Posted 4 years ago
dav2no1
(839 items)
Plumb Bob Tools
Anyone who has seen my posts, know that I love old tools. Here is a pair of plumb bobs. They are both pretty old. They really don't have a lot of value, but they are still useful. Their design is simple and elegant.
The orange one is:
Stanley no. 171 - 7 oz
I'm not sure who made the other plumb bob. There is no marking and it's a little crudely made. It has been used and abused. A friend gave this to me, knowing I collect old tools
IN THE BEGINNING...
There is evidence that plumb-bobs have been in use since the dawn of civilization. They were used by the Babylonians, the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Greeks and the Romans to make accurate vertical lines when building or marking the points of stars and planets.
Early plumb bobs were made of stone and hardwood. Later they were made of lead. This is where it got it's name..."Plumbum” is Latin for lead.
As time progressed they were made from bronze and other metals. To this day, they can found in tool boxes all over the world.
I love how you have mounted them. The art of tools!
Thank you for your comments and for noticing my attempts at displaying them ...
and thank you to everyone for looking and loving my old tools!
A lot of plumb bobs were made by apprentices as part of their training.