Posted 10 years ago
VintageBut…
(3 items)
I purchased these 2 items just this weekend from a car boot fair in North Yorkshire, England. I think they are for smelting valuable metals for making jewelry? but would love to hear from anyone if they think otherwise.
One of them has a wonderful turned handle with a brass ferrule and the other is much shorter with a folded over handle.
1st one looks like a dipper for casting bullets etc.
I have larger ones used to pour lead. Mine are marked for weight. In other words if a lead pour requires one pound you use the one pound ladle. You can make the ingots in advance the proper weight ready to be used no matter what ladle you have handy on the job to reheat them for the actual pour. Mine are marked on the under side of the handle. If these came from a fishing area they may have been used to pour sinker weights. Really neat little ladles. I can remember when they thought pouring lead in a damaged car body would work as a repair. It worked fine until you hit bumpy roads.
Body repairs like that was called lead wiping.