Breastplate for a Metalworking Drill

Date1775-1810

MediumBrass and steel

DimensionsLength: 5 3/8" Width: 3 1/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1997-111

DescriptionBreastplate of irregular ovoid shape covered in foliate and geometric engraving and set with a section of a file drilled with three small cavities. There are several unrelated holes in the brass plate which remain from its previous use as part of a clock movement.Label TextPressed against the chest, breastplates were used to trap and steady the upper end of the drill bit’s shank so it would spin and cut straight. This make-do example was created using a hunk of a steel file and an engraved brass plate from a clock movement.Inscription(s)"JOHN INGRAM" within a cartouche is engraved on the brass below the file section.ProvenancePurchased for Colonial Williamsburg by Don & Anne Wing of The Mechanick's Workbench, from the David Stanley Auction, Leicestershire, England, September 27, 1997. Lot 1393.