Unknown club for ID... Is it even a club?

laEspadaAncha · 22nd June 2010, 07:15 AM

So I came across a few items that belonged to a now-deceased gentleman who traveled extensively on business in the '70s. This was found together with a very old Eskimo Oosik and a speaking staff that I would place to the NW Coast somewhere - bought the three for a pittance. The fact it was with the other two items has me wondering if it, too, came from the same general part of the world. It measures 18 inches / 45+ cm in length, and tapers evenly from about 2 inches / 5 cm down to a little over a quarter-inch / .5 cm at the tip. It's made of hardwood that has some age to it, and some of the bottom 1/3 or so is covered with the remnants of a pitch. Lastly, there is what appears to be some incised design limited to one small area of the club/pin/stick/thing. Pictures below...

So what is it? A club? A pin? Holding it, I get a strange urge to go make me baby some seal slippers...

Bryan.H · 22nd June 2010, 02:33 PM

I think this is a 'Fid' for sailmaking/ net repairing/ ropework etc. used by sailors. Marlinspikes and fids varied in size from a few inches to a foot long, so it's definately within the size range.

laEspadaAncha · 22nd June 2010, 05:28 PM

Hi Bryan,

Funny you mention that, because when/as I ruminate over it's possible use as a peg or pin, I keep returning to a nautical application... it definitely has the look of something I've seen on a tall ship.

The lack of a flared pommel seems to make it somewhat unwieldy as a club, though the remnants of the tacky substance on the bottom third make for a decent purchase.

Bryan.H · 22nd June 2010, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laEspadaAncha

Hi Bryan,

Funny you mention that, because when/as I ruminate over it's possible use as a peg or pin, I keep returning to a nautical application... it definitely has the look of something I've seen on a tall ship.

The lack of a flared pommel seems to make it somewhat unwieldy as a club, though the remnants of the tacky substance on the bottom third make for a decent purchase.

Hi again!
Since rope on older sailing vessels was tarred, using a fid and working with tarred ropes might have the effect of blackening the handle?? Just rambling thoughts, I read a too much Patrick O'Brian!

The crudely etched design had me thinking, (and this is purely imaginitive speculation here).. Could this represent a 'strong-arm' , a flexed bent upper arm, bicep, elbow and forearm? I remember reading that the tradition of mariners having tatoos of anchors on the arm was a superstition of seafaring, that the anchor would give strength to holding onto ropes etc. in a gale. The same thinking could apply to the fid, by etching a strong arm to give manual strength to the person doing the ropework or slicing etc. When working with rope cable several inches thick, you'd need a strong arm to do the work!

It could be a belaying pin of some kind, but I haven't seen the tapering shape on a Belaying pin, which look more like wooden truncheons.

Gavin Nugent · 22nd June 2010, 07:41 PM

Certainly looks to be a fid to me. My father was a seaman before I was born and worked on the waterfront my entire life, I saw these used a lot when I was a kid and he still has a few laying around.

Gav

laEspadaAncha · 22nd June 2010, 08:15 PM

A solid double-assist from Down Under - thank you both Gav and Bryan.

I performed a cursory search, I found that almost all the fids I could find were notched. The lone exception I found was here, which closely resembles my own.

I, too, agree that the crude etching seems to resemble a "strong arm," but until the fidentification, could not place it in context...

22nd June 2010, 07:15 AM	#1
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Unknown club for ID... Is it even a club? So I came across a few items that belonged to a now-deceased gentleman who traveled extensively on business in the '70s. This was found together with a very old Eskimo Oosik and a speaking staff that I would place to the NW Coast somewhere - bought the three for a pittance. The fact it was with the other two items has me wondering if it, too, came from the same general part of the world. It measures 18 inches / 45+ cm in length, and tapers evenly from about 2 inches / 5 cm down to a little over a quarter-inch / .5 cm at the tip. It's made of hardwood that has some age to it, and some of the bottom 1/3 or so is covered with the remnants of a pitch. Lastly, there is what appears to be some incised design limited to one small area of the club/pin/stick/thing. Pictures below... So what is it? A club? A pin? Holding it, I get a strange urge to go make me baby some seal slippers...

22nd June 2010, 07:41 PM	#5
Gavin Nugent Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,818	A fid Certainly looks to be a fid to me. My father was a seaman before I was born and worked on the waterfront my entire life, I saw these used a lot when I was a kid and he still has a few laying around. Gav

22nd June 2010, 08:15 PM	#6
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Found a fid I did... A solid double-assist from Down Under - thank you both Gav and Bryan. I performed a cursory search, I found that almost all the fids I could find were notched. The lone exception I found was here, which closely resembles my own. I, too, agree that the crude etching seems to resemble a "strong arm," but until the fidentification, could not place it in context... Last edited by laEspadaAncha; 22nd June 2010 at 09:04 PM.

22nd June 2010, 02:33 PM	#2
Bryan.H Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 51	I think this is a 'Fid' for sailmaking/ net repairing/ ropework etc. used by sailors. Marlinspikes and fids varied in size from a few inches to a foot long, so it's definately within the size range.

22nd June 2010, 05:28 PM	#3
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Hi Bryan, Funny you mention that, because when/as I ruminate over it's possible use as a peg or pin, I keep returning to a nautical application... it definitely has the look of something I've seen on a tall ship. The lack of a flared pommel seems to make it somewhat unwieldy as a club, though the remnants of the tacky substance on the bottom third make for a decent purchase.