Bone Seam Rubber, 19th Century

19th century

Seam rubbers were commonly made aboard whaling ships during leisure time. They were used by sail makers to smooth and flatten a seam in heavy sailcloth, so that it could be sewn. The handle of this example was turned on a lathe, and on the handle’s crossbar is a symbol (probably of ownership) in the form of a backwards “L”. The sharp end does not show any signs of wear, indicating that it was probably carved as a toy or souvenir rather than a working utensil in a sail maker’s tool kit.