"Picture Files" in the National Technical Museum in Denmark

[Member1 87]

While I travel about I love to see things I have never seen before……. while strolling thru the National Technical Museum in Helsinger Denmark, the city known as the home of Shakespeare's Hamlet's castle. This was the case some years ago when I stumbled across picture files, no not a paper file with pictures but a metal file with a picture cut into the teeth……… for those that don't know files used to made by taking a piece of softened steel and chiseling the teeth in by hand. Using this special shaped hammer dozens of teeth could be cut per minute. If you change the angle of the chisel you change the way light hits the file showing a design. Here we have an artist file make who was amazing at this!

 

 

 

 

 

[Member1 87]

 

 

[ElgaKoster 540]

That is way cool!

[Catherine Ronan 135]

Those files are really beautiful. As are so many of the other hand tools in those photos.

I know several metalsmith's who make their own tools. Many of which personalize them with some sort of decoration. My hammers and some of my chasing tools do.

[miraclechicken 172]

Incredible! I've never seen such a thing---