Trade Catalog
Southern Steel Stamp and Die Works: Saddler's Fine Stamps, Tools and Machinery. 364 Commerce Steet, Dallas, Texas. c1880. Courtesy of Steven Shephard of the Full Chisel Blog, comes this small but outstanding catalog of saddler's decorative leather tooling stamps. The incredibly bright colors, fonts and flourishes of the covers are indicative of the 1880's. Printers where fond of embellishing everything with color, bronze powder and enough omph to catch your attention.

PRICE LIST OF THE TREMONT NAIL CO., Salesrooms No. 17, Oliver Street., Horace P. Tobey, Agent. Works at West Wareham, Mass. April 15, 1880. Nifty little catalog for the famous Tremont Nail Company. Tremont Nail is still in business, producing cut nails and other traditional hardware.

LITTLE GIANT Tools. For Sale by Montgomery & Co., 105 Fulton Street, New York, N.Y. c 1880. Small fold out supplemental catalog for a few of the Little Giant line of tools and accessories manufactured by the Wells Bros. of Greenfield, Mass. I like the wheelwrights drilling jig.

W. & F. J. Barnes Price List and Descriptive Catalogue of Barnes Foot, Hand and Steam Power Machinery, Rockford, Illinois. c1885, This poor little catalog went astray during one of the site rebuilds. Back where it belongs, a fine catalog of the esteemed W F & J Barnes Company, makers of the very best in hand and foot powered machinery. If I had room, and the cash reserves, I would collect them.

Nicholson Swiss Pattern Files, also Tools and Specialities. Nicholson File Company, Providence, R.I., U.S.A.
Nicholson Files, Increment Cut... Nicholson File Company, Providence, R.I., U.S.A.
both, 1889. Files and rasps get a bad rap. People think of them as poor seconds for shaping stuff. They're seen as 'cheaters' for when you can't get a joint right, or make a mistake that needs to be corrected. Files and rasps are anything but. Essential tools that should be in every mechanicks tool chest, they are the intermediate step in shaping wood, plastic or metal. Don't leave home without them.

Courtesy of Peter Evans.