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US ARMY LEATHER STITCHING PALM: One of
many of the day to day tools issued to the company level
saddlers and used in the arsenal leather workshops at
Rock Island and Watervliet, the identity of these
stitching palms would likely have been lost were it not
for them surviving in context as this one did in the
Bannerman inventory. A handy little tool or appendage,
the stitching palm fit over the saddler’s hand, with his
thumb through the hole above the attached brass
thimble. As he ran his line of stitching, once the
needle was anchored in the leather the saddler would put
the thimble against the base of the needle and then he
could use the strength of his extended arm to push the
needle through.
In excellent condition, this palm shows little if any
use. The leather is live and still retains a smooth
shiny surface with no crazing or flaking, and only minor
flexing at the top bend in the leather. The brass
thimble is still intact and in full form, as it the
additional layer of protective leather below the
thimble. All of the stitching is intact. On the
reverse is stamped an inspector’s or piece worker’s
initial.
This is an interesting little tool that is seldom seen,
and one that would display well with an Ordnance
equipment, saddle or accoutrement display. (C138) $125
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