with food supplies and laundry delivery and collection etc who lives in a sheltered cottage at Kintore. I was out in the shed for some weed killer to kill some weeds around his house. He had a look out to show me where it was and he said "you might as well take away any of those tools and stuff since it is of no use to me and one day the shed and house contents will be yours anyway". Well I decided I would leave the steelyard weighing machine and the large garden tools until a day I had a trailer. I took away a box of little hand tools and various bits and pieces. First up a tool which he would have used as part of his work as a farmer up until 1978.I suspect most folk will know what it is but when I asked someone today I got the answer it looks very old and would have been used by a blacksmith for cleaning out a horses hoof ;D ..I suppose it could have been used as that but who will be the first to name what the tool was used for and what do you call it in your respective areas The tool must have been well used and even the wooden handle was almost shaped through wear and tear for his hand to grip on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Next 3 hammers....to add to my growing collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Next a 4 inch square...I don't have this size in my collection so this one is a bonus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Now I have various weighing devices including a set of Post office scales and some spring balances in my collection but I don't thing I have a Slater No3 weighs to 24 lbs so another good acquisition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 I also have a collection of older tins...don't know if any of my Aberdeen model show visitors spotted them in my house loft last Saturday or not but you are excuse since my home and outbuildings are kinda of busy places. Any what would this have been used for...a tea caddy ...I really do not know but I'm open to suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Lastly I have a couple of walking sticks which I was showing to master model maker jdc when he visited me last weekend.John was saying he had made some sticks too....anyway I now have a walking stick collection since this is number 3 an adjustable aluminium folding cane which adjusts from 33" to 37" in one inch stages...might come useful in my old age ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catkom3 Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 I know what the first one is,I've used one,but not a clue as to how you would give it it's proper Scottish name, Regards Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Well Joe I have never used one as such but glad you have...you are a little bit older and wiser than me and retired to sleep before I did last Sunday morning...Iast I saw was 2.11am on the clock and then 4.40am for a 5am start...nae wonder I was a wee bit tired when I got home around 6.30pm and fell asleep on the sofa for a few hours to recharge my batteries....just a bit like young convo aka Nathan a right good young boy who had to have a "wee nap" just before 3pm last Sunday Sorry Nathan.... but you can punch my lights out in another ten years or so when you come up to Aberdeen again to punch my lights out ;D ...but the Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen will still be there ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8feetmower Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Is the first one a tailing knife for neeps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 That is what it was used for in Aberdeenshire..but not known as a tailing knife for "turnips"..was that the Orcadian name for the tool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8feetmower Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Thats what mum called it & she used one.Could just be the district name for it & not necessarily Orcadian.What do you call it in Aberdeenshire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 The name I recall my uncle Bill and Sandy call it was a pronounced " tar pen err"...come on there must be some folk in Aberdeenshire who have "pood neeps by hand" surely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catkom3 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Well here in Kinross-Shire we always called it a "Sheuch",which is apparently more commonly used to describe a ditch ??but I found an interesting tale whilst researching that,here it is, Cutting Neeps David McCarlie from Broxburn. Posted 29 Oct 2004. A not-so- fond memory of mine was cutting turnips in the late 1970's. Today, this is all done by machinery but back then, it was done by hand. I was given the job of topping and tailing turnips on a "Piece Work" basis for 20 pence per hundred yards. With hindsight, not a great rate for the work involved. I was given a hooked knife, looking a little like a sickle, but with a hook in the end. The idea was, use the hook to pull the turnip out of the ground and holding it in one hand, whack the top and the tail with the knife. It was sugested that I work with two "dreels" or rows, cutting the tops to the right and the tails to the left and drop the turnip in the middle of the "dreel". That seemed very simple. Turnips have a thick tail root and copious foilage on top. Not particularly heavy but a solid vegetable nonetheless. I sailed through the first day, pulling the turnip by hand, twisting to the right a little and slicing the top off, swinging to the left and slicing the roots and dropping the turnip bewtwwen the rows. A day of standing bent over, twisting and straddling two rows of turnips left me a little sore and tired at the end of the day. A quick calculation suggested I had earned a disappointing £1.40 for my efforts. The next day would surely be better. Besides having copious foliage, turnips have another characteristic of maturing in the winter time, which meant that all these leaves were going to hold a great deal of water. As it happened, the next day was bitterly cold and rained incessently. I was completely soaked and miserable after my efforts and worked out that I had made little over £1 for the day. Worse was to come the next day, which started with sub zero temperatures. I found out why the hook was needed on the knife. The freeze during the night had stuck those turnips firmly in place and it was exhausting pulling and kicking these things out of the ground. The ice on the leaves was freezing my hands and I could barely feel the turnips. In fact, I could barely feel the knive dig in to the top of my hand. Noticing that the top of the turnip was still in place, I swiped the knife again, missing and adding another wound to my hand. Fortunately my hands were so cold that I felt no pain but I knew the wounds would need stitching. With a heavily bandaged hand, it was clear that I was not going to finish the job. I was thanked for my work and paid £3.60. I look back on this memory with affection, sporting two large scars on my hand some twenty years later. Affection not for the money, but for the satisfaction of sticking in and getting on with a hard job and puting up with the hardships. There's not a chance that I would do it again though... £ 3.60 for three days work,those were the days RegardsJ oe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Interesting find Joe..but £ 3.60 a week is hard to believe. Mind you I heard on the radio this mornings it the Scouts "bob a job week" ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeere6910 Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 We've got one of those kinves as well. Called a "beet hook" with us as we used to be in a huge sugarbeet growing area. Loads of people can remeber pulling beet with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Nice to hear what other parts of the country call them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 It's a 'shawing hook' down here, Bill. Lifted quite a few trailers of swedes on a Saturaday morning, using one of those, when I was a kid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) A tool with multiple names from Orkney down to Aberdeen and on to Kinross and finally just across the border to you John then down to Yorkshire Oh by the way John do you still have one lurking about the farm Thinking again what I recall my uncles called it was a "tap ner"...and I recall they hung it on the slide bar of the hand clutch on MY NUFFIELD...I think the hand clutch could have been used if you were out on your own collecting turnips. As far as I recall it was always my uncle Bill who was the tractor driver and younger brother Sandy was the horseman and stockman but they seemed to work well as a team until 1978 when a 100 acre plus farm could not economically support three brothers working together. I have fond memories of my time spent on that farm. Edited May 14, 2012 by BC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persehall Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 We've got one of those kinves as well. Called a "beet hook" with us as we used to be in a huge sugarbeet growing area. Loads of people can remeber pulling beet with them that is a beet hook.got one in the tractor shed.also get round blade ones with a pick on the end nick............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catkom3 Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 £ 3.60 would be spot on Bill,ny first job was on the farm,and I got the princely sum of £ 6.00 for a forty hour week,mind you you could get a GALLON of petrol for 3s/6d,that is 4.5 ltr for 17 1/2p,that would be today 3.8p per litre Regards Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 14, 2012 Author Share Posted May 14, 2012 Joe I recall I got £10 a day helping on a friends parents farm during Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays either breaking in ground on a International (can't remember the model) or dung spreading with a L reg Ford 7000 and Howard rotary spreader or the dreaded tattie dressing and that was back in 1977 / 1978. When at University I was a relief milkman and in the Summers of 1979 / 1980 and 1981 I had a take home pay of £ 100 a week plus tips. I then started my CA training in August 1981 for £ 3,500 per year and could hardly clear £50 a week...but hey ho there are ups and downs in life and I don't regret my selected career since well 30 odd years on where do you see a door to door step milkman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grim Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 used a neep tapner? when i was a kid on the farm back home at weekends was always cold and frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 Yes grim that was the name my uncles called it.....where about are you from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grim Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 used to be between forfar and dundee ,now stay in new zealand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 Ah right...I don't suppose many folk in New Zealand will know what a tapner is either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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