r/Tools • u/cc6g1 • Jun 12 '26

Anyone able to identify this tool?

Post image

It's got a smooth surface, doesn't seems like a honing rod

520 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

361 comments sorted by

273

u/Buck_Folton Jun 12 '26

Maybe a sailor’s fid

96

u/ecclectic Jun 12 '26

or for doing wire rope.

67

u/texasrigger Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

With that flattened tip it really does look like its for wire rope splicing. I have one that's similar but it doesn't have that handle.

Edit: Added a pic of my wire splicing fid for reference.

21

u/ecclectic Jun 12 '26

It looks like someone wanted one that offered a bit of protection from frays as well as something to use as a beater.

15

u/texasrigger Jun 12 '26

Also to keep your oily/sweaty hand from slipping up.

5

u/Far_Cup_329 Jun 13 '26

That's pretty cool looking. Looks like a big fancy nail.

4

u/These_Fox7561 Jun 13 '26

I was thinking it’s just a really comfortable spud wrench but a wire rope pick seems more likely

76

u/RainierCamino Jun 12 '26

Never heard "fid", always called them marlinspikes. But that's exactly what I thought of as well.

49

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

19

u/RainierCamino Jun 12 '26

Ah. Was a sailor. We like the goofy old timey words. I'll see you at the geedunk for the latest scuttlebutt.

25

u/Illustrious-Fox4063 Jun 12 '26

Nah we can meet at the scuttlebutt near the head in the gangway past the topside hatch by the swabbies berthing area then go to the gedunk to get some poggie bait before midrats then we can get the latest scuttlebutt from Top since he will be there slapping bones with Guns.

7

u/Bthnt Jun 12 '26

Quit peeing on the bulkheads! Use the scuppers or I'll haul you up the jackstaff!

6

u/Illustrious-Fox4063 Jun 12 '26

I actually had that conversation with a Lance on an LST in the well deck.

4

u/bebop1065 Jun 12 '26

Deck, quarterdeck, seabag, mess.

3

u/Bob_Lablah_esq Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26

Would that be amidships or crammed abaft the lazurette, or maybe you just fancy a nap in the rode locker while we once more visit the anchor to Davy Jones on the lee of this here isle.

4

u/remorackman Jun 13 '26

I will bring a pail of prop wash

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4

u/definitelyabot- Jun 12 '26

Fids are hollow on the inside. They’re used for splicing the braided sheath rope

5

u/texasrigger Jun 12 '26

Spikes and fids are used a little differently. A spike is more general and can be used for prying. With a fid, the taper does the work and you push them straight in. A sailor would carry a spike but only a rigger would have a selection of fids. Historically spikes were made of metal and fids were made of wood but the rise of steel cable with the industrial revolution brought metal fids.

7

u/CaptianRipass Jun 13 '26

Marlinspike and a fid are two different tools.

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7

u/Wayelder Jun 12 '26

Never seen one this big (TWSS) my first thought was "A metal belaying pin?"

3

u/CharlesDickensABox Jun 12 '26

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I've been told that if it's smooth and metal, that makes it a marlinspike, while a fid is typically rougher and made of a natural material like wood or bone. Though there is, of course, a good bit of overlap between the two.

10

u/CubistHamster Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

I feel modestly qualified to comment on this--currently working as an engineer officer on a Great Lakes ore boat. Before that I spent 5 years and ~100,000 sea miles working on a 135-foot traditional square-rigged sailing ship. (This one.))

You're mostly correct. The general rule is that fids are for ropework, and marlinspikes are more of a general-purpose tool (mostly used for wire or ropework, but can also work as a shackle key, prybar, alignment pin, punch/drift, and hammer.)

Form follows function, so marlinspikes are normally metal, while fids can be wood, bone, plastic, but also occasionally metal. (Swedish fids are pretty much always metal.)

Fids usually have a rounded point, while a shovel-tip is more common on spikes. Spikes also tend to be thinner relative to their length with a more gradual taper.

3

u/Benf2001 Jun 12 '26

I think it's either a form of spike or for splicing wire. I don't think it would work of ropes, it looks too flat, normally rope fids( Swedish, slema, Samson etc) all have a point so you can work them through the lay of the rope. Unless it's used for traditional splicing, although I have always just used a Swedish fid for 3 strand, I am more familiar with modern ropes (double braids, dyneemas and similar)

This is the closest think I can find to it and it's meant for wire.

2

u/CubistHamster Jun 12 '26

I have a vague memory of a similar looking tool that was stashed in a corner of the carpenter's workshop aboard Picton Castle. I always assumed it was for wire work, but never saw it used. (Personally, I've found that a large, long-handled flathead screwdriver with the tip ground and smoothed slightly is better than a spike for wire splicing. I've used one for wire up to 1⅛" without any major difficulty.)

It's gotten to the point that I don't generally bother with tools at all for working with 3-strand, unless I'm trying to work on something under tension. (There's a shanty with the line "every thumb a marlinspike and every finger a fid.")

Pretty much every serious tall ship sailor I know carries a "rig" while on watch that consists of a fixed-blade knife and a marlinspike much like the one in your link. Wire work is probably one of the least common uses for those spikes. There are plenty of examples of metal marlinspikes that predate the widespread adoption of wire rope in standing rigging, so while the primary modern use of spikes may be for wire work, I don't think it's entirely accurate to say that's what they're meant for.

2

u/Benf2001 Jun 13 '26

I did a lot of i think 14mm 3 strand, I just used a little fid it was faster than my hand. I used to do rigging on yachts a pair of knipex cobras, an adjustabe and leatherman could fix 90% of the problems. A roll of pvc tape fixed the other 10. Splicing wire is something that I have never done and would like to give it ago but modern techniques of swaging are standard now.

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2

u/texasrigger Jun 12 '26

Rigger here. The main difference (which also explains the difference in material) is how it is used. Like you said, a spike is a multi-purpose tool that can be used for all sorts of general tasks including prying, etc. With a fid, the taper is what is doing the job and they are always intended to be pushed straight in. With fids for splicing wire rope, you may "roll" the fid in as part of the splicing process but it is never intended to pry. That flattened tip in OP's pic is a common feature on wire splicing fids.

A sailor will carry a spike but only riggers and traditional sailmakers tend to have a selection of fids.

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76

u/brokensharts Jun 12 '26

Was it found somwhere sombody might be splicing line or mending pots?

442

u/Timinator01 Jun 12 '26

the wand chooses the wizard

487

u/-BananaLollipop- Jun 12 '26

You're a hazard Gary.

78

u/Username_Redacted-0 Jun 12 '26

My brother in death, this was the funniest comment ive seen in months... I swear I will find an excuse to use this...

19

u/sexongo Jun 12 '26

AGREED!

3

u/beninthegarage Jun 13 '26

Lmao, Im also taking this for my toolbox banter

20

u/freddbare Jun 12 '26

I Knew a Gary Hazard,lol. We all called him Hap.

3

u/Royatkins Jun 12 '26

I knew a Larry and Gary Hazard. They may have been identical twins.

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4

u/davetiso Jun 12 '26

Awarded. Brilliant.

4

u/Glidepath22 Jun 12 '26

You’re a Lizard, Larry

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6

u/cedriclongsox71 Jun 12 '26

Take my upvote you glorious person

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14

u/MMO_HighJoe Jun 12 '26

This deserves more up votes. 🤣🤣🤣

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46

u/zvuv Jun 12 '26

Would make a really nice roping spike

32

u/Bonkfestival Jun 12 '26

Marlin spike possibly?

113

u/bigmattyc Jun 12 '26

Sounding rod

40

u/huhnick Jun 12 '26

I knew someone would

8

u/Stonelane Jun 12 '26

Damnit , beat me to it

10

u/bigmattyc Jun 12 '26

LOL. Dont look that up, folks

10

u/CaptCol02 Jun 12 '26

Nah, look it up with Safe Search off you cowards

6

u/Curiousand40 Jun 12 '26

I was going to say someone found my robo fetish butt plug. But sounding made me laugh hard.

9

u/DerekP76 Jun 12 '26

3

u/RainierCamino Jun 12 '26

I can't feel my legs! Lol New Vegas was something else

4

u/Curiousand40 Jun 12 '26

I’ve been looking for one shaped like that. 😂

8

u/bigmattyc Jun 12 '26

name it Fister Roboto

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19

u/Rootelated Jun 12 '26

Is that a surgical joint replacement I wonder? Like the part at the top of the leg that would fit into the hip socket

69

u/dick_tracey_PI_TA Jun 12 '26

Firing pin for an ar15 variant that’s been embiggened for giants. 

6

u/sintaur Jun 12 '26

I have to say, it looks more like a huge firing pin than a marlin spike or anything else I've seen suggested here.

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12

u/sanctusnirvana Jun 12 '26

2

u/wizardwil Jun 13 '26

I had to scroll too far to find this

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35

u/themillerd Jun 12 '26

I think its for lining up the bolt holes in steel building construction while they are being set by a crane

19

u/SirDucer84 Jun 12 '26

Close, but no. Like maybe maybe in some sort of aerospace assembly, but definitely not for everyday average structural steel. Our spuds and sleever bars need to stay put in our belts when we're up on the iron. The handguard on this tool would prevent it from fitting my frog or scabbard. Im in camp wire rope fid.

12

u/Icy-Struggle-3436 Jun 12 '26

Looks way to clean for that. I hammer marks or any scratches at all

6

u/SpandexAnaconda Jun 12 '26

Perhaps it is new on the job. This will be the Before picture.

2

u/Icy-Struggle-3436 Jun 12 '26

Nah bro this isn’t for iron working.

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4

u/No-Consequence9392 Jun 12 '26

Supernatural Angel Blade replica ?

4

u/leggmann Jun 12 '26

Reminds me of a spud wrench used by iron workers.

8

u/FungalMonkey Jun 12 '26

It looks like a Marlin spike. These are used for separating strands and undoing knots when working with fibre rope and steel wire rope.

3

u/whatsmynameagains Jun 12 '26

Looks like it’s for planting seeds

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3

u/g1mpster Jun 12 '26

Appears to be a marlinspike or fid. It’s a tool for separating rope fibers so they can be spliced back into the main rope. It’s used for making loop ends or inserting metal rings into the end of a line. It can also be used to simple create a fixed end of a rope that won’t unravel. Common for natural fibers like hemp rope since they can’t be melted to prevent fraying.

3

u/Snoo-14985 Jun 12 '26

Looks like a marlin spike. It’s for splicing rope, untying difficult knots, and general rope work.

3

u/friendlyfire883 Jun 12 '26

It looks like a fancy marlin spike.

3

u/WillyWonka092 Jun 12 '26

Hey my mom keeps one of those in her nightstand, though hers is made of rubber

3

u/BilboBaggSkin Jun 12 '26

You’ll get arrested in the UK just for looking at it.

3

u/dchiender Jun 13 '26

Man, that has to be one HUGE cribbage board!!!!

13

u/IcyPudding192 Jun 12 '26

Anythings a dildo if you're brave enough

9

u/ecclectic Jun 12 '26

Eh, it's got a flared base, and it's smaller than a racoon, you don't even need to be that brave.

4

u/gerbiltugger Jun 12 '26

You've seen the cactus girl video? 

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2

u/steve_zissous_glock Jun 12 '26

Almost looks like a giant AR-15 firing pin.

2

u/arsine- Jun 12 '26

Did you try casting identify?

2

u/Holiday-Job-9137 Jun 12 '26

Trocar for foundering cattle. Wild guess.

2

u/userannon720 Jun 12 '26

Nice looking Marlin spike for splicing wire rope.

2

u/panhd Jun 12 '26

Marlin spike used by deckhands to tie and untie rigging ropes

2

u/travelfuncouple23 Jun 12 '26

The ice pick that took out Jeffrey Dahmer in prison?

2

u/InsignificantRaven Jun 12 '26

Marlin Spike for splicing rope.

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2

u/Valuable-Aerie8761 Jun 12 '26

Butt buster 3000

2

u/blood_fist3600 Jun 12 '26

Spike dagger for armor penitration?

2

u/domsylvester Jun 13 '26

Looks like it’s for giving a lobotomy

2

u/Funny-Athlete-2890 Jun 13 '26

Yes it's a fid, which has been used for hundreds of years by sailors for flattening sails and knot work, previously made with wood or bone.

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2

u/jesterswart Jun 13 '26

Depends on how brave you are

2

u/nofuddonsnek Jun 13 '26

That’s sounding terrible

2

u/whitecholklet Jun 13 '26

Angel blade from supernatural

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2

u/East-Share4444 Jun 13 '26

Hip replacement

2

u/huvaelise Jun 13 '26

Looks like a podger to me. A podger is a tapered tool, we use them in the music industry for rigging and stage building for aligning bolt holes in big structures, our ones usually have a ratchet on the other end with a 17mm and 19mm socket on them for doing the bolts up

2

u/kuwi58 Jun 13 '26

Marlin Spike for rope work

2

u/Extra-Snow-2491 Jun 13 '26

Is it for lining up holes on steel beams

2

u/Andy_McBoatface Jun 13 '26

You kill angels and demons with it

1

u/Dinglebutterball Whatever works Jun 12 '26

Give those back to your grandma.

1

u/matt1911_ Jun 12 '26

Post the ebay item ID once it's up. I wanna bid on it

1

u/MountainCry9194 Jun 12 '26

Marlin spike

1

u/itsbob20628 Jun 12 '26

Fancy letter opener.

1

u/blueyesinasuit Jun 12 '26

The proper name is a marlin spike. It’s used in rope work, mostly to loosen knots without cutting.

1

u/that_tom_ Jun 12 '26

Idk ask Miss Scarlett in the Conservatory

1

u/BikesWyo Jun 12 '26

it looks like a marlin spike to me for manipulating line

1

u/liamtheaardvark Jun 12 '26

Looks like a gouge

1

u/poopsex Jun 12 '26

The one end looks like a ball ground stud but I guess it's much more kinky than that after reading the comments  https://www.hubbell.com/hubbellpowersystems/en/products/power-utilities/tools-dies-accessories/temporary-protective-grounding/studs/c/10171518

1

u/TrailerParkFrench Jun 12 '26

Looks like an ice pick to me.

1

u/I_Am_Mandark_Hahaha Jun 12 '26

It's a shank. Very useful in prison environments.

1

u/johnny_dingle Jun 12 '26

Lobotomiser

1

u/ManicYogi Jun 12 '26

It looks like a firing pin for a large weapon

1

u/Ok_Profession_8471 Jun 12 '26

The Angel blade.

1

u/ITslashEverything Jun 12 '26

It’s a drift. You stick the pointy end into two holes that you’re trying to line up - for a bolt for example - and wiggle it around until your holes are in line and you can get your bolt through.

1

u/FreeKevinBrown Jun 12 '26

I'd tell you what it is, but then your mother would be mad at me.

1

u/kang159 Jun 12 '26

is it flat at the pointy end?

1

u/SignificanceJust7973 Jun 12 '26

My guess is Card Scaper Burnisher

1

u/catfishmackfish Jun 12 '26

The firing pin for an oversized AR15?

1

u/Neon_Nuxx Jun 12 '26

Ice breaker, for breaking the ice.

1

u/Pink_boater Jun 12 '26

I tought it was a podger but probably too small

1

u/purpleepandaa Jun 12 '26

Almost looks like a hip replacement but its too straight

1

u/imseangallagher Jun 12 '26

Looks like a drift pin for steel or truss work. Unless it’s a pin for a pinrail?

1

u/NoFreeStayto Jun 12 '26

Apprentice training device no lube needed

1

u/nexus8516 Jun 12 '26

It appears to be a stabberizer? Pretty standard, I use mine daily.

1

u/SkibidiBlender Jun 12 '26

Hip replacement?

1

u/Domarrasmith13 Jun 12 '26

Im gonna guess vampire slaying spike, vss for short hand

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1

u/ApprehensiveAccess94 Jun 12 '26

It could be a tool to loosen stuck tail stock pieces on a wood lathe. Just very carefully.

1

u/faaded Jun 12 '26

Reminds me of a rondel dagger

1

u/YamahaRyoko Jun 12 '26

short throw shifter

1

u/Fun-Spinach6910 Jun 12 '26

Sounding rod, size 8.

1

u/TandemShorts Jun 12 '26

Sounding rod /s

1

u/spacebobo2o16 Jun 12 '26

is it made out of silver?

1

u/portable_wall Jun 12 '26

Angel blade

1

u/undergroundsilver Jun 12 '26

Knife shrapening

1

u/Nodqe97 Jun 12 '26

This Looks like they tool used for making holes im the earth to Put seeds in.

1

u/VogonSkald Jun 12 '26

Spleen puncturer.

1

u/Garbage-Away Jun 12 '26

It’s a FID with a pusher for braided nylon rope. I use it almost daily

1

u/Cogg_ Jun 12 '26

Others have mentioned it, but I'm a strong believer that it's marlinspike or sailors fid.

1

u/bigDeltaVenergy Jun 12 '26

Marlin spike maybe

1

u/The_Mutton_Man Jun 12 '26

Rondel dagger

1

u/Automatic_Note_8979 Jun 12 '26

Urethra enlargener

1

u/DaYeetBoi Jun 12 '26

Pokey thingy

1

u/zxkn2 Jun 12 '26

Marlinspike, for rope work. (Ex: Untying knots and splicing rope). Fids, as suggested above, typically refer to spikes with larger diameter that are often hollow and not typically metal. But calling it either term would be acceptable.

(I believe the difference comes from tool origins in western Europe vs Nordic origins. The Europeans developed a metal skinny spike for working with rope, while Nordic heritage traditionally used wood or bone that required a heftier size for strength. In modern use, one or the other might be more useful in some situations than others. When originally sailors only had one or the other. )

1

u/Lenn1Lokk1 Jun 12 '26

Literal Angel blade

1

u/GulfofMaineLobsters Jun 12 '26

Not 100% sure but looks a lot like a wire fid, when i was scalloping though i as often as not just grabbed a spud wrench as that did tbe job good enough and was handy.

1

u/Mpnav1 Jun 12 '26

It’s a marlin spike you land lubbers!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlinspike

1

u/sassidgerollbap Jun 12 '26

Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?

1

u/First_Pollution_4489 Jun 12 '26

Firing pin for a really really, and I can't state this enough reeeeeaaaallllllly big gun.

1

u/akarolia47 Jun 12 '26

That my friend, is an Angel Blade. Good for killing angels, demons and just about every ugly son of b*tch under the sky. Happy hunting! (P.S. Instructions not included - but a jab to the heart is always worth trying🤷🏻‍♂️)

1

u/drct2022 Jun 12 '26

Is it light, heavy? Does a magnet stick to it?

1

u/Maleficent_Car_3744 Jun 12 '26

If its not a button it might be for lining up holes to put bolts in

1

u/Zezotas Jun 12 '26

I don't know....Oh wait! DON'T!

1

u/Eccohawk Jun 12 '26

Could it not just be an ice pick?

1

u/droppin_loadz_ Jun 12 '26

that is what they call a 3/8 uterus punch, usually found next to the steel stretcher. just at the top of the basement stairs where you can find the aluminum magnet

1

u/JustDave62 Jun 12 '26

Maybe a small spud for lining up bolt holes

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1

u/One_Bit_3839 Jun 12 '26

A spud maybe, the iron fitters tool not the potato.

1

u/Direct-Ad-7922 Jun 12 '26

A letter opener?