[TheForge] Making a Shovel

[dann]

I think that this looks like a coal shovel.   Coal shovels were common for 
cleaning out the coal bin in the house - basement, before the days of fuel 
oil and  propane heating gas.

We also used one like that for cleaning the gutter that collected the poop 
behind the milk cows.  Despite what the photo shows,  unless the railroad 
workers  were digging up a seam of coal,  those  shovels with flat bottom 
edge don't work so great for  digging dirt.  For that you want a spoon - 
pointy -  dirt shovel.

There were many kinds of shovels.  Someplace in my junk,  I think that I 
have a wooden D handle shovel   exactly like  that ebay photo, which   I 
guessed would date to the 1930s.   I also have had some wooden D-handle 
iron grain scoops, which are kind of heavy to use, and only about 2/3 the 
size of the current aluminum scoop shovels.

Dann

At 04:37 PM 8/28/06, Roger R Degner wrote:
>Just because something on ebay says it is something does not mean it is
>infact that period.
>People will tell you anything sometimes to sell something like all those
>RARE items I have many multiples of
>
>Roger R Degner
>
>
>One thing you could do is try to get the seller of the shovel on ebay to
>
>send you a picture of the back of the blade. He has no buyers as of now
>and might do it if you sound interested.
>Otherwise I would just  forge weld a socket on the back and rivit the
>handle in place.
>If forge welding thin stock is a problem, mig it, put it in the fire and
>
>hammer till it looks like the 1860's.
>
> >Here is one on ebay:
> >http://cgi.ebay.com/Civil-War-Period-D-Handle-Shovel_W0QQitemZ130019996
> >929QQcmdZViewItem
> >
> >
>
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