French Mystery Tool

Hi All, just back from a buying trip in France, we hit about 3 large vide greniers in one day so pretty knackered but found some great items.

This one has got me stumped:

Very well made as two sliding wedge shaped pieces with locking bolt which is possibly a replacement.

My only thought is that it might be a leatherworking expander tool for shoe or boot work but not at all sure?

Any thoughts welcome!

Cheers, Martin

A cleverly designed frustration tool used to baffle British Men and Yanks at the same time.

Would it fit together with both boat shaped pieces on the same side of the slide? I still don't know what it would be though

Mike

Do they fit together the other way?

Only goes together one way round

martin

I wonder if the bolt previously was a larger one with a spring under it?

Ah! That would be the 10cm Froggle guide.

I wondered if there might have been a very large spring between the two halves so that they could be squashed together somehow and exert a spreading force on leather perhaps?

martin

Messieurs,

Can you not see it is for keeping zee beret in shape!

Neil

It may be for a tire machine, to spread old-style narrow tires or maybe guide them onto rims. I remember vaguely an attachment shaped like this on my grandfather's old tire machine which dated from the 1930's.

Or, could be some sort of guide to ease electrical cable or soft pipe into channels of some kind.

Are we unique I wonder?

We travel around and buy odd bits of metal that have no obvious use to us but whose sole purpose is to start a debate down the pub on a quiet afternoon.

Could these be two separate items just held together with a bolt for the sake of it?

I cannot tell from the picture if one has a tongue and the other a groove but otherwise they do look something like the long handle lever thing that tyre fitters use and the semicircular notch looks ideal for a bar handle to sit in.

Ian P

Ian P, they do look like they are meant to fit together and slide over each other. I get what people are saying about tyres, there is a part on a tyre machine that guides the rim or tyre bead but only a single part not 2?

Brian S, possibly you are correct , but there is a lot of fun to be had all the same!

Martin

I'm with you Martin, that looks very much like a shoe expander to broaden ze leather for spreading feet.

Brian

Martin you are thinking newer style tire machines - I'm thinking ones from 1930's - they were very different and there were many styles and gimmicks.

Hi, I can't imagine it to be a shoe expander. The only shoe expanders I've ever seen, or pictures of, look like these **LINK**

Regards Nick.

Could the projections ringed in red be feet?

Possibly the tool sits on the edge of a table with the 'anvil' points facing up.

My guess is it's for taking the dents out of old-fashioned metal hub caps, and the 'feet' are gripped in a vice.

Dave

It's a grostling iron.

George

That's correct George, although to be absolutely accurate - the French refer to them as "Le Fer Grostling"

They should be heated to red-hot before insertion.

IanT

So the projections circled in red would be grostling snibs then.