Any idea what this was used for?

[Walston]

My brother found this in his late father in law’s tools.

 

[Turkeyfoot]

My brother found this in his late father in law’s tools.

Looks like the tool for scraping hair off of a scalded hog when butchering.

 

[DoubleO7]

Looks like the tool for scraping hair off of a scalded hog when butchering.

Yep

 

[urbancase]

Looks like a hog scraper, grandpa had some like that.

 

[Walston]

Thanks for the help.

 

[Richard G.]

My brother found this in his late father in law’s tools.

Yep on the hog scraper.
Got a double ended one in my shop.

 

[PJH]

My brother found this in his late father in law’s tools.

Yes, as everyone says - a hog scraper. More on the subject - when you heat the water to scald the hog carcass, the old timers in the butchering crowd would zip their fingers through the surface of the scalding water. If they could zip their fingers four times, the water was NOT hot enough. If they could only stand to zip their fingers three times, it was perfect. Two zips without misery was too hot. Scalding water was a serious issue - too hot and it would "set" the hair making it hard to scrape off. Too cool was also an issue - same results. Watch the old timers and learn.

 

[PJH]

Yes, as everyone says - a hog scraper. More on the subject - when you heat the water to scald the hog carcass, the old timers in the butchering crowd would zip their fingers through the surface of the scalding water. If they could zip their fingers four times, the water was NOT hot enough. If they could only stand to zip their fingers three times, it was perfect. Two zips without misery was too hot. Scalding water was a serious issue - too hot and it would "set" the hair making it hard to scrape off. Too cool was also an issue - same results. Watch the old timers and learn.

Having stated that - you can skin a hog much quicker than you can scrape one. But it will cause the old timers to roll in their graves. . .

 

[rustred]

Having stated that - you can skin a hog much quicker than you can scrape one. But it will cause the old timers to roll in their graves. . .

yep for sure, i guy here had 3 killed skinned gutted and halved and loaded out in 45 minutes.

 

[miangus]

Yep

Another fun job that you could be trained to do as a youngster. We had a couple of Hamp sows escape and farrow in the back of our section which was a bit wilder then. We captured the sows in the fall after we got snow but didn't get all the young pigs which were fair in size by then. So, each of the guys on the logging crew paid my grandfather $20.00 and went out and they had the "Great Proudfoot Pig Hunt". I wasn't old enough to go on the hunt, but I was just the right age to scrape scaled hogs.

 

[RBnSC]

Looks like the tool for scraping hair off of a scalded hog when butchering.

I can see it working but we never had one just finger nails.
Ron