ID-DOC: general search

With parallel pliers you can clamp flat metal or metal wire without damaging it. The jaws always remain parallel so that even with thick material all the force is distributed over the entire jaw. The teeth are flat on the material. Springs are fitted in the legs to open the pliers. Some pliers are equipped with a wire cutter. [MOT]

The garage owner uses the tyre spreader to check the inside of the tyre. This is necessary after any repair to the inner tube, as it is quite possible that sharp parts are still sticking through the tyre. Fractions can also be determined. If the tyre is not too stiff, you can bend it apart with your hands. A belt spreader is necessary for larger tyres. With the adjusting screw it is possible to fix the tyre spreader at any position. [MOT]

This text can only be consulted in Dutch.See also the tie wire twister. [MOT]

The wire around the cork of a champagne bottle is cut with champagne scissors. The jaws are very short, since the wire is against the bottle and there is not much play between the wire and the bottle. The champagne scissors are sometimes part of the champagne nippers. [MOT]

This mason's tool is an elongated wedge-shaped iron with a sharp edge that the mason uses to cut bricks to size by hitting it with brick hammer. Often the man clamps the stone between his knees (1). The tool is very similar to the farrier's toe knife. [MOT]

Metal hammer with a short handle and a straight or curved hammer head with square faces. Sometimes hollows have been deliberately made in the sides above the handle. (1) The stonemason uses this hammer to hit the narrow-headed chisels (2), a crown drill or a masonry drill). Also when splitting off a block of stone of the right size and shape; one by one a number of wedges are then knocked into the block of stone in a straight line and some distance apart until the two parts of the stone are split apart. See also metal carver's mallet. [MOT] (1) These cavities would ensure a better distribution of the impact force on hard stone types such as granite (MERCUZOT: 221). (2) When the chisel head is wide, a wooden stonemason beater is used.

The can pierce is an elongated, flat and short (approx. 10 cm) metal kitchen utensil with a pointed and bent bottom end with which you can prick pouring and air holes in cans of milk, fruit juice, oil, etc. It is often combined with a bottleopener or a corkscrew. There is also a can pierce with a lid. There are two short nails in a round (plastic) lid. This way, the container can be closed after piercing. See also paint can opener. [MOT]

Metal carver's mallet is a metal hammer with a short handle (approx. 10 cm) in the center of the base of a cylinder or the top of a truncated cone, as with the wooden carver's mallet. It can also be square with sides that diverge wider towards the end of the hammer head. With this mallet you can give powerful blows and it is mainly used on hard stone types in combination with a chisel. See also the stonemason's hammer. [MOT]

The plumber uses this S-shaped blunt chisel, often with a curved cut, to drive lead and work, i.e., fluffed ropes, into the collar of a cast iron pipe so that it is watertight. It is struck with a hammer. [MOT]

Instead of using a roofer's hammer and slater's stake, slates can also be cut to size with these slate shears. These are scissors with a flat lower jaw that slopes downwards and in which there is a rectangular recess in which the upper jaw fits. The slate is placed on the lower jaw and when closing the scissors, a piece of the slate is cut off. In this way, one can continue to cut along the same line to remove a complete piece of the slate. Often there is a protrusion on one of the arms that prevents the hand from sliding forward when cutting. There are also fixed models with a sharp protrusion that can be hammered into the roof boarding. [MOT]

With a salmon picker you can easily scoop up and serve fish fillets. It is an elongated (approx. 25 cm), fork-shaped plastic hand tool with a straight handle. The two jaws are very close to each other, so that just a thin fish fillet can fit in between. One jaw is flat with a pointed end; the other is slightly shorter, round and also with a narrower end. The flat jaw is slid under the fish, which is now stuck between both jaws and can be served as such. It can be removed from the salmon picker with a fork. [MOT]

Hand tool with a rounded, elongated (approx. 13-20 cm) blade that protrudes into an upwardly curved handle. The tool is used by the bricklayer and plasterer. Can be distinguished from this trowel, but has a wider blade (approx. 4-7 cm). [MOT]

Cheese cutting knife. See also the cheese knife and cheese cutter.

This thatcher's knife is a large knife (approx. 50 cm long) with a rounded edge that resembles the fish chopping knife but with a firmer blade. It is used by the roofer to trim reed or straw and he can occasionally use it to cut the twine of the reed bundles or the ribbon straw of the sheaves, similar to the sheaf-knife. [MOT]

The ham boner is a gouge to remove the thighbone or buttock of a ham or leg of lamb without cutting open or damaging the meat (muscle tissue). It is a sturdy gouge with a long (approx. 15-20 cm) and fairly wide (approx. 2-3 cm) blade that has a bevel on the outside, attached in a wooden or plastic handle. The concave shape of the blade slides easily on the bone and the bevel on the outside ensures that the meat comes off without much effort and is damaged as little as possible. The working part is sometimes slightly bent in length. See also the boning knife. [MOT]

After the husk and skin of the chestnut have been removed, the small membrane of the skin of the fruit must be detached. This can be done by pouring the fruits into a kettle of boiling water and making cutting and twisting movements with these chestnut skin tongs (1). Friction and heat loosen the membrane. The chestnut fleece pliers consist of two approx. 35-60 cm long wooden rods that are connected approximately in the middle by a (copper) screw. The bars are square in section and have triangular notches on the four edges for a better grip on the chestnuts. The part of the bars that acts as a handle is square or round in cross section. [MOT] (1) The proper name of these particular tongs in English is yet unknown.

This text on stud taps for removable studs on a horse can only be consulted in Dutch. [MOT]

You can cut off the head of an egg with an egg top cutter. It can be plastic with a circular cutout and a blade attached to a moving arm. The egg is placed in the cutout, the arm is moved inwards and the head is cut off. It can also be an elongated piece of metal with a circular cutout. The head is removed from the egg with a hinged blade - which also has a pointed protrusion that can serve as an egg piercer.See also the eggshell cutter. [MOT]

Saw consisting of a thin, twisted steel wire (approx. 35-75 cm long) to which a handle is hooked on both ends. It is used by the surgeon to cut bones and can be distinguished from the wire saw used by the lumberman. The steel wire can also be stretched in an arc-shaped frame with a T or D handle. See also the amputating saw. [MOT]

Vegetables are finely chopped on a chopping board with a chopping knife. It consists of a rectangular or trapezoidal shelf with three raised edges, so that the cut food stays in place. In the modern kitchen, this chopping board has often been replaced by a chopping board without raised edges. See also chopping block. [MOT]

Wooden tool to scoop grain. See also the grain shovel.