Greetings Porchlings,
I bought a grouping of tools off of that big auction site we all know and
love. I was mainly interested in the German "Perfection" style
screwdriver, which turned out to be the 5" size. I also got a couple of
bevel gauges, including one that is rosewood & brass and 10-1/2 inches
long (closed). It has a circular Patent Date stamp in the rosewood, but
no other markings. From the date (Sept. 4. 1877) I was able to use DATAMP
to determine that it was a Traut Patent Stanley. Not sure how long they
might have stamped the wood in this fashion and yet had no other Stanley
markings. Certainly not rare, but it looks pretty old to my eyes. Does
anyone have any idea how long Stanley used real rosewood on their bevel
gauges?

Also in the group was a tang chisel exactly 1 cm wide which (if I am
reading it correctly) is a (Some initial) TILLOTSON chisel. It is ground
slighly skew (a bit too much to appear merely sloppy). It is also stamped
"CRYSTALLIZED CAST STEEL". Does anyone have any information on Tillotson
(approximate age, etc.) and what in the world is "Crystallized" cast
steel? 

Finally, I got an odd item that is a "whatsit" to me. It looks like a 9"
long letter opener except the blade is too fat to be useful for that (If
you cut it, the cross-section would be American Football shaped. It has a
wooden handle about 4-1/2" long and the metal part is stuck into it like
a tanged chisel. It comes to a rounded point that does not appear to ever
have been sharpened for any reason. My guess is that it is a scraper
burnisher, but I'm not sure why the football cross-section. Has anyone
ever seen anything fitting this description? I'll try to get a picture up
in the mornng.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom (or guesses) you can shed.

Darren Addy
Kearney, Nebraska

Hi Darren & All,

The DAT has T. Tillotson listed as a maker of bits, chisels, and plane
irons, but has no data on when or where he worked.

I'm pretty sure the football cross section thing is a burnisher. Your
doubts about that sort of surprised me; I've always pictured that as the
standard form for burnishers. 

Best Wishes,
Bob

Darren Addy asked:

>Also in the group was a tang chisel exactly 1 cm wide which (if I am
>reading it correctly) is a (Some initial) TILLOTSON chisel. It is ground
>slighly skew (a bit too much to appear merely sloppy). It is also stamped
>"CRYSTALLIZED CAST STEEL". Does anyone have any information on Tillotson
>(approximate age, etc.) and what in the world is "Crystallized" cast
>steel?

In a caption of a photo of a Sheffield plated brace marked
"T. TILLOTSON", Ken Roberts indicated that Thomas Tillotson was
a Sheffield Merchant & Dealer from 1837 to 1856. While this is,
likely, substantially correct, I've uncovered the following
directory listings which indicate the reality is slightly more
complex:

1822    John Tillotson, Factor and Table Knife Mfr., Coalpit Lane,
           Sheffield
1828/9  John Tillotson & Son, Edge Tool Maker, Coalpit Lane,
           Sheffield
1839    T. Tillotson & Sons, Merchant & Manufacturerer of Table
           Cutlery &c., 56 Coal-Pit Lane, Sheffield
1841    Thomas and John Tillotson, Table Knife Manufacturers,
           56 Coalpit Lane, Sheffield
1847    Thomas Tillotson, Merchant, Factor & Manufacturer,
           56 Coalpit Lane, Sheffield
1852    Thomas Tillotson & Co., Merchant, Columbia Place,
           49 Suffolk Road, Sheffield

The likelihood is that your chisel was made for Thomas Tillotson
by another company, and the "Crystallized Cast Steel" mark *may*
provide a clue regarding its origin.

For example, a couple of years ago, Trevor Robinson had a chisel for
sale which was marked "Crystallized Cast Steel" as well as with
John Cutler's maker's mark. John Cutler's working dates were in the
same time-frame as those given for Thomas Tillotson: -1841- on
Stanley Street and -1845-1854- on Charlotte Street, Sheffield.

So, it is possible your chisel was made by John Cutler, though,
obviously, that isn't proven. I think I've seen some additional
information about the "Crystallized Cast Steel" mark, but can't
seem to find it at the moment.

Hope this helps.

Don McConnell
Knox County, Ohio