Civil War Forged BULLET TRIMMER Smooths Round Ball Seam - (eBay item 290174045373 end time Oct-30-07 17:56:45 PDT)
Are you into vintage hand-forged tools?
My man in the field tells me this is a Civil War-era blacksmith-forged hand tool for trimming the rough seams off round lead bullets. I don't quite understand how it works, but maybe you do?
There's no maker's mark or name on it, but lots of evidence it's hand-forged. Besides small irregularities, there's an irregular groove down the back of one arm, like the metal creased as it was hammered into shape. When I took photos, the arms only opened partway, but now it opens out flat.
There's a tiny notch in the open circle on the outer side of the tool. The business end is carefully made with a precise circle and excellent hinge.
It's a peculiar and mysterious tool to me. I was thinking the ledge part was meant to trim off the roughness, but maybe the part below the ledge is supposed to flatten the roughness?
See more photos on eBay.
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