Featured Old Plumb Bob

Found this rather interesting plumb bob today. 6 panel, brass/bronze. Has the letters OMA Engraved, and WFF stamped. Owner markings.

Measures 4 3/4 inches tall. Haven't been able to find any other similar looking ones so far.

 

You might find that those threads are 'standard' to U.S. or metric specifications, which may help ID its origin. I've had a minor collection of bobs over the years, but never seen the like of yours. The iron tip may suggest a specific craft for which it was desirable or necessary. Some of these with accessible cavities were filled with Mercury in use...yours may bear remnants of that. Nice piece!

 

https://www.plumbbobcollectors.info/ Found this site while looking around. It has an archive of a Newsletter that seems to have run for around 10 years. Lots of interesting info about the world of plumb bobs.

 

Judging by the engraved script, as well as apparent wear. that bob could be mid-19th C or so. Good for You!

 

Yeah, I was thinking around mid 1800's myself. I really like how it shows its use, hasn't been polished/cleaned up, and apparently had a few owners that cared for it. I'll have to get a better picture of the inside. You can see the iron rod piece that was used for the tip in there.

Still haven't really found anything similar. There's a couple facebook tool groups i'll probably try asking on next.

 

That’s a really cool find! I’m not a tool guy but I dabble in them a bit. Nice bob’s always sell. I’ve definitely never seen one like that. I love the script.

I lucked into a great small stash of 19th century tools recently. Bought a large tote/bin of cd’s, cassettes, and other miscellaneous junk during an online only auction. Couldn’t see any tools at all. Paid $15. Figured if I got a few good cd’s I’d be happy but hoped I’d find something good in the bin. There was a small tool collection in the bottom among a couple other things of moderate value. Maybe 6-7 “tools” total, a plumb bob included. One single tool sold for $400 already!

 

It occurs to me that it may be a one-off; shop made by its user. It'd be pretty straightforward business for a machinist with a lathe at their disposal.