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This punch is a blacksmithing tool used by the donor, Mr T. Harris, in his forge at Witheridge Farm in Hailey, Oxfordshire. It has a short metal head which is roughly octagonal, around which a rod of metal is wrapped twice with the ends of which form the handle. The twisted handle is intended to reduce the impact felt by the user when the punch is hit with the hammer. This punch is probably a fullering punch, used to punch the fuller – the groove running along the surface of a horseshoe into which nail holes are placed.

1 punch: metal

MERL miscellaneous note, Greta Bertram, 10 January 2013 – Mr T. Harris had a smithy at Witheridge Farm in Hailey, Oxfordshire. Upon his death in February 1960, his daughter, Mrs M. K. Fenn, donated a large number of his tools to the Museum. Mr Harris had previously donated a number of objects to the Museum in 1952 and 1956., MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Museum of English Rural Life) – 'Standard museum name: … // Accession number: … // Classification: … // Negative number: … // Acquisition method: … // Acquired from: … // Date: … // Store: … // Condition: … // Recorder: … // Date: … // Description: Short metal shaft, very roughly octagonal. Tapers toward one end then widens out again. Round this ‘waist’ a rod of metal is wrapped twice, the two ends twisting once then running straight to form a handle. // Dimensions: Length 30.5cm. Head length 9cm. Head at widest point 4cm. At narrowest 2cm. // Associated information: Acquired from the workshop of T. Harris, Witheridge Fm., Hailey, Witney, father of Mrs. Fenn, after his death. // (1) Punches,… are obviously for driving holes of varying shapes and sizes into metal of varying thickness. They may be square, round, hexagonal, rectangular, triangular; they will taper smoothly towards one end and have a solid cap at the other, with its edge burred over from the impact of the hammer. These tools are used over the anvil’s pritchel hole, or over a hole in the swage block, so that the point emerges from the iron without coming into contact with metal hard enough to blunt it. // References: (1) Hammer and Tongs: Garry Hogg (Hutchinson of London).'

Fenn, M. K. (Agent)