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

laEspadaAncha · 22nd June 2010, 06:15 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, 01:33 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, 04:28 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, 05:03 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, 06:41 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, 07:15 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...

tom hyle · 24th June 2010, 09:20 AM

It sure looks like a big fid with a magic arm, though my first thought had been "pestle" Belaying pins do tend to taper and employ the principle of the wedge though.

Is the cross-section round? A good fid will have a flat side or a trianglular cross-section for tightening knots, but this is far from universal.

Very cool piece!

tom hyle · 24th June 2010, 09:26 AM

What is the wood? ("I'm always looking for a nice piece of Ash," I once said, meaning no joke, while examining a ball-bat at a garage sale; when men laughed, then I saw my unintended punniness.....)

M ELEY · 24th June 2010, 11:21 AM

Ahhh, the ole piece of ash-

Good one, Tom!

I agree, a fid it is. Nice find!

http://www.frayedknotarts.com/images.../kit/623_z.jpg

http://www.frayedknotarts.com/images.../kit/648_z.jpg

kronckew · 24th June 2010, 01:24 PM

as an ex merchant officer and ex USCG officer, i think we can safely say this is a fid or marlinspike, we've had similar ones here before. see This Thread on an earlier fid/club discussion. that one may have actually been a club, but very fiddish

tom hyle · 24th June 2010, 01:29 PM

yeah, there's a third name, too, but it's not coming to me old beaten coconut.
Of course they make excellent weapons of resort, as do (famously) belaying pins.

kronckew · 24th June 2010, 01:43 PM

just found this table that shows the recommended fid sizes for various rope and line sizes. note the 3 1/4 in. rope recommends a 45.5 in. long fid, or a 68.25 in. full fid. big items....

tom hyle · 25th June 2010, 11:24 AM

Wow! Go, Kronckew!

22nd June 2010, 06:15 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, 06:41 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, 07:15 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 08:04 PM.

24th June 2010, 01:43 PM	#12
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,150	just found this table that shows the recommended fid sizes for various rope and line sizes. note the 3 1/4 in. rope recommends a 45.5 in. long fid, or a 68.25 in. full fid. big items.... Attached Images

22nd June 2010, 01:33 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, 04:28 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.

24th June 2010, 09:20 AM	#7
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	It sure looks like a big fid with a magic arm, though my first thought had been "pestle" Belaying pins do tend to taper and employ the principle of the wedge though. Is the cross-section round? A good fid will have a flat side or a trianglular cross-section for tightening knots, but this is far from universal. Very cool piece!

24th June 2010, 09:26 AM	#8
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	What is the wood? ("I'm always looking for a nice piece of Ash," I once said, meaning no joke, while examining a ball-bat at a garage sale; when men laughed, then I saw my unintended punniness.....)

24th June 2010, 11:21 AM	#9
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,066	Ahhh, the ole piece of ash- Good one, Tom! I agree, a fid it is. Nice find! http://www.frayedknotarts.com/images.../kit/623_z.jpg http://www.frayedknotarts.com/images.../kit/648_z.jpg

24th June 2010, 01:24 PM	#10
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,150	as an ex merchant officer and ex USCG officer, i think we can safely say this is a fid or marlinspike, we've had similar ones here before. see This Thread on an earlier fid/club discussion. that one may have actually been a club, but very fiddish

24th June 2010, 01:29 PM	#11
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	yeah, there's a third name, too, but it's not coming to me old beaten coconut. Of course they make excellent weapons of resort, as do (famously) belaying pins.

25th June 2010, 11:24 AM	#13
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Wow! Go, Kronckew!