Name/Title
Shears, LeatherEntry/Object ID
1993.2.46Description
Heavy steel leather shears with large handles and short blades, black pigment coating.
Marks: "SOLID STEEL / DROP FORGED" - stamped twice, once on each side.
From "The Dictionary of Leather-Working Tools c. 1700-1950" by RA Salaman, p. 168:
"An older generation of clickers and closers used only a knife when cutting the most delicate leathers or textile linings. But scissors and shearers have come increasingly into use. Most of them are similar to the stout scissors or heavy shears used by tailors. Some have serrated-edged blades. Cutting by knife would be difficult without a bench, and it is probable that the English shoe repairers who took to the road in the eighteenth and nineteenth, started using scissors for cutting out patches and similar work."Dimensions
Height
11 inWidth
4 inDepth
7/8 inRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
McClay, Albert and JohnProvenance
Notes
Object owned and used by John McClay, circa 1854 and his son, Albert McClay, circa 1908-1977. Object donated, in 1993, by Wayne Cunningham, son-in-law to Albert McClay.