Hand forged metal tool, possibly a sailmaker's hook with the hook broken. It may be a fire iron. The twisted metal is a skill learned by a blacksmith.The item is a handmade tool, an example of the work of a blacksmith. Smiths were sought after in colonial Australia. Their trade allowed them to custom make work for the different industries necessary for survival in a new land.Sailmaker's stretching tool; long thin metal rod bent in half, with centre forming a handle or loop, and long ends twisted together to form a stem. The loose ends are formed together but appear broken.warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, tool, sailmaker's tool, fire iron, blacksmith, twisted rod, twisted wire, sailmaker's hook

Take a stroll through the average beverage aisle in your supermarket, and you might get the impression that tea has always come in small boxes with disposable tea bags. But before those easy to come by boxes, there was the rich and intriguing history of the tea strainer, a beautiful little tool that has helped our ancestors enjoy loose leaf tea for hundreds of years. Enjoying loose-leaf tea, and becoming familiar with this tool, can help spark an appreciation for your tea strainer and infuser collection, or simply inspire you to grow one. Documentation of tea tools such as the tea strainer appear in ancient history, the earliest models were likely made of bamboo, and later evolved into stainless steel, sterling silver, china, porcelain, silicon, and linen. During the Tang Dynasty in China, a small book called “Classic of Tea” was written describing tea utensils, and they were made to help Buddhist monks keep living things (such as small bugs) out of the drinking water. However, using a tea tool to keep run away tea leaves out of a cup did not become a cited use of the strainer until the 17th century when Dutch merchants made tea more readily available to those outside of the Chinese dynasty. British royals then increased the popularity of tea as their preferred beverage, and it was not long before a newfound fanaticism for tea in Great Britain spread to the American colonies, as did a growing demand for products that could separate loose tea leaves from liquid with ease and flair. Why did people use a strainer to separate out tea leaves in Great Britain and not in China? While the method of serving tea from a teapot with the tea loose in the pot was a practice used in both countries, the reason China may not have required a tool to remove leaves from their cup likely had to do with the types of tea leaves they were producing. The British owned tea plantations, in countries such as India, produced finer black tea leaves that did not require as much space to expand inside of a tea pot, where as the leaves prepared on the Chinese plantations would expand far more in the pot, and were therefore less likely to land or be bothersome inside a tea cup. This common approach to serving tea with smaller tea leaves required a solution to avoid ending up with a cup, and mouth, full of tea leaves. The obvious solution was a strainer basket. In the Victorian era, tea strainer baskets, similar to those still used in tea parlors today, were made to sit on top of the cup to capture the leaves when pouring the tea from a tea pot into the individual cups. Another solution was a tea-removing device called a mote spoon. Mote spoons act as search and rescue spoons to remove tea leaves from individual teacups. The tea would be brewed loose in the teapot, so any tea that ended up in the cup could be removed with a long handled spoon with holes in the spoon to remove rogue tea leaves and keep the steeped water in the cup. The handle also helped keep the teapot spout free of leaves and could help unclog any leaves trapped when pouring. Stainless steel tea strainers and tea infusers gained popularity in the late 19th century. Big name tea strainer producers, such as Tiffany and Gorham, could use fine silver to create quality, heavy, and sturdy strainers, for those who could afford it. There were many varieties of strainers at that time, but it was more likely that smaller designers who could not afford to mass-produce these quality strainers out of silver made them into unique shapes to attract consumers with lighter wallets. And borne was the tea strainer we are accustomed to today. Things took an unexpected turn for the tea strainer in the early 1900s when Thomas Sullivan, a tea merchant, shipped out tea samples in small silk bags. Customers did not realize that they were supposed to remove the tea from the bags, and instead boiled the tea, bag and all! The convenience of tossing out the leaves is obvious, and the popularity of tea bags is still seen today. Most premium bags of tea we are accustomed to today are frequently packaged loose for consumption, and when they are available in bags, the leaves are often crowded and do not have enough space to expand. While pyramid tea bags have become a more recent solution to this problem, due to the additional space at the top of the bag, enjoying a variety of quality tea is easier with a tea strainer in your arsenal. Besides, with the wide variety of strainers for your cup or pot in versatile materials such as mesh, silver, or a novelty silicone cartoon shape, loose tea can still reign supreme. Tea strainers sometimes do require more cleanup and measuring, but the experience and quality is always worth the effort. Besides, strainers also allow for mixing favorite tea blends together for an extra dose of delicious creativity! https://www.teamuse.com/article_170413.html The strainer provided the convenience of separating the tea leaves for disposal later.Metal strainer, bowl shaped, with mesh and twisted wire handle.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, strainer

Relevant to the gold mining history of the area.Miner's spider handmade of twisted wire. Contains remnants of candle in situ.mining, candle, lamp, sider

Soldering iron, twisted wire handle. Soldering head tapers to a point.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

This wire soap holder is purpose-made by hand for holding a bar of soap in a way that allows the soap to air dry. It may have been used in the laundry, bathroom or kitchen, areas used for washing hands or bodies. Wet bars of soap could become very soft and difficult to use. The maker used short lengths of wire to create this soap holder, showing thriftiness and inventiveness.Although the soap holder is currently not associated with a historical event, person or place at this time it is being used to augment Flagstaff's village display as it is typical of items used in the 19th and early 20th centuries.Soap holder; basket shaped frame, handmade from twisted wire strands.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, soap h older, wire soap holder, cleaning, laundry, washing, sanitation

The State Electricity Commission of Victoria constructed the Kiewa Hydro Electric scheme from the 1930's to 1960's during which time power cables were made to carry power from the Power stations to the switch yards and beyond to the towns and houses.These sample power cables indicate the types of power lines used in the Kiewa Hydro Electric Scheme and the amount of voltage that they carry.3 transmission cables of different width used for transmitting different amounts of power on different size power lines.The thinnest cable consists of a centre piece of wire covered by a layer of twisted wires. The middle sized cable has 4 layers of twisted wires around the centre piece and the thickest cable has 5 layers of twisted wires around the centre piece.The thickest cable has a plastic strip with 330.000 Volt Cable inscribed on it.state electricity commission of victoria. power lines. cables. kiewa hydro electric scheme. electricity.

Primitive hand made potato masher with twisted wire handle and round base of wire.domestic items, food preparation

Amelia Perkins and 2 unknown men stand in front of the new twisted wire fence at 318 Creswick Road.amelia perkins, creswick road, ballarat, building, gardens, private dwelling, residence

This ship's boiler pipe brush would have been used to keep the steam boiler pipes in good working order. The bristles are arranged in a round shape to fit against the sides of the boiler pipe and clear away debris. The brush has a loop for storing it on a hook so the bristles won't become damaged. The ship's boilers created steam to power the ship's engines. Some larger steamships had several boilers and therefore several funnels. Early steamships also have masts and sails, giving them the option of steam power or wind power. The first successful steamboat trial in America was in 1787 when John Finch displayed its features on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The first steamboat in Australia was the Sophia Jane, which arrived in Sydney in 1831. The ship traded cargo and passengers between Sydney and Newcastle. This ship's boiler pipe brush is unique in our collection and an essential item in the maintenance of steam boilers. It is connected to the era of steamships, which in Australia began in 1831 with the arrival of the first steamship in Sydney. Pipe brush; long twisted wire handle with stiff bristles around the base section, arranged in a cylindrical shape, and a loop at the other end. Used for cleaning pipes of a ships boiler.warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, steam boiler, steam boiler brush, boiler maintenance, boiler brush, pipe brush, steam boiler pipe, steamship, steamboat, steam power

This is one of a set of 3 miniature oil paintings by the self-taught artist Alfred William Eustace (1820-1907). A.W. Eustace, an Australian artist, was born in Berkshire, England, where he was an assistant gamekeeper to the Earl of Craven at Ashdown Park. He migrated to Australia with his wife and children in 1851 and worked on the Ullina and Eldorado Runs on the Black Dog Creek at Chiltern, which was in excess of 50,000 acres of grazing land. A.W. Eustace was employed as a shepherd by Jason Withers and while tending his flocks in the solitude of the bush, Eustace turned his attention to painting and music to while away the long and weary hours. He endeavoured to capture the spirit of the bush and painted on board, canvas or tin plate, but as these materials were not always readily available he then started painting on large round eucalyptus leaves from the White and Red Box trees that grew around about him. He became known as the "Bush Artist." About 1856 he painted a small picture of the famous Woolshed goldrush and during the next few years became well known in North-East Victoria. John Sadlier, a police officer stationed at Beechworth said that Eustace painted "some really exquisite scenes. He was of an easy-going dreamy temperament, a student of nature only, despising the works of men. Unfortunately his drawings were on eucalyptus leaves, the largest and roundest he could find and not on canvas, and no doubt have all perished long ago." How wrong he was. In 1876 the Melbourne Age newspaper reported, 'Eustace’s celebrated paintings on gum leaves are again attracting attention,…Mr Eustace is an elegant artist…he seems without effort to catch the colour and spirit of Australian scenery…' In 1864 A.W. Eustace held an Art Union in Albury, and again in 1884 in Ballarat. He exhibited at the Victorian Academy of Arts in 1877 and also held an exhibition of gum leaf paintings at Stevens Gallery, Melbourne in 1893. By 1896 he was receiving orders from heads of states in Europe, with his works acknowledged by Queen Victoria, Emperor Frederick of Germany and the Czar of Russia, as well as the Governors of New South Wales and Victoria. His paintings reflected his ability to paint the sky in his realistic style which is still noted by art critics of the day. A.W. Eustace was also a skilful taxidermist. The collection of birds and animals that can be seen at the Beechworth Museum are examples of his taxidermy skill. When not doing his work, painting or taxidermy, he regularly contributed letters and verse to the Chiltern newspaper, The Federal Standard. A book of verse in his hand writing was presented to The Athenaeum Trust by the Boadle family. In the 1870’s he became interested in spiritualism often being involved in lively debate at lectures and séances. Alfred William Eustace died in 1907 and is buried in the Chiltern New Cemetery with his wife Sarah and one of his daughters, Elizabeth. Miniature oil painting of a landscape, with creek in foreground and bush and hill behind, by A.W. Eustace, under glass, in original timber frame with beige matte and a twist wire stand. One of 3 miniatures. No signature visiblealfred eustace, chiltern, oil painting, landscape

This is one of a set of 3 miniature oil paintings by the self-taught artist Alfred William Eustace (1820-1907). A.W. Eustace, an Australian artist, was born in Berkshire, England, where he was an assistant gamekeeper to the Earl of Craven at Ashdown Park. He migrated to Australia with his wife and children in 1851 and worked on the Ullina and Eldorado Runs on the Black Dog Creek at Chiltern, which was in excess of 50,000 acres of grazing land. A.W. Eustace was employed as a shepherd by Jason Withers and while tending his flocks in the solitude of the bush, Eustace turned his attention to painting and music to while away the long and weary hours. He endeavoured to capture the spirit of the bush painting on board, canvas or tin plate, but as these materials were not always readily available he then started painting on large round eucalyptus leaves from the White and Red Box trees that grew around about him. About 1856 he painted a small picture of the famous Woolshed goldrush and during the next few years became well known in North-East Victoria. John Sadlier, a police officer stationed at Beechworth said that Eustace painted "some really exquisite scenes. He was of an easy-going dreamy temperament, a student of nature only, despising the works of men. Unfortunately his drawings were on eucalyptus leaves, the largest and roundest he could find and not on canvas, and no doubt have all perished long ago." How wrong he was. In 1876 the Melbourne Age newspaper reported, 'Eustace’s celebrated paintings on gum leaves are again attracting attention,…Mr Eustace is an elegant artist…he seems without effort to catch the colour and spirit of Australian scenery…' In 1864 A.W. Eustace held an Art Union in Albury, and again in 1884 in Ballarat. He exhibited at the Victorian Academy of Arts in 1877 and also held an exhibition of gum leaf paintings at Stevens Gallery, Melbourne in 1893. By 1896 he was receiving orders from heads of states in Europe, with his works acknowledged by Queen Victoria, Emperor Frederick of Germany and the Czar of Russia, as well as the Governors of New South Wales and Victoria. His paintings reflected his ability to paint the sky in his realistic style which is still noted by art critics of the day. A.W. Eustace was also a skilful taxidermist. The collection of birds and animals that can be seen at the Beechworth Museum are examples of his taxidermy skill. When not doing his work, painting or taxidermy, he regularly contributed letters and verse to the Chiltern newspaper, The Federal Standard. A book of verse in his hand writing was presented to The Athenaeum Trust by the Boadle family. In the 1870’s he became interested in spiritualism often being involved in lively debate at lectures and séances. Alfred William Eustace died in 1907 and is buried in the Chiltern New Cemetery with his wife Sarah and one of his daughters, Elizabeth.Miniature oil painting of a landscape with creek and surrounding trees by A.W. Eustace, under glass, in original dark brown timber frame with beige matte and a twist wire stand. One of 3 miniatures. Sticker on back: 188 (original Registration number)alfred eustace, chiltern, oil, landscape

This is one of a set of 3 miniature oil paintings by the self-taught artist Alfred William Eustace (1820-1907). A.W. Eustace, an Australian artist and taxidermist, was born in Berkshire, England, where he was an assistant gamekeeper to the Earl of Craven at Ashdown Park. He migrated to Australia with his wife and children in 1851 and worked on the Ullina and Eldorado Runs on the Black Dog Creek at Chiltern, which was in excess of 50,000 acres of grazing land. A.W. Eustace was employed as a shepherd by Jason Withers and while tending his flocks in the solitude of the bush, Eustace turned his attention to painting and music to while away the long and weary hours. He endeavoured to capture the spirit of the bush painting on board, canvas or tin plate, but as these materials were not always readily available he then started painting on large round eucalyptus leaves from the White and Red Box trees that grew around about him. About 1856 he painted a small picture of the famous Woolshed goldrush and during the next few years became well known in North-East Victoria. John Sadlier, a police officer stationed at Beechworth said that Eustace painted "some really exquisite scenes. He was of an easy-going dreamy temperament, a student of nature only, despising the works of men. Unfortunately his drawings were on eucalyptus leaves, the largest and roundest he could find and not on canvas, and no doubt have all perished long ago." How wrong he was. In 1876 the Melbourne Age newspaper reported, 'Eustace’s celebrated paintings on gum leaves are again attracting attention,…Mr Eustace is an elegant artist…he seems without effort to catch the colour and spirit of Australian scenery…' In 1864 A.W. Eustace held an Art Union in Albury, and again in 1884 in Ballarat. He exhibited at the Victorian Academy of Arts in 1877 and also held an exhibition of gum leaf paintings at Stevens Gallery, Melbourne in 1893. By 1896 he was receiving orders from heads of states in Europe, with his works acknowledged by Queen Victoria, Emperor Frederick of Germany and the Czar of Russia, as well as the Governors of New South Wales and Victoria. His paintings reflected his ability to paint the sky in his realistic style which is still noted by art critics of the day. A.W. Eustace was also a skilful taxidermist. The collection of birds and animals that can be seen at the Beechworth Museum are examples of his taxidermy skill. When not doing his work, painting or taxidermy, he regularly contributed letters and verse to the Chiltern newspaper, The Federal Standard. A book of verse in his hand writing was presented to The Athenaeum Trust by the Boadle family. In the 1870’s he became interested in spiritualism often being involved in lively debate at lectures and séances. Alfred William Eustace died in 1907 and is buried in the Chiltern New Cemetery with his wife Sarah and one of his daughters, Elizabeth.Miniature oil painting of a landscape, with creek and grassland in foreground surrounded by bushland and hill in distance, by A.W. Eustace, under glass in original timber frame with beige matte and a twist wire stand. One of 3 miniatures. No signature visiblealfred eustace, oil painting, landscape, chiltern

George Barraclough (1907-1981), a landholder from north of Licola, in the Victorian Great Divide, made a number of these spikes, as needed. As accounts were paid, receipts were pasted to the account, the account was impaled on the spike, and the spike was rehung on a nail on a wall stud. All transactions dealing with money were filed in this manner, as an orderly way of tracking items that were usually remotely ordered and delivered on the mail car. George Barraclough used No8 in a number of creative ways, and his durable and untilitarion toasting forks are still in family use today. After George died in 1981 the spikes with their accounts passed to his daughter Linda Barraclough, who archived the accounts and later made copies available for study. Those accounts form a record of the businesses of Heyfield for 1940s and 1950s.This bill hook is of historical significance as a survivor of bush ingenuity and bush filing systems. Commercially made bill spikes were in common use in offices, where they usually consisted of a heavy metal base with an upright pointed piece of wire. Number 8 fencing wire was an important and readily accessible repair commodity for rural dwellers, and achieved iconic status as the most generic method of repair for cars broken down (resort to nearest fence) and was even used to hold houses together. Referring to "No 8 fencing wire" became a type of Australian shorthand for bush ingenuity. It is no longer available, being replaced by 4mm high tensile wire. This item is important both as an example of inventive use of No8 wire, and also as an example of the bush filing methods in use in the 1940s and 1950s. No 8 fencing wire holds a similar position in New Zealand - see Wikipedia NZ at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_8_wire A section of number 8 fencing wire twisted to form a bill spike. It has a rounded.base made from several twists of wire in a flat platform, with the remaining wire rising from the centre to form a stem that terminates in a hook with a sharpened point.wire, bush ingenuity, barraclough, licola north

A bucksaw is a hand powered frame saw similar to bow saw and generally used with a sawbuck to cut logs or firewood to length (bucking).Used by residents of the Kiewa Valley for clearing land, chopping firewood, cutting lumber. Also used while camping because it is portableFormerly UKV 239. Buck Saw with Lightning Tooth Blade. Operated by two men.Ref. Page 10 Tools for all Trade Catalogue. It consists of 3 horizontal bars, the top one being twisted wire and the bottom one being the metal blade with a wood bar in between. They are attached at each end to curved wooden bars. tool for wood, saw, buck saw

The author of the letter the Princess Royal is patron of the Mission to Seafarers in Australia. The letter marks the centenary in 2007 of the establishment of the Seafarers Service in Australia. Letter, signed, on Buckingham Palace letterhead mounted and housed in gilt painted frame, glazed . Fitted with single twist hanging wire, and 4 felt stoppers; Core flute backing with Brown paper tape to seal. Signature bottom right in Black ink "Anne" / Conservation Framer's label initials in black ink : "E LH 22/2/08"mission to seafarers, commemorations, princess anne, princess royal, letter, 2007, centenary, seafarers service

The author of the letter the Princess Royal is patron of the Mission to Seafarers in Australia. The letter marks the 150th anniversary in 2007 of the establishment of the Mission to Seafarers in Australia. It acknowledges the work of the Mission and the men and women in Melbourne and the Victorian Ports offering the "hand of friendship to seafarers from all over the world".It also acknowledges the significant role of volunteers in supporting the work of the Missions. This letter is one of 3 letters held in the collection and received from Royal patrons. Letter, signed, on Buckingham Palace letterhead mounted and housed in gilt painted frame, glazed . Fitted with single twist hanging wire, and 4 felt stoppers; Core flute backing with Brown paper tape to seal. Signature bottom right in Black ink "Anne" / Conservation Framer's label initials in black ink : "E LH 22/2/08"mission to seafarers, sesquicentenary, commemorations, princess anne, princess royal, letter, 2007

Electric detonater (in box) black plastic box shape with aqua coloured aluminium pin. White plastic covered wire (twisted two strand) attached to pin top.Box AMM F16 LJW /N 71detonator

The Kew Historical Society's map collection includes a substantial number of real estate subdivision plans, mainly of Kew but also of surrounding suburbs in Melbourne. Most of the subdivision plans date from the 1920s and 1930s when the districts old homes and local farmland were being split up to accommodate residential growth in the postwar period. These early plans were assembled by a local firm, Jas R Mather & McMillan, which had an office in Cotham Road. Many of the plans, and sometimes photos, were annotated by the agents.Subdivision plans are historically important documents used as evidence for the growth of suburbs in Australia. They frequently provide information about when the land was sold as well as evidence relating to surveyors and real estate and financial agents. The numerous subdivision plans in the Kew Historical Society's collection represent working documents, ranging from the initial sketches made in planning a subdivision to printed plans on which auctioneers or agents listed the prices for which individual lots were sold. In a number of cases, the reverse of a subdivision plan in the collection includes a photograph of a house that was also for sale by the agent. These photographs provide significant heritage information relating house design and decoration, fencing and household gardens.The photograph may also be aesthetically significant depending o the importance of the photographic atelier.Real estate photograph for a local agent by the Kew photographer, Josiah Earl Barnes. The photo is of a weatherboard or brick rendered bungalow with a twisted wire fence. Given Barnes' status a a Kew photographer, the house is probably locate din Kew or East Kew. Unfortunately the handwritten information on the mount bordering the photo is damaged and cannot be read. The bungalow has a gabled, tiled roof with terra cotta finials at the front of both gables. The house has a central doorway, framed by a pseudo portico supported by four wooden columns. On each side of the doorway, at the front, there are paired sash windows, which, like the half-timbered gable, are picked out in a darker colour.Handwritten, mostly illegible description by selling agent on mount surround: " .... in Diningroom, Drawing Rooms, ... Photographers details printed on mount: "J. E. Barnes / Photo / Phone 1966 Haw KEW"houses - kew, bungalows - kew, real estate photographs, j.e. barnes -- photographer

This map was produced by Richard Francis Tunley and given to the Victorian Braille Library for use by it's patrons. Mr Tunley was a prolific Braille map maker as well as producing other items for blind and vision impaired children, advocated for compulsory education for blind and deaf children and established the Queensland Braille Map and Model Club. Leading by example, his maps were treasured by those who used them and were an outstanding piece of craftsmanship. In this example, the metal cylinder sits on a wooden base and can be turned via a handle in the wooden top or rotating the sides. A brailled red metal plate occupies the bottom third, and large continents have a metal plate, cut to shape, upon which braille country/continent names are placed. Major rivers are traced through raised lines in the metal continental plates, twisted wire traces shipping routes with associated brailled metal plates, raised metal pins in some major locations and more explanatory plates sit in various oceans.1 metal cylindrical map with tactile markersCommercial & Strategic Map of the British Empire Presented to the Victorian Braille Librarybraille library of victoria, r.f. tunley

The handmade basket has a variety of pieces of vintage sewing items as listed in the detailed Description. These would have been used in the home for repairs as well as pieces sewn. Mrs Pratt owned the sewing basket and it's contents - she lived in Beenak Road, Wandin, Victoria.An open rectangular shaped cane woven sewing basket with three bands of green and tan raffia woven around the sides. It had a lid which is missing but there is one twisted wire loop where the lid would have been attached. Inside are various pieces of vintage sewing items including; large and small cotton reels with cotton thread, very small cotton cardboard reels with thread, plastic container of pins, a handmade wooden darning mushroom, a brightly coloured tin of pins and needles, two short zips, a piece of embroidery material stamped with a pansy pattern to sew, a Birch brand packet of sewing needles, a Delyta brand "Nu-Bras" Brassiere Repair Set, two "Mendex" Cuff Savers for Men's Trousers, a Happy Home Needle Book with a few needles, and a paper pattern for Cross Stitch. See above for the brands and details of the sewing items included in the basket.containers, sewing, baskets, sewing equipment

Two pages of typed notes titled - Electrically Welded Single Strand Barb Wire. The notes mention the advantages of the single strand electrically welded barb wire over the ordinary twisted barb wire of two strands. Advantages include less weight in the fence and for freight, less stretching, barbs are at fight angles to the wire and rust does not attack the welded barb wire as it is not bent which can cause the galvanising to crack. The welding helps to keep the rust out.sciences, instruments - general, scalebuoy, bill ashman collection - correspondence, electrically welded single strand barb wire, university of melbourne

Large tiara style garden party hat of twisted silk cording, netting, wired frame and assorted flowers in shades of blue, grey and white. From the Collins Street salon of top Melbourne couturier La Petite.Labelled "La Petite 165 Collins St. Melbourne"

The handmade basket has a variety of pieces of War Memorabilia as listed in the description.A large lidded firm natural, green and tan raffia woven basket with a looped handle on the lid which is attached to the base by rusted twisted pieces of wire. It closes with a brown strip of leather onto a metal clip at the side. Inside are pieces of War Memorabilia - an instruction card for Knitters Get Busy!, one tortoiseshell knitting needle, a pair of large olive green woollen mittens, two strips of paper with instructions and illustrations for sewing Red Cross Pyjamas for the Soldiers and a small grey folded card - 'The Grey Sock' which has directions for knitting good socks with finer wool and needles. This is incomplete.'Knitters Get Busy! War Chest Wants Socks Appeal for 150,000 Pairs'. There is an acrostic poem for the word KNITTERS, describing the word. 'The Grey Sock' - instructions for knitting fine and coarse wool. Suitable pyjama pattern with instructions.war, containers, knitting, sewing, baskets

This case may have once attached to the belt of a soldier as a carry case for an artillery sight.Dark leather case constructed of two elongated semi-circle shapes, hand or machine stitched with a gusset. Edges trimmed in leather binding and rectangular lid held in place on one side by stitched leather hinge and fastened with metal buckle on other side. Reverse of the case has a leather loop held in place with stitching and 6 metal studs or rivets; a metal rectangular loop is stitched in place with fine wire twisted and attached to loop. Interior of case appears to be felted wool or fibre, cream in colour with small leather loop on right side, perhaps to hold a small accessory. Front of case is stamped with manufacturer's name; lid has remnants of a circular adhesive label.Manufacturer's stamp reads "FRANZ COBAL/BERLIN/1916"carry case, bag, accessory, acoutrement, world war one, military, uniform, world war i, first world war, the great war, germany, german, berlin, franz cobal, franz cobalt, artillery sight

A Brief History Of Mabie Todd Ltd The company originated in America from the beginnings during the 1860s when a Mr. Todd and a Mr. Mabie began making pencil cases and pen holders in New York. Later they were joined by the Bard Brothers who made Gold nibs and by 1873 the company of Mabie Todd and Bard were established in New York. By 1878 the first patent was filed for the design and manufacture of a fountain pen, achieved under the design leadership of one William Washington Stewart. The first Swan fountain pen followed just 6 years later in 1884 with an over-under feed with ink delivery assisted by a twisted silver wire. This same year an office had been established in the UK with a showroom in Cheapside, London. The UK was being supplied with a steadily increasing supply of pens from New York and by 1905 new, larger showrooms were established in High Holborn. By this time the Swan pen had become synonymous with fountain pens at large. In 1906 the name of Bard was dropped in the US and the UK company subsequently adopted the title Mabie Todd & Co. New York. In 1907 British production began, using imported nibs from New York and whilst the company in the UK flourished, the business in the US started to diminish under stiff competition from new manufacturers.. By 1915 manufacturing was doing well in England from a factory in Weston Street, London and the New York company agreed to sell the rights to all European and Colonial business to Mabie Todd & Company Ltd of England. From then onwards, the development of the range mostly followed, rather than led the interests of the markets they were supplying. Even during the First World War the business continued to flourish. with factories in both London and Liverpool. At the end of 1919 a new expansion plan saw the establishment of a new Headquarters in Oxford Street, London. Throughout this period, some components were continuing to be imported from America, but gradually these diminished and during the 20s and 30s manufacturing facilities were expanded and by the end of the 1930s Mabie Todd were in full production, manufacturing pens in its London factory, gold nibs in Birmingham and ink in Liverpool. Another new headquarters grew out of this period of abundance and market domination. when in 1936 they moved into Sunderland House in Mayfair, London, a highly prized mansion building. Disaster struck early in the Second World War. Its prestigious Sunderland House headquarters was destroyed during the blitz, followed by destruction of its main factory in Harlesden, North London. Some machinery was saved and able to be used at another factory premises in the City, but like many other 'non essential' manufacturing, the main production was centred on wartime components such as rocket fuses and ammunition. After The War, in 1945 they moved out of their City premises to Park Royal and eventually in 1946 proper fountain pen production was resumed. In 1948 the company decided to go public. But at the time they had no plans to enter into the market for the now growing interest in ballpoint pens, the result was the beginning of their slide into obscurity and subsequent demise. They became Biro Swan in 1952 following a large share purchase by Biro Pens. Even though at this time they had just launched their new high profile Calligraph range to join the competition for the new market associated with a craze for italic writing, fountain pen manufacture under the new company was to suffer a lack of real support. The restyled ranges of 1956 failed to ignite market interest and with diminishing quality, the end of the Mabie Todd story was inevitable. After 80 years of Swan pens, the book was closed.This bottle of ink would have been supplied to schools. After a child was deemed old enough to progress from just using slate and board, he/she would have been supplied with a pen shaft made of wood and with a very basic metal nib. The ink bottle would be used to fill up the individual inkwells. This operation would have been conducted by the teacher him/herself, or by an older pupil under the close eye of the teacher.Ink bottle clear glass with 'Swan Ink' paper label. Has rusted screw on top & black ink inside.Label has 'Mabel Todd' manufacturer's logo at top,; 'Swan Ink' name clearly shown; 'Made in England' printed clearly; and 'Mable Todd & Co Ltd, London & Liverpool' printed at base of label.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ink, bottle, mabie todd ltd

This item is an example of a home-made item used by a rural family. It is made from readily available materials.A hand-made wire toasting fork. It has four prongs and the handle is twisted with a loop at the top for hanging. It is made of two strands of fencing wire.hand-made toasting-fork food-preparation

William Ridgway and Sons company of Sheffield, manufacturers of augers, bits, wood-boring, and motorising tools, was founded in 1878 and became a Private company in 1909, their factory was founded in the 1930s. William Ridgway Tools merged first with Record Tools in 1974 to form Record Ridgway Tools Ltd. Record was another Sheffield company that was renowned for the quality of their vices and industrial clamps. Following the merger Record, Ridgway Tools Ltd was made up of fourteen UK Companies and five overseas companies. A later merger with a woodwork tools company called Marple (which was part-owned by Record and Ridgway respectively before their original merger) led to the company becoming known as Record Marples Tools. Record Marples was taken over by the Swedish hardware manufacturer AB Bahco in 1982. Despite a management buyout leading to the company reverting to British ownership in 1985 the company struggled financially and the following administration was acquired by U.S.-based Irwin Tools in 1998 who has since moved production to China in recent years. A vintage tool made in the 1930s when Ridgway began mass producing augers and other tools for export and sale. This item would have probably been used in Australia on a farm for drilling fence posts for wire to pass through or other tasks where a hole was required to be bored in timber. Scotch eye beam auger, with double twist and Lead screw. Ridgway Sheffield flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village