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This palm iron originally came from Billinghay, Lincolnshire. Palm irons are used like thimbles by saddlers when sewing leather, to push needles into leather and to draw the needle back out again. For the pushing process, the pear shaped section of the tool held in the hollow of the hand is used. After it has been pushed well into the leather the saddler places the tip of the needle into the needle hole on the long projection at the front of the tool and pulls the needle and thread through the leather.

1 palm iron: metal