I got this in a box of miscellaneous blacksmith tools at an auction. Anybody have any idea of what it is?

It appears to be a tire wrench for setting tires while hot.

a very big bottle opener? it does look like it could pop tires off a wheel fairly easily, maybe that?

not for removing Archie, for stretching just a bit to help get the hot tire over the wooden wheel.

I thought that is what it might be Jr. but the roller end had me wondering. The tire wrenches that I have seen prior to this one were all smith made affairs that looked like a mini canthook.

Here are a couple from the COSIRA book on wheelmaking.

If it looked like a mini cant hook, it was probably a spoke dog, for pulling the spokes together a bit to line up the spoke tenons with the felloe or the rim.

You are right again Jr. :-) I remember now the guy I saw using the mini canthook affair was putting fellows on a wheel. Now that I think about it, I don't think I have ever seen a live demo of a tire being installed.

BT, come to this place Midwest Old Threshers and I can almost guarantee you will see a tire setting on Saturday of the show. North end by the train station.

That looks like a good show Steve. Do you demo there too?

Yes, I have my trailer shop set up behind the Snipe Run smithy (between the fire dept and the smithy). Jens Butler ( Oakwood Forge ) came there last year for the first time and I am very suspicious he will be there again this year. . We do have fun. Kieth Sommer is the Threshers smith in the snipe run shop and he is one heck of a smith. Stop by.

Its part of an old fashioned disc sharpener back in the days of horse powered machinery and small tractors, where the whole disc gang was put into a contrapsion that turned the gang slowly. and the tool in question was used in conjunction with another piece that held a cutting bit. The whatsit in question was used to apply pressure to the back side of the blade so the cutting tool on the otherside would cut. I found this one today stored in my aunts garage, he whole machine was there.

Ah, nice to know for sure what it is. Thanks Jr.